Until recently, it was a Sheraton and is in transition.
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| The reception |
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| The lobby |
Checking in was brutally slow ... over a half hour standing in line waiting for our turn. Checking out took about a minute (long enough to snip our bracelet). My bill showed that I owed $152 ... huh? I was on the all-inclusive plan so had her investigate and she discovered some things had been coded incorrectly (so check your bill when you leave). I found the ladies at the reception desk friendly but cold, strange considering they are the first contact for the hotel.
There was a Starbucks on the lower level (not part of the all inclusive).
Here was my room ... it was a bit dated and worn but I thought it was okay.
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| There was a safe in the closet |
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| I found the toilet a bit high |
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| I wish the tub had been more than just standard |
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| The bed was sooooooooooooo comfy! |
I was on the third floor. This was the view from my balcony ...
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| The Market Place (buffet) |
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| The Market Place (buffet) |
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| The Market Place (buffet) |
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| Estavida (snacks like wings, nachos, etc.) |
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| Estavida (snacks like wings, nachos, etc.) |
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| O'Grille (burgers, pizza, hot dogs, etc.) |
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| Aqua (Italian theme) |
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| Aqua (Italian theme) |
We spent our mornings at the beach. The first couple of days the waves were REALLY rough and it was windy but it nice and calm the rest of the week.
We spent our afternoons at the pool. There were three pools (plus a hot tub) ... the one with the swim-up bar was heated and that's where we hung out.
The hotel is about 15 minutes from Nassau. It was a $25 cab ride to Nassau or $1.25 to take the bus, which ran quite regularly (that's what we did) and it stopped right in front of the hotel.
There was free WIFI in the lobby (but not in the rooms) and it was quick.
The hotel is connected to a casino (neither Sister Sarah nor I are gamblers but we walked through it one night). There is a "straw" market (aka touristy flea market) right across the street where you could barter for souvenirs.
In general, the staff was friendly and efficient. I found the female servers were a lot quicker and friendlier than the male bartenders. There would be a lot of bartenders (male) at the pool bar and the lobby bar and there was still a long wait until they got around to it. Most would walk by and ignore you ... when they did take your order, it seemed like an imposition. The hotel should get rid of most of the guys and replace them with the more efficient friendly female servers.
We had lunch one day in the O'Grille one day and ordered burgers/fries. Our server was really friendly but he was soooooooo slow and inattentive. We waited a long time for our meal (we even inquired about it a couple times) and it was cold when it arrived. The hot dogs we ordered on the beach came from O'Grille and was so hot when they arrived (delivered by a female server, of course).
We got to know Charisma during the week and she took excellent care of us all week! They need more Charismas!
Whether you were all-inclusive or not, you have to sign for each and every drink and meal you have. It's a pain but it helps with inventory. Plus the servers get a tip regardless ... a 15% tip was added to all bills. Whether the service was awesome or slow, the servers still get a 15% tip. You'd think that since the servers were automatically getting a tip, they would move quicker to get more orders so get more tips.
Every night there was some event scheduled. The karaoke got cancelled Sunday because it was too windy (it's held outside by pool bar). I imagine the movie nights were cancelled too because they too were outside. There was supposed to be a BBQ Tuesday night outside but it got cancelled because there was an international Melia managers' party instead ... we didn't find out until we went for supper only to be turned away (you'd think paying customers would be more important). It looked very swanky. There were supposed to be fire dancers Friday night in the lobby but they never showed up.
Two things I would suggest they change:
- Have mini-fridges in all the rooms - Two bottles of water are included in the room at all times and it would have been nice if they could have stayed cold.
- Have a livelier nightlife - There was nightly entertainment in the lobby bar (Estivada) that ranged from a sax player to a guy playing a piano to a band. Most nights it was really mellow and ended about 10:30ish. Definitely not a place to go if you are looking to party. If you wanted something exciting, you had to catch a cab to Nassau (the bus stops running about 7pm). At $25 one way, that would add up. The Daiquiris Shack is across the street and make yummy fresh daiquiris for $6 but close at 11pm.
The grounds were nice, the beach was great, the food was good and most of the staff were friendly. I'd go back!
That sounds like such an amazing place!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a nice place to vacation.
ReplyDelete