Horrible Experience at Baan Rim Pa in Phuket

[TotallyOz]

I wanted to treat the current Boy Special and his family to a nice dinner. We reserved the Baan Rim Pa and requested a table on the end with the gazebo. They agreed. We also asked for a cake for his birthday. When I got there, they saw that I had 4 Thai's with me and put us at a different table. I was pissed but did not cause a scene in front of my guests. I did go out at one point to complain and they said, sorry, we didn't know what table you wanted. BULLSHIT. They also said that they didn't give a free cake to guests and I said I had requested one be ordered with his name and I would pay. Oh, so sorry they said. Again, I was not happy.

 

We ordered the set menu 3 which was mostly seafood and cost 1700 baht a head. I had the lobster and got seafood poisoning and ended up in the hospital for some drugs.

 

The view is amazing there but the cost vs the pitiful lack of service, respect, etc on top of getting sick made this my LAST visit to this place. I have been there at least 40 times over the years and did wonder if my complaint to the management had anything to do with the bad seafood. I did pay my bill. They included a service charge. I added one baht to it and gave to the manager and told him that this was what the entire service was worth.

 

Now, you have seen me post on these boards for years. I rarely if ever post a negative review. This one was well deserved AND my hotel review is to follow in the coming days.

[Guest fountainhall]

We reserved the Baan Rim Pa and requested a table on the end with the gazebo. They agreed.

 

This has been a favourite of mine for years, but there was one occasion when the location of a table I had requested - and which had been confirmed - was not provided. I had actually booked through the hotel concierge and so gave the restaurant the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps I was wrong. Certainly the service has never been anything more than average, and often less so - its one big failing in my view.

 

I also agree it's expensive, but the location is great, Tommy Doyle is one helluva cocktail pianist, and they make great vodka martinis. I have never had food poisoning - yet, but then I rarely order lobster.

 

[Gaybutton]

When I got there, they saw that I had 4 Thai's with me and put us at a different table. I was pissed but did not cause a scene in front of my guests. I did go out at one point to complain and they said, sorry, we didn't know what table you wanted. BULLSHIT. They also said that they didn't give a free cake to guests and I said I had requested one be ordered with his name and I would pay. Oh, so sorry they said. Again, I was not happy.

That's when you should have left. For GT to have written a negative review, then I have a feeling the service he received was much worse than the post suggests. If I was subjected to bad service or poor treatment merely because my group consisted of Thais, I'd be damned if I would have eaten there. An expensive restaurant treating its customers like shit? That's not for me. Where do they get off giving "second class" treatment to their customers for any reason? Let them watch over 8000 baht worth of business walk right out the door . . . and let them know why.

 

Since you stayed, I wish you refused to pay the service charge and tipped a total of 1 baht instead . . . and let them know why about that too. After all, if they are charging for service, then they at least ought to provide it.

[Guest Steve1903]

The 1 Baht service tip ....actually makes more of a point than leaving nothing.

[PattayaMale]

Never having been to Baan Rim Pa I did a Google search and I see it is a beautiful restaurant.

 

May I ask why you take people to such an expensive restaurant? I understand this is your new boy friend and you wanted to give him and his family a wonderful experience for his birthday.

 

The reason for asking is that when I first tried to take by Thai friend and his family to an expensive restaurant he really objected because he thought his family would be very uncomfortable. Now my Thai friend and his family comes from a small village by Korat and very poor. In your case your new BF and his family might be from a higher economic class and that would make a big difference.

 

Is there anyway you could get Baan Rim Pa to pay for your hospital stay? Your experience is one I would have been so upset about, the service alone would have ruined a great experience.

[Guest fountainhall]

I thoroughly recommend the Mangosteen Resort for an equally memorable and slightly less costly dinner. The resort is one of the few not by the sea. It's on top of one of the highest hills on the south of the island, so you can see quite a number of the beaches from the resort.

 

I don't normally like dining by a pool but this is one of those meandering sculpted ones with a bridge. The upmarket coffee shop serves dinner inside or out. The bf just adored dining on the bridge with the pool below and the stars above - and he felt totally comfortable in the surroundings.

 

[Guest]

May I ask why you take people to such an expensive restaurant? I understand this is your new boy friend and you wanted to give him and his family a wonderful experience for his birthday.

 

It is my favorite restaurant in Phuket and have taken every boy I have been to the city there. Also taken every family member that I have toured around Thailand with. I really liked the place and wanted to share it with them on his birthday. It was not to impress them, the hotel did that, it was to take him to a place I liked and hoped would be special for both of us. It is now most defiantly special for us as he was up with me for 2 nights.