texmanufan

Another Getaway

Wife and I are here right now and the foliage by the main beach (Nava, Terra, the Rock) will need a lot of time. Some of the palms look like they're on the verge of dying - barely any fronds, very thin. The palms near the 600 villas and lobby are much thicker, but still not too fully grown. A lot of the smaller plants also seem to be getting decimated by insects - lots of holes in leafs and edges munched on. This is evident everywhere around the resort, including in the backyards of the beach villas. We saw crews spraying insecticide throughout the resort our first few days.

Along the same lines, the roads along the resort are a bit rough right now. I was told they are trying to add more sand to the paths to level them out, but a lot of recent rain has extended the project. Every time they lay down new sand, a downpour comes and washes it away. Not sure how they ever plan to permanently address that, because rain washing away sand will always be an issue.

If there's anything anybody wants to see or know let me know. I'll be here until September 4.

Another Getaway

We're staying in the BV, but my guess would be that the beach villa offers more space in the form of beach access. It's great being able to walk right off your pool deck to the beach and explore the resort. We didn't get the chance to stay in the OVW villa here, but we have done so in Bora Bora. That being said, if I were to come back here I would opt for the BV for sure.

husky96821

Also staying here currently in a BV. Never done the OW experience, but traveling with two young children, so definitely prefer the BV. The direct beach access, while not included in the official square footage of the villa, does make it feel like the overall footprint is huge. With that said, the foliage around the villa is very limited. As I type this sitting in the bedroom next to the window, I can clearly see the covered deck area in the next door villa. I don't mind the lack of privacy as I'd prefer to have unobstructed views of the ocean, but I realize that's a personal preference.

flyerchatter

If you've got time, could you please upload some photos of the view facing south from where the 100s OWVs are located?

Thanks for uploading the bike tour video by the way.

Roque Corona

More videos of the resort would be nice.

Another Getaway

I'll work on this tomorrow. Suns going down now so won't have a chance today.

Another Getaway

Quick update concerning the lack of foliage near the main beach. Our concierge informed us that the resort is awaiting a shipment of about 5,000 (if I heard correctly) new fully grown trees to add to the resort. This is to address the lack of mature palms and other foliage around the resort, but which is mostly noticeable in this specific area.

You can see it the 0:19 mark in this video:

Another Getaway

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There was no way for me to get photos of the view of these villas without actually getting into them, so I opted to use my drone to get some shots. These photos are taken from approximately the last southward facing OWV in the 100s. You can see the view is pretty nice with no obstructions. Very little boat traffic in this area from what I can tell.

Personally, I would opt for the south/lagoon facing villas in the 700s. Here you get a similar unobstructed view while also being able to see the resort and main lagoon to the right of your deck. Additionally, my wife and I did some snorkeling in this area today and it was fantastic. Coral seemed healthy and there were a lot of variety of fish. Overall I've been very happy with the snorkeling. We've even seen a few baby blacktips near the wedding pavilion and in this area, but only from the pathway and never while actually in the water.

Again if anyone needs any specific info or photos/videos let me know.

flyerchatter

Brilliant stuff. Thanks for the drone shots.

As suspected, it doesn't seem like the 100s Villas are occupied yet. There's no seat cushioning for the sun loungers or the swing in the gazebo. Looks like the two deck chairs in the pool haven't been installed either.

Shiraz Khan

jphripjah

Click on the Wiki at the top of the page and then scroll down to "Villa selection" and click the links for recommendations

rish

Wife and me are currently at BV #623 . It's very private - both sides have a bamboo fence, most of which is visible due to short foliage yet gives privacy from one adjacent villa. On the other side is a water treatment facility of some sort, luckily no weird smells or sounds.

The experience in the last 24 hours has been great so far! Earlier concerns on this thread have almost been eliminated:
- the buggies come to a stop if they see an oncoming person on a bike
- butter is delivered on the table during breakfast at Tasting Table without asking
- we were picked up by the WA branded yacht which is pretty impressive and we did enjoy our journey. We've seen 1 other yacht come in a couple of times which looked even bigger and grander but did not have the WA signs on it.
- our personal concierge gave us a small Samsung phone to place calls to him. We have called him thrice and every time he has answered - always courteous and very helpful. He meets us at every dining location to check on how we're doing, and sends housekeeping while we're away.

Overall, both the wife and I are impressed with everything. The photos online do not do justice to the hard product.

We've tried the Peacock Alley, Li Long and Tasting Table so far. We have a few more dining locations planned and excursions for the next few days.

Shiraz Khan

Shiraz Khan