Do NOT book here.... they are crooks!!! The short story, is I made a reservation and prepaid over $600, wasn't able to go, and they refused to refund ANY of my prepayment. No, they did not just keep the customary first night, they refused to refund me anything. They are clearly not interested in customer service or a good reputation of a desired place to stay. That speaks volumes, so DO NOT BOOK HERE!!!
The long story: I have never made a reservation in such a fancy place, but I thought I would splurge on myself this time. It turns out that when I got to the airport in Micronesia, I was unable to get a boarding pass. My passport was expiring in 4 months. I immediately called the hotel, and the woman at the front desk said that it was no problem and that I could get a refund. When I asked her to verify, she said that since I booked through Expedia, I would need to contact them, but it should be no problem. I called Expedia and the woman I spoke to there said she just needed to contact the hotel, because they are the ones who need to give permission for the refund. I was on an island with poor internet connection, so she said that she would contact me after she got clearance. When I got back to the states, I contacted them and she said she was never able to get through. Expedia attempted again, and they said after numerous attempts they finally got in touch with the parent company in Japan, and that they denied giving me a refund. I am livid.
As hotel owners, they are the ones who approve or deny a refund. I did not stay at the hotel nor I did not use any of their services. Since they knew I was not going to be arriving PRIOR to my anticipated arrival, they could have booked the room. And I got ZERO refund. I would understand if they kept 1 night and refunded me the rest, but once the money was in their pocket, they were not about to refund me. And, I was helpless to do anything about it.
I was hesitant to book with them initially because I got the sense that they were going to charge for every little thing. They charge you $20 for airport transport each way...what hotel does that? Also, the hotel is isolated on the island, so you need transport to get into town, to get to dive shops, etc, again... more hidden charges. My gut warned me that this hotel was not concerned with customer service and that they were just interested in lining their pockets. There are plenty of lovely other places on Palau where you can stay, where the proprietors care about their clients, potential clients, providing excellent service, their reputation, and about treating other individuals as they wish to be treated. I highly recommend that you find ANY other hotel or resort, and stay there.