I see that I first commented on this hotel back in 2004. I am back again, on my fourth night of a four night stay. In the past I described this hotel as "upscale." Given that I was kindly upgraded to a 1br villa (also called a casita) again, I would have been inclined to repeat that claim because the villa room is so very nice, had I not been here long enough to have experienced a bunch of service lapses.

Don't book a breakfast package on a weekend or holiday unless you are prepared to wait at least 30 minutes to be seated. I did this because I remembered what a zoo the clubroom breakfast was on my last stay. The option of room service is not available, although I have managed to get myself an exception for tomorrow, Christmas day. Even then it's not a real bargain since breakfast packages don't include tax and tip and they add a mandatory 21% tip (plus a delivery charge and, of course, tax) to room service bills,

Only went to the club once for evening drinks and the food selections were cut way back from my last stay. There was one hot item -- mushroom egg rolls with no sauce -- some miscellaneous salad offerings, two types of cheese, and a cold pasta salad. You have to find, and ask, an employee to get a cold soft drink.

You can have a nice time here if you book or end up in a villa room, but don't expect magic from the staff, most of which seemed to be very new and unfamiliar with their jobs. Late checkout can be a real challenge. As a resort, they don't have to honor the status late checkout guarantees and even new front desk staff definitely is taught that.

I'd return but not that often. Really best here during low periods.

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