This was our 3rd Caribbean trip to an all-inclusive resort. We arrived 4/27/2011 and departed 5/2/2011. Looking back, the message began at our arrival at the airport resort table. Fill out a form and wait for the bus. OK, your bus is here…get on and wait…while your luggage sits outside. Once the people are on the bus, the luggage is loaded on with you. The ride was brief, beautiful and winding. In the Bahamas, the cars drive on the left side. This was the first time in 3 all-inclusive resorts we experienced the need to be on an elevator to get to our room, wear a wristband, make reservations for dinner, and not be able to get non-draft beer. The first 2-3 hours we had to kick ourselves out of the rut of disappointment we were in to begin vacation. Rather than the resort providing the ambiance for a great, relaxing vacation, we forced ourselves to make it fun. Being at a resort near town, made for a different day time experience. Many guests left property to go shopping or participate in excursions, so the pool and pool side was quiet and not crowded until early afternoon.
We also fell for the comments on the site that stated no kids until after May 1st. This clearly is part of the lower end accomodations and the experience. Many young guests were there just to party. Some returned from booze cruises and were insulting to other guests in the pool. We will no longer invest in a resort that is not Adults Only or Couples Only.
Room Number:
603
Arrival: Arrival at Breezes – open air lobby with colorful tile and lines to get in and wait. Observed a guest return twice with key problems, and did not see an urgency from the front desk about it. We had some concern now. A tray of tropical drinks were brought to the new arrivals. Just fruit juice though. We were finally & pleasantly checked-in, had our wristbands slapped on, and headed to the elevator to get to the 6th floor.
Rooms:
After adjusting to the mildew & musty smell of the room, we saw in the entry hallway two dark, wooden, louvered, bi-fold doors on one side and the bathroom on the other side. The doors opened to the closet, the safe (which did not work) and an ironing board. After the entry hallway, the room opened to a dresser, desk with chair, and king size bed with two end tables. All in large, old, cracked, dark wood with glass tops. Old bedding and drapes. Another ironing board, an iron, and flat panel TV were attached to wall. The TV had a sticker on it that a previous guest peeled off their Gilette deodorant. The remote was on the bedside table with tape wrapped around to hold the battery door on. The sliding glass doors opened to view the pool, but you only had about 10-12" to walk out. No screen to feel the evening breeze. Also in view was the rooftops of the main building with shingles missing and a view down to the support beams. So, no fridge or snacks in room as we’ve come to expect. No tub either, much less a spa tub. I will say the shower was nice. I think the bathrooms have been recently upgraded as they do not match the rest of the decor. Only 1 sink, with the sink on top of the granite. The caulking under the sink was a mess though. The mirror shows the shoddy work. While we laid in bed, I saw the ceiling had been repaired. A large circle bigger than the bed appeared to have a leak repaired. The return air vent in the room was covered in dirt or mildew or something filthy. There was clearly more cleanliness to be had in the room and more space that additional pieces of furniture could be added: fridge, table, small sofa, or table & chairs.
Restaurants and Bars: Since you cannot check in until 3 PM, and reservations are required for the restaurants that must be made between 9:30 & 11:30 am, you default to the Main Dining Room buffet on the first night. The food is adequate and selection diverse, but the service here is very inconsistent. You never know if you’ll get a clean table, silverware, or a server that will pay attention. One day, we sat here for our breakfast and asked for coffee. We finished our breakfast and a second request for coffee before getting it delivered. Don’t look up in the Main Dining Room. You’ll see half of the ceiling is patched with drywall screwed in, not mudded in or taped, not painted. And watch out for the birds that fly in and over your tables. The specialty restaurants: Martino’s and Garden of Eden were nice. The beef was fantastic. Appetizers OK. Salad average. Dessert at Martino’s was OK. Cheesecake too dry, but the banana tirimisu was excellent. By the pool, there was the Beach Grill. Normal grill foods: burger, hot dogs, but then more. Salads: Crab, Jerk Chicken Caesar, and Greek. Nice! Conch fritters, fish and chips, and crab salad sandwiches. Nicely done! Keep close to your food until you finish it though. One moment away and the food is swooped away by seagulls. Bars: The pool and lobby bars are where we ordered. If you are a beer drinker and cannot/choose not to drink draft, then this is not the place for you. That is the only choice. Local beer is one thing, but only offering draft stinks. There are soda, cofee, tea, and frozen ice machines near most bars and then you can ask for added liquor. All drinks are served in cheap 8 oz cups. Nothing else unless you just arrived at check in, go to the disco bar for a drink before dinner, or at the dinner table. I read on this site from another review to bring cups, which I did and that really helped. Tervis tumblers with lids are great to keep the bugs out & cold in.
Service: At the restaurants and bars, there were only about 3-4 employees that made service special. Considering the number of staff to keep a property like this running, that is a very small percent of the staff going above and beyond.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: The beach seems to be what you are paying for here. The sand is soft and clean. The water is what you expect and want when headed to the Bahamas. Comfortable, clear, blue water. Plenty of seats and huts for shade.
The pool is small compared to other resorts we’ve visited. Only 1 pool area. No floats. No wandering waiters to get your drink orders. There were several areas with shade to sit if you needed it. The jacuzzi hot tub was large and very comfortable. Bringing your own towels would be a tip I’d add to anyone that choose to go here. You have to sign out towels at the pool. Only 1 per guest. And they must be signed in by 7 pm to avoid $15 charge per towel. Our last day we did not make dinner reservations and a volleyball game started in the pool about 6 pm. I went to the room to get a bathroom towel to prepare for checking in the pool towels and still be able to dry off and get warm without a fee.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
When we travel and invest in an all-inclusive resort, our intention is to not leave the resort or invest in additional costs for activities. We did however leave to walk 10 minutes down the road to go to the Wyndam Resort and play in the casino. The Wyndam also had associates on the beach at Breezes trying to get customers engaged for a sales pitch on the Wyndam resort about their rewards/value program.
Other Comments: We made the best of it. It wasn’t miserable, but there are better resorts. If you want or have had luxury, this is not going to compare. There are opportunities to note: no competition for pool chairs, beautifl beach & water with easy access, relazed dress code, and convenient town access.
We spoke to other guests at Breezes where it was there 1st all-inclusive and encourage them to try other resorts before giving up on all-inclusive because of their Breezes experience.