Review - Savasdee Resort ⭐️

Jan 2022 - The last post on the Savasdee Facebook page was in October, and messages have gone unanswered, so it’s fair to assume that this has now shut.

I’d previously heard good things about NuWave Destinations, the team that runs the Thai-themed Savasdee Resort (and will soon be opening Cairo Garden City) so I was keen to finally review it.

I went with my partner Muti (Flickr and blog) and I’m glad to say it very much lived up to expectations.  I recommend it highly, and am very much looking forward to their Egyptian venture.

Like a dozen or so resorts in Second Life, the Savasdee is a group restricted sim.  To book, message them on their Facebook page.  You’ll then get sent a group invite just before arrival, giving you access to the resort.

I’ve had some feedback from readers questioning whether the system of closed group sims for resorts is fair, as you can’t see what you are getting.

But if you think about it, that’s how it is in RL.  When you go on vacation, you make your decision by looking at social media, a website - or indeed reviews like this one.

Also, if you make a resort completely open, the chances are people will come, hang out, take pictures for free and leave.  

Finally, making at least part of your resort for members only gives it a bit of exclusivity.  It makes for a better experience, and also helps with lag.

Overall look and feel

Arrival is via helicopter.  Not a TP to an airport or helipad where you pretend to have come in by air, but an actual helicopter ride with one of the owners who gives you a tour of the resort, before landing, after which you are checked in.  This in itself is a nice touch.

The resort itself consists of the main resort-hotel, a jungle area, a giant Buddha statue on a hill (modelled after an RL equivalent in Phuket) and an elephant sanctuary with a spa.  Finally, there’s a small Thai town (again loosely modelled after Phuket) - for me this was probably my favourite part of the sim.

The Savasdee managed to pack all this in without it feeling too cramped, and the level of detail is amazing.  This place has been really well designed and put together

Overall - 5 / 5

The villas

There are ‘gold’ villas (which we stayed in) for 2800L a night and larger ‘platinum’ villas for 3500L.  The Platinum price also gives you access to a private beach and bar.

The Gold Villa had a living room / bedroom, a bathroom and shower, a private plunge pool at the back, a pool at the front, and a tea room shared with the next villa.

The living area of the Gold Villa is fairly compact, but in fact I preferred it to the standalone platinum villas (which I did zoom into).  I would say if you are going with a group, one or more of the larger villas would probably be better as you can then have a party at the beach and bar.

If going as a couple, like we did, go for the Gold villas.

Overall - 4.5 / 5

Features and amenities

There are bike stands throughout the resort, from which you can cycle around the sim.   Or, make use of a series of zip wires where you can get between different points.

Features and amenities include elephant rides, a spa (look out for the hidden milk bath!), a jungle trail, a gift shop, a beachside restaurant, a sushi restaurant and bar at the resort, and the giant Buddha statue which you can climb up to.  You can order RP dinner and spa treatments.

In “Phuket Town”, there’s a beach, a beachfront with shops, and a town street with a Ramen Bar and a ‘Casino’ (a bar with a games room up top).

As mentioned, I thought the town was really well done.  However when we were there, we thought it could have done with mesh people to give it a bit more atmosphere and make it seem a bit less empty.

A number of SL hotels have mesh people dotted around, and I think it really works.  The Essencia is an example, as is the Nobu Resort.

Overall - 4.5 / 5

The animations

There are adult animations throughout the resort, and as it’s a closed sim with only guests and staff having access, you are guaranteed a high degree of privacy.

For me the anims were one of the weaker points though, many of the PG anims in the restaurants and bars took a fair amount of adjusting, and the same was true of the Bazar Athens bed, which was in our suite.

What I did like was that a Bazar Lounge Sofa had been hidden and made invisible in our plunge pool, meaning that the pool had animations.

Overall - 3.5 / 5

Other considerations

Is the resort adult - Yes

Privacy - High.  As only staff and guests have access, you won’t have some random walking into your suite

Lag -  I encountered a little, nothing to majorly affect the experience

Prices - 2800 or 3500L a night. Check in is at 4:30PM SLLT, but if that doesn’t work for you because of time zones, the owners will do their best to make another time.

Overall

This is an excellent place to stay for a weekend or for a few days.   It is a beautiful resort, and we loved many of the little touches and details.  

A special mention also goes to the owners, who went out of their way to make us feel welcome and checked in on us every day.

For more information and to book, see the Savasdee Facebook Page