This is an interesting property that could become great or could sink down. We spent three nights here, upgraded from a garden suite to one of the ocean view bungalows, likely because of relatively low occupancy at the resort, as I don't have any special Hyatt status and booked using a bunch of Chase points with points boost.
The good:
- The bungalows are beautifully located with some fabulous views. They're generous in size thoughtfully positioned.
- The staff was uniformly friendly.
- Daily housekeeping, which seems to be a lost cause at a lot of properties. It worked very nicely here.
- Some very nice dinners at the Ranch Restaurant. The steak was fabulous and so was the shrimp appetizer. (OTOH, the "Fried Satay Chicken" was actually two large chicken tenders with some sort-of Thai-like slaw.)
The bad:
- Despite the lower occupancy, the staffing seems to be short. We waited 45 minutes after finishing dinner for our ride back to the unit from the Ranch and at least 15 minutes after checking in before our luggage was picked up. When we went by the Garden Pool on Sunday, there were no pool towels. When we went to use the Garden Pool on Monday, there were no pool towels. When I called to request them, I was assured that they would be sent over. 30 minutes later...still none.
- The Dining Room is only open for breakfast, leaving the Ranch Restaurant as the only option for lunch/dinner. There isn't a bar on the property with the Dining Room closed; the Pool Bar was not open either. That's usually a profit center, so I'm not at all clear about why they wouldn't have a bar open in the evening.
- The hot tub in the lower (infinity) pool has been out-of-service for a couple of years. Really a shame as it would have been lovely in the drizzly weather we had for two of the days.
- The sofa and armchair in the bungalow were two of the least comfortable pieces of furniture I've encountered in hotel rooms. Neither my husband nor I could find a comfortable seating position. The outdoor furniture was nice...but rain/drizzle nixed that.
- No cream for coffee at breakfast three days in a row. I'll give them one day, but if you're running a resort, you figure out how to fix a problem like that by day 2.
Quibbles:
- The bungalow had an Illy coffeemaker that produced approximately 2 ounces of coffee at its maximum setting. Maybe faux-spresso? A plain Keurig would have been an improvement.
- Heavily perfumed toiletries are a choice. Maybe not the best choice.
I'm guessing that there isn't the willingness to invest in the upgrades that would really lift this resort into the amazing category. I'm glad we visited...but it is probably a one-and-done.