| Forget you troubles |
| Hotel Emerald Palms by the Sea |
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Andrew >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Mar, 2010 | Leisure | Solo
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| Emerald Palms Resort is just what the doctor ordered when looking for the perfect escape! It's worth the Trip:) |
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| The hotel is literally on the beach sand. |
| Hotel Small Hope Bay Lodge |
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KateVirginia >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Oct, 2009 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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Arrival: 2008
Small Hope Bay Lodge is the perfect place to stay if you wish your family had a rustic cottage right on the beach on a tropical island. It is family owned and operated and before you leave you will be on island time and part of the family. There is an eco-theme but everyone is pretty relaxed about it all.
Rooms:
The rooms are in small stone cottages right on the beach under palm trees, with island fabrics and simple decoration. Some are air-conditioned (costs extra) but except in summer you may not miss it. Baths are island style, simple but workable. Navy-style showers are encouraged, as water is conserved in the dry season, but you will not be pressured and you can shower as much as you want.
Restaurants and Bars:
All meals and drinks are included. There is an inside dining room where staff share tables with guests, and both an inside and a beach bar. The food is competently cooked, a choice of meat and local fish or seafood about every night, buffet style. One night a week is Bahamian night with native dishes.
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
The hotel is literally on the beach sand. There are two long, quiet, soft white sand beaches with shallow water to wade in and a hot tub, but no pool. (Who needs it with the warm ocean right there.) If you want to snorkel you can do it right under the dive boat dock. Or be lazy in the hammock at the end of the dock out over the blue water.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
The hotel emphasizes diving and has several very, very special dives each day on the Andros Barrier Reef. led by skilled and experience dive masters, some of the best in the business. You can dive "the Wall" or an ocean blue hole. If the sea is rough you may also go inland for another kind of blue hole dive. You can also get a massage on the beach, go cycling around the island, see island crafts or appreciate nature. Most entertainment is very unstructured, do-it-yourself.
Other Comments:
This is a hotel for those who do not need to be entertained with action, lights, and noise. The ocean right at your door, wind in the palm trees and the sound of the surf on the reef are the only steady accompaniments. You will meet lots of divers, sophisticated world travelers and maybe a celebrity or two, but everyone is there for a quiet getaway. |
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| Our dive experience was a pleasure. |
| Hotel Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island |
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WayneUnitedStates >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Sep, 2009
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| My wife and I stayed at Sandals Royal Bahamian from 9-19-09 to 9-26-09. Before you read on, some information about us so you can judge the validity of this review. First, we travel a lot and are always unbiased when we do decide to write a review. Secondly, we are in our early 40's and have done enough traveling to recognize the good from the bad. Lastly, we're experienced divers who can accurately assess the scenery and the dive operation. |
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| Arrival |
| My wife and I stayed at Sandals Royal Bahamian from 9-19-09 to 9-26-09. Before you read on, some information about us so you can judge the validity of this review. First, we travel a lot and are always unbiased when we do decide to write a review. Secondly, we are in our early 40's and have done enough traveling to recognize the good from the bad. Lastly, we're experienced divers who can accurately assess the scenery and the dive operation. |
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| Conclusion |
| Again, we had a great time at Royal Bahamian and certainly got our money's worth out of it! We would rate them a solid A- based on our travel experience and plan to return sometime in the future!
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| Food & service |
| In general, the service at the resort was very high on the grounds and in the restaurants. Not once did we walk by any employee during our stay who failed to say 'Hello' with a big smile as they passed. The service in the restaurants was very good during our stay as was the service at the pools and on the beach. There were always servers asking us if we needed anything from a drink to fresh towels. I've read many reviews on Sandals Resorts and the one common thread across all is the food. We've found that Sandals will always give you a great vacation (we've been to 5 of their properties) but the food is probably 4 out 5 stars. Again, it's good, but if you want 5 Star, be prepared to add $$$ to your vacation destination wherever it is you choose to go.
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| Our experience |
| Up front, I'll say that our 8 night stay Royal Bahamian was fantastic! This was our second trip to The Bahamas (first to Sandals RB) in the last few years. Our experience has been that the Bahamians are some of the nicest in the Caribbean and this trip was no exception. We upgraded our room to receive butler service and highly recommend you do the same if possible. Melissa and Shanequewa were wonderful! They were never overbearing, but always there if we needed or wanted anything.
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| Scuba diving |
| Our dive experience was a pleasure. I did 12 dives during my stay and every one was handled professionally (and I watch the operators carefully). Ryan and Donathan on the dive boat took great care to make sure the less experienced divers were safe and had a nice time. They were also quick to realize the more experienced divers and although had control of the group, allowed the experienced divers a little latitude to explore. Some who read this may not understand, but if you're those guys and have a group of 12 to 15 divers (half I would consider inexperienced) you almost have to tailor to the diver with the lowest skill level. If you've got a lot of dives and years under your belt and are used to heading out on your own, be forewarned of the situation.
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| The grounds |
| The grounds were maintained very well I'd put the resort condition up against just about any other Caribbean property we've seen. The gardens, lawns and beaches were in impeccable condition. This resort is probably 12 years old, but maintained very well.
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| We were greeted with a Bahama Mama! |
| Hotel Breezes Bahamas |
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PaulOntario >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Dec, 2008 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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| November 20 - 27
We arrived in the Bahamas to wonderful weather, the airport is very nice, the transfer was quick and professional. When we arrived at the hotel, our room was not ready which is understandable since it was 10:30AM. They told us to check back at 3PM. Our bags were tucked away safe. We were greeted with a Bahama Mama! |
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| Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel |
The activity staff was missing for the first few days, but after that they appeared and it was fun to be around them. The Circus school is quite difficult for a larger guy, but most people were quite successful on the trapeze and many had fun.
We love Scuba. We decided to do a two tank dive on the Tuesday. First dive was a ship wreck. Saw lots of Lion Fish. Beyond that, probably the worst dive we have ever done. Second dive was a shallow reef dive. This one was excellent, schools upon schools of fish. A nice dive.
We were considering swimming with the dolphins. Two options were given too us. $165 pp USD at some dolphin experience place or $190 pp USD at Atlanis. A group of 10 people with a total of 30 minutes shared in a pool for nearly $500CAD when the exchange is done. Not gonna happen. Kind of disappointing. |
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| Arrival |
| We arrived in the Bahamas to wonderful weather, the airport is very nice, the transfer was quick and professional. When we arrived at the hotel, our room was not ready which is understandable since it was 10:30AM. They told us to check back at 3PM. Our bags were tucked away safe. We were greeted with a Bahama Mama! |
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| Bars |
I was unimpressed with the bars with the exception of the Piano Bar which we unfortunately didnt use as much as we should have. The bars lacked a few things:
1. Service - You want a drink, get it yourself. I ask for Pina Colada, they point me to a slushy machine and there is a bottle of rum on the counter. Not a big deal.
2. Blenders - They didnt mix or make drinks as far as I saw. Ask for a Bahama Mama, it comes from a jug, ask for a daqurie it comes from a slushy machine. Ask for something requiring a mix and they look at your funny. The bars just werent all that fun compared to other resorts. It isnt bad, just different.
3. Bar staff who looked like they wanted to be there. The pool bar and main bar staff always had a look of "Why are you bothering me?" |
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| Beach/Pools/Grounds |
The Pool is my biggest and only real legitimate complaint about the Hotel. No one could swim in the pool all week. The staff did a good job cleaning the pools every morning. The problem is by 6:30 the seaguls had moved in. The pool quickly obtained a film of seagul defication and feathers. The gulls swam and bathed in the pool, used it as their bathroom, and caused the biggest disappointment in the hotel as I really enjoy swimming on vacation.
The beach on the other hand is really nice. Sand is very fine. It is fun to play in the waves. The grounds were fairly well kept although I felt bad sometimes for the staff as keeping up with the bird poo was definitly a challenge I wouldnt want to take on. |
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| In conclusion |
The Bahamas was nice, the weather was nice, the people were nice. It is a very expensive place to go and we are glad we made the trip. Unfortunately we will not return to the Bahamas as it just didnt offer us what we are after in a vacation.
For others, it represents the perfect place to go. If you like food like you get at home. Stores, products, experiences like you get at home. and basically a vacation at home but warmer, go for it. Check to see if they have done anything about the seagull issue first. |
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| Other Comment |
| Overall for the price we paid (under $900 pp) we cannot complain. Had we paid the usual rate for this hotel ($1200+)we would have been very disappointed. It is a very "American" holiday. Meaning the food is very American, the tours very American, the culture is more American than otherwise in my opinion. I like to take trips to places where I can imerse myself in the local culture and I found it difficult to do this here. The market was full of knock off designer handbags, watches, sunglasses instead of Bahamian crafts. If you want Bahamian stuff, go to the Festival Place. There is some neat stuff there and it is from what I can tell a unique place in the area as you are either in a really expensive jewelery store, looking at knockoff designer things, or yet another rack of bead necklaces the same as every other island in the caribbean or the local ontario flea market.
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| Restaurants |
Three restaurants -
The Buffet was good, although it was the same thing every night it seemed. Food was good, nothing too exotic.
The Garden of Eden - The best restaurant in my opinion here. The atmosphere was great outdoors. The food was good. Try the Salmon, it was excellent.
Pastafari - A decent restaurant. The food once again was good. A little strange getting cheeze sticks like you would find out of a box, but cool nevertheless.
A picky eater will have no problems finding food to eat here. |
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| Rooms |
| The rooms in the small tower were being renovated while we were there. Our room looked fairly recently renovated. The bed was comfortable. The bathroom was nice. We were on the first floor so I believe our room was wheelchair accessable. The room is very basic with a 32" LCD TV Mounted on the wall, a dresser and a bed. Nothing special. It was clean.
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| The service at the restaraunts for dinner was great |
| Hotel RIU Paradise Island |
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LizMike >
1 contribution(s) |
| Mar, 2006 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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My boyfriend and I recently got back from a stay at the RIU, paradise island resort in the bahamas. The reviews on this page helped us out a lot on our vacation, so I wanted to give some input.
Weather:
Beautiful...it was sunny every day with a light breeze. However, it did not get hot enough for me. It was 75-80 degrees each day we were there, but the pool was cold so I did not go in even once! The ocean was warm enough for me though! I bet it will really warm up in a couple weeks |
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| Food |
| To me, food is a huge deal. I was so impressed at the RIU. They have everything. There are buffets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Also, for dinner you can make reservations at 1 of 3 restaraunts. If you wish to make a reservation, you may do so by waiting in line (from 9-10 am) in the lobby. There was a huge line from 9-9:15, so I just went at like 9:30 each morning and it was a breeze. The gourmet restaraunt was the only one that you have to wait in line for if you want to go to it (its a very small place and fills up fast). I really liked the gourmet and the japanese, I wasn't hot on the steakhouse...it was kind of smokey. The buffets for breakfat and lunch are impressive...the fruit is great! Off the resort food is very expensive, like $15 appetizers and $50 entrees.
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| Hotel/Service |
| We got booked into a room with double beds for the first night...and since there were no extra rooms we had to stay there until they could move us into a room with a king size bed. We had to spend two nights in the double beds...but then we were moved up to the penthouse level where we had one huge bed so it was alright.The lobby at the RIU is very impressive...the rooms are alright, I wouldn't say five star quality, but they were clean. Who goes to the bahamas to hang out in the hotel room anyways? The views from both of our rooms were fantastic...we hung out on the balcony alot. I was 100 % satisfied with the service at the RIU. Everyone was super friendly...drinks did sometimes take a little while to get, but its not a big deal to wait 5 minutes sometimes. The service at the restaraunts for dinner was great. |
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| Some other things |
~You cant drink the water from the tap...but the hotel provides you with gallons in your room, so I would recommend bringing a small travel sized bottle to fill up and take with you daily.
~The bar gives you drinks in small plastic cups if you are going to go outside with them, but if you bring large ones from home, you can take these out on the beach with you.
~People have said that they were stingy with the towels...I didn't think so. Heres the deal: They give you a card to trade in for a towel. Whenever you want a new towel, you have to trade in the old one. THen you have to give the towel back before you check out.
~If you go into downtown Nassau, you can take a cab there for $10 and get car sick, or a ferry for $3 each way. The ferry is nice because you get a boat ride, but you do have a 10 minute walk back to the hotel. If you are downtown, the ferry is located by the cruise ships.
~there is a hot tub in the resort that almost no one knows about (not even some of the staff). It was really nice, mike and I had it to ourselves most of the time. The first thing you should do when you get there is find it!
I though this hotel was great overall. If you are really into going out clubbing and stuff it may not be the right place for you though. There is not much nightlife at RIU, but plenty of options closeby, so you just have to venture off the resort. Hope this helped! ENJOY!! |
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| Things we did |
We did the snorkel at Stuarts Cove. Cost was $52 a person and included the bus ride there. The bus ride was very long, RIU is always the first to get picked up and the last to get dropped off because of its locattion.
Snorkeling was AWESOME! We had a great tour guide. This tour was snorkeling with sharks, which was optional (Mike did it and I didn't). Buy a waterproof camera either before you get on the plane down there, or before you go on the snorkeling trip. They were $22 at Stuarts cove and only $17 at the hotel...the pics came out great too! Also, BUY FISH FOOD!
Dolphin Encounters: This was a lot of fun too. The whole trip was about 3 hours. The encounter was $85 a person and the swim with the dolphins was $160 a person. We did the encounter, but I would honestly recommend the swim if you are going to do it. They charge an arm and a leg for the pictures, but we brought a camera down with us and traded taking pictures with another couple and their camera.
Atlantis: There are so many awesome things to do at atlantis. "the dig" is a huge aquarium and its amazing. During the day there is a charge, but if you go after 8 pm you can walk through for free. The casino is good...I think, but Mike tells me that there aren't enough tables and the minimum is too high! We went to the comedy show (the one at 9:30 is the dirty one) It was something fun to do. $20 a person for admission, but the drinks are like $200 each, so I would recommend getting liquored up for free at the hotel bar first. |
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| There is also a poker night. |
| Hotel Club Med Columbus Isle |
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Fred05 >
1 contribution(s) |
| Nov, 2005 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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I just return from 2 weeks ( nov 2005 ) in Club med Columbus island in Bahamas. The club is very nice and very clean.
Wheather :
We had 2 days of rain but they arrange poker table so we have something to do. For the rest of the time it was almost always sunny with some clouds. The temperature was very hot, 30 and more in the day and 24 and more at night. But they told us that it was usually colder than that for that time of the year. |
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| Activity |
| There is a lot of activity: scuba, snorkeling, tennis, beach volleyball, soccer, sailing, windsurfing, fitness, danse lesson, archery, Bounce ball. We arrived oct 30 and we were told that there is no water-ski in the winter season. The winter season start oct 30 $#%@#$%@. I was disappointed because I thought it would be open. If you look on the web site there is water ski. If you look in the WINTER brochure there is water ski. There is not a lot of people in the activity since most of the people go there just to relax.
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| Ambiance |
| The staff is very good. Always smily, nice, interesting and professional. The beginning of November is the turn over for the GO. The new Go were shyer and we saw the best one leave.
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| Animation |
| There is no animation team and no “fou du village”. I was told that people just want to relax. Allooooooooooooooo is it club med
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| Conclusion |
We had a very nice trip. We met a lot of fun people, GO and GM.
If you have more question superfred at rolmfg point com
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| Crazy sign |
| Crazy sign are kept to a minimum and there is not much participation from the GM. There was a day with no crazy sign because none of the GM came to the pool. ( I was in snorkeling ). At night there is usually 1 or 2 before the show and 1 or 2 after the show. Allooooooooooooooo is it club med |
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| Food |
| It is club med. Very good bread and cake. There was always something good in the buffet. Your only concern is what should you choose there is so many thing to taste.
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| Party |
| The disco is not always open. When it is close you can still go to the lounge to dance or to drink. Good thing there is GO to put a good ambiance at the disco. There is also a poker night. There is one bar outside of the club ask the go if they plan to go.
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| Room |
| Very clean, big bed, TV, phone, air blower, ironing, refrigerator.
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| Scuba |
| I did two very nice dive. It was some of the best dive of my life. I saw nice coral, a lot a fish, merou, mureine, rays, gray shark, nurse shark, big angel fish, crabs, barracuda. Name it, it was there. The snorkeling is nice but you can not start from the beach. You really need to take the boat.
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| Show |
| There is some night with no show. The shows are very nice. The dancer are very good. Mamdoo, Yvany, Anick, Michelle, Nara, Judith, karine, Marie-Eve, Audrey. The best one is the Jannet and Michael Jackson show. But Yvany and Mamdoo are leaving the club. I think we saw the last show when we were there. The GM show was also nice.
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| Wheather |
| We had 2 days of rain but they arrange poker table so we have something to do. For the rest of the time it was almost always sunny with some clouds. The temperature was very hot, 30 and more in the day and 24 and more at night. But they told us that it was usually colder than that for that time of the year.
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| There is also a beautiful yet seemingly secret Jacuzzi and Sauna |
| Hotel RIU Paradise Island |
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BenCrystalToronto >
1 contribution(s) Canada |
| Aug, 2005 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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Having just returned from the RIU Paradise Island and extensively used Debbie's Caribbean Reviews in the last couple of years we thought it was time to contribute.
Let me start by saying straight off that we had a fabulous time, it is so nice just to jet down to the islands for a quick break away from the city. My wife and I love travelling and always make sure no matter what (within reason) that we make the most of our trips. And having read the good reviews of the RIU we were excited to check it out. |
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| Beach |
| The beach at the RIU is wonderful. The sand is bright white, and always so clean. The ocean is wonderful: very warm, clean, and with just the right amount of waves. There is usually enough sun loungers, and the RIU smartly employs a “no reservation” rule (i.e. No towels on the loungers before sunrise) which is mostly observed and respected. We didn’t use the pool as the ocean is so perfect. Also the pool is more noisy (they do have the nasty loud music blaring, if you like Mariah’s greatest hits then this is for you) and they yell “SHOTS!” all afternoon. So if this is your scene then you will have fun. It is not for us, but there are lots of alternatives so it’s all good. There is something for everyone I think.
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| Conclusion |
But other than that it was a great holiday. We probably won’t return to the Bahamas, but would return to a RIU in Mexico or the Dominican Republic without so much as a second thought. If you like the convenience of a 3 hour flight, English language, where you can get a big-mac then Bahamas for you. If you like something a little more unique and fun try Punta Cana, especially the Gran Flemenco by Occidental. It comes highly recommended!
Any questions please feel free to email me: bhagon@contextcreative.com |
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| Food |
The food at the RIU is very good. There is a great selection for people. From (bizarrely) Pizza, hot-dogs, burgers, and fries right through to lovely grilled grouper and seafood pasta. We were shocked at how many people go down here and then pile up on awful junk food!
As well as the lovely buffet food, we also tried the “Gourmet” and Steakhouse. The steaks were very nice, and the Gourmet served the most delicious Snapper I have ever tasted. My wife had the seafood pasta there too, and it contained delicious Caribbean lobster (which is different to our Canadian lobster BTW) Crab, Shrimp. All delicious and cooked to perfection.
If food is important to you on holiday then you won’t be disappointed with the RIU. |
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| Now onto the not so good points... |
First off let me say from now on we are going to stick to Spanish speaking Islands. We visited Punta Cana (The Gran Flemenco) last year and it seemed absolutely magical. Compared to Paradise Island, Punta Cana was romantic, luxurious, and less Americanised. While we had a lovely time, it seemed almost like we were in an American state in the Caribbean. There are McDonalds, KFC’s, they serve Miller lite at the bar and the Island is mostly made up of American tourists. The reason we like Punta Cana was that there was a mix of tourists: American, Canadian, Mexican, European, etc. Here it didn’t feel removed enough from our regular lives. We find Spanish speaking people much warmer and friendlier than the Bahamans for the most part. My wife and I love trying to speak to the locals in Spanish too. It adds an element of play that we enjoyed.
As a previous review says, the American tourists in our resort didn’t really travel that well. Living in Toronto I come into contact with Americans all the time and they are great people, but maybe in the Bahamas they let their hair down a bit too much. Plus living in Toronto we are spoiled by no smoking anywhere and their overly smelly cigarettes really bothered me. So much so that I couldn’t really enjoy sitting at the bar for long.
As for other negatives, I didn’t much care for the bar. The bar-staff for the most part were very “cool” (even after being tipped) and the drinks list was short and uninspired. The majority of the cocktails were simply Bacardi gold rum poured into the bottom with frozen mix poured on top. They didn’t stir them or anything. In fact most times they don’t even give you a straw. Also the drinks were inconsistent, made completely differently (with different ingredients!) by different bartenders. Also the wine is “box-wine”, served from a jug in the fridge at the bar and in self-serve dispensers in the buffet restaurants. VERY disappointing to a couple of wine drinkers. We only made our reservation in the Steakhouse so we could have a couple of glasses of wine from a bottle. In Punta Cana we were served very tasty Spanish wine by the bottle in all bars and restaurants. So this was a big disappointment. It was so romantic in Punta Cana to sit on the beach under the stars with a bottle of wine, here you are given a plastic cup of weak slushy drink whilst mildly drunk teenagers splash around in the surf; not quite the same.
I realise there are reasons for all this, but if you enjoy the simple life like us, it may be well noted.
The rooms were also kind of ugly. I don’t want a swanky downtown feel when I go to the Caribbean, but they are very dated in décor. Though very clean, with a King size bed, and everything was in perfect working order. Ask for a pool/ocean view room (Odd numbers I believe, we had 818) as our balcony overlooked the heating and duct system (and the ocean) which was so hot and noisy we couldn’t sit out on it.
The Bahaman government simply must do something about Nassau airport, it is a disgrace. I am British and have visited most of central and western Europe, as well as North America and the Caribbean. And this airport was far and away the worst airport I have been in. First and lasting impressions count. The airport is small, with no facilities or even decent shops. It must modernise soon. |
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| Scuba Diving |
| We also did the Bahama divers excursion, and snorkelled at an Angel fish reef. We had a blast and the staff put on an amazing acrobatics show off the back of the boat when we were going full speed. A job well done to those fellas. I would recommend this trip to everyone.
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| Spa |
| There is also a beautiful yet seemingly secret Jacuzzi and Sauna, Crystal and I spent a good hour everyday with it to ourselves, only to have to share it once for about 15 minutes. For all Debbie’s readers now you know, head to the spa it is free when everything else there costs...
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| To start with |
| I think it is best to start off with the good first and then touch upon the less good points after. RIU is listed as a five star and while we are not convinced that it is worthy, they try very hard to keep up to their rating. The front-desk, restaurant servers, and maids are unbelievably polite. To the point where we were a little uncomfortable “You don’t have to call us Sir and Ma’am!” but it is their way. Also the animacion staff try very hard to get everyone going (especially T.J.) but the only thing that floated our boat was the live band on Bahaman night.
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| The visibility was over 150 feet |
| Hotel Riding Rock Inn Resort and Marina |
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NikkiTampaFl >
1 contribution(s) United States of America |
| Jun, 2005 | Leisure | With Group
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| As a fairly avid diver, the Bahamas has never truly impressed me (Nassau, Andros, Exumas) until, that is, I discovered San Salvador. A small group of us stayed at the Riding Rock Inn. We were a varied group of divers, from freshly certified to experienced tech divers. Everyone's expectations were exceeded. The visibility was over 150 feet. Creatures ranged from schools of hammerheads and eagle rays to a large variety of macro subjects as well. The dive staff was exceedingly professional, lots of fun and service was top rate. The inn is small, friendly and local. We are already planning our next trip back!
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| The resort was extremely disappointing |
| Hotel Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island |
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StaceyMesaAZ >
1 contribution(s) |
| Sep, 2003 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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On September 2, 2003, my husband and I arrived at the Sandals Royal Bahamian resort, what was indicated as "the Caribbean's Most Impressive Resort" on the Sandals website. We stayed eight days, seven nights and I would not indicate that any portion of our stay at your resort was impressive.
The resort was extremely disappointing and is far overpriced for what you actually get. We saved up for this Caribbean vacation and we would never recommend that anyone visit a Sandals resort after our experience that definitely was not "perfect in every way." |
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| CHECK-IN & LUGGAGE SERVICE |
Upon check-in at the resort, we sat on a couch that was ripped and dirty. After check-in, someone took us to the Windsor building, where our first (of three!) room was located. We were taken to the floor of our room and when the elevator doors opened on our floor, the person pointed down the hallway to where we were to go, as he was escorting another guest to their room.
Upon arrival in our room, I assumed that our luggage would be inside the room or would arrive shortly thereafter, especially since the website indicates "Our exclusive Suite Concierge Service will pamper you with VIP check-in, special luggage handling." I was not aware that this "special luggage handling" really meant that we were to call three times and ask where our luggage was at and that our luggage would arrive three hours after we arrived in our room. We were hungry and just wanted to take a shower and relax, but instead became restless and irritated as we waited and waited for our luggage. |
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| Conclusion |
| The Sandals website states that "At Sandals you get more than you ever dreamed of…not only in quantity, but in quality." This was definitely not the case at the Royal Bahamian resort!
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| DINING |
As a "pampered guest" the website indicated I would "dine on dazzling delicacies" and would experience "ultra-gourmet dining." First, we were told that we needed to make reservations for three of the restaurants. We thought we would just make the reservations for our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th nights, then would make another reservation at any of the restaurants that we really enjoyed. Instead, we were able to get in The Crystal Room on our 2nd night, then we were on the waiting list for Café Goombay on our 4th night, and didn't have reservations at Baccarat until our 6th night! In the FAQ's on the website, it even references dinner reservations and says that "You may make reservations for each day of your vacation," yet we were not able to make some of our reservations until our 6th night at the resort.
During our stay, we did have the opportunity to dine at all of the restaurants and would definitely not say that "Sandals Royal Bahamian is an incomparable passport of excellent taste for the world's most discerning palates." The food was average, to say the least. In fact, I got sick from the food on my 2nd day there and my husband got sick from the food on our 5th day there! And I was extremely disappointed with the limited selection of entrees available at the restaurants. There wasn't even lobster on any of the menus and this is something I expected while staying at a resort termed as a "monument to regal elegance" with "sensational haute cuisine." |
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| DINING (CONT'D) |
A few of the restaurants, namely, Spices and Royal Café, often had birds in the seating areas or even on the tables. The servers never seemed to try to shew them away. This was rather disgusting.
We were very disappointed with the speed - or lack thereof - of the service overall. A few of the restaurants that required reservations actually gave you a new drink after you were finished with your last one, but overall drink service was extremely slow at the restaurants. For some reason, I believe that the lack of tips most likely does have something to do with the speed of the food and drink service received, which should not be the case at an "all-inclusive" resort.
In regard to the times the restaurants were open, we were very disappointed that not all restaurants were open for long periods of time. If we wanted a late night snack or drinks, we always ended up at Cricketers Pub, which was probably the place with the slowest service out of all of the restaurants.
We were also very surprised that we were offered a wine list of bottles of wine we could purchase. We purchased what we thought was an "all-inclusive" vacation where "everything's included." So, why would we have to purchase beverages? Especially because certain types of alcohol were not listed on the website in the "What's not included in the all-inclusive package?" area. My husband also stated that the overall quality of the liquor that was included was lower than what he expected, since the "top-shelf" brands were not available. |
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| NIGHTLIFE |
| Due to our slow luggage service on the first night, we missed what we found out was the only show (Ooh La La) during our entire stay. We expected more shows and entertainment from a resort claiming "Sandals Royal Bahamian satisfies your desires to be endlessly entertained. Whether it's sharing intimate conversations at seven bars or applauding the nightly shows at the impressive Royal Theatre, the pleasure of choice is already yours." We expected more than boring contests (in fact, they were begging people to participate!) and the same band every night at the Royal Theatre. The only other entertainment was the Piano Bar, but you can only listen to the same songs so many nights before becoming tired of it.
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| OUR ROOM |
Room #1 - 1334 (Windsor) As soon as we had stepped foot in the Windsor building, we should have known that something was wrong because even the lobby had a strange smell when we walked up to our room. After entering our room, we noticed that the walls, bathtub, floors, etc. were all dirty and everything in the room smelled of mold. There was even obvious evidence of mold on the walls where the paint was peeling off.
You could not sit down on any of the furniture without smelling the mold and the awful smell had even sunken into the pillows we were to sleep on, all of the bed linens, as well as the robes in the rooms. We took towels and slept on those to try to help with some of the smell on the pillows, but that didn't even help. We couldn't even hang our clothes in the closet because it smelled so bad, so we left our suitcases packed, but open and all of our clothes and other items ended up smelling just like the room.
We tried leaving our towels and swim suits in the room to dry, but determined that there was too much moisture in the room and that nothing would dry, so we had to place all wet items on the balcony. The moisture in the room was so bad that it even ruined some of the reading materials that we brought to enjoy on our vacation.
And out on our balcony, I assumed we would have a nice ocean view, after all, we were staying in the Royal Honeymoon Oceanview Suite. Instead of a big ocean view, we had to lean over the balcony to see the ocean and our view consisted of the tenant's facility and parking lot, where they often played loud music.
Also on the website when I booked this trip, we assumed we would receive room service with our "Suite," as it states that "An extensive and sophisticated in-room menu serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers and late night snacks is available for guests staying in qualifying suites." When we looked around our room, all we saw was a continental breakfast menu.
After a second un-restful night in the room, we could not take it any more. We decided to complain about our room because there is no way that was the room that we paid for, indicated as a "perfect private palace" and "the finest rooms and suites in the Caribbean" on the website. When we complained, the check-in attendant seemed like she didn't hear anything, in fact, she told us that we were actually given an "upgraded" room from the one that we supposedly paid for. She told us that we were upgraded to a "junior suite" and that the room we paid for was smaller, had a smaller bathtub and was a "level 5," whereas the room we were given was the "nicest" room, at a "level 9." If this was in fact a "free upgrade," why would they not have mentioned this to us upon check-in? If they were, in fact, giving us a "nicer" room for free, why wouldn't they have told us this? This whole thing seemed rather suspicious.
Also, when we asked about the room service, we were told that we booked a "room," not a "suite." Clearly, on the website, we selected the Royal Honeymoon Oceanview Suite. I paid more for this room, thinking we would get the room service and all we received was stale bagels and old fruit for breakfast.
We stated that we wanted to see the room we paid for since we were not staying in this room another night. Once again, I mentioned all of the things wrong with the room, as well as the bad view; and finally the desk attendant picked up her phone and asked for a room with a better view. Of all of the things wrong with the room, it was just the view that she felt she could fix. Then, we were instructed to come back in three hours so we could see the new room, but never did she apologize for the awful room that we were initially given.
I thought that "At Sandals, there are no compromises and no surprises. The best of everything is included at one up-front price"? At least that's what is indicated on your website. |
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| POOLS & POOL BARS |
In regard to what is listed on the website in amenities, it lists "2 swim-up pools," "7 pools & 6 whirlpools." Then, on the fact sheet that we were given upon arrival, it actually stated that there were "3 swimming pools, 3 mini-pools, scuba pool, 6 whirlpools." Based upon the initial information from the website, we imagined a vast array of large pools that we could frequent. Instead, we really only had access to two main pools on the main island and these were always extremely crowded and dirty (the pool itself, as well as having plastic Dixie cups, straws, and cigarette butts all over the place - sometimes even in the pool!). In fact, there were a few nights that the main pool closed for some reason, so it wasn't even useable. In regard to the whirlpools, they were often either uncomfortable, as they were either scorching hot or cool/lukewarm in temperature.
The pool bars were very disappointing as well. Since there was no drink service to us poolside, we all had to wait in lines at the pool bars. And while standing or sitting downwind of the bars, you pretty much lost your appetite for a drink after smelling how bad the area smelled (potentially another mold issue). |
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| POOLS & POOL BARS (CONT'D) |
On occasion, my husband and I wanted to take a swim or sit in the whirlpool in the evening and the pool bars weren't even open after the sun went down!
Regarding the pool towels, I don't see how you can even call those towels "beach towels." They were thin and raglike pieces of cloth that barely absorbed any water. Since the website stated that "beach towels are provided by the resort," we didn't bring any beach towels and definitely regretted that. And when we did turn our towels in during the day to get our evening towels before 5 p.m. each night (since that is when the towel area closed), our maids took the clean ones from our room! They never took our used ones, but did manage to take the clean ones we were going to use. |
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| Room #2 - 519 (Manor) |
When we came back three hours later, we were told that the new room was not ready yet. The person at the check-in desk asked a staff member to go look at the room to see if it was ready and he indicated that it was. So, he took us to see the room that we supposedly "paid for."
This room smelled a little musty, but was definitely an improvement on the overwhelming mold smell of room #1. The view was better, but this room still did overlook a construction site. At least the ocean was clearly visible. We took this room and were instructed to go and pack and call the bellhop to pick up our luggage. We never really unpacked, so we were quickly out of the old room and decided to wheel all four of our bags all the way across the resort by ourselves since our initial luggage service was so bad.
After we entered the room, the phone rang and we were told that the room was not ready. We said that the room seemed "ready," but then we were told that they had to paint the ceiling. This was rather strange. So, the check-in person met us at this room and told us to go to room 619, as that would be our new room. So, we lugged our bags up to room 619. |
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| Room #3 - 619 (Manor) |
This new room had a similar smell and view as room #2, but was still an improvement upon room #1. So, we started unpacking and got changed so we could try to enjoy what was left of our day. While I was changing, another couple used a key they were given and actually entered our room. They seemed rather embarrassed and confused and told us they were told this was their room, so we immediately called down to the front desk to find out who's room this really was. It turns out the check-in desk made a mistake and told us, then this other couple that this room was each of ours. The check-in desk straightened out the confusion and gave this other couple another room. Not only is this an invasion of privacy that this other couple was allowed to walk right into our room, but it is also a breach in the security of the hotel.
When we later tried to get back in our room again, to our dismay, our keys wouldn't work. It turns out that since this other couple used their key in the door, this voided out our keys and the check-in desk attendant had to reset our keys again so they would work for our room.
And the air conditioning definitely left something to desire. The room was either hot or cold. You couldn't even adjust the temperature on the thermostat! Also, at all times of the day, there were dogs barking outside the resort - it seems as if this happened each time we tried to rest! |
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| THE BEACH |
| The beachfront was definitely smaller than I expected. We tried taking a moonlit stroll one evening and the beachfront is practically just a few steps, then you turnaround and come back. And the offshore island is stated as having "2 beaches," per the fact sheet we received, but one of the beaches was really where we docked and shouldn't have been considered a "beach."
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| THE PRIVATE OFFSHORE ISLAND |
| We visited this "private" island on one of our first days and were instructed to stay on the "Sandals side" of the island because the cruise lines use the other half. This is very misleading, as your website specifically states that "Within minutes of the shoreline lies our magnificent offshore island." If this is really the Sandals' island, why are cruise lines using half of it? And on the Sandals side, the pool was filthy, as if it had not been cleaned in days.
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| TRANSPORTATION |
We booked what was indicated on your website as the Royal Honeymoon Oceanview Suite. On the website, there is a mention of a Rolls Royce VIP Airport Service when guests stay three nights or longer in a qualifying suite. This "qualifying suite" is not clarified on the site and obviously is misrepresented, as when we arrived at the airport and checked in at the Sandals desk, we discovered that the "VIP treatment" we would be receiving was an old bus that was not even owned by Sandals. We sat on this bus for at least 45 minutes since we had to wait for several other couples to board the bus for this "VIP treatment."
When I recently looked at your site again, I noticed on the main page of the website that it states that "Our inclusions are designed to take the worries out of your vacation. That's why we include airport transfers in air-conditioned buses, all tips, gratuities and all hotel and government taxes." This is rather interesting, as on the way to the resort and upon departure, we were told that the drivers gladly accept tips; this is even on signs hanging in the buses! |
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| WATER ACTIVITIES |
Prior to leaving for vacation, my husband and I read the information on scuba diving on your website and knew that we wanted to scuba dive while at the resort. So, we went to the doctor (per the instructions on the form) and made sure to have our Medical Statement Participant Record filled out and ready for when the instructor asked for them. On our first morning at the resort, we called for reservations for scuba diving, as this was what we were instructed to do. To our surprise, they told us that we would not be able to go because it was booked for the entire week! We later found out that scuba diving isn't even available on Sundays! If phone or fax-in reservations would have been available, I would have done this before we left so we could go scuba diving, as this was a big disappointment for us. The website even states "Guests must arrange this [Scuba Diving] upon arrival at the Water Sports Center for the following day," so we never thought we just wouldn't get to go over our eight days at the resort.
While on the phone with the water sports reservation desk, I asked about snorkling and was shocked that we even needed reservations for snorkling! We weren't even able to go until our 4th day there because that was booked up too. And when we went snorkling, we couldn't believe that we could only use the equipment during the time that the ferry took us to the spot to go snorkling and that we couldn't just take it and use it ourselves in the water offshore or across on the offshore island. |
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| Take the package that includes the night dive |
| Hotel Club Med Columbus Isle |
| User Rating:
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Sandi03 >
1 contribution(s) |
| May, 2003 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
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Columbus Isle is a key of the Bahamas for those of you wondering. My 12 yr old son and I, left from JFK at 8am Easter Sunday, and arrived at Columbus Isle at about 11:30am. We were welcomed by the staff at the airport (about 2 people), and were quickly ushered into Club Med Mini Vans and driven the 1 minute commute to Club Med..Yes 1 minute, it was at the end of the runway!!!
The resort was quite nice, nothing like other Club Med's I've been to. The rooms were well decorated, clean, not dorm room at all. The food was quite good, and the service pleasant. The best part of the vacation was the diving. This is where the resort excelled. The boats were new, clean, state of the art. The scuba equipment was well taken care of, and the reefs were amazing. There were caves and wrecks to explore, and pleanty of surprises. Definately take the package that includes the night dive.
The night life was almost non existent, but we definately made do, especially my 12 year old, who made friends with other kids, and they had their own fun at the ping-pong table.
Hope this helps |
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