Stay Report - 5/20 - 5/22
Location: The hotel is located an easy 15 minute drive from AUA. Getting out of the airport can be a little tricky at night (it involves a few roundabouts) but once you get through Orjanstadt it's a straight shot and the hotel is easily visible from the road. Nearby are a bunch of touristy restaurants (a Hooters, a Benihana, a Hard Rock Cafe), some gas stations and fast food places, and a half mile to the east, two great places to eat, Linda's Dutch Pancake House and the Old Cunucu House
Hotel: A really beautiful property. The lobby is in an expansive open air setup which leads directly to the beach. There are two pools, a poolside bar, a coffee shop and a couple of other stores and a restaurant in the lobby. Also, the 8th floor has a small executive lounge. Do note that there is no valet parking, and while self parking is free, the lot is very small and spots can be hard to come by.
Check In: Handled very well by a friendly agent. He told us we'd been upgraded to a junior suite before I could ask and explained all the benefits of the hotel. We were offered discounts on spa treatments, free slot play in the casino and a list of what the hotel offered.
Room: Definitely more junior than suite, but having the couch and the full dining room table was nice. Wifi worked well, the bed was comfortable and there were plenty of outlets. The bathroom was a little small and the shower water temperature had a habit of switching from freezing cold to boiling hot at a moment's notice. Also, the room had a really odd smell to it.
Lounge: On the 8th Floor is a small lounge. It serves breakfast from 7-11, tea from 3-5 and appetizers from 5-7. I only went for breakfast but it was very good. Hot dishes were scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, pancakes and they also made eggs and omelets to order. Service up there was great too.
Beach/Pool: The pools are only open during the day. The beach is wonderful. When you arrive at the beach if you go to the towel hut you get one towel per person. You can reserve a cabana at the pool or umbrella on the beach the day before (the line starts at 4 PM). We had no trouble snagging a beach umbrella at 10 AM. Waiters come around offering drinks (they're REALLY expensive...about $10 for a Pina Colada) and you can also do a number of watersports and parasailing.
My rate was $140/night thanks to the Hilton flash sale. I really loved this hotel, service was great, so was the beach, and the room minus the funky smell was decent enough. I'd love to be back.