User
2017-09-25
Family friendly and not couples friendly
The hotel itself is older, but they keep it very clean and try very hard to provide many different amenities including but not limited to: Desires (nightclub), two pools, one an infinity pool and the other with a swim up bar, waterfall with kid area, 7 restaurants, non motorized water sports (paddleboard, kayak, snorkeling, kill cat), gym, spa, shows and daily activities. In regards to the hotel, there are only three elevators for 11 floors, so you spend a lot of time waiting for and on the elevator. The nightclub is considered a sports bar during the day so it's a weird mix/ decor for a true club atmosphere. The main male bar tender was awesome though, he remembered my drink request from the night before. The DJ does not begin until 10 or 10:30, and then closes at 1AM, wish they were open longer or started earlier. They do offer late night snacks for the drunkies which is considerate (hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, etc). My husband smokes and there is not a smoking section right outside the bar, however during our entire stay they never said anything to us about smoking outside the club. All of the restaurants were delicious, but I have a wide range of foods that I like, but they truly do have something for everyone. They do enforce the dress code though, men must wear long pants, no jeans and closed toed shoes, unless you sit outside for dinner. We got the best service at the International buffet, Miguel was our waiter - he is wonderful with a bubly personality. The Mediterranean restaurant provided slow service and we tried it three times, lunch and dinner. The main pool is rather large but the swim up bar only has maybe 6 seats, is right next to the kid area and closes at 5pm. The poolside service is good compared to the infinity pool, you will not get service over there, only until we made friends with our favorite waitress Tina did we get any service on that side. I was also looking forward to the hammocks, but those are roped off for the preferred guests only, which comes at a cost. The spa was amazing, my favorite part of the hotel. It is very secluded and all of the employees were extremely nice, especially Elizabeth and Kasandra. We purchased the couples 50 minute massage and it put us almost to bed it was so relaxing, it was well worth the money, and you get access to the rest of the spas amenities such as their steam room, sauna, private hot tubs, etc. I highly suggest asking for a spa tour before making your decision. My husband got his first pedicure and my sister in law received a facial; they both loved the services. They have a limited number of kayaks, paddleboards and catamarans, so be prepared to wait your turn, but they are free and you get 30 minutes out in the water.The gym was sufficient, but not enough equipment in good working condition. Two of the four treadmills were not working, which left two treadmills, an elliptical and one stationary bike. There was a bow flex and free weights, but not a lot of room to move around. Many people walked in and right out because it was full/ machines out of order.I do have to say the entertainment team was a bit scarce. I expected more hype especially on the weekends. They have an entertainment booth near the pool which has a daily list of activities, but would prefer to see a weekly schedule to better plan my stay. Also almost all if not all of the activities were family oriented, I would have liked to see more adult oriented entertainment in the evenings, maybe after their main shows. I enjoyed the shows we went to though, but it only lasted an hour. Overall, we had no problems with the staff. Everyone was very nice and helpful. If we did this vacation again, we would rather go to an adult only resort as it was too family friendly for our taste. Minimal partying and not enough service for day drinking. If you want to relax, this your place. If you want to party, go somewhere else.
