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  Review.jpg - We review the key aspects of the resort on a scale from one to ten -- one being horrendously bad, and ten being perfection.  Rooms:  9.8 Our room was in one of the more quiet areas of the resort -- which was great for us.  The room had a nice balcony overlooking the pool, a king sized bed, a 2 person jacuzzi (in addition to a very large shower), enough shelf space in the large closet, a room safe, a well stocked refrigerator (including snacks such as candy bars, etc), a bar stocked with brand name booze, a radio with an iphone/ipod dock, and a nice TV (including mature viewing stations).  Everything was really very nice.  We had a light go out on us once.  We called the front desk and there were there in minutes.  We had some neighbors screaming vile obscenities at each other one night (around 11pm).  That was pretty unusual, but we called the front desk and someone quickly came by to chill them out.  Service was really top notch.  Oh, we should mention that there was always hot water and excellent water pressure -- that is not always the case at tropical resorts.  Housekeeping was excellent, and turn down service always left a couple of yummy chocolate truffles.  Water sports / Activities:  0.5 / 8.8 This was the only detractor for this resort.  Water sports are technically included (non-motorized), but they contract it out to aqua world.  That is a problem.  The aqua world staff bordered on rude, they are clearly looking for big tips to do anything besides sit around.  The equipment was sparse and broken.  Truly, just assume THERE ARE NO WATER SPORTS AT THIS RESORT.  The long, looping pool allowed for great swimming sessions.  The gym was very nicely equipped, and always had water and towels handy.  They had activities such as Spanish lessons, yoga, mixology, archery, bocce, bike tours, etc.  The had shows every night, but we only caught a couple of them.  The shows we saw were very good, and we spoke with people that said the other shows were also very good.  Bars:  9.6 The bars here are generally very well stocked with some great high-level brand names.  Some bars generally have more polite and talented bartenders, with the martini bar being consistently the best.  Most bars were well stocked with real fruit for drinks.  There was a smoothie bar in the quiet part of the pool that was also stocked with good booze.  The only shortcoming was the main pool bar, which seemed more geared to handling rowdy volumes of people.  Restaurants:  10 The food and wait staff here are generally among the best we've seen.  We did not try several of the restaurants (for example, the lobster shack and the pizza place did not interest us).  We did eat dinner at the Mexican, Italian, and French restaurants and those were all fantastic.  We had lunch once at the grill, and that was very good also.  Most days we had breakfast and lunch at the buffet, which had excellent food and extremely attentive staff.  Pool / Beach / Grounds:  9.5 / 8.5 / 8.5 As we stated earlier, the long looping pool allowed for great swimming sessions.  The pool temperature was a little cool, but okay.  Pool-side drink service was very good.  The hot tubs never seemed to be a good temperature, so just write them off.  The beach area was large and very well maintained.  There were many palapas and lounge chairs.  The wind was usually pretty strong, which kept us from sitting in the beach area.  The water was very  choppy most days, and was not as fun to swim in due to that.  There was no reason to snorkel off the beach (unless you like to look at sea grass), but the water and beach were kept extremely clean.  The sand was powdery soft white sand, and perfect for beach volleyball or nice long walks.  Reception / Front desk: 10 / 10 We were at the resort a little early, so they gave us a pager and sent us to lunch.  Our room was ready shortly afterwards.  We called a couple of times during our stay, and they responded to our issues very, very quickly (see Room comments).  Check out was painless, and they gave us a late check out with no hassle.  Overall Service:  9 With very few exceptions, the service was really top notch.  There are always some exceptions, but we experienced fewer exceptions here than during our last Sandals stay (for example).  Tipping is definitely allowed at this resort (unlike Sandals), and I recommend that you do so.  Overall:  8.7 This a very nice resort for people that aren't really looking for water sports.  There seems to be a fair number of people into the night scene, drinking, and the shows.  For those people, this resort would get a higher score.  It's really a very nice resort, with very good service.  The one big caveat (for us) is the lack of water sports.  
 
 
 
 
 

We review the key aspects of the resort on a scale from one to ten -- one being horrendously bad, and ten being perfection.

Rooms: 9.8
Our room was in one of the more quiet areas of the resort -- which was great for us. The room had a nice balcony overlooking the pool, a king sized bed, a 2 person jacuzzi (in addition to a very large shower), enough shelf space in the large closet, a room safe, a well stocked refrigerator (including snacks such as candy bars, etc), a bar stocked with brand name liquor, a radio with an iphone/ipod dock, and a nice TV (including mature viewing stations). Everything was really very nice. We had a light go out on us once. We called the front desk and there were there in minutes. We had some neighbors screaming vile obscenities at each other one night (around 11pm). That was pretty unusual, but we called the front desk and someone quickly came by to chill them out. Service was really top notch. Oh, we should mention that there was always hot water and excellent water pressure -- that is not always the case at tropical resorts. Housekeeping was excellent, and turn down service always left a couple of yummy chocolate truffles.

Water sports / Activities: 0.5 / 8.8
This was the only detractor for this resort. Water sports are technically included (non-motorized), but they contract it out to aqua world. That is a problem. The aqua world staff bordered on rude, they are clearly looking for big tips to do anything besides sit around. The equipment was sparse and broken. Truly, just assume THERE ARE NO WATER SPORTS AT THIS RESORT. The long, looping pool allowed for great swimming sessions. The gym was very nicely equipped, and always had water and towels handy. They had activities such as Spanish lessons, yoga, mixology, archery, bocce, bike tours, etc. The had shows every night, but we only caught a couple of them. The shows we saw were very good, and we spoke with people that said the other shows were also very good.

Bars: 9.6
The bars here are generally very well stocked with some great high-level brand names. Some bars generally have more polite and talented bartenders, with the martini bar being consistently the best. Most bars were well stocked with real fruit for drinks. There was a smoothie bar in the quiet part of the pool that was also stocked with good liquor. The only shortcoming was the main pool bar, which seemed more geared to handling rowdy volumes of people.

Restaurants: 10
The food and wait staff here are generally among the best we've seen. We did not try several of the restaurants (for example, the lobster shack and the pizza place did not interest us). We did eat dinner at the Mexican, Italian, and French restaurants and those were all fantastic. We had lunch once at the grill, and that was very good also. Most days we had breakfast and lunch at the buffet, which had excellent food and extremely attentive staff.

Pool / Beach / Grounds: 9.5 / 8.5 / 8.5
As we stated earlier, the long looping pool allowed for great swimming sessions. The pool temperature was a little cool, but okay. Pool-side drink service was very good. The hot tubs never seemed to be a good temperature, so just write them off. The beach area was large and very well maintained. There were many palapas and lounge chairs. The wind was usually pretty strong, which kept us from sitting in the beach area. The water was very choppy most days, and was not as fun to swim in due to that. There was no reason to snorkel off the beach (unless you like to look at sea grass), but the water and beach were kept extremely clean. The sand was powdery soft white sand, and perfect for beach volleyball or nice long walks.

Reception / Front desk: 10 / 10
We were at the resort a little early, so they gave us a pager and sent us to lunch. Our room was ready shortly afterwards. We called a couple of times during our stay, and they responded to our issues very, very quickly (see Room comments). Check out was painless, and they gave us a late check out with no hassle.

Overall Service: 9
With very few exceptions, the service was really top notch. There are always some exceptions, but we experienced fewer exceptions here than during our last Sandals stay (for example). Tipping is definitely allowed at this resort (unlike Sandals), and I recommend that you do so.

Overall: 8.7
This a very nice resort for people that aren't really looking for water sports. There seems to be a fair number of people into the night scene, drinking, and the shows. For those people, this resort would get a higher score. It's really a very nice resort, with very good service. The one big caveat (for us) is the lack of water sports.
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