I have been to both and can honestly tell you that I much preferred Lexis Hibiscus to Grand Lexis. And here's why.
Lexis Hibiscus
Pros:
1. Very near to the highway.
2. Located near the beach (although very small area).
3. Food stalls located within walking distance to the hotel.
4. Better services from the staff.
5. Bigger pathway for walkers and cyclist (for those who like to do some walking and cycling).
6. Better view of the sea.
7. Swimming pool is located outside the chalet with sea view (depends where the chalet is facing).
8. Sauna is provided in the chalet.
9. Wide spread of breakfast buffet.
Cons:
1. A bit more pricey.
2. Public pool is boring.
3. No kitchenette.
4. If it rains, the sound on the roof is very loud because of the material of the roof (sounds like zinc roof).
5. Toilet door is without lock.
Grand Lexis
Pros:
1. Nice public pool with slides for the kids.
2. Big swimming pool inside each room.
3. Wide spread of breakfast buffet.
4. Kitchenette provided.
Cons:
1. No beach. If you want to go to the beach, we were told to go to Glory Hotel, which you have to drive there.
2. Staff have poor communication with each other resulting customers not getting good service. Eg. Ordered buggy service but didn't arrive and when we saw at the reception, there were 3 empty buggies and drivers were waiting but no one informed them to pick us up.
3. Even if you choose the sea villa, you are still unable to see the sea well as compared to Lexis Hibiscus.
4. The walking path is short and narrow. Just enough for buggy to pass.
5. Lots of flies in the cafeteria.
6. I got food poisoning from eating the pancake from the breakfast menu where the dough mixture is already sour. And I had 2, thinking what a unique taste this pancake got (my bad).
7. About 30 minutes from the highway. Quite far in actually.
8. Far from any eateries.
I went to Lexis Hibiscus as part of the company's team building activity in August and just last weekend, went to Grand Lexis. When I was booking, I was weighing heavily which one I should book and the price of Lexis Hibiscus was a turn-off for me and so was weighing between Avilion and Grand Lexis. After recommendations from family members who said Avilion is a bit dingy at night and is beside a cemetery, decided to just go for Grand Lexis instead.
Seriously and in my honest opinion, Lexis Hibiscus fare much more better than Grand Lexis. Location wise was good and not that far from the highway and eateries. There is a beach! I mean, my childhood was filled with PD trips to the beach and this time around we couldn't even walk into one sandy beach. What kind of PD trip is this?
I heard from friends that if I like to go to the PD beach, Thistle is also a good option, but last check the price is about Lexis Hibiscus (because we needed 2 rooms in Thistle while only 1 room in Lexis Hibiscus).
During my childhood, we stayed before in Tanjung Biru and Tanjung Tuan. Both have beautiful beaches. And when there are more friends and family, we went to NUBE where the beach is also quite clean and nice. Imagine my disappointment that this time we didn't even get to walk on a sandy beach, what more to play in the sea.
Swimming pool is there, but come to think of it, swimming pool can be anywhere, not only in PD. PD is all about the sandy beaches. Sigh.
While doing my research for Grand Lexis, I found that there is no one picture that can really tell what kind of room is provided. I wanted an indoor swimming pool so that the kids can swim at anytime whether rain or shine. But can't tell from the pictures, be it in the website, blogs or booking websites.
Here you go. If you are booking a Garden Pool Villa, swimming pool that is located indoors is the lower floor type. Upper floor type is outdoor pool under the sun. Both also same price.
If you are booking a villa that is located on the sea, Executive Pool Villa's swimming pool is indoor while Deluxe Suite's swimming pool is outdoor. They are the same price.
I didn't check for higher end villas as that is not my concern.
For kids, Grand Lexis have a public pool with slides for the kids and a pathetic game room. For outdoor activity, there are motor cars for the kids to ride. RM10 for 5 minutes.
As for Avillion, though it came highly recommended by my colleague, after looking at the rooms, found that it can't fit all of us, 4 adults + 2 kids. Although each room come with a pangkin bed, which is equivalent to a queen size bed, I read that if you are taller, then you can't sleep there. Judging from this, we decided 2 king size beds will be better for us.
In Avillion, you can access to a private beach and the public pool also have slides for the kids. They also have a petting zoo. But there is no indoor swimming pool at each room. So, if you prefer to have an indoor swimming pool, then go for the Lexis brand.
I heard that parking at Avillion is located outside the premise and opposite the road. I feel it's not that great. But not sure if it's true. And I also heard that Avillion is located beside a cemetery. Again, not sure about that info. Please check it out yourself.
As for Lexis Hibiscus, my colleagues and I stayed at the Executive Pool Villa. So happened that our villa faces direct into the sea (and not opposite another villa) and so the view was quite fantastic. If you want a better view, go for Premium Pool Villa.
For our next trip to PD, I hope to book at either Lexis Hibiscus or Kapitan Lodge.
Now talking about Kapitan Lodge, I chanced upon this place when we were walking along the Hibiscus Walk during our stay at Lexis Hibiscus. This lodge is a homestay and you have 2 options. Either a 2 bedroom house or a holiday home. If you are coming with a big family, this is a very good option. Price is reasonably cheap. But it doesn't have a swimming pool. It is very near to the makan place and just next to Lexis Hibiscus. And of course, faces the sea and right in front of a beach.
