I believe in reviews that add a lot of detail so you can make your own decision. This was our first time ever to stay in an “all-inclusive” resort- we tend to take cruises- so wanted to compare the experience.
We booked a King Deluxe “Pool” room- so we were on the first floor with a patio that exited out directly to the pool- literally five steps out our door, we could be in the water. All of the pool chairs however, are clustered across the way in the one “lounging” area, because the sidewalks around the pool are narrow. You do have a patio with your own chairs so that you did have a place to sit if you like.
We paid appx $600/night for the all inclusive for 2 people/3 nights in this room type. Note that our flight was very late, so we didn’t arrive until 1a – so the value calculation is tough since we missed a dinner/evening (not the hotel’s fault of course)
We used Suntours for our hotel transport as recommended by the hotel. We paid $37 for airport to hotel with our large bags and they monitored our flight, etc and we were waiting for us when we walked outside. Really appreciated their service, felt safe, and could pay with a credit card. We use them again to pick us up on the day we needed to transfer to the ship. It was $30 and he was there 15 minutes early so excellent service.
The King room was spacious and clean- yes, it’s dated. The toilet needs a new flapper (we informed front desk to let maintenance know) so it was a little noisy. The two extra chairs were comfy and we were able to do some ‘work’ that needed to be done at one of two desks- the chairs do not fit in the desk with the mirror for makeup- so had to stand there. Shower had good pressure. They had shampoo (it’s pink and the water seems really “hard” so not much lather. The conditioner container had ½ conditioner and ½ pink shampoo- so someone goofed and decided not to fix it. There are also small containers of body lotion as well as shower caps.
The room has a AC minisplit and works great. Just make sure to adjust the flap so it’s not blowing straight on you (by default) – you can adjust this on the remote for a more comfortable sleep. There is an extra blanket (as there is no comforter, just a top sheet) in the closet along with extra pillows.
There is a small safe (a computer will not fit) in the closet- it’s a 4 digit code, not 3, so the instructions may need to be modified. There is no info in the room on the hotel, but there is a QR code on the desk that you can scan that has helpful info, so check that out.
Your magic ticket to know what’s happening when you are there is the restaurant schedule. I’ve posted the one for our week in the photos. You can find this scheduled posted outside of Rachels and Drifters when you arrive. At the time we were there, Rachels will be your buffet breakfast spot- not much changes day to day, but we did have a baja corn roll (or something like that) this morning, so they seem to be trying to add something daily. There is a person who makes omelets/eggs too, so that’s your cook to order option. Lunch is typically Drifters by the beach- but SOMETIMES, it will switch to Rachels. Chopstick is open only twice per week right now (Thurs & Sunday nights) and they have only 30 seats, so unless you work with them in advance, you aren’t going here- and they are ONLY open during dinner hours. Every meal we’ve had is served buffet style- which is really not what I expected, but hey, first timer here. The food is hit or miss- as others have said, Lunch seems to be cooked fresh and then leftovers rolled over for dinner with a special. We found the roasted chicken so dried out it was tough to chew/swallow, as well as the Marlin was same. Seafood thermidor was good, as well as the pork stew at lunch. They do tend to serve many of the same veggie/sides/salads, so any longer than a week here might get quite repetitive. They have a cook to order burger bar at lunch- but husband said it was just an average burger. I found the fries outstanding! You will be asked when you check in for breakfast what time you want for your dinner reservation. Breakfast starts at 7:30a; Lunch starts at 12:30; dinner starts at 6:30p
Now on to beverages with the all inclusive. The HOUSE wines are included, one brand, Antares from Chile and you will get to chose white/red/rose. Everything else on the menu (and they have some decent ones) will be an upcharge. You can order cocktails (some are included) but we found them pretty watered down. There is one beer that is part of the package and that is “Banks”, again, anything else is chargeable. You will get two bottled waters in your room but after that, if you want bottled water from the bar, it’s chargeable. We happened to have water bottles with us – they said tap is safe to drink and we would get ice from the machine by the lobby (when it had ice, was empty a few times). There are water filling stations out at the beach and at Rachels, but they were small and emptied quickly.
The comments on the elevator are real. They have two elevators but only one working (for quite some time it appears). The hotel is five stories and Rachels (remember the only breakfast place?) is on the 5th floor. So when the elevator isn’t working or is slow, you’re climbing some stairs my friend, and we did multiple times.
Entertainment started some evenings out by Drifters at 7:30p- good talent, as well during lunch on the weekends I believe, they have a singer/sax player named Kelli. She’s really good but boy, it’s LOUD in there so if that bothers you, asked to be seated in the room with the buffet servers- there is overflow seating. The evening entertainment was nice as they had torches lit, fairy lights etc and the talent was good.
We didn’t experience anyone being rude, just the laid back island attitude that they’ll get to you when they can. The same staff rotate from restaurant to restaurant so it’s not like you have a fresh crew.
Our room was kept clean and tidy.
Other gotchas:
- Don’t lose your room card key, they charge you $10 USD to replace it – no idea why, but that’s what we were told.
- Room service food is included, but you will be charged $10 USD for delivery, even if you have the all inclusive package.
- A lot of flies. Everywhere. I guess that’s what you get on the beach.
- Sidewalks are in ROUGH shape here, so if you’ve got mobility issues, don’t think you’ll be walking too many places. Uneven concrete- huge holes (like 12” or deeper in place), just be careful. The sidewalks can be extremely narrow in places as well.
- Safety- we felt safe. There is police station next door as well as another just down the street. The parking lot/entrance is guard gated at all times. We never left the property at night however.
- If you arrive late, security walks you to your room as the place is quite sprawling and confusing at first.
Fun stuff:
- They have a kitty on property who will visit you during meals
- There are monkeys- not only on the beach, but in the lot next door and we even saw one in the flower bushes by Rachels “in” the hotel. Cute but wild, so don’t approach.
- Walk to the Boardwalk if you can- about ½ mile; turn right outside of the front door and just keep going until you get to town. It’s beautiful- nice beach and lots of restaurants and shops.
- If you turn LEFT out of the hotel, you’ll go further into the historic garrison- George Washington house, horse race track etc. interesting architecture.
- There is a decent convenience store (south market I believe) just a bit down the street (take a right out of the parking lot).
If you want a bit of a variety and you are OK with walking just a little bit on some uneven concrete, I would consider the room rate, including breakfast only and then have a bit of diversity in your lunch and dinners.
