fireworksboy

I agree. Someone may want to be critical of the food not being to their taste or no free booze but anyone who is critical of the staff at this location got very unlucky. I'd say 99% of the staff (100% in the RBC) went well out of their way to be pleasant and helpful at every turn. I've been there three times in the last couple of years and never been disappointed.

lsgitg

Hi, Was looking for some current information on this property, things to be aware of, expect as far as upgrades, Just booked a nice (hopefully) vacation for the end of April at this property. Any info about off property dining, things to do might be help. I did a search, but only came up with some old stuff.

Thanks for any suggestions, tips and advise.

PITflyer2

I would be curious to hear about this as well. The Wife and I are planning on booking a week here in the end of April as well. Any promo's or deals out there before we book?

lsgitg

PITflyer2, actually I had made some reservations online at spg.com at they had some pretty decent packages with decent prices as we had looked at this property before, but we went to St. John last time. Anyway, the SPA package, which includes breakfast and spa credit seemed like a good deal along with one or two of the other packages that were online. But then Mrs. lsgitg called a friend who is a travel agent and they got us a suite with 2 bedrooms for a much better rate than was online and now the 2 little lsgitgs will end up coming also.

sc flier

This is gonna be a long post to try to cover a whole lot of stuff...

I'd always thought their spa packages were pretty lousy. Last year, I don't think that I ever saw a package that made sense at this property. If the latest spa offer's T&C's are correct, I'd skip this one. However, the rate details don't match the offer's T&C's, so maybe this year's offer is actually good.

Rate details for one night on May 17, 2006:
T&C's:
But the non-refundable Internet rate without breakfast, tax, resort fee, service charges, or spa credit is $179. Refundable BAR is $189.

BAR $189 + 12% tax + $24 service/resort for 2 guests = $235.68. So you have to get at least $85 value out of the spa credit and breakfast. If the spa/golf credit is really $50 pppn, then this is good unless you had no plans to use the spa/golf or wouldn't use it enough to use the total credits from all nights.

What are the true rules of spa credits per person per night? Has anyone encountered a restriction in which a spa prohibits using the credits collectively for one spa visit or even all for one person? Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I wish these offers were a little more clear. I certainly wish that the rules were consistent within all the T&C's and reservation details.

Do single occupants get a $100 spa/golf credit? I'm sure that they don't get the second person's $12 service/resort credit back.

The continental buffet suits us, and that's what we get as a Plat benefit here since they dropped the Club Lounge late last summer. It's pretty decent: cold fruits, cereals, pastries, juices, coffee, cheeses, really good oatmeal, some cold meats, and more.

There are inaccuracies or confusing points in the T&C's in all their other current packages, too.

An interesting offer might be the Pirates of the Caribbean Getaway package. It offers a Pirates of the Caribbean II DVD, but that movie doesn't even show up in U.S. theaters until July. (During the past year, PotC 2 and 3 were filmed about 30 miles from the resort. I have some photos of the set, too.) So I assume that they're giving away the DVD for the first movie in the series.

I have previously seen some mistake rates at the Westin such as when they posted a $109 Sheraton rate on the Westin Special Offers page. It was supposed to have been $139, and it took a few weeks before they corrected it. It seems that they often create an offer at the neighboring Sheraton and then copy it to the Westin with the intent to change the rate (usually about $30 more) and the breakfast restaurant (from the Sheraton's Barracuda's to the Westin's Willy Broadleaf's).

FWIW, the Sheraton and Westin used to be the island's only Resorts that participated in Priceline. I'm not sure if that's still true today. If I didn't have status, I'd care. With status, I want and always get suite upgrades.

The hotel has a great SPG coordinator, and they seem to do a good job to pre-block upgrades. When we checked in on a Wednesday in October for our wedding, it was her day off, so the SPG elite line was not staffed properly. We had confirmed our upgrade in advance during our previous stay, though. In her absence, the front desk agent processed upgrades for all of our guests, too. ^ That was a surprise and treat that we didn't expect. I had been expecting to spend some points on upgrades for some of them.

There are various upgrade possibilities. We most prefer the oceanfront Lanai Suites. They are away from the main tower, but very convenient for the quietest pool. Large rooms, two full bathrooms, sofabed, and patio or porch. The doors between livingroom and bedroom are louvered, IIRC. Automatic minibar. No refrigerator, but you can rent one for $10/day. (They agreed to bring us one for no charge as a Plat.) The room on the end closest to the business center is a different configuration. I don't like it quite as much, and it only has one bathroom. However, it has a regular door between the LR and BR. (We prefer two full bathrooms since we frequent the island for scuba diving.)

We have also gotten an upgrade to an oceanview suite in the tower. Only one bathroom, but it also has a wetbar with sink, refrigerator, and I think a microwave. The living room has a normal door to the bedroom. All rooms in the tower have a balcony.

HSIA is now included in the mandatory resort fee of $4 per person. Mandatory service charge of $8 per person per night is negotiated between the hotel and the union.

The Westin has nicer rooms and is more elegant. The Sheraton is more geared to families, but it is an older building that I don't care for and few oceanview rooms due to the short height and many trees between the hotel and beach. The resort has a kids club for a fee (or included in some packages). It's based at the Sheraton, but like many of the facilities, the two hotels share this feature.

You can check in at either hotel's front desk; they share a common computer system. And the porters will deliver your bags to wherever they need to go.

When getting a towel at the pool, you are expected to exchange your towel card (provided at check-in) as a deposit. They'll also give you a wristband to wear while at the pool area.

Some of the restaurants at the hotel are the most expensive on the island but not necessarily the best on the island. We ate at Irie's and really enjoyed it, but we didn't care for Willy Broadleaf's buffet. (Other's have raved about it. We don't usually like buffets.) The prices at the chophouse are pretty steep, so we never ate there.

The Lucayan Marketplace across the street has a lot of restaurants, and I can strongly recommend a few. La Dolce Vita and Luciano's are our favorites for dinner.

For local fare a short drive away, we go to Simply Native, but our last couple lunches there were not as good as they used to be. Our local friends have expressed the same opinion.

There's an unfortunate aspect for those going in April - July: local lobster season ends March 31 and starts up again on August 1. You can still get it, but it may be previously frozen. The lobsters that we had in October were the best that we'd ever had! Going rate was around $19 in the Marketplace restaurants.

Wine selection in the Bahamas is broad, but a lot of it is European and is from wineries that are unfamiliar to us. On top of that, wine prices are a little high because of the import duty. So we take wine with us and pay corkage.

The Westin is on the Cash & Points list for Q3. The Sheraton is on the list for Q2 and Q3. Always check and recheck prices and promos, though. The prices have crept up as these hotels have become more popular, but I still expect lower rates during the hurricane season. So watch for more sales this summer if that's a risk you're willing to take.

The island was severely hit by hurricanes twice in 2004 and once in 2005. The 2005 hit by Wilma did not have a lasting impact on the resort and did no major damage. The 2004 hits closed the hotels for several months and completely shut down one of the older buildings. That building (Lighthouse Point) was under renovations in October 2005, but I haven't checked to see its latest news. Rumor was that it would become timeshare units.

Gold Rock Beach in the Lucayan National Park was severely damaged by hurricanes both years, but if you have a car, you may still want to visit it. Interesting nature hike to an often vacant or near-vacant beach. We got married on this beach.

Most visitors probably don't need or want a car, though, since most folks will spend the whole time at the resort or Marketplace. A taxi from the airport to the hotel is about $19 for the 15 - 20 minute drive. The hotels do not have a shuttle.

If you have more questions, let me know. I have lots of photos of the property and a few different rooms. And when we were there in August to plan our wedding weekend, I took photos of the menus from most of the restaurants in the hotel and in the Marketplace.

I highly recommend this Westin. We'll return in July.

sc flier

Since I now see that you're Gold, I'll add that my experience is based on Plat status. I'm not sure what their upgrade policy is for Gold. I would expect at least an upgrade to oceanview is likely, but I don't know whether they often upgrade Golds to tower suites or the Lanai Suites. You could call and ask the hotel directly; they have a toll free number from the U.S.

I don't think that any of the one-bedroom suites have two beds, though they all have a sofabed in the living room. There are a few multi-bedroom suites, too, for a price.

rhermoso

Does anyone have the email for this hotel? I am going next week and had a few questions regarding Gold member treatment.
Thanks

sc flier

http://www.ourlucaya.com/contactus.asp

Unless you really have to e-mail them, you could easily call them. They have a US toll free number, and their sales/marketing office is located in Florida. Area code 305 is in Florida. Area code 242 is an international call to the Bahamas.

I think that the only e-mail addresses I have for them is for a Florida sales agent that no longer works there and for one of their lead marketing guys in Florida who I met while there in November. You should probably call the hotel and ask for the SPG coordinator, though.

If you need any info that I could help you with, feel free to ask me. But first read my comments in the other "Westin Our Lucaya" thread that started today.

Edited to add:
I found what you might want:
[email protected]

L1011toHNL

My experience as a gold is that I got "upgraded" to an islandview room overlooking the roof of the loading area, directly above the VERY loud air conditioning units. No recognition whatsoever. It really did suck to see the great oceanview suite right across the hall. This was midsummer when the occupancy wasn't very high, too. Hopefully YMMV.

jjjohnnny2003

I am planning to stay at the Westin in April. Where can I book my excursions like snokeling, swimming with dolphins, etc.? and do i need to book it in advance or when i get there?


Thanks.

sbtinme

You will not find top drawer snorkeling on this island. There is some to be done, but based on my experiences (and significant expense), I'd really recommend that you not persue snorkeling here.

If you've been to GBI before, then you know that this is not an island brimming with dazzling entertainment or shopping options. This is a place to essentially go on vacation to get away from all the madness of everyday life. So, enjoy the resort options and have some drinks along the way. Take a nap, take a walk, get a massage, etc.

Go across the street and check out some of the bars and food options.

Outside of that, you're going to find things on GBI to be a little thin.

L1011toHNL

I would suggest that you check out UNEXSO in Port Lucaya, a short walk from the Westin. My wife and I spent so much time lounging in the infinity pool that we never got there! Of course, the Victoria's Secret swimsuit model shoot was taking place at the infinity pool, so I was quite well-occupied!

sc flier

UNEXSO is definitely the company to deal with for swimming with the dolphins. They are one of several companies for SCUBA. When we visit, we dive with Sunn Odyssey Divers -- a small, family-owned shop.

Best dining at the Port Lucaya Marketplace:
Luciano's (Italian. Fine Dining.)
La Dolce Vita (Italian)
Le Med (Mediterranean. Same owners as Luciano's.)

Irie's at the Westin was also good. Churchill's is so expensive that we've never bothered. We'd rather enjoy a good $19 lobster at Le Med than spend a fortune on a steak in the Bahamas.

Though a decent selection of wine is available there, we bring wine with us from the U.S. and pay corkage at the restaurants. Most alcohol is expensive in the Bahamas because of its high duty.

You can take a taxi from the airport to the hotel, but you might wish to rent a car one day to visit Gold Rock Beach at the Lucayan National Park. It's been hit hard by hurricanes the past couple years, but it's still a nice, secluded beach. Another alternative to driving out there yourself would be to take a tour with Grand Bahama Nature Tours. Best to go at low tide. (A tide table is available from Port Lucaya's website.)

Our best car rental experience in the airport was with Thrifty. We did not have a good rental experience with Hertz because they are a shuttle ride from the airport. They never came to pick us up, though they might have never gotten our reservation since we arrived in the days immediately following Hurricane Wilma. Phones and power were still out on most of the island. We also had a bad experience with one of the local car rental shops during one of our visits. We got a very tiny car with over 50K miles. When one of the tires blew out, we had a spare and jack, but no wrench. Drive on the left, though most cars are still left-hand drive.

There are fishing excursions, if that interests you. Bone fishing is popular at the eastern end of the island.

There are some snorkel trails on the west end of the island at Old Bahama Bay, but I've never been to them. And I'm not sure how well they survived last October's Hurricane Wilma. The West End took a very bad hit. (The Sheraton and Westin were almost unaffected by Wilma.)

At the resort, enjoy the beach, spa, and infinity pools.

Don't bother with the run down International Market. That, unfortunately, is the only attraction that most cruise passengers see. No wonder so many cruise passengers dislike the stop in Freeport.

But as much as I like going to Grand Bahama Island, there really isn't a wealth of options for activities outside of the resort other than those that I've already mentioned. But it's a relaxing place, the people are friendly, the flights from the U.S. are short, and the prices are less than many other similar islands.

waterproof

The location is beautiful. We stayed in a One Bedroom Lana'i Suite which was really nice.

AVIOD their steak house. Way over rated and expensive. The services was horrible and the food mediocre. They brought our apps out 10 minutes apart, my salad had a pen in it, they bussed our table when we left to smoke, and it took them 10 minutes to bring my girlfriend a steak knife which they originally forgot (and she had surf and turf). HUGE thumbs down to their "nicest restaurant".

The exact opposite: The restaurant across the street at Pelican Bay is very good. We had the tasting menu and it was excellent. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, we are getting married there next May (at the Westin) :O)
Like I said, it’s a beautiful location…

The hotel “wedding coordinators” are another story though… After many unreturned phone calls, and them giving away our date/location to another couple two weeks after they emailed us confirming it, we decided we had to hire a wedding planner in the Bahamas. She has been great so far.

AskTravis

Hi all -

Headed to this hotel for the first time in a few weeks, just wondering what the best way to and from the airport would be?

Any thoughts on 1) length of trip and 2) cost would be appreciated.

Thanks all, can't wait for a relaxing cash and points long weekend!

T.