Scuba Diving | Debbies Caribbean Resort Reviews

Upon arrival in our room, I assumed that our luggage would be inside the room or would arrive shortly thereafter, especially since the website indicates "Our exclusive Suite Concierge Service will pamper you with VIP check-in, special luggage handling." I was not aware that this "special luggage handling" really meant that we were to call three times and ask where our luggage was at and that our luggage would arrive three hours after we arrived in our room. We were hungry and just wanted to take a shower and relax, but instead became restless and irritated as we waited and waited for our luggage.

During our stay, we did have the opportunity to dine at all of the restaurants and would definitely not say that "Sandals Royal Bahamian is an incomparable passport of excellent taste for the world’s most discerning palates." The food was average, to say the least. In fact, I got sick from the food on my 2nd day there and my husband got sick from the food on our 5th day there! And I was extremely disappointed with the limited selection of entrees available at the restaurants. There wasn’t even lobster on any of the menus and this is something I expected while staying at a resort termed as a "monument to regal elegance" with "sensational haute cuisine."

We were also very surprised that we were offered a wine list of bottles of wine we could purchase. We purchased what we thought was an "all-inclusive" vacation where "everything’s included." So, why would we have to purchase beverages? Especially because certain types of alcohol were not listed on the website in the "What’s not included in the all-inclusive package?" area. My husband also stated that the overall quality of the liquor that was included was lower than what he expected, since the "top-shelf" brands were not available.

I thought that "At Sandals, there are no compromises and no surprises. The best of everything is included at one up-front price"? At least that’s what is indicated on your website.

The pool bars were very disappointing as well. Since there was no drink service to us poolside, we all had to wait in lines at the pool bars. And while standing or sitting downwind of the bars, you pretty much lost your appetite for a drink after smelling how bad the area smelled (potentially another mold issue).

Regarding the pool towels, I don’t see how you can even call those towels "beach towels." They were thin and raglike pieces of cloth that barely absorbed any water. Since the website stated that "beach towels are provided by the resort," we didn’t bring any beach towels and definitely regretted that. And when we did turn our towels in during the day to get our evening towels before 5 p.m. each night (since that is when the towel area closed), our maids took the clean ones from our room! They never took our used ones, but did manage to take the clean ones we were going to use.

After we entered the room, the phone rang and we were told that the room was not ready. We said that the room seemed "ready," but then we were told that they had to paint the ceiling. This was rather strange. So, the check-in person met us at this room and told us to go to room 619, as that would be our new room. So, we lugged our bags up to room 619.

And the air conditioning definitely left something to desire. The room was either hot or cold. You couldn’t even adjust the temperature on the thermostat! Also, at all times of the day, there were dogs barking outside the resort – it seems as if this happened each time we tried to rest!

When I recently looked at your site again, I noticed on the main page of the website that it states that "Our inclusions are designed to take the worries out of your vacation. That’s why we include airport transfers in air-conditioned buses, all tips, gratuities and all hotel and government taxes." This is rather interesting, as on the way to the resort and upon departure, we were told that the drivers gladly accept tips; this is even on signs hanging in the buses!

While on the phone with the water sports reservation desk, I asked about snorkling and was shocked that we even needed reservations for snorkling! We weren’t even able to go until our 4th day there because that was booked up too. And when we went snorkling, we couldn’t believe that we could only use the equipment during the time that the ferry took us to the spot to go snorkling and that we couldn’t just take it and use it ourselves in the water offshore or across on the offshore island.

Avoid the Dominical Republic! Do not contribute to the proliferation of drugs which cantaminate our communitites and addict our children.

They should organize going to the nice outside stores, a bus tour, you could sign-up for, a trip once per week or twice, morning or afternoon. they may get people to put money into the area this way.

6. We finally had rooms (5) rooms, 2 persons per room, as reserved. they were two rooms next to each other on 1st floor of building 4, one in the 2nd floor, one in the 4th floor and in building 3, one in the 3rd floor. But why say anything, we had rooms!! Happy. The rooms are beautiful, the mosquitos NOT!!!! everyday all day, Mosquitos!!!! and more Mosquitos. WHY???

Distance is too much for elderly my parents, they walk, but this was too much for them, because of the temp. weather also affected the situation.

I would love to speak to the investors and ask them why? are they so big that they do not care if a few customers are not happy? Paradise or Mosquito infested dream.

11. The restaurants at the Casino, Hotel, smells BAD, BAD water smell!!!!! you can not eat, at this restaurant because you can smell is so bad, so this restaurant is always with less visitors, wander why???…

Dino Jalapeno xxxxxxxxxxxxx 🙁

BE CAREFUL OF THE DISCO, THAT A TELEVISION DOESN’T CRASH LAND ON YOU!!!

Nice jacuzzi outside w/the view of the bay!!! Yum that!

Now off the resort. We went on serveral tours the best was the ater based tours. They were all great. The land tours are a waste of time and money but if you do choice PLEASE stay away from the CARIBBEAN BUGGY TOURS. They are the worst. There were four of us in the tour. It cost $110.00 dollars for this piece of crap ride and a extra $40.00 if you want pictures of it. The buggy broke down 11 times in 3 hours and we did not even drive much. My wife and I had the better buggy, our front wheel only pasted us once. That took a hour to fix. The other buggy with us lost a rear tire. That buggy was done so we had to wait for a replacement buggy in 100 degree weather with no water. We spent more time talking to the locals while the asshole ( THOMAS ) was saying what he would like to do with the white women in spanish of coarse. The pictures you see and would like to do take around 5 minutes to get. The rest is as boring as paint dry.

I wrote this lengthy review to do my share and inform people. I hope I have painted an accurate portrait of Hotel Playa Giron. I tried to be as objective as possible. I encourage you to post your own views of this place regularly because things can change a lot in a few months.

Only one serves beer. Both only have the cheapest white rum and 3 or 4 liquors like banana, mint, coffee liquor… all alcohol is served in tiny plastic throw away glasses (so bring a thermos). The few drinks they do make aren’t very good.

We paid 1285 for this trip but it isnt worth this at all. I’d only pay 800 MAX for this resort.

Would not recommend this hotel.

Things started to go wrong for us almost as soon as we arrived.

As a repeat Sandals Select guest, we were upgraded to "concierge". WOW, I’ve never stayed in such a BEAUTIFUL room. Balcony with ocean view, big flat screen TV, fully stocked bar, marble bathroom, double sinks, HUGE jetted tub, glass shower, decorated to the "9’s".

Any questions please feel free to email me: bhagon@contextcreative.com

If food is important to you on holiday then you won’t be disappointed with the RIU.

The Bahaman government simply must do something about Nassau airport, it is a disgrace. I am British and have visited most of central and western Europe, as well as North America and the Caribbean. And this airport was far and away the worst airport I have been in. First and lasting impressions count. The airport is small, with no facilities or even decent shops. It must modernise soon.

Other Comments:

The people behind the bars just need to smile more and remember that we are their customers!

Rooms:

The rooms are still in fairly good condition and you should take advantage of the Platinum upgrade at this Resort. While we were there approximately 200 rooms were undergoing renovation / upgrade. We saw 1 room at the front of the resort which was complete as was being shown to guests on request and the New Upgraded rooms will be very nice when complete – which we understand is supposed to be by the end of 2009.

Restaurants and Bars:

Some of the restaurants were closed while we were here but they were rotating the closures for variety. The number of guests would not have required all to be open at all times although I heard some people had trouble getting reservations. When you book with Platinum you have access to all the restaurants at the 4 Princess Resorts along this section of the Punta Cana strip and never have reservation issues. Bars are good, Lobby Bar can be Hot, and especially nice is access to the Platinum Lounge and International Brand Drinks. Had an issue with one of the young Bartenders on the Beach, but I understand they had a discussion with him and it looked like it as he was in a foul mood afterwards.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:

The Beach is the main thing bringing us back to Puta Cana – 6 times now – fantastic. One day the waves were approx. 8 feet high. The Pool was closed for repairs most of the time, but we don’t go there anyway, and the grounds are always well kept up.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

Watersports are slipping somewhat and they are starting to charge for things that were included before. The staff at the watersports station is also getting quite lazy. Be careful if you want to Parasail in Punta Cana – we saw 1 couple get dunked in the water and subsequently dragged in the water. Also when they brought them back to the beach they were not helpful at all and the woman banged her leg on the aluminium boat. Looked like she was quite stressed.

Went sailing but the catamarans are getting run down.

All in all, not a bad place if you get a decent deal. While I enjoyed the natural setting and wildlife, I probably won’t go back simply because I really prefer a beach with surf and waves (like Cancun, Mayan or Cuba) and there isn’t much if anything to do off the

We also did a zip-line canopy tour, I’d highly recommend! It was fantastic and the guys there know how to have a good time. If you choose to do any of the off or on-site activities, do NOT book online as you can negotiage for far less once you’re down there.

The Italian restaurant was pretty good but again service was slow. The Japanese was much better.

The hotel staff are all very polite and accommodating. They all encourage tipping. The coffee with milk at the Snack Bar is delicious. The steaks at the Cuban Restaurant are cooked to your liking and grilled to perfection. The water activity crew at the beach are all excellent. Make sure you go for a Hobbie Cat ride with "Ray"! He is very handsome, charming and extremely good at what he does! This place is a great Family vacation resort!

Towards the end of our stay it rained for a couple of days, and one could then begin to see what it might look like if properly watered, as we finally saw some flowers on the plants.

When the water worked again it was rusty and dirty for a day.

If one is travelling with 4 to 8 people, it may be a better or more economical solution that resort hotel rooms.

It is suitable for keeping some kids entertained in the evenings when there is little else to do.

We asked them to pick us up a few groceries for our arrival, which they did.

My advise, if you are looking for sun and warmth on a cheap budget, this is a place for you. I will try another resort on my next trip to Cuba.

All and all we had a good time.

Entertainment staff were tired from 4 weeks of Octoberfest but that is not an excuse for diminished activities for those guests who arrived just following. A few days there was little in the way of activities and no alternative in the event of inclement weather. A card tournament can be quickly formed, a billiards tournament can take place over a few days, and the disco transformed into an indoor entertainment area.

Guest services is commended on their receptions and being attentive to guest’s needs.

The beach cleaning crew did an excellent job in spite of a few days of stormy weather that brough debris down from the trees and in from the ocean.

Finally, if the staff are working hard (with noted exceptions)then I must assume that management changes have caused concerns and only they can rectify them.

The disco should be for the guests enjoyment and if you want to entertain the guests, it is obvious to play music appropriate for the guests. I hope this is the last time I have to emphasize this.

Rooms:

We stayed in the main section of the resort and I would recommend paying the extra cost for this. It’s closer to most of the hotel amenities and buffet. Rooms were clean but in need of upgrading. Lots of marks on the walls, rust on the tub, bugs in the bathroom. No shelves in closet but there was a small 2 drawer dresser as part of the tv armoire. No fridge. Bath towels were small and sometimes thin and worn. Some days you had quite a bit of white fuzz after toweling off. Beds were comfortable. Our room overlooked the pool area. We didn’t notice much noise from pool activities as we were up and gone early. There was some noise from the disco at night but we didn’t hear it as much as some of our group.

Restaurants and Bars:

Really just the one buffet that we ended up timing our arrival to 7 PM for supper to miss the long line. Breakfast and lunches were less crowded (except for the fresh omelet grill). I wouldn’t bother with the a la cartes. The food wasn’t that special, everyone was booked at 7 so a huge crowd all trying to get seated. They were overbooked so some people didn’t even get in and those that did often waited lengthy periods to get served. This was our experience for both Italian and Asian. The buffet was as good as some others I’ve been to. Nice selection of salads. The meat was generally overcooked and tough. The fish dishes were generally tasty. There is really just one bar on each side of this resort and the lines could get long as it was small and understaffed. Staff in the restaurants and bars were fine – generally courteous but not overly friendly. We used as much Spanish as we could. The snack bar had the basics in it manned by staff who couldn’t care less if you need them to grill you something. The chicken wings were good.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

I would give a high rating to the off resort excursions. I would recommend the city tour for $10.00. It’s the same cost as taking the hotel bus into town and back. That one drops you off at Appleby’s and you are on your own. The city tour gives a drive around the city to the more famous landmarks and then to a artisans souvenir shop and then to the mall. Lot’s of security!! We did the whitewater rafting trip which was excellent – very professional, very safety oriented. You had to do a water rescue practice before you even go in the raft. Excellent guides with an excellent sense of fun and skill. We also did the Canopy Tour with the hot springs. Again, skilled guides, professional, and safety conscious. It was a lot of fun to be in the tops of trees and to experience the natural hot springs pools. The other excursion we did was to Pico Bonito Lodge hiking tour. We were able to see lots of flora and some fauna in the hike to Mermaid Falls. Our guide was very experienced and knowledgeable about the plants and animals. He was able to disturb the ant nest so we could see the soldier ants. Lunch at the Lodge was delicious. I would recommend any of these tours.

Other Comments:

I would agree with some other reviews that this is more a 3 star hotel. A number of our group had intestinal problems and a few of us, myself included also had a rash on arms and legs. I don’t know why and antihistamines helped mine but didn’t get rid of it. The night life was the useful stuff that I’ve seen at higher rated hotels and I only bothered to go once. The New Year’s Eve night was nice with a live band on the beach. I wouldn’t go to this hotel again but I would recommend the experience of this area of Honduras – maybe a combination of Pico Bonito Lodge and Roatan.

Regular room #314 far right hand side of resort, overlooking adjacent resort and bare dirt field, nicely appointed room with large king, good ac, fridge, large tub made for two, lots of hot water and water pressure, no sign of small ants in sink or other bugs. The sewer smell is overpowering at times especially in the morning and just noticeable during the day. The large doomed sewer-holding tank is nicely disguised with flowers and bushes and located adjacent to the walkway on the way to the 300 block of rooms.

Beach is really picturesque. Water is Caribbean blue, warm and wavy. This is a great beach! I snorkeled 700 meters off shore and saw nothing but sand. No fish, weeds, or rocks. Super soft sand which was great for walking. We walked lots! There are lots of huts and chairs facing the ocean. It was really wavy for most of our stay, which cancels all use of cats, boats, sunfish, snorkeling, or dives. We did enjoy the waves and it did calm down for a couple of days. An external company owns all of the equipment not the resort. The beach staff that runs the equipment is nice enough but not the typical Sandals experience you might be used too.

Food: Average. Selection was limited and very repetitive. Just did not compare to any of our previous vacations. Restaurant service is really inconsistent and really slow. Tips might help but only if you locate the same waiter each day. I observed dirty plates and tables all over the place at breakfast buffet. The food was acceptable as I didn’t go hungry and tried almost everything. There is no lettuce on this resort. No sickness or craps throughout vacation.

Resort Layout: poor. I am not sure whom to blame. The resort builder or the resort architect. The winding “mirror” river is such a waste. It could be the largest lazy river run ever, if modified just a bit. The huge fake SMELLY rock just before you start on the wooden bridge to the beach is ridiculous. Why any builder would place a powered forced air sewer vent in a fake rock at this location is beyond my understanding. Wait for it, Wait for it…UGH it hits you everytime you go the beach grill and bar. Our bathroom flooded the night we used the Jacuzzi when we tried to drain the tub. Oh well it happens. The room safe is excellent.

These are my perceptions of the resort. Whether a review is negative or positive its just information, don’t get hung up if its different. Take from it what you want.

We were considering swimming with the dolphins. Two options were given too us. $165 pp USD at some dolphin experience place or $190 pp USD at Atlanis. A group of 10 people with a total of 30 minutes shared in a pool for nearly $500CAD when the exchange is done. Not gonna happen. Kind of disappointing.

3. Bar staff who looked like they wanted to be there. The pool bar and main bar staff always had a look of "Why are you bothering me?"

The beach on the other hand is really nice. Sand is very fine. It is fun to play in the waves. The grounds were fairly well kept although I felt bad sometimes for the staff as keeping up with the bird poo was definitly a challenge I wouldnt want to take on.

For others, it represents the perfect place to go. If you like food like you get at home. Stores, products, experiences like you get at home. and basically a vacation at home but warmer, go for it. Check to see if they have done anything about the seagull issue first.

A picky eater will have no problems finding food to eat here.

We had 2 days of rain but they arrange poker table so we have something to do. For the rest of the time it was almost always sunny with some clouds. The temperature was very hot, 30 and more in the day and 24 and more at night. But they told us that it was usually colder than that for that time of the year.

If you have more question superfred at rolmfg point com All the picture are on superfred Canada 3w point superfred point ca

Hope this helps

Beautiful…it was sunny every day with a light breeze. However, it did not get hot enough for me. It was 75-80 degrees each day we were there, but the pool was cold so I did not go in even once! The ocean was warm enough for me though! I bet it will really warm up in a couple weeks

I though this hotel was great overall. If you are really into going out clubbing and stuff it may not be the right place for you though. There is not much nightlife at RIU, but plenty of options closeby, so you just have to venture off the resort. Hope this helped! ENJOY!!

Atlantis: There are so many awesome things to do at atlantis. "the dig" is a huge aquarium and its amazing. During the day there is a charge, but if you go after 8 pm you can walk through for free. The casino is good…I think, but Mike tells me that there aren’t enough tables and the minimum is too high! We went to the comedy show (the one at 9:30 is the dirty one) It was something fun to do. $20 a person for admission, but the drinks are like $200 each, so I would recommend getting liquored up for free at the hotel bar first.

This is a hotel for those who do not need to be entertained with action, lights, and noise. The ocean right at your door, wind in the palm trees and the sound of the surf on the reef are the only steady accompaniments. You will meet lots of divers, sophisticated world travelers and maybe a celebrity or two, but everyone is there for a quiet getaway.

The Kon Tiki provides apartments, with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bath. Lots of room to spread out. While we did not miss a TV, we would have liked to have screens across the sliding door to keep out the relatively small and non-aggressive mosquitoes. Then again, chasing the mosquitoes that did get in provided some entertainment during the otherwise very quiet evenings. We had a 2nd floor apartment with a view out across the flat part of Bonaire and out over the bay where the windsurfing took place. The Kon Tiki has a small restaurant as part of the resort and during the winter season the Kon Tiki includes breakfast with the cost of the room. They served a very good and complete european style breakfast, although it was starting to get a bit boring by the end of the week. There was so much breakfast that we took some of it to make small sandwiches that we used for lunch. We ate dinner there three evenings and they served very good meals. The chef obviously took pride in the preparation and presentation of the food.

For SCUBA divers there are a large number of dive shops and outfitters. If you don’t have (or take) your own snorkle gear, there are numerous snorkle tours available which will provide the equipment. The only real ‘caution’ is that there appears to be a problem with locals breaking into cars parked at the more remote dive spots. The general suggestion os to not take anything valuable and leave the car unlocked so it is not "broken" into.

One evening, coming back from Georgetown after a day of snorkeling, we stopped over at Hurley’s grocery store in Grand Harbour. This grocery store is even better than Foster’s as they have a custom sandwich station, cooked meals and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. We came back with a rotisserie chicken with rice&beans, plantain, greek salad and had a very nice candlelight dinner on our balcony. If you are thinking about stocking heavily or preparing more meals, definitely go at Hurley’s. As for bars , the drinks and cocktails are on the expensive side at most bars around the island, including the Castro’s beach bar at the Reef, you can expect to pay around $6.00 US for a beer and about $11.00US for a drink like margarita or tequila sunrise. We had brought from home, tequila and gin to fix our own drinks to sip on our balcony, and we bought beer and soft drinks/mix at Thirsty Surfer that we packed with water and soft drinks and ice in a foldable cooler for taking out in our snorkeling adventures around the island.

Rooms – we had a room in Flamingo wing. It’s the building furthest from the main pool. It was very quiet, not crowded (tons of empty loungers on the beach even when it was busy), nicest pool. Drawbacks to Flamingo wing were longer walk to restaurants and lobby and no pool bar for refreshments. However, closest bar was in Pelican wing, right next door. The rooms themselves were reasonably spacious, much better than other rooms I’ve been in. The room had just been updated with new paint. Bathroom, while not spacious, was beautiful, marble countertops with bowl basin on top of counter. Glass walk-in shower. Our room had a large flat screen tv on the wall, but can’t say channel selection was great. Not a biggie after all, you have the Caribbean and beach right out your doorstep!

Beach and pools – Pools were immaculate. Main pool is more like a river – very narrow and broken up by various "things" – islands, pool table, fountains, tables, stools etc. Pool at Pelican wing also broken up into smaller sections. Pool at Flamingo wing is the most open and quiet. Beach had reportedly just gotten new sand and it was very nice. Beach was clean – never saw any litter at the Flamingo end. Beach was a bit crowded near the main pool and the snack bar.

Buffet – well, let me just say anyone who complains about the food at the buffet restaurant is out of their cotton picking mind!! The food was great. My only complaint – and its minor – is not a lot of vegetables. Lots of meat dishes – almost every meal had selections of chicken, beef, fish and pork. Sometimes lamb, sometimes goat stew (which is the national dish by the way). Often prawns and calamari. Always rice, pasta and potatoes of some sort. Desserts were plentiful – cheesecake, layer cakes, cookies, and ice cream (best I’ve ever had to be truthful!). Cappuccino machine was always on at breakfast and dinner and I used it a lot. Service was almost always fantastic. There were a few nights where there were glitches in the service – one night when a large group of women came in for a conference, and then just a couple of nights when the wait staff couldn’t get their act together. However, that being said, the service was much, much better than most other buffets I’d been to and it was always pleasant with genuine smiles and greetings.

Entertainment – for the most part was good, albeit spotty, time-wise. The three sax players (on different nights) were all good. The second sax player was the best musician, but all were good entertainers. The steel pan player was barely audible over the congo drums, but was also good. Nothing ever seemed to happen with guest/staff talent night. There was one night, I think Wednesdays, that all the ala cartes are open and the pool deck is loaded with people. The entertainment on that night was great and it was like a big party atmosphere.

Snorkeling – was awesome. There is no reef as some people had said – unless you go outside the breakwaters. The days that we were there were a little too rough for our comfort to go outside the lagoon. If you do want to venture out, it’s advised to check with the dive shop as to currents for that day as there can be rip currents in the area. The breakwater has an abundance of sea life to view. We saw thousands of tangs, grunts, goatfish, yellow-tailed snappers and tetras. We also saw at least 3 puffer fish, 4 morays, an octopus, a barracuda, schools of halfbeaks (some people call them needlefish) and zillions of red-lipped blennies.

Children and activities – the resort is definitely family friendly. There were tons of kids there. The climbing wall never seemed to be used and the skating rink wasn’t really useable (and who wants to go skating anyway?). There were lots of pool activities, a giant chess board, shuttle boards, bikes, a game room (with the arcade type games), ping pong tables, water bikes, kayaks, hobie rides and more. Lots for kids to do. There is a spa and a gym as well. Also a small library to leave/take books in the TV room in the lobby. The gift shop is okay. More expensive than town, which is usual and didn’t seem to be restocked very often, but did have a few choices and necessities.

Minor glitches

– our toilet plugged the first night but maintenance people were there within a few minutes to unplug. – security guards at the flamingo end were often not attentive enough and we frequently had local invaders in the pool that would sneak around the wall – minor workmanship issues with the room, but nothing that was a problem – check-in was not very efficient, but not time consuming

Impressive extras – twice had supervisor types knock on our door and check that everything was okay

– a personal letter from the hotel manager asking if our room was satisfactory – iced tea on request in the buffet restaurant – servers around the main pool deck after dinner to get drinks – cappuccino machine was an unexpected bonus

Restaurants and Bars:v Food was great always a meal or snack at all times of day or night. Iam a very pickey eater and I had no prob. finding something I liked buffet was diff. every time/day

Beach/Pools/Grounds:

Beach was perfect,great snorkeling right of the beach, brought buns and bread from buffet to feed the fish they loved it they come right up to your hands to eat. spectacular sand and crystal clean waters….

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

We went on the Holguin tour including tour of cigar factory mountain lunch and hour of free time in downtown Holguin. Very interesting and worth every penny, We also did the swimming with the dolphins now that is a must do… it also included a great peace of coral for an awesome snoreling adventure, very much worth the money..

Rooms:

Rooms were spotless, the hotel is a little tired but the rooms are very clean. The beds are hard and the pillows are tiny, but we slept anyway because we were busy all day.

Restaurants and Bars:

The beach restaurant and pool bar had great hamburgers and fries. The buffet has lots to eat, with a turkey or ham or pork roast freshly carved every evening and a pasta bar. On Cuba night, try the Cuba soup…very yummy! Their breads are to die for…very fresh and tastey. Breakfast is the usual, bacon, eggs, cereal, breads, pancakes, salad, fruit, yogurt, cheeze. Always found something to eat.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:

Sat at the pool for about an hour in the evening but didn’t swim in it. Looked very clean. The ocean beach is the nicest we have been to. Minimal waves and a spot to snorkel. Lots of fish to watch. There is a little coral and rocks on the beach so wear beach shoes in the water. No seaweed whatsoever. The hotel grounds are also kept very clean and plants are manicured. There is a problem with shade on the beach. The hotel is trying to make some palapas for shade but are having trouble getting palms for the roof (or thats what I was told). The little shades at the pool, are too small. They don’t provide much shade but there are trees to sit under for shade.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

There is a team of entertainers on the resort, they have beach volleyball, archery, shooting, pool volleyball, aquafit classes which we watched but didn’t participate in. There are kayaks on the beach as well as paddle boats, but you must reserve them early and they are booked for an hour so they aren’t available all the time. The catamaran rides are included but are hit and miss. The person with the jug of beer and pocket full of money gets a ride first, even if you booked. I should add that we didn’t use the catamarans because we have a boat at home and we were there to relax, so it didn’t matter if we got on the hobie cats or not, so this is an unbiased report.

Other Comments:

This was our second time at the BCV, and we found the first trip much better. Service was slow, and we tipped. The lack of shade on the beach is a problem for us. We don’t like to bake, and if you didn’t get to the beach before 7am, you didn’t get shade. The swimming and snorkeling is excellent. There is security everywhere, and we left our bags with cameras etc on the beach and they weren’t touched. Food is average. Rooms are clean. We had a good time but probably won’t go back to the Blau.

So, ahem… after that fairly lengthy prelude, I’ll give you the goods, as I saw them!

1. Second morning out, I got sunstroke. We were on the beach for two hours and I had a hat on. No booze. Really, violently ill and dizzy.l Had to go back to our room, and lay down for almost 24 hours. Be really careful of the sun.

2. We bought some beautiful end tables from a vendor at the hotel. Very nice man. They had fish swimming through sea grass and customs confiscated them because he used seeds for the fish eyes that are poisonous. Apparently it permeates the wood. There’s no way he would know we’d have an issue, but make sure you check because we could easily have taken them out and replaced them with something here.

3. If anyone wants more details or has questions, we’d be delighted to try and answer them. princessfubar@hotmail.com

As for a return visit, bring it!

Hasta luego…

Tromping back to our room on the way to the beach, we met our housekeeper. Her name was Rosa Carmina- and we completely fell in love. She told me with complete sincerity, that the most important thing for her was that my holiday be happy and stress free. I gaped. I couldn’t help it, but she meant it, and though I’m not sure I deserve it, such was the level of her professionalism. She was incredibly funny and, intelligent- and a way of connecting with people instantly. I don’t mean that housekeeping staff shouldn’t be / aren’t intelligent, but it occurred to me after several conversations with her that the country would be better served with Rosa in a diplomatic capacity. She hopes to finish up her degree in the fall, and I can’t help but think her talents are a bit wasted making ducks out of towels, sporting sunglasses and scarves (although the one she did for me looked uncannily like a great aunt I had that died last year!)

I had read that Mohamed Fawzi, the General Manager of the hotel was extremely competent, as well as customer oriented, and that was evident quickly. I had the pleasure of speaking to him briefly. I’ve never seen management as visible or conscientious about performance and quality control in a resort. It appeared that at least several managers put in at least a 16 hour day in the trenches interacting with their guests, and there seemed little Mohamed wasn’t on top of.

Appetizers

Nicoise Salad with Tuna Duet of Asparagus with Citrus Cream Smoked Salmon Plate Champagne Pate with Cognac

Soups

French Onion Soup Lobster Bisque with Armagnac

Entrees

Salmon Steak, with Creamed Dill and Fried Vegetables Sauteed Caribbean Prawns with Garlic and Butter Rice Crown Pork Medalions with Matignon Sauce and Potatoes Beef Entrecote with Pepper Sauce and Stuffed Potatoes Chateau Brilliant and their Classic Garnish

Deserts

Lemon Pie Pears Cooked with Red Wine and Vanilla Ice Cream Carmelized Banana Pie Chocolate Mousse There you have it! We had Smoked Salmon Plate and the Lobster Bisque to start. The smoked salmon tasted exactly like home to us (NS) but it was from Chile. Good on the Chileans, I say! The bisque was also delicious! We then had the pork medallions and the beef- both of which were fork tender. For dessert, we had the banana pie and the pears. It was a toss up- but I think I’d choose the pears next time—amazing.

The restaurant is very small, and there were a group of very celebratory French Canadians there as well. They were having a lot of fun, and slightly boisterous, and on the way out, a gentleman with their party congratulated the Maitre’De on the opening and whispered humbly that he hoped he “wasn’t too loud.” I snickered to myself, wondering if he’d ever seen a bunch of Nova Scotians on a rant- Here on the South Shore, we drink Cuba Libras; just without the lime—we call them ‘Dark and Dirtys’! Between the two provinces, no doubt we’d be a force to be reckoned with!

Rooms

OK nothing fancy. Ask for an ocean view. They might upgrade you for free.

Beach/Pools/Grounds

Beach is ok…a little steep and rocky. Dependent on the weather that has gone through. There is one pool, nice, not very deep. It has a swim up pool bar.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel

Went horse back riding. Enjoyed it. Went to dive, wasn’t disappointed.

Other Comments

Brisas Sierra Mar, Santiago de Cuba area. March 19 to the 26. I was looking for a cheap/cheerful dive vacation. I paid $745, all in. Booked approx. 4 weeks in advance through the Flight Centre. The attraction for me was that this hotel has a fully operational dive shop. The hotel was operating at approx. 25% occupancy, approx. 100 people were there during my stay, the hotel accommodates 400+. The smaller number suited me. I heard stories of people having to line up to get into the dining room in times past. Crowd tended to be a little older but generally interesting and friendly people. Note to man who worked at nuclear power plant…you really shouldn’t get drunk and talk in a loud voice about the security measures in place at a nuclear power plant…sort of defeats the purpose.

I loved the music at this hotel. Various artists performed nightly in the lobby bar and the show was generally well done. A syncro swimming group performed one night too, what a treat. Tip the artists, they deserve it. Go horseback riding to the falls. It is a good way to spend 2 hours. Take used tack if you have it, one guest did and made a friend for life. I got an ocean view room upgrade, nice. Ask, all they can do is say no. Book a dinner at the Ecological al la carte restaurant. Nice setting. We took the Catamaran tour over to an island and did a dive followed by a nice lobster/seafood lunch. Another nice way to spend a day. My friend got a massage and enjoyed it. I would have but massages get booked up quickly and only seem to happen Mon. Wed. and Fri.

I saw several black lion fish, a large caribbean blue lobster, a large green moray eel, a large grouper and assorted schools of fish. I could identify them with some effort but I’m lazy. Generally I’d say it’s easy, relaxed diving. The reefs have been beat up by recent hurricanes, Mitch hit this area very hard and the people fish close to shore. I’d return happily but not necessarily as a first choice. There are so many other places to visit in this world. Got questions try me at waterwoman2002@hotmail.com I’ll try my best to answer them.

If you want luxury this is not the resort for you, but if you want a clean place to stay that is close to everything this is the place.

Rooms

large room with a king size bed very clean

Restaurants and Bars

very good buffet my wife is a vegetarian and she found food to eat Rolando and Belinda are very nice servers and every one always smiled. the specialty restaurants were ok nothing special but lots of food on your plate.

Beach/Pools/Grounds

my wife enjoyed the water eventhough it was quite rough with the waves I enjoyed a good book.We golfed the 9 hole course the greens were under repair but it will be a nice course when all is done.Dania from Conquest was very helpful and always smiled the poolbar seemed to be the meeting place the bar man Walter was a lot of fun.I would return to this resort in a few years as it matures so much to see and so little time

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel

we did do any tours Dania told us of an orphanage down the road and we spent or money in town buying clothes for the kids I needed to relax and rest so thats what we did.

We enjoyed the variety of Jamaican foods offered at the main buffet restaurant, but if you are not the adventurous type, there was always pasta, pizza, etc at the buffet and lots of other choices (hot dogs, burgers, fries, nachos, etc) at the poolside and oceanfront snack bars. We found the food to be very good and had good service from the staff. There was good jerk chicken, pork, fish, etc available at various times in the main buffet and daily at the Just Kiddn hut across from the watersports booth. We ate once at the Jamaican a la carte and enjoyed the food and service there. The only complaints were the blaring Michael Bolton music played there and the dribbling of basketballs on the adjacent court during dinner. If you are eating here, ask for an oceanfront table to avoid the basketball court. We did not have the opportunity to try the two other a la cartes (Italian and International) because they were booked for the nights that we were interested in.

We felt that we got good value for what we paid and would return to this resort again on a sell-off. If you go with realistic expectations and can overlook the “bumps and bruises” of the resort, this is a good choice, in our opinion, for a budget vacation

We didn’t find alot of employees that spoke English but with what little we know of Spanish and alot of hand motions, we got along just fine. I really think that their lack of English makes them a bit on the shy side, not cold like some people think. Then again, there were alot of miserable tourists this past week. Then came the sickness. Yep, unfortunately I was hit (as well as one other in our group of 4) also for a full day. For some people, their total vacation was ruined by this and people fueled into each other’s anger – attitudes grew and grew. For the most part, the people we encountered were fun, fully enjoying themselves and someone wrote the "atmosphere was one of fright and depression for some"……..what?????

No bug issues which surprised me that there weren’t any (or very little) mosquitoes especially that the previous week had rained. Even on the zipline, which is an absolutely amazing adventure, there weren’t any bugs in the forest. We went down loaded with fly dope. With the issue of sickness here, I don’t know who you could point a finger at and place blame on – there are so many sources for viruses to come from. People carry in all sorts of bugs starting right on the plane – we heard that staff were ill and brought it in – a couple of people brought down a gastro that they had day before travelling – maybe it was a food product that shouldn’t have been put out too often – it happens here in Canada also. Who knows? I felt bad for Sandra the Conquest Rep….that girl really had a tough week putting up with all our complaints, and I won’t minimize the complaints – many were legit. She could only do what she could and pass on to folks only what she is told. Many people were quite verbal to her (husband included) but fortunately she has broad shoulders and could take what was dished out and I think, handled things very well. People wanted answers and there were none to be had. All in all I think the resort could really use a few lessons on people management and helping out tourists with their needs – front desk did seem to ignore many peoples’ requests but (again playing devil’s advocate) many times it’s in the presentation of ourselves to the workers and how we speak with regards to our demands. I know squeaky wheel gets the grease, but more often a little kindness goes alot further. Our vacation is all about the sun & beach so we’ll just roll off the negatives and go with it. I think Conquest needs to step up to the plate and admit they should have done something to help alleviate our concerns . However, we met some awesome people who went for fun and got it

ARRIVAL & TRANSPORT

Nolitours gathered everyone quickly and we were taken to the Dunes by air conditioned bus. Took 30-40 mins… lost track of time enjoying the breathtaking scenery along the way.

RECEPTION

moved quickly. we were a quartet of girls travelling together and asked for adjoining rooms or to be very close. they put us in separate buildings. we asked to be relocated and had to approach our tours rep to get anything done. the 2nd day we were moved to an adjoining room and were happy with our new locale. generally reception was luke warm when it came to giving assistance and were sometimes rather dismissive. it was best to go directly to the tour rep or the fellow in charge of guest services

ROOMS

yes. they’re small. but, they’re also clean. the beds are quite firm. i alleviated this by getting a couple extra blankets and folding them under the sheet and had no issues after that. the sheets were crisp and clean. no insects at all. we were in the new section, building 51 so we had the nice new showers. initially we were in bldg 53 and our room smelled somewhat musty, but it could have been a combination of the high humidity and the cedar closets that created an unfamiliar odour.

*NOTE* be sure you put your security bar in place on your door. when in bldg 53 we woke up to find our door had been opened in the night. another guest in that same bldg had the same thing happen. the hotel paid attention when we told them and there was an obvious increase in security the following night. *** not all rooms had clocks and the wake up call was rather hit and miss. our friends ordered one for 0700 and it came at 0230! another time we requested it for 0900 and the phone rang at 0820. you’ll also find that you get a 2nd call – a snooze alarm i guess – 10 mins later.

FOOD

we were seriously impressed with the food. not greasy. a great deal of variety and fresh fresh fresh! for breakfast there was: cereal, yoghurt, croissants, toast, various sweet breads, waffles, pancakes, empanadas (with cheese or fish), omelettes, hard boiled eggs, veggie quiche, bacon/sausage, potato, steamed veggies, beans, juices, fresh fruit, cafe con leche… and i’m sure i’m forgetting some things! i am mostly vegetarian and considered a fairly serious foodie and i never had a problem finding something to eat. they have a full buffet in the main building, a snack bar at the pool, tea time with croissants, sweets and coffee at the lobby bar late afternoon, and a restaurant down on the beach with buffet or table service. each restaurant had pasta available for lunch and supper with a variety of sauces to select from.

BEACH/POOLS/GROUNDS

Grounds were beautifully maintained. very very clean. 1 childrens pool. another 3 pools overall. breathtaking scenery all around.

EXCURSIONS

we only went on the Discover Margarita tour. 2 of our group had booked the snorkelling tour for our last day but, unfortunately, it was cancelled due to waves in excess of 3 metres! the daily hike to the lighthouse was also cancelled a couple times due to muddy conditions. i did hear that the mozzies were horrendous on that walk so if you go, repellent is required. also were told that bandits like to hang in that area and watch for tourists going it solo, so caution is advised. excellent things were said about the jeep tour. one couple we met went on the 1 day trip to angel falls (was about $300USD per person) and they thoroughly enjoyed it, although the falls were a mere trickle that day. they went on a 12 seater plane and visited another falls, did some hiking and rock climbing – said the trip did involve a certain level of fitness but they thoroughly enjoyed the day. *** Marisol that handled the excursions for Nolitours was a true GEM!! Each night they had the usual shows but the quality was actually pretty good. just sometimes went on a little too long was all. the activities group around the pool were fun without being overbearing. lots of folks took party in their games and water aerobics.

SHOPPING

we didn’t do alot of shopping but you’ll find pearl items available at incredible prices. i paid about $12.50USD for a pair of pearl & corral earrings and my girlfriends each found stunning pearl rings for about $50USD each at a little pearl shop we were taken to on the Discover Margarita tour ($40USD for the day). coffee is, indeed, difficult to find. i ended up buying it at the resort ($40BF/pound… which was $10USD) but our excursion rep brought us some 200g packages of ground espresso for $1 USD/each at the end of the trip, so it’s definitely out there. prices at the malls are high – just like back home. also, the little shop at the resort is crazy pricey… a can of pringles is $15BF which is as much as $7USD depending on how you exchanged your funds! and the prices seemed to change from day to day depending on who was at the til.

DEPARTURE TAX

it’s currently 157 Bolivares Fuerte /adult and breaks down to $111BF and $46BF (it’s 2 separate taxes and must be paid separately, with exact change). if you get a 4-1 exchange you’re only paying about $40USD rather than $73 USD. it’s a bit challenging to get small denominations of the BF so i’d suggest you work on trying to do so early on and tucking what you need aside in your room safe.

OVERALL….. no major complaints about the Dunes. I’d have no trouble recommending it at all and would even consider returning. i tend to visit new places on each trip as there are so many places in the world to see i dont often entertain "do overs". next time i may try Laguna Mar, just for the experience. some of the service staff were a bit lacking in attention but this wasn’t a 5star either. you get what you pay for, to a degree. the weather was great… yes, we had some rain, but it was a welcome respite from the heat for awhile and rarely lasted very long. temps were over 30C daily and humidity ran about 90% so be prepared for that if you go, find yourself a couple of brits and settle in for some relaxation and laughs! your holiday will be what you make it. i’m more than happy to answer any questions that i may have neglected to cover here. cheers!

quinner5277@yahoo.ca

Rooms

The room was clean and a nice size for the four of us with a view of the ocean and tow bathrooms.

Restaurants and Bars

Reading some other reviews I am not sure I was at the same place. The staff stood back some until they found out what we were looking for, then they were great. The food was fantastic and the variety was good. The staff ensured we had enough and gave suggestions for activities for the day when we asked.

Beach/Pools/Grounds

The Beach was clean and the water sport staff were excellent about sailing and helping us when we needed it. The pools were clean and at one point one was drained for cleaning but there were still others to use so it was fine. In fact the kid pool put me closer to snacks and the bar.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel

We did the Brig Unicorn and it was well worth the money for both myself and the kids. I did a dive with Dive Fair Helen and then With Rainbow divers on the Beach. I preferred Marie and Judy (The Mermaid) the trip was more relaxed and it was me and my family so I got to see more then on the crowded boat dive. Both dives were good but next time I would just use Marie’s services.

Other Comments

When you go on holiday If you look cranky the staff are likely to stay away. Remember you are on holiday and the staff are still working a little respect can make your holiday excellent.

Review:

General impressions: Arrived late at the hotel and was met by one of the staff he wasn’t the most pleasant people that I’ve ever meet but I didn’t know what sort of day he had but every time I wanted something from the front desk he just seemed out of sorts. We arrived on the heals of tropical storm Ida and a lot of the resort was in storm mode but not so that it would disturb the tourists. The guy at the front desk said that we could leave our bags there and get some dinner before the buffet closes. All in all I found the staff very friendly except for that one guy. I would recommend that a friend stay there

Rooms:

We had a lower room in the 800 block. It was nicely appointed with a VERY large king size bed. The room was divided into a sitting area and a sunken bedroom area. In the sitting area there was a bar that was stocked with wine and hard liqueur and a mini fridge with beer and soft drinks. The bathroom was large with a double tub & shower only down side was that the toilet was in another smaller room off the bathroom and this is where the exhaust fan for the bath room was. Therefore the bathroom steamed up quite easily. The TV was a bit of a problem we didn’t have a remote for the TV and had to use the buttons on the front that became a large hassle at the end of the trip because they were becoming flakie. Also there were only a couple of English channels it would have been nice if they had of grouped the languages together; German, English, Chinese and Russian. But you don’t go there to watch TV so I guess it can be a moot point but I didn’t want to kill my liver wai! ting for the nightly entertainment to start.

Our room had a little musty smell when we opened the door but that soon cleared out. The air conditioning had a lot to be desired and once the room cooled down it was OK. There is a place next to the door for a key card or other card (fold the do not disturb in half length wise or use a timmies card) for the power to the room. Keep that card in there all the time to keep the power on (THIS IS IMPORTANT NO POWER NO AIR CON).

Beach/Pools/Grounds:

Clean wet and warm we mostly splashed in the ocean

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

We recommend the Seafari tour to Cayo Blanko, we also took the tour to Trinidad, that one is a LONG day not for someone traveling with kids. When there DO buy some linen there because you won’t get it anywhere else. There is also an eco park and bat caves near the resort worth giving it a go when you have a red flag day.

Other Comments:

The resort does have wifi but it is slow and you have to register your device with the tech on site. He wants the MAC address of your device to authorise it on the network. With my PSP I was only getting a marginal signal (best 60%), I suggest sitting at the tables near the little waterfall fountain in the main bar. Get a drink and wait for your page to load, it beats sitting in the lobby. Varadero has a great beach but it isn’t good for snorkeling. Pick up a beach towel at Walmart before you go and leave it there that way you know your lounger from everyone elses. Bring little gifts for the staff things YOU can get at the dollar store that they can’t.

My wife and I thought this resort was excellent value. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of a five star resort, but then again it has a five star beach and reef outside of it. The grounds are beautiful, the staff friendly and the overall ambience is wonderful.

Rooms:

– air conditioning, toilet, sink, shower — everything worked well; – the king-size bed was comfortable and firm; – the television had 5-6 English language channels, including CNN and HBO.

Restaurants and Bars:

– water was drinkable (the resort has its own water treatment plant); – food was tasty and plentiful; – the selection of fruit at the buffet restaurant was surprisingly limited; – the best part of breakfast was omelets at the buffet restaurant; – the best part of lunch was hamburgers and pizza at the Beach Bar; – the best part of dinner was Martino’s Italian "a la carte" restaurant; – the best part of after-hours was socializing and drinking at the Piano Bar;

Beach/Pools/Grounds:

– all facilities were clean and well maintained; – the beach had some stones in the sand and there were no sea shells at all; – the bottom of the ocean off the beach is covered in stones and weeds; – the resort felt safe (there were two armed guards at the front and three on the beach);

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

– Spanish and English are the main languages used at the resort; – the disco at the resort was always empty at night; – the overnight trip to Havana for 155 CUC per person was the best deal; – during the trip we stayed at 5-star Melia Habana hotel;

– the Tropicana show was included in the trip and it was entertaining;

Recommendations:

– choose this resort if you love snorkeling and a quiet social life; – choose a different resort in Varadero if you love the beach and swimming in the ocean, if you want to meet tourists from other hotels and locals on the beach, if you prefer to be close to various off-the-resort trips and activities; – bring Canadian dollars (CAD) with you, not US dollars (USD), because the exchange rate to Cuban convertible peso (CUC) for CAD at the hotel is much better than for USD; – bring a small battery-powered alarm clock for your room and a wrist watch, because there’s no way to tell time at the resort; – you can buy all the same souvenirs, cigars and rum everywhere, including at the airport duty-free shops just before departure; – the goods at the duty-free shops at the airport are about 10% cheaper than at all the other shops; – the cheapest bottle of alcohol is 1.80 CUC for 350 mL mickey of white rum (and twice that for dark rum); – don’t worry about your passport – Cuba does not stamp your passport, only the travel card upon arrival and the boarding pass upon departure; – the currency exchange kiosk at the airport does not take CUC coins back upon departure, only CUC bills, so spend your CUC coins before you get to the airport or at the airport.

Email: alex_levitsky@hotmail.com

Restaurants and Bars:

OK for a small resort

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

The best part of our trip was our tour guide/driver, Ken Gracey. Ken, a Jamaican-born Canadian owns and operates Hummingbird Tours (1-876-476-0818, email: kjgracey@yahoo.ca). Ken is respectful, courteous, friendly and enjoys showing Jamaica to tourists. Ken customized a tour for us that included a full day of sightseeing not offered by any other tour company. He also showed us some out-of-the-way places that only a local resident would know about. He takes pictures of the entire tour and burns a CD for you for free. His price is lower than tours offered by the hotel while offering added value (i.e. CD and customized tours). We went on 5 tours with Ken, so I can say with confidence that Ken is an awesome host. Thank you Ken.

Other Comments:

We found Breezes Montego Bay to be a nice small resort with everything you needed, although this property could use a little TLC. The cabin rooms are very small. So small you have to store your clothes in drawers under the bed. If you want one of the bigger rooms, pay extra for a deluxe room. Breezes has a great location, the best beach I saw while in Jamaica for 2 weeks. The surf is gentle, great for kayaking, snorkeling and swimming.

Rooms

Nice large room with a patio or balcony. The large double shower head is awesome!

Restaurants and Bars

Excellent service! Very pleasant and attentive.

Beach/Pools/Grounds

The white sand beach is beautiful! What an unpleasant surpise to find that the riptides here are very strong so there is no swimming in the ocean! The pools are plentiful and pretty.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel

2 excellent tours were offered (a safari and snorkeling) at no charge due to the delay in completion of the resort and the lack of being able to swim in the ocean…

Other Comments

Due to the recent opening of the resort there are many management and structural issues that need to be addressed. There is an electical problem in the rooms and the lights just turn off. The light switches are confusing and turn on and off a different light everytime you use it. The entire resort had no electricity for 4 hours one day. The toilets frequently backed up, the door fell off the safe twice and maintenance is VERY SLOW to respond. There is a strong language barrier. The resort is going to be huge. We got lost one night and security couldn’t help us as they did not speak or understand English.

We did have a very relaxing vacation and did enjoy ourselves even with the snags.

Rooms:

Rooms are very spacious and clean, however very dated but renos are being done all over the property

Restaurants and Bars:

A la carte Restaurants are great, however very hard to get a reservations as they are small and not open everyday. Another challenge is that you can only make reservations at 8:00am for the next day, as oppose to making dining arrangements for the week. We tried the Steakkhouse, Italian, Seafood, Chinese and Japanese and all were fantastic with great service.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:

The beach is amazing, the pool is a little small for the amount of rooms and guests, but kept very clean and tidy.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

We did the Jeep safari and the Sting Ray snorkleing trip, both were fantastic and very informative about the country.

Other Comments:

Overall this is a great resort with amazing grounds and staff, great value for the price you pay. Please do not take any of the bad reviews seriously as these people are abviousy looking to get somehting for free, have no patience and should stay home. I am a hospitality professional and promise this is a great place to spend a week to relax and spoil yourself. If you are looking to truly have a 5* North American Hotel Experience, you will have to spend more than $2000 all inclusive as oppose to around $1000……just saying….

Rooms:

We had booked an oceanview room, and had a partial view of the ocean from our balcony. The room was very nice and housekeeping kept it spotless. The bathroom was a fair size with twin sinks and an adequate shower/tub. As noted in others reviews, the bed was quite firm (which I liked) but I found the pillows to be uncomfortable. If you have the space in your luggage, I would suggest that you take your own fave pillow from home. Satellite TV worked the majority of the time, however we did experience a couple of outages where certain channels were unavailable for a while, but this was not really a problem. If you want to make calls home to Canada, buy a $20USD hotel calling card. There is a $2USD additional connection fee for each call, but if you are making multiple calls in one ‘sitting’, press the # key and you will only be charged one $2 connection fee.

Restaurants and Bars:

The food was amazing. I have never eaten so much in my life. The hotel has really improved the process for booking the a la carte restaurants. We waited in line a couple of times for a max of 15 minutes and ate a Sir John and the Steakhouse. Both were nice and the service was exceptional at both. The buffet and the Italian restaurant were my faves. As a vegetarian I had a wide selection of hot and cold foods to choose from and the desserts were quite delicious as well.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

Dunn’s River Falls: We took a cab there and back. The park and Falls were very pretty, and though we didn’t climb the Falls, we were able to walk along them on a boardwalk (all the way from the top of the Falls to the beach) as well as being able to walk into a section of the Falls for some photos (just be careful because the rocks are slippery). If you go on your own, guys outside the park with try to get you to purchase their services as guides. I would suggest that you wait till you get into the park and get an "authorized" Dunn’s River Falls guide (they have shirts that identify them).

Downtown Ocho Rios:

We took a cab downtown. It was quite an experience but I am happy that we saw the sites off the resort. Went to the crafts market where the vendors are very aggressive. I wouldn’t suggest that you visit it if you are easily aggravated. There were some finds there, but keep in mind that the hotel also brings in crafts vendors in on certain nights, so if you don’t want to deal with pushy salespeople, skip the crafts market downtown and opt for the hotel one instead. Also, people will try to hustle you for various things downtown (women kept wanting to braid my hair), but you need to keep in mind that Jamaica has a large unemployment rate. If you are able to approach these situations keeping in mind you are in a country with a different cultural norms, you will be fine.

Other Comments:

Ironically enough, the negative aspect of our vacation was our Sunquest rep at the hotel (not the rep who held the orientation session). She was rude and not helpful at all and whenever we went to speak with her, she would take personal phone calls in the midst of our conversations or ignore us altogether. We found this to be totally unacceptable considering Sunquest is a major tour operator and should take more care in choosing who is representing them.

All in all, we had a great vacation. The weather was good (except for about a day and a half of rain) and the Riu Ocho Rios is a beautiful hotel with beautiful grounds and amazing staff. I would recommend it and would stay there again.

A couple of nights local artists came and entertained by painting as we watched. Very interesting, and nice to be able to purchase art one has seen produced.

Conrad our butler was amazing, our 3 kids loved all the activities, women staff need to learn how to smile, security is first rate, if your a diver most of the dives are less than 60ft but you will see turtles, stingrays, large schools of fish and crabs and the equipmet is OK I dived 6 days and did not have any problems, the beach is safe at night, bus ride from airport and back is a great way to see what life on the island is all about, overall its a great holiday.

Costa Rica though is an extremely beautiful country and I highly recommend people to explore the countryside as much as you can. The best tour company bar none to go with is Avispa Adventures to book all your excursions. They are an excellent tour company. You can book in advance by emailing or calling the owner, Amy and she will see to your every need. She provides not only the tours but any other things your would need to know about in Costa Rica. She is an US expat who fell in love with Costa Rica and stayed.

For off the resort activities, I went on tours with Avispa Adventure and as I had mentioned above, they were excellent. I would go with no one else and when I go back I will book everything I want to do next time with them. What was really nice with them is they are quite flexibile with your schedule. As I mentioned above, the dive company wasn’t very flexible and so we would come back later than I wanted from the dives but Amy made sure to be ready for us once we got back so that we could do other things with her to maximize the day. Very excellent with that. Again, I can’t say enough good things with this company. Avispa and Amy are the best. The Miravelles Tour is absolutely great with Amy. Fun and lots to see and do. Whitewater rafting is a lot of fun. Palo Verde is great to see especially if you are into nature and wildlife. Hidden Treasures takes you to the Llanos de Cortez Waterfall and it is beautiful. If I had more time, I would see more of the region but that will be for another time with Amy.

Visit Sorobon beach, the donkey sanctuary, Slagbaai natural area, Klein Bonaire, snorkle, dive, dine … to much to mention in this review. I will write about all things to do, tours and excursions in Bonaire at other pages at Debbie’s website

Kralendijk, the center of Bonaire, has a few times per week visitors from cruiseships, some of these tourists who want to go to the beach are dropped of by taxi’s at Eden Beach, nothing to be worry about, it is just a little bussier and at 4:00 pm they are all gone again back to the ship.

Four Debbie-Flowers from me, next time five ok? Because I love Bonaire and will be back

All was solved soon enough because Bonaire has so many really outstanding restaurants like It Rains Fishes, Unbelievable, la Barca, Bambu, Sense, La Guernica … too much to handle 🙂

… oh … wireless internet for free … and FAST!

Four years ago we went on the trip to Paradise Island. The snorkelling was GREAT; there is a 40′ wall that forms the reef just off the island, and it was alive and colourful. We wanted to go again. What we learned was that you can no longer snorkel the reef! They have restricted access to just the break in the reef due to the heavy traffic, so if you’re at all an experienced snorkeller/diver; don’t go. There is a live reef just offshore at the resort, but if there is any surf crashing over it, it’s too dangerous to get over the fire coral and urchins to get to the good side where the visibility suddenly improved, and the reef opened up. We were able to one day, and it was well worth it for the forest of sea fans and I saw a couple of lion fish, along with the usual reef life.

every night they would have a show for about an hour or so…dancing girls,music,comedy fashion,traditional music…a differant show every night…a nice show to wind down the day

they do not try to force you to play the games or learn to dance….i very laidback resort

ok the bars….what can i say..they even cut the fruit in the shape of a canadian flag…awesome bar staff

safe in the room for 2 pesos a day,very quiet rooms,tv even had golbal winnepeg and a vancouver station

If you do decide to travel to Cuba. Do the people of Cuba a favor and bring along extra old clothes that are in good shape that you may have outgrown or decided to discard. Take along a whole spare suitcase full if you can. They especially would love used shoes, baby clothes, shampoos, lotions, medicines like tylenol or advil, makeup, essentially anything you are willing to bring is fair game for a well appreciated tip.

Questions? tomaz61@yahoo.ca

Was very happy with the service I might add. Great luggage allowance.1 hundred pounds each plus 2 carry ons each at 10kg.Had it packed to the max

Good food, clean rooms, beverages of ones’ choice, safe enviroment, and varied clientele.

Again, you could do all of the above, some of it or, none of it ~ tasters choice 🙂

Grounds are tended to daily by ground personnel so no coconuts fall on YOUR ‘coconut’. No issues.

If I had to pay out of pocket what my two ‘seagull’ sons ate during the week at this resort ~ I would be a pauper.

NFLD’ers even get NTV news on channel #36 ~ daily.

If you are a ‘face cloth’ person (we were not) you will need to bring your own, only towels of the standard size (ample) are provided.

This is our honest opinion on the Allegro Varadero.

Lots of Tour’s and plenty to choose from.

Sapore di mare – Italian

All four of us just wanted to do a little shopping and then back to the Beach. Our driver was very informative and a Joy to talk with.

The Grounds; very nice with many plants and different trees, Banana trees and see if you can find the Ackee Tree but do not touch its fruit, could make you sick. Lots of free space on this resort, nice. Grounds are very well keep, and a joy to the eye.

All Bars easy to get yourself served.

Louise & Derek

We came back 45 minutes earlier the following Friday evening and the flight. All in all, I would recommend the Melia Cayo Coco in a heartbeat and look forward to going back.

As far as food and drinks are concerned, we have no complaints as there is always something available at any time of the day or night. I can’t fathom how much complaining goes on on these reviews. As far as I’m concerned, these people should stay home.

they insist you wear this or that & they fill a bowl with things they want you to buy,… i certainly learned much and how to say NO.. and walk away.. strong & OK with not being taken.

we had pork tenderloin, and beef tenderloin… was very good, as was the desserts….we were WOW’d again

Food was delightful and remarkable. As usual, dining choices were also available with the adjacent Iberostar Punta Cana and Dominican Resorts.

Pool – Very nice freestyle pool. Nice for the afternoons because of the activities (if you wanna have some fun) but not too busy while we were there, it was low-season

Great vacation, great people….and remember, you and your crew make up your holiday. We’ve been to a 5 star Bahia Principe in the Dominican and had the worst time of our life (even though the food was great), because we had people that "suck" with us on holiday, so we’re never taking them again…lol!!!

Seafood – DIdi not try it, our reservation was too early so we decided not to go.

For the price we paid for 8 nights, roughly $900 for two people, I feel we more than obtained our money’s worth.

They cancel katamaran and pedalos reservations as soon as it’s too windy, so better go make your reservations very early in the morning. Katamaran was quite boring anyway as they just go straight toward the ocean for 10 minutes then just come straight back. Pedalos were most pleasant for that.

When it came time to leave, I found out the cashier had no canadian coins meaning no less that $5 bills. When I went to exchange my pesos for canadian money, I was offered $35 for my 37 pesos, which didn’t make any sense. The cashier told me that if I could manage to find 1 more peso, he could give me $40 instead. This means the initial amount was somewhere in $39 but he had to round it down to $35. That’s so bad!

Restaurants à-la-carte are not on the map provided by the reception and it wasn’t obvious to find them on our own, so we had to call reception who did their best to explain it in this huge resort. By the way, the stuffed chicken at the Italian restaurant is just awesome!

The curtains are not thick enough and light brightens the room at 7am.

We have been there 2 times and will go again, god willing.

things can be more hectic.

Our first room was not that great, so we requested a new room and they were very accommodating.

Tennis courts were in good condition.

Grounds were well maintained and pretty though not spectacular. Insects keep to a minimum due to overhead ariel spraying twice per day. Bring bug repellent anyways.

If you are a beach loving person, this is the resort for you.

Coffee quality was inconsistent depending on the bartender and the espresso machine. Beach and pool bars were good. No lack of drink variety.

We hope to return next winter

The staff would rake up the seaweed and leave them in clumps along the shore.

any questions….JRK5758@AOL.COM

San Juan del Sur is a very casual little surf/fishing village type of town. Not intended for the dress-ups.

We would like to go back tomorrow back it’s back to work.

Sailboats, cayaks, snorkel equipment, etc. Just walked up and picked out one. Had beach and other activities going all the time

I would recommend this hotel over the Costa Sur, also on Ancon Beach, because you have a beach, and over the Ancon, because it has better food selection.

gorgeous botanical grounds

700’s are pool view

They have flamingos and crocodiles, it’s just a beautiful resort.

We did not go off the resort so I cannot comment on the surrounding towns but I can say we will gladly, return with Air Canada….

We much enjoyed the quality and huge variety of food and beverages you have available – including the wine lists your have prepared for the specialty restaurants.

* Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes

Now for the divemasters. In my opinion, I may as well have been diving on my own. I only saw them on two-three occations. It appeared they cared more about getting their personal underwater photos and videos than they did the clientel. There was one man who was on his fourth Okeanos trip and they didn’t seem to mind showing him around personally. In fact, this man was apparantly so special that when two women on our skiff got hit with jelly-fish after our dive, the divemaster and captain thought it would be beneficial for this man to go and get footage of the island for 10 minutes before returning to the Okeanos where these women could get some vinegar to sooth the sting.

This of course is all in my humble opinion,

We were happy with the buffet restaurant, breakfast, dinner and lunch. Typical all-inclusive buffet with a good variety of meats prepared in a variety of ways – chicken, turkey, fish (generally very good!), goat, lamb, steak, roast beef (surprisingly good, and we’re from Alberta!). Mashed or roasted potatoes, rice, veggies, variety of salads, fajitas, tacos, cheeses, cold cuts, breads. Desserts ranged from various cakes, cheesecake, flan, cookies, and the most wonderful ice cream you’ll ever eat! Breakfasts were typical AI – pancakes, eggs, omelete bar, bacon, sausage (link or patties), fruit bar (pineapple, papaya, watermelon, cantelope), pastries, croissants, toast, cereals.

The free shuttle into Willemstad was a nice extra, and the alloted time was perfect for us. We also took the local bus (van) to the Seaquarium (too hot to walk!) and to a nearby supermarket for $1.00 each way.

Our previous Curacao trip was to Sunset Waters (2005). We were pleased with our stay there, albeit , it wasn’t on par with our usual AI experiences, although we did enjoy the food there at the time. But it compares in no way to Breezes, in all aspects, including snorkeling. More corals there, yes, but I enjoyed the larger numbers and variety of species of fish at Breezes more.

Arrival: Nov 21-29,2009

Just returned Nov 29 from Breezes and had another great vacation snorkeling, diving, golfing, celebrating, shopping and relaxing. We have been to this hotel several times but in the past 2 years have seen improvements to the quality of food, more sand added to the beach and a more helpful attitude from buffet and bar staff. The weather was hot and sunny, shady areas on the beach, lounges and towels always available and the hotel rooms were cool and clean. Overall this place is absolutely fantastic and is a great value for us out of Toronto.

Every vacation will have some glitches but who wants to spend their vacation time focused on what to complain about? We think that at this Breezes there is nothing major that would hold anyone back from having a great time. You’ll have a fantastic time if you enjoy snorkeling off the beach, seeing thousands of fish and can relax in a casual setting. Go really wild and bring some friends and have an unforgettable vacation you’ll be talking about for years. It has certainly been one of the best times we’ve ever had.

Rooms:

nice and clean, loved the towel art … every morning we had something different! cant tell because that would ruin the surprise! we had a balcony room! was nice bc it was not to hot and of course it was NOT as noisy as the ground rooms were!

Restaurants and Bars:

this one is hard because the staff went beyond what u could imagine! there was a mix of food … not to my liking … we lived off the pizza and bread and butter …. there was something different most times. but i would have to say i was not to into the food. although to them it was good food – they did the best they could with what they had to work with. very bland … a lot of the deserts were different shaped but the same taste. the restaurants i found were just as good as the buffet. i would def. eat at the grill for lunch … FRIES!!!! and sandwiches! lol … and the breakfast at the grill go early! actually if u were to go for breakfast lunch and dinner at the buffet go as soon as the doors open … it is fresh and warm … the food sits out for 4 hours! and there were lots of flies! but there were flies in all the restaurants … did not matter where u ate! most people it never bothered! i always took the bread at the bottom!! they had one bar it was nice! and air conditioned! loved the music!

Beach/Pools/Grounds:

breath taking … very very very clean! it was beautiful! lots of scenery!!!! speechless!!!!

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

we did the catamaran excursion with the dolphins and snorkeling … and the private beach for lunch … i would do it over again! it was amazing! and the crew were a blast! lots of drinks and music! u must do it! u will love it!

if u have to call canada no worries it is NOT expensive … we made 4 or 5 call and it was $8.00 we did go to the american mall – very expensive! it was impossible to talk anyone down in price — the lower i went the higher they went! lol … all in all it was fun! had great weather and met some lovely people that i will stay in touch with!

Rooms:

Villas were comfortable and well kept.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:

The pool is a necessary addition as the ocean is more suitable to snorkeling than swimming. The snorkeling is very accessible and the reefs and fish are quite beautiful.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

We rented a mini-van for our family of five and spent a day at Varadero. We went to see the dolpin show and the kids swam with the dolphins, then we spent some time at a beautiful beach, and shopped in the most popular market. It was a great day!

Other Comments:

During our stay, we fell in love and "adopted" George, a little, black and tan "stray" dog. He lives on the resort, but doesn’t really belong to anybody. The tourists take care of him. We were wondering if any recent visitors "met" George and if they could tell us how he is doing. Also, have any readers ever taken a dog back home from Cuba and, if so, would you have information about how to go about that and how long the process takes…. If anybody would like to provide such info, please contact me at my provided e-mail address. Thanks!

gpaille@mts.net

Resort offers many different day trips at a cost. I suggest take a cat trip around the Island which cost $120.00 and lasted 6 hours. You go to a nice beach and have lunch and drinks on board (basically just a rum runner).

Side note – still love answering questions for that hand full of Americans who ask those classic questions "do you use dog sleds in Canada", "are your doctors licensed in Canada" "can you get chocolate in Canada" Keep them coming!!!

Inside the hotel you will find a conceirge desk and an excursion desk to the right of the entrance that is manned the entire day and very helpful and also the check in desk to the left that had three very friendly clerks on duty. BY this time it was 3:00pm and our rooms were ready for us. They have the swipe card system for the doors, much easier than carrying around keys and as well you are assigned a mini bar key and instructions about using the safe.

The final excursion we did was the Boatswain Turte Farm. It is a hands on facility that has turtles ranging in size from the size of your palm to enormous and they appear to be well cared for and well feed. With an all day pass you are also granted access to a refreshing swimming lagoon that is quite deep so be warned about that, as well as a reef swimming area stocked with fish, iguanas and turtles to swim along with and a nice little beach area to relax following a walk around the park. If you do wish to swim in the reef part, the snorkel and mask is free of charge to use. In addition there is an aviary to walk through and a shark feeding that takes place with the handlers on site to answer questions. This excursion was the favourite for our teenagers and allowed us some fantastic photos of the turtles being held by them. Boatswain is located approximately 15 minutes down the road from The Westin and provides lots of free parking directly across the street from the main building with a spectacular view of the bay. I’d have to say that this is a must see in your vacation plans.

On the grounds you will find a number of lizards and iguanas ranging in size from the size of your pinky finger, to the size of your palm to a beautiful mid sized iguana. They are all vegetarian, more scared of you than you should ever be of them and they are simply fun to watch. One day while we were sitting at the pool a very big iguana wandered by slowly, stopped at a fountain for a drink and casually planted himself by a lounge chair. The pool attendant heard people talking about it, came over and shooed him up a tree. Don’t be concerned in the least, it is quite an experience to see them living wild when we only see them caged here in Canada.

The servers and management at this group of restaurants was top notch, incredibly friendly and helpful in suggesting things to do and places to go on the island. Krista at Eats in the morning, Jessica at Legendz for lunch and dinner were fantastic!!!! They made our vacation even more enjoyable with their super service, remembering us each day with our arrival.

The biggest selling point for this room though is the spectacular view of the beautiful blue ocean and the pretty pool directly below. It is not a huge balcony but it does have two rod iron chairs for a sit down in the evening as the sun sets over the palm trees. Paradise.

Arrival: April 25 – May 9, 2009

We arrived in the early evening. They served us wine and orange juice while we waited in line to check in which was a nice touch. The check in process was efficient and seamless.

Rooms

Our room was in the #1 block as requested but we were unable to get a room with 1 bed. While this was disappointing it was not so huge a deal that we were willing to pay the 26CUC a day for the VIP upgrade. The room was dated but clean. The beds are very hard as others have noted but we used the wall hangings over the beds as a mattress pad which solved the problem. There was never any shortage of hot water or water pressure. The air conditioner worked but was only able to just barely keep the room cool. Again not a deal breaker and acceptable by Cuban standards. The maid kept the room adequately clean and supplied the usual towel / blanket art.

Restaurants and Bars

The food at this resort was very very good, especially by Cuban standards. We were very impressed by the quality and selection, which was notable given the hotel was less than half full during our stay. We ate mostly at the buffet with occasion lunch forays to the snack bar or beach restaurant. Both A La Carte’s were good with the Italian being our favourite. They even did a pool side dinner theatre event one night which was amazing. All in all the food at this resort far exceeded our expectations.

Beach/Pools/Grounds

The beach is nice with fine sand and good snorkeling. The snorkeling is not as good as Jibacoa but perhaps that is an unfair comparision. The pool while small is nice. The grounds are quite nice and well kept.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel

We did the ‘discovery’ excursion which took us to a fishing village, mini zoo and the Gurardlavaca market. It was a nice half day tour and a bargain at 15CUC. Other than that we cycled a few times along the road to Holguin which was nice and gave us a chance to distribute gifts to some locals.

Rooms

As mentioned earlier we booked the superior room. The price was 60.00 each for the week. It included a bottle of dark rum (26oz), robes(house coats), incense sticks, and ocean front. We were on the main floor in block Naranjo Agrio bldg room 3404. Rooms were very clean air conditioned and very large. We had a King size bed. the bathroom had all the little extras;Body wash, shampoo, toothbrush and paste with floss, bubble bath, nail files. it included a hair dryer. there was also a bidet located next to the tub and toilet. The sink is separate from the bath area. the closet had a safe were you create your own PIN. (no charge!) It had a fridge that was stocked daily with 2 beer coke and water. we had a coffee maker but did not use it!

Restaurants and Bars

our superior room included a pre reserved spot to one of the restaurants. they had reserved the seafood for us. we tried the Italian, and the Asian. in our opinion they were good to average. the rest of the week we ate at the buffet or at the beer garden for dinner. for lunch we ate at the chicken restaurant( I forget the name) the breaded chicken is awsome! there is also a great coffee bar in the lobby!

Beach/Pools/Grounds

the grounds definietely need a a little Tender love and care as the resort is showing it’s age. A little paint job and cleaning would definatly make it some good!

POOL: it’s HUGE! we elected to stay near the pool bar as we like to watch people go crazy about 4 pm from sitting there from noon to closing. Some pretty good "action" one late afternoon after the dj put on some ACDC. we had a great laugh!

BEACH: Spectacular. by far the PP end of the beach is the best from all the 3 resorts located on the beach. Because of Huricane IKE they had a temporary bar set up away from the main blg. the building and facilities , I was told is schedualed to reopen in a couple of weeks.

Other Comments

HUGE resort that needs some work. the staff is awsome! would I return. Probably not, as there are way too many other places to visit in the caribbean. We However had a great time and would still recomend it thanks for giving us the opportunity to write up a review Oh! we had the pleasure of being at the resort with our very own Lyndon Slewidge the official anthem singer for the Ottawa Senators.

Rooms

Our room was on the main floor – corner unit – very spacious and clean. Although others have commented on the noise of the wooden walkways and footsteps from above we didn’t find this to be a problem. Partway through the week a single bed was delivered to the room and set up – housekeeping must have got the message mixed up and when we tried to tell the maid in our broken Spanish she nodded her head and then delivered more towels 😉 It wasn’t a problem – there was lots of room and it remained with us all week. The bathroom was clean but a little tired looking with mold on the wall around the shower head and a temperamental sliding door. Always had lots of hot water and pressure.

The manager at Henry Morgan was very cool under pressure and was completely accomodating which I’m sure was very difficult given the spot he was in as well. We are planning on returning to the Henry Morgan next winter and hope that one of the other Canadian tour operators will offer it and if it were offered out of Calgary (rather than Toronto) we would be in heaven!

On Thursday night we treated ourselves to dinner off the resort at the Island Pearl ( a little ways down the beach) and really enjoyed the meal, the atmosphere and the service. We had made a reservation but it wasn’t really necessary as only about half the tables were occupied. They have a great wine selection and people did stop in for drinks only. There was live entertainment that night – a singer and guitar – he was great. We felt quite safe walking along the beach at night to get to the restaurant but a flash light is probably a good idea as it is DARK.

Rooms:

The rooms at the Henry Morgan are very functional and comfortable. Although some of the fixtures are a bit tired as some people have previously mentioned, the rooms are clean, airy and in everything was in good working condition. The housekeeping staff do a great job!

Restaurants and Bars:

There is one main restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also a snack bar at the beach where they serve a small spread for lunch. The dining room is very casual. You don’t have to get dressed up for dinner each night. Some of the ladies wear dresses, but for the most part, this is a very low-key place. Men do not need to wear long pants in the dining room. If you are the type of traveller who is looking for "a la carte" options, and gourmet meals – this is probably not the right resort for you! For us, this atmosphere was perfect. The food was always plentiful, tasty and traditional. The service staff are extremely pleasant and they greeted us by name at every meal. They even went so far as to buy some local "hot sauce" for us at the grocercy store in Coxen Hole when they found out that my husband loved spicy food! Thank you Jorge and Lenny! There are two bars – one on the beach, and the lobby bar. The all-inclusive drinks were limited to house wines, local beer, and the local bar rail.

We rather enjoy venturing out from the resort. We found a fabulous little bar, just down the beach, at the Los Rocas Resort. During happy hour, from 3pm to 5pm, they served "two for one" drinks – including daquaries, mojitos, pina coladas, and many other fancy drinks. Drink prices are extremely inexpensive here and for a change in atmosphere, and the fun we had with the bartenders (Mike and Winston were the best!!), we thought it was well worth it! By the way, you can catch a great sunset from there as well as from the resort’s beach.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

Roatan is well known for scuba diving and snorkeling. Although we didn’t do any diving on this trip, we did enjoy the snorkelling that was best just down the beach towards "the wall". Here, we saw many varieties of colorful fish and reef life. We also rented a car to tour the island for a day. It was a great way to see all of the towns and get a feel for the local way of life. We visited Coxen Hole, where the cruise ships come in, and French Harbour, where we ate a great lunch at Gio’s. We did venture off the main roads, but after experiencing a flat tire on the dirt roads, we’ll make sure to rent a truck or jeep next time!!! Another good restaurant just down the beach from the Henry Morgan was Foster’s. We had heard from a local that they’d be serving a "lobster special" the night before we left. We walked over, with a few other people from the resort, and found that happy hour was in full swing! We ordered appetizers first, and discovered the best "ceviche" we’ve ever tasted! For the experience of enjoying a lobster dinner on the beach, we thought this was a great deal.

Other Comments: We thoroughly enjoyed our week at the Henry Morgan resort. We loved the relaxed atmoshere, and found the staff to be wonderfully friendly. Raphael, our Conquest Rep was proffessional, and was always available to anwer all of our questions. We would, and have recommended this resort to our friends, and would love to return ourselves!

Rooms:

Very clean, lots of storage, comfortable if aging furniture. There is a 2 CUC/day charge for the safe. The air conditioning worked well and is controlled by remote so is convenient to use. There is a mini fridge and T.V. and the electrical outlets are 110 volts. The washroom has a large stall shower, no bath. There is a hair dryer supplied. Outside the sliding patio doors there is a nice patio with 2 chairs and a table . I found the accommodations comfortable, although esthetically there are some details that need attention: e.g. peeling paint. The resort is scheduled to close for renovations, so I’m sure this will be attended to. As far as I am concerned, such superficial flaws have no impact on my enjoyment of my vacation.

Restaurants and Bars:

One buffet restaurant and one a la carte restaurant, plus a snack bar, a pool bar, and a lobby bar. Food at the buffet is quite adequate. I never had a problem finding enough to eat. Breakfast features the usual omelets made to order, pancakes, french toast and many other items. Some mornings there was fresh orange juice, but other times there was a disappointing substitute that tasted like Tang. Pizza is available at lunch and often at dinner. Ice cream seems to only make an appearance at lunch, but is very good. Desserts are a bit lacking in variety, and fresh fruit was good but not an extensive selection. The grapefruit was particularly tasty when available. Lots of salads and fresh breads at every meal. I don’t eat meat, so can’t comment on that, although those who did seemed happy with their meals. I found the selection of cooked vegetables was a bit limited. A couple of nights the house band entertained at dinner, which was enjoyable. The a la carte restaurant includes choices of beef, chicken and fish. The soup was very nice. I found the snack bar willing to make me a grilled cheese & tomato sandwich, instead of the usual burgers and dogs. The Lobby bar still makes excellent Spanish coffee!

Beach/Pools/Grounds:

This is probably the best snorkelling beach in Cuba, and the reason I came. I was lucky with the weather and able to snorkel every day. The beach has lots of shade and there was never a problem finding a lounger and a spot to sit. I didn’t spend any time at the pools, but they appeared to be very clean. The grounds are like a park…..well kept, with a very spacious feel to them. Wonderful bird life everywhere. The staff work very hard to keep this place looking fabulous!

Rooms:

Our room was a beachfront room. We loved it! We enjoyed our balcony a lot as the ocean breeze was so nice. The room was larger than expected and as we were on the second floor…very tall ceiling! We did notice right away that out balcony door did not lock..but the luggage stand fit quite nicely on it side to lock the door, until it was fixed the next day. The fridge is hiding in the tv stand and only had 2 bottles of water in it(no food)…very important…Those are the only 2 bottles you get, the fridge does not get refilled at all. We read the reviews before so we expected this. We brought 3 stainless steel water bottles as well as our insulated coffee mugs(which were quite useful to keep our icy drinks cool when on the beach!).

Restaurants and Bars:

We enjoyed all the restaurants. The food was great and we never went hungry! We were surprised at how some people did not follow dress code. Not cool people! The bar staff were amazing as long as you tipped them. Which we did as we had brought bigger mugs for them to mix our drinks in.

Beach/Pools/Grounds:

Beach was great! Snorkeling is a must! But you do need to go far to see the best of it! If you just want to swim or wade in the water this beach may not be for you. The pool didn’t interest us(we came for the beach) It is shallow…but great for the person who wishes just to float around and relax. The grounds were beautiful…we took many evening walks. They have many friendly stray kitties and dogs. We didn’t mind them at all. They are all tame. They just want food and water.

Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:

We visited Mantanzas…we shared a cab it was a total of 60cuc. We were away for about 3hrs and the cab driver stays with you and waits as you sight see. Also stopped at The Bridge of Bacunayagua so we could take pictures from the look out. We took the Havana day tour. But would not do again as we have found we are not tour people. We would take a cab next time….cheaper as well you can go to the places you want to see and stay as long as you like.

Other Comments:

To Pack -water bottles…you can get drinking water from any of the bars. -large insulated coffee mugs for drinks…if not you get tiny plastic cups. -small gifts and extra money for tips -very light clothes, fancy clothes for Matinos -walking shoes -sunscreen, hat, umbrella

-Toilet paper (we never ran out in the room but you will need if you go off the resort)

Satisfaction – We had not stayed at a Palace Resort but always wanted to. We chose them because all the other Palace resorts get such good ratings. While we enjoyed Iberostar and Bahia Principe before, we wanted to experience something more. We looked at almost every resort in Bavaro and decided to trust the Palace reputation more and commit to a resort that was opening the day we booked Jan 10th (not like us at all!) I was never worried for a moment that by June they would have it all great and I trusted we would have a great time. We had the time of our lives. If we come back to the DR we will surely stay there again.

Safety – we always felt very safe and secure in the hotel. We did not worry a bit about anything being stolen from the room. The security guards around the resort and beach are a nice feature.

Pools – Outstanding! We loved the way each pool had a different shape, amount of shade, different loungers, yes/no swim-up bar at different pools, jets, etc. The pools at the very center of the resort seemed quite vacant. We would move between the 3 pools between Marina Grill and building 4. The pool in front of building 4 seemed the most popular since it had the swim up bar, jets, and live music. We enjoyed most the pool next to it, next to the wedding gazeebo in front of the made to order grill. It was perfect. Really liked the shelf around the inside of the pools where we could put our loungers. Having small short tables spaced amongst the loungers would be so excellent – we had no-where to put our drinks or food when not holding them. The pools and the beach all had service. Unlike other resorts we’ve stayed at such as Bahia, you DO NOT need to play the save-lounger game here. Always plenty of loungers free all day and in prime spots too.

Shows – For the most part outstanding. The talent show was great! We enjoyed the Michael Jackson show although the circumstances were somber (we saw it June 25th), the MC handled it respectfully and very well. We really enjoyed the magic and circus shows – they were so excellent! The Starz show left a bit to be desired. There should be something somewhere suggesting that that show may not be appropriate for children. At one point a rap ‘star’ hops on stage and briefly mimics sex with a bent-over scantily clad dancer. That’s when we got up and left along with several other parents with younger children. Maybe there was some indication that it was meant for adult audiences and we missed it. Aside from that, the other shows were awesome and we enjoyed them.

Can’t wait to go back. Excellent value and top notch service.

Great resort and we are looking forward to going back!

Grounds are well maintained with gardeners constantly attending to the gardens.

I would highly recommend this resort and will definetly go back to it as I loved the snorkelling there and its close proximity to Havana.

You should never go hungry at this resort unless you are a very very fussy eater.

lots of walking at resort so take a pair of comfortable shoes to get to and from meals very beaitiful resort and friendly staff. we have been a smaller resorts so a big one was interesting to try. overall we enjoyed our trip and would go with sunwing again

Rooms:

We stayed in the bunglalows and loved it! Very clean, lots of space for myself and my gf.

Restaurants and Bars:

Delicious food, good selection of restaurants in the resort but we also found our favortite place OUTSIDE of the resort. El Cafecito de la Cubana; located on the beach in Bayahibe. We ended up eating there about 3 times in one week:) Highly recommend anyone that goes to Dominicus or Bayahibe to leave the resort and go for lunch or dinner there atleast ONCE!

Other Comments:

I was looking for a dive operatation on the south coast for our annual vacation trip. I found Diving Dominican Republic, contacted them and we had a great experience. I’ve gone diving in La Romana twice before so I really did not expect much but I was pleasantly surprise. The reef was alive with fish and beautiful corals. I realized that on our previous trips the dive shops didn’t care much about showing people around; they just took them to the usual dive spots and that was it. Vladi runs a small family operation, PADI certified dive boat(which is very imporant to me) he named his boat Sharky. His wife Denise takes care of all the emailing. She was very patient with me and continually kept up with all emails I sent her. She explained all details, suggested dive packages for me and my gf and she kept emailing till we were comfortable with the plan. Everything was catered to us and what we wanted:) Vladi is an excellent scuba diving instructor who takes his time to set up the dives at the locations he knows are interesting, looking for dive spots where other dives shops don’t go. Him or Denise picked us up each day at the hotel and took us to the bay where the boat with all diving equipment was ready for us. After the dives, they took our equipment to their shop, rinsed it and had it ready for the next day diving. On the boat Vlad explained the details of the dive before hand, and then he spent time showing the corals and critters on the reefs that we would have never seen. The dives were not limited at all; we had as much time under water as our air consumption and depth allowed us. He kept us laughing the entire time, there was never rush anywhere, everything was going at our pace. My gf was extremely nervous about diving and Vladi gave her just the attention she needed to keep her calm and enjoy diving again.

There are few places that you can have a qualified, friendly, personal dive guide (along with a nice and comfortable boat), who will discuss your interests and make a dive itinerary just for you. And all this for almost the same price as packing like sardines and going on one of the cattle boats to dive the over used sites.

Nice bonsaii around the Asian restaurant.

Over all we had a great holiday and would reccommend it to anyone. As a matter of fact I am returning there in less than 2 weeks, this time with my husband and another couple.

We changed, then went to buffet for late dinner.

3. You know the old phrase “no pain no gain”. When it comes to the airport transfer the pain is minor and brief but the gain is so well worth it.

The Disco at this resort is also very nice. You need to take a shuttle to ge there but it is a 5 minute ride an well worth it!

There is also a lazy river at this resort, very very fun and a perfect place to get a beautiful tan. They provide you with a floatation device and it takes you through the river very nice touch.

There is also a coffee bar at this resort and you can go for a coffee at any time of the day, very yummy!

The beach was a bit on the small size but very clean and as a rule we did not have a problem finding a place to sit when we went down there. The beach was split into three sections and the middle one by Jamie’s Sports bar was our favorite.

Would I recommend this place to a friend? MOST DEFINITELY! BlueBelize was a home away from home – hmmm…but my home back in Canada was under freezing conditions – so BlueBelize was BETTER than home!! Can’t wait to come back!

No problems checking in as everone was very friendly and very helpful.Our room was indeed ready by 3 p.m. and our luggage was brought to the room before we could get in.We ended up at the Market Place restaurant for lunch and they had a very good assortment of food for everyone’s taste.Food was excellent,well cooked and presented in a very distinctive fashion.