This hotel is wonderful!

If you want to make the most of the sun and swim, want to enjoy a wonderful beachfront view and fancy free sunset drinks from 6 pm for ninety minutes with a light snack at the rooftop seating, then it’s for you. And it’s ten minutes from Las Americas outlet mall.

The price you pay - and I didn’t care - was that it’s in a small beach town with a few cheap and unsophisticated bars and restaurants. Neighbouring blocks which were previously free for parking are starting to be developed as smart townhouses, so valet is increasingly attractive.

The building is T shaped, with the stalk facing inland and containing the oceanview, as opposed to oceanfront suites.

All rooms are the same huge size. Some have the bedroom “inland” as a separate room, making them genuine suites, but I prefer the ones with an open plan bed and sitting area, which feel more airy and spacious.

The owners made some poor building material choices when building the hotel. All the yellowy-brown timber looks like it was retrieved from old buildings, and the shutters and panelling just aren’t great. The balconies, which admirably have glass rather than metal railings, have a fair bit of rust visible already.

You have to wheel your own luggage to your room. Staffing is marginal: the staff are terrific but as is increasingly the way in the USA, every aspect of the property is visibly understaffed. (Most full service hotels nowadays seem to have limited service staffing levels).

The elite breakfast box is available every day and has croissants, jam (jelly), yoghurt and either juice or coffee. You can collect a box as takeout, or exchange your daily voucher for a $25 credit against the breakfast a la carte menu. Most breakfast items on the menu are in the $15-$20 range.

You can see why Marriott changed the design so much. The $159 per night hotel mentioned at the start of the thread is now a $399-$499 property. And it’s good enough to be one.

Pier South is actually a really fantastic property - and great value for money.