First, credit where it's due.
Whoever is running Evermore's marketing and social media deserves a raise because it's incredibly effective. The videos of the Big Blue Lagoon are everywhere, and inviting influencers, vloggers, and large travel YouTube creators to experience complimentary stays, villas, dining, and activities is obviously generating attention.
However, it's worth remembering that many of those creators are reviewing an experience they didn't pay for. Our family did.
This review isn't based on a hosted stay or a sponsored trip. It's based on what it was like to spend thousands of dollars for a 10-day family vacation.
Day One
We originally booked two villas but were moved into a flat instead.
After arriving from a 12-hour drive, we unpacked, turned on the ice maker, lowered the thermostat, and left for a couple of hours to buy groceries for our stay.
When we returned, the unit felt just as hot as when we left. The thermostat still read 75°, and the air conditioning hadn't cooled the room at all.
We contacted maintenance, and while waiting we discovered additional issues:
* The ice maker wasn't producing ice.
* Water was leaking underneath the entry door.
* The unit had a strong musty odor that suddenly made sense once we saw the water intrusion.
This wasn't exactly the first impression we expected after everything we'd seen online.
To Evermore's credit, they agreed to move us into another accommodation. Instead of the original villa, we were relocated to what they refer to as a "five-story flat" (it's actually a four-bedroom unit located on the fifth floor--not a five-story residence).
We were relieved because we assumed we'd finally have functioning air conditioning.
Unfortunately, moving wasn't simple.
We had to repack everything we had already unpacked, load our vehicles during a Florida rainstorm, unload everything again at the new building, and then wait another 45 minutes because our door code hadn't been activated.
By the end of the first day, most of our vacation had been spent troubleshooting rooms, packing, moving, waiting, and dealing with customer service instead of making memories with our family.
We told ourselves, "Things happen. We still have nine days left."
Unfortunately, the Problems Continued
The second unit had issues too.
Two of the four bedrooms had virtually no airflow from the air conditioning system. It honestly felt like the ductwork wasn't even connected to those vents.
Then came Florida's typical afternoon storm.
Rainwater flooded the balcony so badly that it began coming through the window seals and into the unit.
The floor became slippery enough that our child slipped, fell, and hit his head.
When we reported both the water intrusion and that our child had fallen, we expected genuine concern and urgency.
Instead, the response was an offer of a $500 resort dining credit.
While compensation has its place, what disappointed us most was the lack of empathy surrounding the safety concern.
Service
Customer service throughout the stay was inconsistent.
Many employees were friendly, but overall the resort often felt understaffed or disengaged.
We frequently saw employees gathered in building lobbies on their phones instead of actively assisting guests.
At the pool, staff openly discussed frustrations about pay differences compared to neighboring properties.
At the food hall, managers often appeared to spend more time standing over employees than helping guests during busy periods.
Bartenders frequently seemed more focused on completing closing duties than serving customers who were waiting.
None of these moments individually ruined the vacation, but together they created an experience that didn't reflect the premium pricing Evermore charges.
The Disconnect
Evermore has incredible potential.
The lagoon is beautiful.
The property itself is visually impressive.
The concept is fantastic.
But the experience behind the marketing simply didn't match the expectations created online.
When you're paying luxury prices, you expect luxury accommodations, responsive service, properly maintained rooms, and genuine concern when safety issues arise.
Unfortunately, that wasn't our experience.
Final Thoughts
If you're considering Evermore, don't rely solely on the influencer videos filling your social media feeds.
Read reviews from paying guests.
Look for recurring themes.
For us, the beautiful marketing couldn't overcome repeated maintenance issues, multiple room relocations, water intrusion, inconsistent customer service, and an overall experience that fell well short of what a luxury resort should provide.
I genuinely hope Evermore addresses these issues because the property has enormous potential.
Our family simply expected the experience to match the price. read more