I stayed at this resort from 14th april to 28th April with 17 of my family in which we got married at this resort. Please DO NOT belive everything everyone has written about this hotel which is bad.... I wouldnt want to be spending my holiday with these people if all they do is MOAN!!!
I will write everything as honestly as I possibly can!
Flight/Transfer: Flight was good, Thompson were fantastic, leg room in economy was fine,and enough room to move and not feel too squashed.. Airport at DR was hot hot hot, stuffy and no air con, wasnt a issue as we wernt there long, but perhaps one thing to try and make sure is that your off the plane 1st and through to the security, and have the form for visa already filled in!!! This is where the hold up was.
Resort/Hotel: Upon arriving to this hotel I had my reservations from what people have wrote.My first impression was clean, and tidy,. The floors were shining, and the staff were friendly, and kind. Check in was quick (17 in total in my party). A lovely refreshing fruit juice given in the lobby.
Rooms: I had initally contacted the hotel regarding rooms for my party, but I guess this never got to them. Upon arriving to my room,we found we only had 1 queensize bed and no where for our son,1 quick call to reception,and withing 15mins, a bed arrived for him, again my sister had no cot for her baby, and immediatley this got sorted. The rooms were again so so clean, comfortatble beds (god knows why some people have been moaning about them being rock solid)...TV with a few english channels, and with a mini-bar- with an allowance of 2 beers, 2 sodas a day. For a room which I didnt plan to spend too long in, it was perfect.
Pool Area: The pool area is massive, there is room for everyone. The shady area gets taken quite quickly, but there are plenty of sun beds for everyone. We took the area located by the pool bar, we didnt have the entertainment too near but near enough to see and hear (and for those who moaned about it,....why didnt you just MOVE!!). The pool is clean,and not too deep, the little ones loved it.
Beach: The beach is lovely, and a place to retreat to in the afternoon for some well needed air, as round the pool area its hot hot hot! The sea is warm, and brilliant to swim in. Upon arrival we were greeted by a miserable man who said no watersports here, its been disaster from the start, well I dont know what or where he had been and he must have been talking out of his wotsit because we managed to do all sorts of water sports from banana boats ($10 each), and Jet Ski ($72 for 2 persons for 30mins). Its clean but due to the seaweed being swept onto the beach, hotel workers twice a day sweep and take this away. Again I really cant understand people moaning about seaweed as if this is the hotels fault.
Construction: There is construction going on at the complex, 2 buildings of 3 storeys have been built, and pained,and now in the process of putting all the equipment inside all the apartments, its not an eye sore as people like to make out, and to me and my whole party is wasnt an issue at all. My room in block 4 was right beside the construction, and we only heard small noises if any... people whinge and wine about the smallest of things, and the people who have previously moaned saying it goes on until early hours etc... thy are not at all correct. There is building to the Mango's beach bar, it looks like theyare extending it, again most of the work has been completed.
There are guards patrolling the site the whole time, as for bearing a huge rifle is a littel far fetched, they are protected but then all I can say is I felt safe with them about. They are polite and friendly.
Wedding: I got married here on Mon 21/4 and what a day! It could have not been a better day... The hotel worked wonders on the wedding gazebo and the cake was the best cake I have ever tasted!!! II got my hair done on site at the spa the morning of the wedding, and then my rep came to my room with my bouquet and petals for my flower girl 15 mins before the ceremony. We had the wedding meal booked at the Italian rest and in my eyes this was by far the best Ala Carte rest the complex had.
Anyone want to know anymore details about the wedding just contact me, I could be here all day going on about it. Oh and one last very huge thank you to Carlos our photographer who done an amazing job on the photos...
REst/Bufett: The food in our eyes was good/fantastic. Some days were worse than others but seriously for an all inclusive resort there was always something for everyone. Someone said previously no fresh veg... hello ..there was always veg from Carrotts, Potatoes, Green Beans, Maunge Tout, ... where were they looking, Personally Breakfast was the best,.....fresh eggs, omlettes cooked, pancakes, and fresh smoothies...(banana was the best)...Lunch we mainly dined at Mangos where there was bugers,chips,chicken wings and all sorts like that. Buffett rest on evenings was good with a massive selection for all tastes.
We never tried the creperie... but Santa Fe was of a good standard.
Vacation Club is like time share and although we had them ask questions on a couple of occassions they didnt bug us at all.. we never found them harrassing ..we just said no thank you and Holla and we left alone.
Chocolate Friends- what bad could you say against the entertainment team. They work tirelessley all day everyday to enterttain us.. the shows were of a good standard although not preofessional.. but were great to watch and some ever hilarious. Shaggy/Cheeky Monkey and Coffee were all superb. Please do not diss these people they work for nothing in my eyes..and always have a smile on their faces..
Im so sure people who think this place is great will agree on everything I have written and possibly dont even think of writting a review on here.
If anyone has any questions whatsoever about here dont hesitate to contact me!!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Families with young children, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
People with disabilities, Pet owners, Families with teenagers
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Beach / Sun, Theme / Amusement park, Great food / Wine