Worst Vacation Ever, Stay Away
Apr 20, 2025 Eric S
I have never gone away and really actually wanted to go home on the 2nd day, this is a first and I'm 55 years old. This review is not because someone there wronged me or I'm just an angry guest.
I don't understand all the great reviews and really don't get all the repeat guests.
I go on vacation once a year and this was the worst place I have…
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I have never gone away and really actually wanted to go home on the 2nd day, this is a first and I'm 55 years old. This review is not because someone there wronged me or I'm just an angry guest.
I don't understand all the great reviews and really don't get all the repeat guests.
I go on vacation once a year and this was the worst place I have ever been to. The beach, water and views were great. Most of the staff was good, however a few people did not look like they wanted to be there.
I have been to Galley Bay in Antigua in 2021, that was outstanding, it was a little pricier this time plus I like to see other places. This wasn't cheap over $4000 without airfare for 6 days. I usually go to Secrets or Excellence Resorts all over the Caribbean and they absolutely blow this place away.
Starting with check in, they welcomed us with a rum punch and told us to sit on couch. We were instructed to get our phone and connect to wifi and scan her QR code. While getting the phone and connecting to wifi, she had disappeared for a couple of minutes, then came back in and said sorry I thought you had scanned already. We scanned and filled info, then head to the desk and the other woman said she sees nothing on her end. My wife still had her phone, which said thank you for checking in. We ended up filling out paper forms, not the worst experience, but it was a precursor to the rest of the trip. We are told only buffet(not good at all) is available on 1st night and need to make reservations for the few other restaurants going forward.
Our rooms were beachfront and looked pretty good, however as it got darker we had realized there are no lights in the room, only the 1 light at the doorway entry. We had to use our phones for light. Called the front desk and asked if lamps are missing, they said they would bring lamps if we want, of course we want lamps, I do like to see in my room. Room has a refridgerator, however it is completly empty, nothing at all, no beer, soda, juice or water. This is suposed to be a highly reviewed all inclusive and nothing in your fridge, what a joke.
Dinner buffet was horrible, a Carnival Cruise buffet is much better.
In the morning woke up at 7:45 to go to beach, all the chairs were taken and of couse no one was there just towels and a couple of small items to mark their territory. We eventully found 2 chairs(not together) one was half broken. Anyway we moved them to a place where we could locate shade. Shade is very hard to come by, not many palm trees. So we spent the first day moving our chairs aevery 20 minutes or so to follow the small patch of shade. Next day woke up a bit earlier and scored a palapa, these palapas are a joke, they are small in diameter and about 7 ft or so off the ground. Even though we had the palapa the shade patch is only like 5 ft round. I go on vacation all over the caribbean and Mexico, the palapas are supposed to be shorter and wider, how they got this wrong I don't know. By the last day we had to wake up at 5:30 to get a good spot, this is criminal, we wake up all year at 5:30 for work. The resort should have enough chairs and shade for everyone. The pools were the same way. The infinity pool area only had 4 umbrellas for all the chairs.
After getting our spot at the beach,I went to make dinner reservation at 8:30 am. Everything was booked already, I asked what time does this open to make reservations, she must have realized what I meant and said the person in front of you just took the last spot. I find out the only open one restaurant a night beside the god awful buffet. I make reservations for the following two nights, I couldn't make any further reservations that morning.
Breakfast buffet wasn't terrible only due to the omelette station, everything else is the same thing everyday.
Lunch buffet was not very good and the meat carving was already empy by 1:00
Lots of people raving about The Outhouse BBQ for lunch. It was only ok, everything drowned in BBQ sauce and the meats were not that hot. Corn on the cob was not edible. The Pelican Grill had only a few choices, same everday as well. I did not come here to eat nachos or hamburger or hot dog with fries or onion rings.
Dinner at The Orchid was not good at all, it's a $40 pp charge and is supposed to be a steakhouse with hand crafted cocktails. Cocktails were the same garbage you got all day, nothing special. My dry aged ribeye was not very good and very thin, my wife ordered the tenderloin cooked medium rare. It came out well done and was tough.
The Pineapple Grill was nothing great either, we ate there two nights.
Pietros was not good either, my lamb chop was tiny and only about 1/4" thick and I could hardly cut through it. I'm not exaggerating.
Drinks and alcohol were also terrible. The same frozen drinks in the slush machine every day, pinacolada or strawberry daquiri. Every other place we go to has a rotating drink of the day, not here. The liquor was behind well drink stuff. The only brand of tequila was Montazuma (never heard of it) vodka was Barton(never heard of it) they had Absolut which was their idea of top shelf only if you asked. The gin was Beefeater. The rum was all stuff I've never heard of either except Meyers, but they ran out of it often. Forget abou having a cocktail in the evening, no sipping liquors to have on the rocks. Who wants to drink sugary mixed drinks all day, not me.
Secrets and Excellence resorts have great drinks and premium expensive liquors and they are cheaper to visit than this place.
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