Originally Posted by FD1971

Rates dropped to the low 200's and were appr. 20-25% more expensive in comparison to 2009 during my stay there recently. Occupancy is up significantly from last year. Summer rates should drop to the 130-150's ^

Nor1 upgrades included the Bay Suite for $ 90 and Island Suite for $ 110, both very reasonably offers in my book.

Check-in was a desaster, the lonely manager on duty appeared to be close to the end of her shift and it showed, no Diamond Amenity offered and no AAA breakfast coupons provided, only the standard folder given out, including the activity overview, boat schedule and 10% off cert for the spa including free entrance as a Diamond, a $ 30 value per person ! ^

I requested a king room away from the infamous A/C vents on the roof of the attached conference center building to the north of the tower and received a corner room in the opposite direction on one of the two RC floors with three balconies, including one from the bathroom. Bathroom is very light with a view down to coast towards Naples, however still features a very old and very basic shower head.

Went down to the Regency Club for a quick check what is offered during the lunch/early afternoon hours and found the club to be deserted. Nuts, crackers and some cookies were offered aside from still and sparkling water ( Perrier ) Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and Sierra Mist. It seems that the self made lemonade also became a victim of the Regency Club enhancements...

Dinner service is still a shadow of its glory days as one of the top Regency Clubs in the US, hot appetizers are still gone. Aside from the usual veggies and cheeses, several self-made dips and crackers were offered, actually a nice idea, however they should add some small cards pointing out the ingredients. We really enjoyed the spicy bruchetta like tomato and onion dip variety and the steamed zucchini, a strange dish on offer was a strawberry filled with brie cheese...

Desserts included some very decent self made pastries that were offered from 5.30 until 9 p.m.

Back in the days, when the club was open until 10, the after snack hour dessert set up was quite famous, nowadays the club closes at 9 p.m.

The breakfast was a typical Regency Club Continental Breakfast, nothing to write home about, including smoked salmon. We preferred the full buffet downstairs, which is one of the better buffets systemwide in the US and features dishes like Bircher Muesli or Fajitas, so some offers outside of the usual arrangements with eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage...

We took the boat to the island on several days and were once again impressed by the variety of wildlife only a few yards away from the shore, including dolphins hunting 10 yards away or stingrays jumping out of the water only some more yards away. The island is still subject to massive erosion, however still a major competitive advantage and one of the reasons we return frequently.

Service at check out was significantly better, two well knows agents on duty including a lady with a German name manning the Diamond/Platinum line. Internet was not taken of the bill, but this seems to be the running gag of the property, at least for me with three stays there since April 1, 2009.

They have new cushions for all the beach chairs, the old ones were borderline disgusting with tons of stains and cuts, which was appreciated by the significant other.



Under the bottom line, Bonita is still a very nice resort with a solid Regency Club and far superior to the Regency Clearwater, which is a beach hotel, but not a real resort.

Originally Posted by honey4life12

Thanks for your great review. How much more was the full breakfast vs the Cont Brkf in the club?

Do any of the Bay Suites have the A/C vent problem?

Originally Posted by FlynGyn

In brief, this is a beautiful property with incredibly mediocre service at best. Stay away on holiday weekends unless you enjoy a Spring Break crowd with ill-behaved kids.

Originally Posted by performancefitness

stayed here before was diamond... nice property. kids had fun at the pools and slides. lazy river was nice. enjoyed the breakfast (but not lunch or dinner) on property.

am going this wknd on the AAA breakfast rate. will give feedback after on staff and upgrade.

Originally Posted by vincentppetty

Has anyone stayed here recently?

Just booked a 4-night stay for my wife and I over Thanksgiving and was curious whether anyone has any recent information on what sounds to be a wonderful property?

I used the last of my four Diamond Suite Upgrades and we have been assigned a Bay Suite -- any additional information on these Suites or recent experiences with these Suites? Any Diamonds ever get upgraded to a higher level suite?

Thanks so much!

Originally Posted by banzani

We were given a Bay Suite last year. It was a 1BR with connecting Corner room that came with a Murphy bed. Overall maybe some 80sqm or so, 3 small balconies, 2 bathrooms (1 tub, 1 shower). Quite nice. Will go again next week and see what they have in store for us.

Does anybody have recent experiences with the resort fee ? I paid it last year then saw that it is usually comped for Diamonds...so planning not to make that mistake again.

Originally Posted by vincentppetty

Can you elaborate on what you didn't like about lunch or dinner?

Did you use your Diamond Upgrade Cert this time around?

I look forward to whatever info you can provide on this property...

Originally Posted by performancefitness

Really?? do they comp the resort fee for diamonds?? when I stayed as an award, it wasn't added, but i've had two stays at the Hyatt Orlando and was charged the $20 each day???

Originally Posted by FD1971

The resort fee is charged for regular stays, comped when you use points/FFN

Spa access is comped for Diamond members, not the resort fee ^

Since some FD agents are beyond clueless, however, it is probably worth trying