(Now called Hyatt Regency Coconut Point)

Back from my first time in a remodeled room. This is a dependable place to use a Suite Certificate, which landed us in a Bay Suite. It may be an entry level suite, but it gets you separate bedroom and sitting room and two baths.

The pictures at Post 130 do the remodel justice, but modern eclectic seems out of place at a beach hotel and the old decor had a coastal vibe to it. The heavy use of lacquered furniture is already getting really chipped at the corners. Just a mistake but its comfortable to sit on.

The Regency Club has less glass and more wood and the wall taken down between the serving and seating areas. The wood floor contributes to a much louder room.

Offerings had changed from their long-traditional exotic finger foods to small hot dishes. Friday was the macaroni starter from Tarpon with shrimp subbed for the lobster. Saturday was make it yourself Mahi tacos which I think is on the Corkscrew menu. The club staff was so overboard trying to please guests they were being taken advantage of. They must have been written up by a Pritzkers or something.

A couple of things were really frustrating. First and goofiest is you now have to rent pool toys by the day. This is on top of the resort fee, and more than it costs to stop at Target and buy the same thing and just discard when you leave. I swear you can't make this up.

Second and more irritating is the adjoining timeshare is limiting the number of rafts and therefore people in the river pool, which I'm sure is the reason many people with children cough up money to bring them there in the first place. The hotel is allocated 75 wristbands, which are given out first-come first serve at 8:30. Meaning you had better be in line by 7:20 or you are not getting one. Other guests in the line advised us that the lobby staff at the timeshare had become genuine wristband zealots. Other guests in the line advised they had been too far back the day before, had not gotten wristbands, and were told maybe they could get in late afternoon if the pool cleared out, but no promises.

There is no real plan for handing the wristbands out. At one point was stated two to a person but people who would not take no for an answer and raised their voice got all they wanted. I really don't like having to compete on vacation for an advertised attraction, and really don't like complaining loudly being a trump card. The line quickly figured out about five better ways to stretch the supply so with any effort they could too. Much as I prefer the hotel side, if I still had small kids who would be disappointed I would book the timeshare side to make sure they got access.

A big positive is the ride-out beach has been massively expanded. Can't imagine how they got environmental clearance to dink around with nature like that, but it is a big honking beach now.

I think we've been there about 15 times in 10 years and maybe I've been there enough to cut back the frequency. Still, if you have never been there, it works and I highly recommend the place for two or three nights but not during anything resembling high season. We probably went a week too early to really miss the crowds and it was busier than expected but still well short of full. Even at that it was close to being maxed out on the number of guests it can absorb at the same time. I can't imagine 4th of July week.