TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Booked spa packages for two couples. Were told one price and paid when booking. Then when the second couple was in the middle of the spa treatment they were told they “charge the wrong price “ and the spa cost double what we were told. We would not have booked at the price we ended up paying.

Overall great resort from a "let's party" standpoint, with the French restaurant (Ile de France) being outstanding, but here is why we will never go back. With 7 specialty restaurants, there are no a la carte breakfast options, and only one a la carte lunch option (Aakat), and "grazing with the herd" is not our thing. We were expecting to experience a French, Italian, Mediterranean, etc., breakfast/lunch, when it was all just the same buffet at each location. Plus getting dinner reservations is incredibly difficult, mainly because the restaurants are closed half the time, and when you get there, half the tables are empty. When I asked why I was told, "to provide a better level of service". How is that better, when I can't dine at the restaurant of my choice, because it's either closed or you're telling me there's no availability, when there clearly are tables available? Next is such an easily corrected problem by putting weatherstripping around the room doors, which would eliminate that mold and mildew smell, eliminate mosquitoes, allow your towels and swimwear to dry, as well as save a ton of electricity. We had to ask for a dehumidifier, which was a large brand-new unit that’s probably rated for 2000+sf, yet in combination with the AC couldn’t get our 400sf room any lower than 62% humidity. The entertainment was great, and I would say the best of any resort we’ve stayed at to date, but why have it outdoors where we’re being eaten alive by mosquitoes, when you have a Convention Center right next door? I can see the fire show having to be outdoors, but all the other sing-dance numbers could have easily been inside, because people were leaving mid-show due to the mosquitos. Then back to weatherstripping, one night the resort sprayed for mosquitoes, and when our AC came on it sucked all that poison into our room. We thought something had started burning and called maintenance, only to find out they had just sprayed for mosquitoes. I don’t know about you, but I love inhaling poisonous gases while on vacation.

This property is both a hotel and a Time Share. If you are checking in as a Hotel guest,from the moment you arrive,they try to “upsell” you to a better room.In our case,to a room with an ocean view.We initially declined but they kept lowering the Cost,so we eventually made a deal.Next they turn you over to a person that tries very hard to get you to sign up for a “Time Share” pitch.This high pressure tactic was both too long and annoying.Be prepared for this and know that unless you are forceful they do not relent. Unfortunately,we had an A/C issue in our room and though we complained repeatedly,it was not fixed for over half our stay.In addition,the Elevator in our building was constantly Not working.These 2 issues made our stay less than satisfactory and so annoying that I could never recommend this facility. Here are the pluses and minuses aside from the inability to respond to our complaints. Pluses: -The gardens and vegetation were excellent and quite impressive. -There are multiple swimming pools and the grounds are extensive so it is easy to find the atmosphere you want. -The staff and employees are very friendly and nice,especially the waiters and cooking staff. -There are a number of choices for food options and the amount of good available is quite overwhelming. -You always feel like you can eat or drink as much as you want without feeling like you are being pressured Not to consume too much. Minuses: -The beach is Not what we hoped for or were expecting.Since the location is next to a Marina,there are wave breaks so you get no waves or ocean noise and that was Very disappointing for us. -The rooms at the the Marina El CID,were Not as nice as the lobby.Not awful,but just not as luxurious as the lobby. -The food,though very plentiful,at the Buffets was not that great,just average.Tip-look for the made to order stations at the various buffets,because that was the best of the food.Example…Omelette station. -Make reservations for the many restaurants as soon as you arrive because the spaces fill up very quickly.We could Not get in the first night because spaces were not available.The best restaurant in our opinion was the Italian.The seafood and Hibachi were just average.The others we could not get into. -

Property is pretty and well maintained. That's were it ends the service is very poor. They advertise several restaurants but it is nearly impossible to get reservations. We paid for the Platinum service and got anything but that. Our room included a kitchen but had no utencils or plates pots or anything other than a coffee maker and cups. There is no convenience store on the property anyway. They never refilled the coffee packs. Also had to tell them we wanted our room made up everyday otherwise they never came. There is no food service at the pool or beach (if you could call it a beach). The room service menu is very limited (no breakfast) and with the Platinum plan they advertise it is available 24/7 but it is not. The buffet (since its so hard to get restaurant reservations) is very pedestrian and good.

Tried fishing "El Cid" Marina. Service was horrible at reception; check in was slow; chips/drinks were really expensive; boat was small and people were not friendly. Took us out with 10 foot swells rather than cancelling the trip. It was impossible to stand and fish. It took an hour for them to put a line in the water. Awful experience.