Rooms:
Awesome, but the refrigerator never worked, the water pressure was low, the toilet flusher is strange and the walls are very thin.
Restaurants and Bars::
Awesome! The donuts and coconut ice cream was to die for. The bufffet closet to the theatre is the best, and the Japanese hibachi grill was very good. Shouldn’t have to make reservations at all!
Beach/Pools/Grounds::
Beautiful, but ICE COLD water. Iberostar has done everything else to make this a fantastic place, how bout spend a little extra to make sure the water is a nice warm even temperature so we aren’t freezing?! I literally had to buy a wet suit!!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel::
Yes- Xcaret! Awesome!! But weren’t told there are cheaper admission options if you bring your own towel/snorkel & go after 3:00pm.
Other Comments::
My husband, 3 1/2 yr. old & myself stayed 5 nights at the Lindo 12/22-12/27th. We literally just returned TODAY so everything is very fresh on my mind. Here is the COMPLETE lowdown & some great tips…
1.:
The facilities are stunning as you’ve probably read over & over. Yes, they are immaculate & VERY well maintained. It is a "kodak moment" everywhere you look. We were in building 52 on the third floor & did not have an ant problem at all. The water pressure is low in the shower, the toilet flusher is strange & the walls are very thin. You can hear everything right through them. The only "real" issue we had was our refrigerator never worked the entire time we were there, so never any cold drinks in the room (without getting ice). Saw these little racoon-like animals stealing leftover food at night from plates that were left by the guests outside the door (from room service). Very entertaining, actually. My 3 yr. old is still talking about the "racoons". LOL (You’ll also see peacocks & iguanas/chameleons- pretty cool.)
2.:
You’ve probably read complaints about the "hard" beds & possibly the food. The beds were the LEAST of our complaints. We actually slept better than we ever have.
3.: Food wise, the only thing that was really yucky was the watered down orange juice, the weird tasting sprite & the weird tasting lobster tail. The homemade donuts & coconut ice cream were to die for. The buffet (by the theatre) was the best- especially when you have a picky eating 3 1/2 yr. old. We also ate dinner at the Japanese hibachi and seafood restaurants. Liked the Japanese hibachi the best (as far as reservation type places go). They really really do their best to make everyone happy- especially at the hibachi place. PLEASE bring extra dollars for tips. Don’t have to, I know, but ya gotta give these folks a HUGE "E" for effort & great service. ESPECIALLY at the Japanese restaurant. They are very happy to even just get a dollar tip. The mariachi band that would come in periodically and play was also a very nice touch. The only COMPLAINT about the restaurants: If you arrive between 4:30 & 6:30 & are hungry then, there was no place to eat. We found even the snack bar was closed. Also, we do not like the idea of having to make dinner reservations AT ALL. (We’re on vacation for pete’s sakes! Should be an "open door" policy.) When you get there, make your reservations as far in advance as possible, or you won’t get your choice at all, or will have to eat at 9:00pm at night, or be stuck eating the buffet every day. Plan ahead if nothing else for some variety.
Also, there is NO HAND SANITIZER AT ALL in any of the restaurants. YUCK! That’s a very cheap thing they could do to prevent sickness/germs but they don’t. BRING SOME &/or some hand wipes when you go to eat.
4.:
Beautiful beach, but by 9:00am all the chairs are usually taken. Get there as soon as possible! Also, need to have pool AND beach towel check in. The only place you can get towels is at the pool- not by the beach.
5.:
All the kids that stayed there were very well behaved. A very laid back atmosphere. Not too inundated with kids at all. That was nice. They also have a "kids club" childcare place on the premises which looked to be nice.
6.:
You’ll be walking a lot because the property is huge, so bring comfortable walking shoes & insect repellent because the mosquitoes are bad at night. Also, get used to the trolley. It’ll make things a LOT easier & is fun to ride. They run nearly constantly.
7.:
Make time to see the nightly shows. Even the "mini show" is so cute. They get the kids on stage every night to perform, then follow it up with a very nice, impressive show for the grown ups. Israel is the illustrious show host. Very handsome (resembles actor Benjamin Bratt) & does a FANTASTIC job. Even the shyest people will be singing, dancing, & having a blast. Were pleasantly surprised by the nice costumes/outfits/effort.
8.:
If you need to go to WalMart & decide to take a taxi, it is $21 each way and takes about 30 mins.
9.:
If you do an excursion, don’t waste the time & money on Tulum. You’ll spend the whole day getting there & back, for something pretty boring actually. We went to Xcaret & loved it but were not told about ALL the options (by Lomas travel- on the Lindo property)as far as the entry fee goes. It’s cheaper if you bring your own towel, own snorkel & pay for the buffet yourself. It’s also cheaper if you go after 3:00pm. These are things you don’t know until you actually get there.
10.:
If you need internet access, the only place they have it is by the front lobby and it is $3.00 per 15 mins. The computers are also in Spanish & there is no "@" sign on the keyboard. I spent a good 14 of my 15 mins just trying to figure things out in spanish (which I don’t speak) & to get an "@" sign somehow. If internet is important, invest in one of those things where you can plug it into your computer & get internet anywhere in the world because it is extremely inconvienient if you go through the hotel.
11.: Last, the "biggie" & huge complaint that we had. The pool/wave pool & lazy river is ICE COLD!!! Iberostar was went out of their way to make sure everything else was awesome, you’d think they would have spent a little extra to make sure the pool stayed a nice, comfortable evenly warm temperature!!!! The ocean was actually warmer & even that was cold. I didn’t want to miss out on my son’s first trip to the beach, wave pool, etc. so I had to break down and buy a WET SUIT because it was miserable, actually. So if you get cold easy, bring a wet suit to keep you warm in their ice cold pool & bring a little zip up lightweight jacket for the evenings because the evenings got pretty cool as well.
We would definately go back, but due to their ice cold pools, may seriously consider a warmer climate area facility a little closer to the equator. Beautiful place, Israel (the illustrious night show host) is gorgeous & very entertaining, but please HEAT THE POOLS!!