As one of four couples, my husband and I arrived at the property and we were checked in pretty quick and we were put in rm 622 which was billed as a "Sea Front view", but I would describe it more as a "pool view with a slice of water".
**Atmosphere** Walking into the property, there is a large lobby dotted with people and luggage for. This is a relatively small which needs a dedicated storage area to de-clutter this area. There was some music, however, it was not overwhelmingly loud. We never saw anyone drunk/falling down, so if you are looking for a chill family atmosphere, stay here.
**Food** I read many reviews prior to this booking about the food, so I knew exactly what I was getting into. I would give the food a C-, with glimmers of greatness. By far, breakfast was the most solid meal. We ate at the main buffet and La Trattoria for breakfast most days, with La Trattoria being the quieter environment and the staff was very attentive. I did not like about the breakfast at the main buffet is that after a certain hour (10:00am), refills on key items like fruit, pancakes, etc. seemed to not be replenished. The main buffet hall was a gamble with some indistinguishable proteins and a few sides. Again, La Trattoria was more intimate for lunch with some great grilled pork and fried chicken. They did a better job of keeping things stocked. We only tried one specialty restaurant (Claraboya) and it was decent alternative to the buffet. I like a medium steak and I received medium rare. I ate it but my friends picked at their steaks.
**Drinks** If you are coming here to drink--let me restate that. Those of you who are GOING TO DRINK, please be prepared to not recognize 95% of the offerings. I saw Bacardi, Aperol and Jose Cuervo and that was about it. Luckily, I viewed other pictures before arriving and we decided to bring Tito's and Jack Daniels with us. After I ran out of my own stash, I stuck to beer, sparkling wine and the Bacardi mentioned earlier. The bartenders at the two bars were very fast and did a good job.
**Room** In terms of A/C, this room scored high, so much so, my husband had to turn off the ceiling fan. When we arrived, there were no face cloths and we asked for others. They were replenished the next day. However, every day thereafter, they were not refilled, even after we asked for more. The bedding and mattress comfort was standard. The bathroom water pressure and water temp was excellent. The lighting in the restroom was terrible and too dark for my tastes. This room was also equipped with a small balcony which gave great light but there were no drying hooks to get that wet swimwear dry. We also always heard slamming doors, the icemaker right outside the door and there was a huge amount of light coming through the crack in the door.
**Gym/Spa** It opens at 7am. If you want to run on the treadmill or do a weight workout, you are in luck! However, most of the cardio equipment is in poor. There are weights up to about 40 pounds and a large cage weight system. There was one cushioned mat for floor work. My biggest complaint was the fact that there were no sweat towels. The spa area with restrooms and sauna was roomy.
**Pool** There is only one pool, which has a "kiddie pool" section and there is no hot tub. On one of the days, poolside servers seemed to disappear and we had to get out of the pool to grab our own drinks. The pool was always clean and warm, though at night, there were always kids running and splashing around and no parents in sight. The pool closes at 10pm and the hotel was strict about this time.
**Beach** As noted in many reviews, the beach area is very small and has a bar area. This beach area is shared with the Puente Calinda docking area. It is a great place to catch the sunrise. It is rocky, though and most people avoid the area - the area is roped off with ball buoys.
**Events/Activities** The "animation team" was very small but we interacted with several of them and everyone was very nice. Two in particular (Sheyla and Dany) were talkative and very friendly.
**Staff** Not once did we encounter a staff member who was ill-tempered or rude. The complaint has to do with the follow-up, like the towel issue mentioned earlier.
If you need an economical vacation, this is definitely the place to go and you should have a good time - no too fancy and it's somewhere in the middle.
If you are a LGBTQ/queer/gay/lesbian traveler (as 75% of my group was), feel free to travel in peace and comfort. We never felt treated any differently than an average guest. We saw multiple travelers who we assume belong to our tribe (lol) and they seemed to be having a great time too.
PROS: generally low-key, family vibe, friendly staff, close proximity to outside shopping/restaurants, LGBTQ FRIENDLY!
CONS: no BACON at breakfast, generally lower quality of food/drinks, bad restroom lighting, one pool, no drying hooks in the room, missing towels in the rm & gym read more