I will post more details and a link to some pictures next week. As for value between the properties it is a little hard to say. Just looking at the room prices yes the GM is the better value, especially with a decent room upgrade (which shouldn't be a problem off season in August given the number of Junior Suites and rooms like ours I have noticed here).

If the Meridien staff had been better (and maybe they would be without a huge conference to deal with) then with a functional Duplex suite and access to the Nirvana facilities I might give the Meridien the edge, either way is a bit of a gamble. MRU is not a cheap place but neither is it uniformly expensive. The pricing structure at the GM is perhaps reflective of their intended target market (the St Geran/Le Tousserok crowd?). I can only compare to the Hilton which has for some time been one of the better hotels on the West Coast and whilst the GM seems a little more upscale (when fully functional) the costs for everything but rooms (where actually the Hilton is more expensive) is approximately 30-50% more at the GM.

Even with a hire car both properties are some way from anything apart from other hotels. We passed a few restaurants on the way to Grande Baie yesterday but nothing seemed massively appealing. Also you will not want to leave the property every time you fancy a drink and even if you did you will drive 4km+ to the closest small convenience store (less from the Meridien). Drinks prices were far more reasonable at the Meridien (in some cases almost 50% less for exactly the same drink) and there is more restaurant choice at LeM, the feature restaurant La Faya had a decent menu and prices comparable to Seasons, currently the only restaurant available at the GM.

Mrs LoM and myself like to get out and about during the day and stay in the hotel at night which was our pattern at the Hilton (and for most of the hotels we stay in outside of cities) so travelling around in the evening is not our preference. It is almost compulsory here however, since the menu available in the one restaurant which is open is not varied enough to be appealing for 6 successive nights.

I will probably be able to give a better overview at the end of our stay than right now. The staff at the GM are very good. If not always completely on the ball they are willing and seem genuinely keen to please. The GM introduced herself and warned us about the staff being new and that certan kinks in the service may occur, which I thought was entirely reasonable. I do wonder how many paying guests are here as opposed to comped guests and Starwood staff right now.

Whilst I accept that service kinks may be inevitable so soon after opening I would expect to see a pricing structure which reflected this (e.g. a long happy hour in the feature bar). The current opening rate promo I think extends to December, so it seems that the early guests take the pain at similar prices to the later guests who should have a smoother experience. I would also expect contingency restaurant arrangements to be in place either by extending the opening of the beach restaurant beyond the current 7pm closure or offering reservations and a shuttle to La Faya at the Meridien.

I have stayed at several properties just after opening (including the Hilton MRU in 2001) and the openings were handled much better elsewhere it seemed to me. For instance the Spa at the Hilton MRU offered discounts of 50-75% to encourage the small number of customers at opening to use the service and familiarise the staff with the treatment menu etc. I also stayed at the Hilton DXB several days after it opened (in I think 2000) and had a similar experience. Perhaps Hilton just handle opening better than Starwood?