Long Island Resort

Location is the only 'good' thing, providing seclusion is desirable and its not schoolies week. Presentation is lousy, staff are for the most part bored & disinterested, food is at best 'ordinary' & everything is way overpriced for such a below standard place. Staff quarters look like something out of a Bombay slum, which wouldn't exactly do a lot for job satisfaction. There is supposedly an onsite 'General Manager' who rarely appears in person however I've noticed her making the odd response to reviews, invariably claiming she is particularly interested in feedback. In practice however, the only conclusion one could make is that nobody in management gives a rats about the resort as its run-down / dilapidated / doesn't appear to have had anything spent on it in at least ten years. We requested a quiet room after reviews warned about the din created by inebriates getting on the sauce late at night. Response was 'we can't guarantee to fulfil requests, its a matter of luck. On arrival after a 20 hour train trip, we requested an earlier than 2pm check-in but were told that wasn't possible because 'they were extremely busy'. We later discovered occupancy was around 10% !!! Baggage is regularly dumped outside rooms where its unattended & unsecured for hours and the 'secure baggage room' at reception is never locked, hence it is readily accessible by anyone whether the rightful owner or otherwise. If you have anything of value, you'll need to lug it with you from when your arrive til when you finally get into your room (in our case that was 5 hours). Similar situation exists on departure. Public toilet / shower facilities near the pool / bar area are disgusting and fit for neither man nor beast. Whether or not 2pm check-in is industry standard, one would think a place suffering low occupancy would attempt to rectify the problem by offering exemplary hospitality. Rooms are tiny, televisions the smallest I've ever seen, and smoke / noise from adjacent rooms is a constant problem. Some guests run airconditioners 24 x 7 to blank out noise from adjacent rooms. Food is another gripe, choices are sparse & everything is over-salted so unsuitable for anyone on a health kick. Surprisingly in an area teeming with fish, the only variety on the menu is Vietnamese factory farmed basa ($6 a kg in Aldi). Opening times of shop, bar & 'restaurant' are very much based on the whim of staff, possibly why there is no information of any kind provided in the rooms. Official blurb warns of dire consequences for anyone bringing their own grog, ignore this nonsense and bring what you want as there is no guarantee if / when the bar will open for business. Even when someone gets around to opening the doors, prices are at least three times what you'd pay on the mainland. In any case, bag checks would constitute invasion of privacy. Note that 'restaurant' is a grandiose term for something more like a military style mess than anything else. Mind you a military establshment would be spotlessly clean, something that can't be said for the Long Island Resort equivalent. My guess is that continuing low occupancy is responsible for owner 'Ocean Hotels' neglecting maintenance however the issues of second rate staff, mediocre service, uninspired food choices & predatory pricing combine to ensure repeat business is highly unlikely.. Long Island Resort will never win any awards as its far too old & originally designed down-market clientele (it was reportedly a Club Med in its prime). That said, there is no excuse for rude & careless staff, filthy facilities, excessive pricing, at best, very ordinary food & management that is rarely if ever in attendance.

Liked: seclusion
Disliked: everything else
Would you recommend this hotel: No
Date of stay: November 2012