Arrival: Our direct flight was out of Halifax in the evening, so we arrived at the resort around 11pm. Trip was with Sunquest and the charter was Canjet. Food and movies on the plane, good service. Since we arrived late, the airport was pretty quiet and we didn’t have long to wait until we were on our way to the resorts. Fast and easy check in process at the hotel and the welcome drinks were a nice touch.
Rooms:
We were in the Beata building, facing the quiet pool. Two double beds, nice size room and balcony. Room was clean, comfortable and as we faced the pool, it was quiet. We did notice some evenings the activity at the Tiki bar was loud, but overall we were very pleased with our room. Never had any water pressure or heat issues and we were on the third floor. Minibar was always refreshed with beer, pop and water, except for one day when they forgot the water. We went to Guest Services around 5, but still no water appeared. Asked at reception around 10 and there was water there in an instant. It wouldn’t have been an issue, but they had taken our empty jug away! There were lots of water coolers around the buildings to refill jugs as well as ice machines on each floor.
Restaurants and Bars:
Ate at all the a la carte, enjoyed them all. Our favorite was the Octopus, the most intimate of the three. Make sure you go as soon as possible to book your reservations, as it seems they fill up quickly (particularly the earlier sittings). Buffet was great, always lots of variety, I loved the waffle station each morning and there was also a omelet and smoothie station too. We ate at the Ocean Grill for most of our lunches, as I could take food down to the beach. The fresh salsa and nacho chips there are fantastic!
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Ground were spotless, always being cared for well. Beach was lovely, no shortage of loungers, and lots of shade up along the shoreline if you couldn’t get a hut. We wandered down the beach and I was amazed at how little shade the other resorts had for their guests. There was always a breeze, particularly in the afternoon, but I enjoyed it. Water was warm, seagrass was raked off the beach each day. The GV seem to take better care of their beach than some of the other resorts, particularly with regards to garbage. Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: We didn’t do any specific tours as we had a friend take us around PP. We did do the cable car with him, and I would suggest this as a nice way to view PP from the mountain. Go in the morning, as by afternoon, the top of the mountain gets clouded over. It costs $10 US and there are walking trails and gift shops up at the top.
Other Comments::
Change your money at the bank or in town if you can, as the rate of exchange is much better. We got 35 or 34 pesos to the US dollar (the hotel offered 31). The Plaza is an okay place to spend a little time, all the same kinds of stuff though. It is about a 2 minute walk from the GV. There is also the Orange Market on the beach which is about a 15 minute walk. The beach vendors are gracious and really not pushy. A simple No, gracias and they’ll move on. They do offer lots of things-jewelery, tours, massages, pedicures, hair braiding, t-shirts, paintings & carvings. Haggle with them–it’s expected and fun!