My first judgement of a hotel is how they treat you on an award stay. This hotel, IMHO, did everything right. If I had been able to direct how this would have gone, it's how I would have done it. Well, OK, I may have given myself a suite, but that's neither here nor there.

Check in was a breeze. Actually, 1-800-checkin at 8AM was easy. The rep called the hotel and informed me she was going to try and accommodate my preferences. She came back saying the hotel had a RC room blocked for me that was empty but not ready. This was 8AM, remember. I would have been happy with 3PM, but they told me that they would endeavor to have the room ready by noon.

I called around 11AM and the front desk agent said, "We would love to welcome you whenever you're ready to come in. Your room is ready for you". A brief stop at the front desk to see the same nice agent got me my amenity selection and room key. I was put in a stunning King room on the RC floor. I have a feeling that most of the rooms are stunning, with bright decor that makes the rooms feel huge. Mine had a fridge, which allowed me to keep some water that I got from the club. My room was a partial Gulf-view, but it looked southward toward Naples which really gave a nice, long, pretty view off the balcony. I really, truly felt "upgraded"! Room amenities were from their "Stillwater Spa" line and were great.

The club spread was OUTSTANDING at ever meal - sliced meats, cheeses, pastries, cookies, fresh fruit. It's a model for RC's. I have only seen one like it, in San Diego. Eating here at meal time would feel like a MEAL, not a snack. I'm sure others have seen similar clubs around the world, but I'm mostly a domestic Hyatt guy. Regardless, the club is large, with plenty of table space inside and lots of chairs on balconies outside. Staff is attentive and supremely nice. And, they're not afraid to ensure guests' comfort. One mother and daughter entered the club in bare feet one evening. The attendant asked them to "please help us maintain the atmosphere of the club by returning with footwear". The mother got miffed, but they left. I guess some people would think that it's ok to go into a public food area in bare feet, but I'm glad the club attendant addressed it. I personally prefer covered feet in my non-pool dining areas. But that's just me. The club was available to guests from 6AM to 10PM continuously, with beverages available when there was no food service.

The spa was beautiful. The fitness center was adequate, with weight machines, dumbells, several treadmills and crosstrainers. It was not crowded when I was in there, but imagine there would be some waiting during peak times. It was clean and well-kept. I didn't spend much time at the pools, as I was in town for a lot of family functions. They looked incredible and I'm sure others could do a better job describing.

One disappointment was the main restaurant, Tanglewoods. We were seated for 20 minutes without being approached by a server. The place was busy, but not "jumping". No water, no acknowledgement. We went to leave, and the hostess did get the manager. He was polite, and apologized profusely. He put us at another table, in the same station with the same waitress who had ignored us previously. ( She ended up being a delightful woman who apologized for being really overwhelmed. ). I was equally disappointed in the bill. The most expensive entree on the menu was the Filet, at $24. She explained the evening's special, Filet with stuffed shrimp, which sounded great. They didn't mention the price, and I didn't ask. We both ordered it, and I was shocked when I saw the bill. $48 for a filet and two stuffed shrimp. I didn't say anything, but I thought that it would have been appropriate to say, "Our special is XXX, it comes with XXX, and it's 48". Nonetheless, the food was OK (NOT oustanding), and we left. I also found it curious that the manager never offered anything for our trouble...not even a cup of coffee. We didn't ask, either.

The restaurant couldn't spoil what had been a tremendous stay at a really great Hyatt. The hotel was sold out two of our three nights there. Yet, we never felt they missed a beat. We never had to wait for our car with the valet. We never waited too long for housekeeping, who really did a nice job.

I did write a personal "thank you" to the EAM/Rooms for the upgrade. Despite being a diamond, I'm well-experienced with Hotels, Hyatt and others, who don't follow the rules of their frequent guest programs on paid stays, let alone award stays.

I look forward to returning to this hotel many times and spending even more time there.