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| We review the key aspects of the resort on a scale from one to ten -- one being horrendously bad, and ten being perfection. Rooms: 8.5 As with the last time, we did not get a very high-level room. Still, it was a nicely appointed room on the 3rd floor in the French Village. It was a simple room, but clean and quiet. The room was showing a bit of age, and that is reflected in the score. Reception / Front Desk: 9.5 We didn't interface with the reception desk much, but we got our room very shortly after arriving. Our luggage came up pretty quickly after that. Water Sports: 7.7 Our first meeting with the water sports staff was not very pleasant. They seemed aloof, and not really concerned about helping anyone. Maybe that was an off day for them, because they did get a little better in the days to come. Still, it was a noticeable change from previous trips to this resort. The equipment was okay, but showing super hard use. The ski equipment was okay. The knee board junk and the one slalom ski was not up to the usual Sandals standard. The boat also came out pretty late in the morning -- always after the water started to get a bit choppy. Maybe none of the resorts have the early ski hours anymore (too bad about that, because that is the very best time to ski). They had 3 Hobies up and running, which was not enough on many occasions. They only had 2 stand up boards at first and then brought out a third -- all of which were ready for the trash. The SUPs were in big demand and often not available. It's a shame, but I think that watersports are getting less and less attention these days. Maybe the current batch of visitors are more interested in getting blasted at the bar? Does no one else comment about the degrading conditions of water sports equipment (and staff)? Restaurants: 10.0 We did not eat at every restaurant, but we had really good experiences at every meal. The food was great. The staff was fantastic. Our favorites were Eleanor's and the Cafe de Paris -- the staff at the cafe even made up a special birthday plate for Hali. Super wonderful. Bars: 9.8 We don't drink that much these days, but we still interface with the bars and bar staff when getting non-alcoholic drinks during the day. The drinks were always well made and the staff was always outgoing and pleasant. Very nice! Beach / Pool / Grounds: 9.0 / 8.8 / 9.0 The beach has changed over the years. The staff do a great job of keeping the beach free of litter and seaweed. The water itself was not as clear as in past visits, but maybe that was due to the weather. We snorkeled off the beach and found urchins and lionfish pretty close to the shore (but outside of the designated swimming areas). We still chose to stay poolside rather than at the beach. The pools were very well kept, but starting to show a little age. We were able to swim laps at the French Village pool, and the staff was very accommodating. The staff at the French Village pool always had towels available, and were always very helpful and friendly. The staff at the main pool were not as good. On more than one occasion we would find the towel bin empty during the middle of the day and a few of the pool staff would be sitting and chatting in the shade. At least one of them was helpful enough to tell me there were towels at the other end of the pool. Really? The grounds were well kept, especially considering the expanse of grounds that must be maintained. Overall Service: 9.1 Some of the staff gets a 10 for their service (restaurants, bars, and the French Village pool staff), and some get significantly less (main pool and water sports staff). Overall: 9.0 Overall we feel that the resort is not at the same level that it was during some of our previous visits, but it's still a very nice resort. We would certainly go back, but we would hope for improvements in the areas that we mentioned. |
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