The resort looked like a million bucks when we arrived. Because we picked a Nolitours "Camelion Gold" package, the desk clerk immediately took us away from the front desk to a desk tucked out of the way to check us in and present us with a drink. OK so far. Our bags were taken to our room, 3 doors from the beach. OK looking good, the room was nice, but smelled a little damp, but Ok you’re at the beach. We had had a 4 hour flight delay, so our first priority was to have a shower and get changed. My husband went to check our the balcony as I was unpacking, and discovered the door had been broken into from outside and wouldn’t lock. so we called the front desk and they sent someone who took a hammer to pound in the frame from the outside and the lock mechanism so the door could be locked. Then we discovered that the taps at the sink didn’t work, turn them on but no water. The repair man then started to pound on the taps with a hammer and after about 20 minutes of banging around, got some water to come out. So we’ve been at the resort for about an hour and we aren’t too impressed.
Rooms:
damp and a little musty, well worn.
Restaurants and Bars:
We had heard the fish restaurant near the beach was terrific so we headed for for dinner. It was a little smokey because one side is a grill and the other a fish restaurant. We ordered and service was good, and the food was terrific. So we are back on track. After being up for about 36 hours, we headed to bed. The bedding was damp, but what the heck, we are at the beach. In the morning we headed to the Supreme buffet for an early breakfast. Not too bad, but the eggs are swimming in grease cooked in pans that look like they’ve never been washed (they were black and disgusting looking, oh yeah and they pour the grease onto your plate along with your eggs. If you like your tea hot, make sure you tell the coffee boy, BOILING WATER please or it will be luke warm. Down to the beach we head and most of the seats with shelter are already spoken for, but that’s to be expected. We head to the buffet in the Palapa hut for lunch and find a salad bar, Paella with and without shellfish, burgers, sandwiches, the greasiest nacho chips I’ve ever seen, rice, beans, chicken and vegetables along with a desert bar – ice cream and pastries. This is the menu for the week and it doesn’t change. The lunch and dinner buffet in the Supreme restaurant consists of these items, plus pizza and pasta – again the same every day (oh yeah and most evenings with a few additions here and there) The Mexican restaurant was a disappointment – service was slow and the food was mediocre. If you like Dominican food, they had a buffet of that and salad you could supplement your meal with. The fish house was good on the first try but our second visit was awful, the lobster was covered with something greasy and a bit rancid and was almost impossible to get out of the shell, I asked for rice instead of potatoes which arrived after I had finished my fish and was ice cold. My husband asked for white wine, they brought red and arrived with the white after our dinner arrived. We left without finishing our meals, no one even came to see if our dinners were OK. Serving staff on a whole are disinterested. Some appreciate the tips, others expect them, but it doesn’t impact your service at all.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The beach was not as clean as I expected. Cigarette buts, straws and bottle caps were littered everywhere and they staff didn’t have the tools to properly take care of it. You can’t clean up small items by walking around and picking them up by hand. The lawn chairs were grubby and the few small side tables were filthy. The water was rough and for a non swimmer, could be dangerous.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
My husband and 9 other guys went deep sea fishing, the tour rep recommended a charter, it was about $50 US cheaper than the tour per person, but the boat was well used and the entire event was less than impressive. The guys running the charter were selling beer for $2.50 US per bottle, but pushed the guys to buy a case, 24 for $72 US, elevating the price from $2.50 US per bottle to $3 US. There weren’t any snacks or anything provided. If you travel Nolitours, be warned that the Cameleon Gold package DOES NOT INCLUDE GOLF even thought the brochure advertises it and the Nolitours rep will not intervene to sort it out for you. The Nolitours rep, Isabella won’t help and sent us to the desk, but the hotel said we didn’t have a jr suite and weren’t entitled. PS they only have jr suites and majestic jr suites, so beware of their advertising.
Other Comments:
If you are travelling to the Domican, be aware that many of the hotel staff are Hatian and they do not speak sufficient english to communicate well. They are also looking for items to sent to Haiti for the earthquake victims, tylenol, advil, antibiotics, clothing, toiletries, etc. Take what you can and leave behind what you can. Every little bit helps.