Sundowners Beach Villas — Local services in Zambales

I would not recommend anyone stay at this resort👎 This entire resort puts money above all else. While that is natural for any business. They lack the professionalism and proper service that is the minimum standard for a resort that charges high.

Most people go to beach resorts to use the beach and swim in the ocean. Otherwise why not just get a nice hotel with a pool in the city? Unfortunately this resort failed to mention during the booking process that guests would not be allowed to swim in the ocean due to jelly fish season. This is something they informed guests only after having made the trip all the way there, paying, and checking in. They were obviously aware that they would lose clientele if this was specified. It is wrong, manipulative, and deceptive not to provide this information forthright.

As if lack of access to the ocean at a beach resort wasn't bad enough the towels were not washed properly as they smelled of body odor that was so horrendous the entire bathroom smelt of it 🤢 The drains were clogged in the showers. The air conditioners in our rooms were struggling to push out cool air and were obviously in dire need of servicing or replacement. The staff constantly disturbed us trying to sell us on goods or fish and services as opposed to letting us relax or seeing if we needed anything. Some of the plates and silverware had not been touched for so long they accumulated dust.

Upon check out they attempted to fine us 10k(200$) for finding 1 cigarette-butt in the trashbin. This was stated in the contract. However as there were other guests staying in our rooms they had no idea. The hotel should have put no smoking signs and made it clear it was not allowed. However, it seemed more like they intended not to do that so people would make the mistake of smoking and they could charge us extra. On top of that during check out they attempted to find any reason they could to add any charge they could think of and not give ur down-payment back . It really felt as if all they were trying to do was scam us out of more and more money. There was also lots of mosquito, cat and dogs around the area that tried to eat our food. Never gonna go back there,that place is the worst with really greedy...

We stayed here for one night during our family vacation getaway 22-23 April. Our group total consisted of 22 people, so the 4-bedroom Duplex Pool Villa was a very accommodating unit for our group size. I recommend showing up early so that you can get a covered parking spot since these are limited and cannot be reserved.

As for the entire Sundowners working staff, they were all very friendly, welcoming and accommodating. Overall, we found the resort had a very nice clean and quiet ambience inside and out.

The following are the things we found that if improved would have made our stay much more enjoyable…

-We were told that when our Villa was ready, we would be informed. They forgot. -Upon our arrival we informed the staff of our final group size of 22, so that they would have all the towels, amenities and toiletries complete for our group. Apparently, this was not communicated by the reception to housekeeping because we ended up being short on several items. -The main front door lock to our Villa was broken. The maintenance team was unable to repair and recommended we lock the main gate to our Villa. Safety and security issue? -The air conditioner located upstairs did not cool enough for the area size. -The gas stove was not working properly. We had to call the maintenance team in order to cook. -The rice cooker was very small for the 4-bedroom duplex that has a capacity to hold 15 people. -One of the bathroom toilets did not flush very well. -The mattresses used for the bedding was low quality. -The Villa pool was somewhat dirty upon our arrival. -The outdoor shower was inoperative. -The outdoor cooking area electric outlet was inoperative. -The restaurant toilets should be separate male and female. -Upon check-out we were not issued a proper receipt and had to ask for one. -This place is considered a luxury resort based on the rate per night, but there are some areas that need more improvement for this to actually reflect the...

We booked the 2BR Plunge Pool Villa last August 8-10, 2022. We are frequent travelers here in the Philippines and love visiting hotels and resorts. When we were finally able to book in Sundowners Zambales, we were excited.

When we arrived, we thought it was overrated. Here are some good and bad points:

Good: It was aesthetic. The 2 Bedroom Plunge Pool Villa was really spacious. The mini pool was superb.

Needs so much improvement: Very slippery Patio tiles in the villa - my niece slipped 2 times and almost hit her head hard. The patio tiles seemed cheap and inappropriate for a pool area.

The Toilet & Bath inside the house has a foul smell - The smell from the drainage in the CR was unbearable. Smells like a septic tank.

Master’s bedroom bed mattress - its softness explains how old the mattress is. Not the comfortable softness but the one that gives you a backache.

Master’s bedroom air conditioner - the air conditioner is 7-8 feet high from the floor, and adjusting it could be a struggle as it is a manual aircon. Note: there is no chair or something high for you to step on to reach it.

No intercom/phone to call the front desk - each time we need to request for something we have to go to the front desk. They could have put an intercom inside the villas.

Beef and reef restaurant- one of the servers kept yawning while getting our orders. We ordered chicken fingers, fish fingers, corned beef, tapa and roasted chicken salad. The food was so-so but the price was not so high also, so I guess that’s okay.

Overall rating: 2/5 Will we return? Maybe yes, if the resort considers fixing the issues as the place is not cheap, so to renovate the place and change the mattresses should not...