Check-in/check-out
The check-in process was extremely slow; there was only one person working the desk with people waiting in line. Took about 15 minutes per room.
Room, housekeeping, minibar
The room was quite nicely finished, but was challenging for us travelling with kids. The bathroom was a “fishbowl” design, so turning a light on there shone through the glass into the room.
There was no clothesline in the shower, and it was surprisingly difficult to attach one outside. Bring paracord.
The housekeeping was sub-par and inconsistent. Didn’t turnover our room one day, varying number of towels (we started with 2 for a family of four). Tried leaving notes with money, notes without money, telling the staff directly, calling guest services. They always ended up fixing it for that day, and then forgetting the entire conversation by the next day. We were literally hoarding towels because once we came back from the pool at the end of the day we needed to shower the kids quickly and get ready for dinner.
The minibar was well served after leaving a note the first day with a tip.
Common areas and bathrooms
The general flow of the resort made sense after a day or so, figuring out the best way to get to the pool and our rooms bypassing the busy lobby area. The room direction signs aren’t consistently at each intersection and you’ll probably make a wrong turn the first few times.
The public bathrooms were barely serviceable—consistently empty soap dispensers, loose faucets and door handles, empty towel dispensers. You could usually manage in each washroom by finding the one that works, but it’s just a disappointment. Some restaurants had little bathrooms inside; these were the worst of the bunch. The pool ones were in the middle. Best public bathrooms are in the conference centre side of the hotel.
Restaurants
Most restaurants require a reservation, but we were a larger party so couldn’t do it through the app. We needed to line up every other morning at 7 am at the “experience desk” to make that reservation. They only did the day of and next day.
The food was varied and good, but the service was consistently sub-par (exception—Auma steakhouse, see below). If you showed up at odd hours or late in the evening to the buffet, expect to find certain items empty and very slow to restock. One night I was seated at a table in the buffet that hadn’t been cleaned from the last person there.
The wait staff was generally friendly, but rarely proactive. Expect to wait a long time for drinks to arrive depending on the time of day.
The standout exception was the Auma steakhouse. They had excellent service, superb wait staff, anticipating our needs, and was an amazing experience from start to finish.
Pool and beach area
We spent most of our time at the south pool (family “loud” pool and splash pad). The pool itself is in need of maintenance—I found half a dozen loose tiles myself at the bottom, lots of sharp edges, changes in depth (including stairs) that are not well marked and easy for kids to fall off of. The railing by the stairs was loose. The lifeguards were generally attentive but I kept a close eye on my kids. (Note: bring your own PFDs; the hotel doesn’t supply any.)
The beach was quite small compared to further North in the hotel zone, but still fun for the kids to play in. The water wasn’t clear at all, but this could be seasonal.
There was a single foot wash station for the entire beach and it wasn’t well set up. You need to push the faucet button every few seconds. The station was on a platform, but it wasn’t designed for the sand to run off, so even after washing you’re still stepping through sand to get back. I’ve seen better designs at other hotels (such as long troughs with circulating water).
It was very difficult to get pool chairs. We sent one of our party down each day around 7 am to reserve a few, and that person missed breakfast with the rest of us. We saw a fight nearly break out a few times over chairs. Good luck with towels.
The pool had a restaurant at lunch time with some staples, but the line gets very long very fast. Expect to wait 15-20 minutes to order your food. Once you get to the front of the line, they were very quick and nice.
The two bars that served the pool area had on and off lines throughout the day, but they never added staff to respond to a big lineup. A bit of inconsistency with the drinks depending on who was making them, but overall once you got to the front of the line it was good service. I saw lots of wastage, and often asked them to just give me whatever was in the blender instead of throwing it out. I think this could help with the lines too—“I’ve got extra available, who wants it?”
There were two water stations, but at least one frequently ran out of cups or was empty.
Finally, the smoking area was next to a kid’s playground and the smoke was often noticeable in the pool area, carried by the wind.
Kids’ Corner
Each of our kids took a turn going for an hour or so during our stay. It was nicely run, with a clear schedule and the staff always made sure to let you know the pickup times. Expect a lineup when dropping off, and they were consistently full during the day (so get in line for when they open).
Snack bar (churros & ice cream)
Conveniently (or not) located right next to the Kids’ Corner, they had churros and ice cream available for most of the day and evening. The ice cream wasn’t self serve, and with only one staff member, there were some long lines at different times.
Wi-Fi
Inconsistent performance, frequent dropped connections. Seemed to be undersized for the capacity demand. The cell service on AT&T and TELCEL were also inconsistent.
