Unfortunately, our stay was one disappointment after another.
Upon arrival, we were greeted promptly and upgraded to a two-bedroom villa. While I appreciated the upgrade as a Diamond member, I had reached out prior to arrival requesting not to be placed on the ground floor, so I was a bit disappointed by the location.
As our butler escorted us to the villa, he highlighted many of the resort amenities, spending several minutes explaining the boat service to Prickly Pear, including the departure times and how we still had enough time to visit that afternoon since we arrived around 3:00 PM. Excited, we immediately changed clothes and headed to the bar to ask where to meet the boat.
It wasn’t until then that the bartender informed us he believed Prickly Pear was closed for the next few days. I found it very odd that the butler had just enthusiastically promoted this amenity without knowing it wasn’t operating.
One of the primary reasons we booked this resort was for the easy access to Prickly Pear. Since our stay was only three days, losing access to that amenity was a major disappointment.
We returned to the front desk, where they confirmed the island was closed but believed it would reopen Monday. I explained that this information should have been communicated before our arrival or, at the very least, during check-in. When a signature amenity is unavailable, proactive communication goes a long way. An email before arrival or a simple acknowledgment at check-in, perhaps paired with a complimentary breakfast, a spa credit, or another goodwill gesture, would have demonstrated that the resort valued the guest experience.
Instead, we were simply told they could arrange a taxi—at our expense—to another beach. Since we were departing Monday, they suggested we could visit Prickly Pear that morning before leaving.
That evening we spent some time at the pool bar, where the service unfortunately left much to be desired. There were several servers standing behind the bar chatting with one another, and they appeared inconvenienced whenever we requested anything. We ordered food at the pool, but the order was incorrect. I walked back to have it corrected, and as the server saw me approaching—only about 30 seconds after delivering the meal—she immediately grabbed her purse, loudly announced, “Hey guys, I’m out for the night,” and walked away. It reinforced what we had already been feeling: despite there being only a handful of guests around the pool, the staff seemed uninterested in providing service.
Later that evening, rain moved in, so we returned to our villa to relax. Upon entering, we found hundreds of ants in the foyer. We called the front desk, and to their credit, maintenance arrived within about 30 minutes to spray. Unfortunately, the ants returned shortly afterward.
While waiting, we turned on the televisions only to discover that neither TV in the villa worked. At that point, our frustration had reached its limit. We contacted the front desk again, and they graciously moved us to a four-bedroom villa. Honestly, this upgrade was the highlight of our stay because it finally gave us the beautiful view we had hoped for. This villa is also beautifully decorated.
The following day, the resort sent a property-wide email explaining they were experiencing IT issues and that none of the TVs on the property were working. While I appreciated the communication regarding the televisions, there was still no acknowledgment whatsoever about Prickly Pear remaining closed.
On Monday morning, we got up early specifically to enjoy Prickly Pear before checking out. However, when we arrived at the front desk, we were once again told that it would not be open after all.
The lack of communication surrounding one of the resort’s signature amenities was incredibly frustrating. As a travel advisor who also works in customer service, I believe this situation was mishandled from beginning to end. Problems happen, but how they’re communicated and resolved is what guests remember.
To make matters worse, this stay took place over Father’s Day weekend. We specifically chose this resort to celebrate, only to encounter closed amenities, poor communication, indifferent service, ants in our room, and televisions that didn’t work.
By Sunday evening, with no beach access and no working TVs, we decided to leave the property just to find something to do. Before returning to our room that night, I placed a to-go order at the restaurant. My order was taken, payment was processed, and I was on my way when the employee ran after me a minute later to say the kitchen had informed her they were actually out of the item I had ordered.
Any one of these issues individually could have been overlooked. Unfortunately, it was the combination of repeated disappointments, poor communication, and an overall lack of attentive service that defined our experience.
Regrettably, this is not a resort I would recommend to my clients or return to myself.
