I wish I had booked another resort like the Excellence resorts I usually stay at, because this was a very low-quality experience for what is marketed as a 5-star hotel. There were a lot of promises, but throughout the stay it constantly felt like they were looking for ways to make more money off guests instead of actually delivering a premium experience.
The grounds are beautiful, but there are an overwhelming amount of stairs everywhere. It would be extremely difficult for pregnant women, elderly guests, or anyone with knee issues. Yes, they offer shuttle service, but you constantly have to call and wait for it, which becomes frustrating very quickly when you just want to move around freely.
Some positives:
The room was spacious and comfortable.
Most of the staff were friendly and welcoming.
The resort is generally quiet and relaxing.
The evening events like the jamaica night party was okay
However, the negatives outweighed the positives for us.
The resort is about two hours from the airport, which becomes exhausting after a long flight.
Check-in was disorganized and disappointing. I noted on the form that we were celebrating my birthday, and I also mentioned it directly to the front desk staff. Nothing was done. No birthday wishes, no small gesture, no drink, no surprise, absolutely nothing. I honestly don’t understand why they ask for this information if they have no intention of acknowledging it.
The food was underwhelming overall. Dinner was decent at best, but nothing memorable or luxurious. Breakfast and lunch felt very basic, and simple things like burger buns were often stale and hard.
The excursions desk was one of the worst parts of the experience. The woman there came across dismissive and unhelpful, and many things advertised in the brochure as “included” actually came with significant extra costs. It felt misleading and difficult to understand what was truly part of the package.
Another major disappointment was the restaurant situation. They advertise six restaurants, but in reality only about three were actually available, and two of those required reservations well in advance. Imagine arriving on day one and suddenly realizing your dining options are already limited.
Another issue we dealt with was the amount of flying insects around the property, especially near the stairways leading to the rooms. Unfortunately, they also found their way into the rooms themselves. It was very uncomfortable and something we dealt with for about four out of the five nights we stayed there.
The property itself also needs major updates and renovations. Parts of our room looked worn down, and there was even an area in the ceiling/pop section that looked like it had water damage. We were literally hoping nothing would fall on us.
Our final night was a disaster. The only restaurant that did not require reservations ended up hosting a show that evening, with no notice given to guests. We suddenly had nowhere to eat. We returned to our room and ordered food instead, but it arrived almost an hour later and by then we were already exhausted and ready to sleep.
At checkout, I mentioned my disappointment about the birthday situation and asked why they bothered collecting the information if nothing would be done. The front desk simply blamed guest services. There was no empathy, no acknowledgment, no attempt to make things right. just excuses and indifference.
At best, this felt like an average 3.5star experience pretending to be luxury.
This is not somewhere I would return to, and unfortunately not somewhere I would recommend.
