Are those bubble tea pearls or tadpoles in the pool? If you guessed the latter, you'll be correct. Not that either object belongs there.
A guest at Cherryloft Resorts & Hotels recently expressed her disgust at the condition of the resort swimming pool, which appeared to be teeming with creatures both alive and dead.
In a video posted on Sunday (Aug 7) by TikTok user Ain Simple, she showed viewers a clip of the pool which she captioned "Cherryloft Swamp".
"So we're at Cherryloft, and look at what we're drinking," the woman could be heard saying in the clip.
She pointed to a plastic cup containing a dark object in water to the camera and exclaimed, "Bubble tea!" before presenting the source of the dubious-looking 'beverage' — the swimming pool.
The guest revealed the 'pearl' in the cup to be a tadpole, retrieved from the murky-looking water tinged an uncomfortable shade of green.
The TikTok user indicated in the clip that the pool was "filled with water striders and tadpoles".
But that's not all. "There are dead frogs over there," said the guest, pointing to the far corner of the sprawling but empty pool, which appears to be disused.
Sure enough, two lifeless amphibians soon appeared onscreen.
"Look at it guys, how disgusting it is," the woman stated. In a comment, Ain Simple requested for Cherryloft to "please liaise with your higher management to do something about this".
"We paid so much to have this poor environment." She noted separately, "It's very disappointing… just look at the 'swamp'."
[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@ainsimple09/video/7128796365664079105[/embed]
According to the rates posted on their website, the price of a one-night stay at the facility starts from $160 for a Studio Garden View room on a weekday, and up to $385 for a Family Pool View room on a weekend.
In her reply to a commenter, Ain Simple stated that she had paid "$300 plus" for her pool view room. "That's like paying for a swamp view," responded another.
However, at least one person noted that the resort had indicated that the pools are closed for maintenance on its website.
A maintenance notice was displayed on Cherryloft's homepage when AsiaOne visited the website on Sunday (Aug 7). When we revisited the site sometime later, an additional popup message appeared notifying patrons about the pool closure.
But Ain noted that the message wasn't there when she made the booking on the site last month.
Wrote one other user: "They say swimming pool unavailable? Unavailable and radioactive got difference sia, got dead animals all [sic]."
Many others seemed to be shocked by the poor condition of the pool, with one exclaiming that it is like a "horror scene" from a movie.
Several commenters recounted similar unpleasant experiences at the resort, with reports of insects in the room and how the place gave off a "creepy" vibe.
"End 2017 I booked for my birthday it was already so rabak, can't imagine now," wrote one user.
Commenters also expressed dismay at the lack of maintenance at the resort, which was formerly known as Costa Sands.
"I went there before which was a few years ago, it wasn't like this, everything was clean," noted one commenter, while another observed that people were swimming in the pool when she went there in May last year.
In January 2021, Cherryloft was fined $1,000 and ordered to suspend bookings for a month after it breached multiple safe management measures and allowed 19 people to gather on its premises.
Swimming pool closed to guests: Cherryloft
In response to AsiaOne's queries, a spokesperson for the resort said it was aware of the video circulating on TikTok and urged members of the public "to refrain from speculation", assuring guests that their swimming pools are serviced and cleaned regularly.
"We urge members of the public to refrain from speculation and would like to firmly assure everybody that our swimming pools have always undergone regular chemical servicing and mechanical cleaning twice monthly with professional contractors to ensure the safety and enjoyment of our guests."
It explained that the resort had recently identified "wear and tear in the pool's motor and pump equipment" and had decided to close off the swimming pool to guests.
"The pools were also cordoned off immediately and no guests were allowed to swim," the statement noted.
Cherryloft said it had also "immediately put up notices on our website to inform guests of this inconvenience."
It added that the resort is "working round the clock with contractors to replace the motor and pumps as soon as possible", sharing their difficulty in acquiring the needed parts.
"We once again would like to reinstate that guest safety is our utmost concern, and we regretfully have to keep the pool closed until we are satisfied that we can ensure the safety of all guests and pool users."
candicecai@asiaone.com