Resort Revelations

On April 7, 1996, you published an article by Carl Duncan (“The Naturals”) regarding the Dawn of Happiness eco-resort in Thailand. I saved the article, and longed to experience this resort.

My husband and I finally made that “pilgrimage” to the this eco-resort. We were going to stay for a week but cut our trip to two days for the following reasons:

(1) Though the place was lush and naturally beautiful, our bungalow was dusty, the sheets unchanged, the floors unswept. Worse, the screens all around the bungalow had many holes in them. The mosquitoes had a feast.

(2) There were no other restaurants in the area except the resort’s own. The food was monotonous.

(3) We discovered later there were other organizations offering the same tours that this resort offered [but] at much lower prices.

(3) The poignant description by Duncan of the lotus pond made it seem so serene. We found the lotus pond to be nonexistent and unattended--not even a lotus plant in sight. Instead, it was stagnant water.

I hope that you tell your other readers of our experience to avoid similar disappointments.

EVELYN WOODS

Encino