bubu-SNA

Just completed a 6 day vacation stay...here are some basic observations and answers to previous questions asked.

-Breakfast & Mini Bar is comp'd for Diamonds (Not sure if mini-bar is complementary for everyone?). The breakfast is "buffet style" and lavish. As good as any I've ever seen...a "skip lunch" type of meal.

-The property is not suited for kids under 4. There are a lot of hills & stairs to climb. Kids club (over 4+) is great. You can take children under 4 years old to the club as long as you remain at the club with them.

-Beach activities are free for the most part.

My positive impressions first, the property is gorgeous. Great location, the 2 beaches are top notch. The rooms are very modern and well thought out...

My negative impressions, the opening was rushed. There was no "soft" opening...the property owner pushed hard to open on December 20th with 95%+ occupancy and it showed. The staff & service were harried. Simple requests were forgotten like drink request, golf cart transportation requests, etc. In-room dining took a long time, complimentary mini-bar not refilled, etc. The rooms had cosmetic "attention to detail" problems. For example, both of our rooms had the shower glass window looking into the room leaking underneath. The balcony/patio area door would not close properly leading to no air conditioning (since the door sensor would disable the AC). A metal shelf protector (on the edge of a closet shelf) came right off...was poorly glued down and never bonded properly to the wood. Lots of little things like that.

The restaurants while very nice, were extremely expensive. To the tune of $172usd for a 4 person buffet breakfast. There are no cheap places to eat, and the resort is 30+ minutes away by car from any significant town which may have a store, much less a restaurant. Since the four seasons is next door (and there is free shuttle service), you can eat at their restaurants along with the golf course club house...but again, expensive, especially for a family of 4.

The restaurants themselves...

"Ostra" was extremely expensive and frankly average at best. The shrimp appetizer I received had "gelatin" like texture in places...I felt it was not cooked. The waiter insisted its because the chef "bag boils" almost everything, hence the texture would be different. The presentation was a true work of art, the atmosphere was great, sadly the taste was not there.

"Rio Bhongo" is probably your best bet for food on the property. Expensive (think $18 for a burger), but again a great atmosphere. Nothing memorable about the place other than it was consistent and the staff was overall very helpful.

"Chao", the Tapas bar was again extremely expensive. It took 20 minutes to receive an alcoholic drink order (2 identical drinks). We were the only party there when we ordered. We were never asked if we wanted a 2nd round...food came out promptly, but that's about all I can say about the place. Go out for dinner as much as you can. "Aqua Sport" in Hermosa Beach would be highly recommended. Rent a car...it will give you a lot more options for tours & food.

As I mentioned, the property needed a soft launch...when we checked in on December 28th the property was @ 95%+, it was a zoo. Chaotic would be a good description of the property operations. The staff was going above and beyond but it was clear that key operational processes were yet to be fine tuned. By January 4th (the time of this review), the property is @ 45% and the service has improved drastically. It is unfortunate that the ownership chose to rush the opening...there are already negative reviews out on trip advisor & other places, and they are justified. Greed probably cost this property bookings in the long term. I highly doubt anyone who was here for launch would come back at $850 a night for a basic room after their experience.

Based on my last 2 days the property, i'd rate our stay as a 4.0 out of 5, based on our new years week experience it was a 3.0 out of 5. Expect to spend $75usd+ a day per person for bare bones lunch/dinner...not counting alcohol. By comparison, our multiple Aman resort experiences had cheaper food. I think the property will remain an attractive option for the next 3-4 years, after that its anyone's guess.