Originally Posted by
marlee1421
Thanks for the thorough review. Couple of questions: Are drinks in lounge free, if not cost?
Drinks are free! They have a nice rolling bar that has all of the liquor options. Much better quality than you would find in a UA Club (e.g.,Johnnie Walker Black Label). The white wine was Concha y Toro, which I ironically bought while in Panama City for $11 at a convenience store. Several local beers, along with Corona and Heineken. I'm not sure if alcohol is available outside of breakfast and the 5-7 happy hour. For non-alcoholic, coke products, perrier, etc. were all available at all times for free.
How would you compare the Westin with the downtown Le Meridien?
The downtown Meridien is completely different since it's in the center of a city. It's only 6 stories and feels like a boutique while the Westin is 22 stories (lounge on the 19th floor) and is quite massive.
Was any hotel restaurant better than the others.
We ate dinner at Asiana. My GF had fried rice and chicken while I had noodles. The food was really bland. Not sure about the Sushi.
We had lunch at Starfish Grill. I had a chicken Caesar salad (wasn't very hungry), which was okay, but rather small. My GF had a hot dog, which had more accompaniments than the one available by the pool. Food was blah.
Understand there is a "sister' hotel across the beach. Did you try to eat there?
We didn't venture to the Intercontinental. Perhaps they have better food options (no SPG points though!). It's a much lower, spread-out type resort than the towering Westin.
Any quiet pool areas?
Not necessarily. There are several pools all in a line along the beach. There was music at all of them. Perhaps when it's busier there is a quiet pool. There were some more secluded areas of the large pool though.
Also forgot to add the WIFI is free (I believe to all guests). The WIFI was very fast and available most everywhere. I had some reception by the pool and beach, although it depended on where I was sitting.