Overall impressions: this particular Iberostar resort was likely the crown jewel of the area 25+ years ago when it was built, but the late 1990’s this is no more, and the entire resort is sorely showing it’s age. Cracks and wear in virtually everything, and dated decor abound. That said, it’s still ran with a fairly tight hospitality/property management team and support staff. Housekeeping issues aside (see our washcloth adventure below), we had a nice stay. Food is… ok. Not remarkable. Buffet isn’t the greatest, though my teenager loved it. Formal dinner reservations are hit and miss (we liked the Japanese and French; the Steakhouse was “meh”). If you’re able, absolutely book an Oceanside room. All others pale in comparison.
8/14/22: they finally got our wash cloth issues settled on Day 4 of our 6 day stay. Better late than never - LOL!
8/12/22: came back to our room after a lunch and some time at the pool. Come to discover - ONCE AGAIN - housekeeping took our wash clothes and left us none. LMAO!!! Now I’m thinking they have a personal vendetta against us or something. Called Guest Services and asked for wash clothes. She asked how many people are in the room (I answered “three”). Let’s see if they actually bring us 3 wash clothes this time or if we’ll be sharing 1 again. Update: almost an hour later, and no wash clothes. Gentleman came to the door and said that they’re under the counter (they’re not), and when I pointed that out - he seemed confused. As he left, I stressed that I needed them NOW, as we have a family of 3 we need to get showered before evening activities. Still waiting…
House keeping - 8/11/22: waiting an hour for room service to deliver missing wash clothes and refill our body soap so we can make our dinner reservations (which you are charged a fee for if you miss them). I’ve called twice and no one comes. Why the daily housekeeping doesn’t leave wash clothes or check soap is a mystery. Walked down to the office (which takes 7-8 minutes), and they said they’d have it delivered immediately. The housekeeping service arrived at our room when I did… and brought *NO* body wash, 1 wash cloth, and a bunch of towels. 🤣 WTF
8/11/22: took the early morning hike to Monkey Paw “Mountain”. Fernando (guide) was just a delight, though be warned: this is a high level vigorous hike at sometimes 45 degree angle climbs, and takes almost 2 hours - ONE WAY. It’s grueling. Bring plenty of water (I ran out, my wife didn’t), and a power bar or some snacks. I burned about 2000 calories on this hike. It’s truly grueling. Views are nice. Someone in the hiking party had a Bluetooth speaker and kept playing pop songs - sort of ruined the nature moment. Not sure why they allow guests to blare music when the majority of the hiking party wanted to listen to the jungle and be surrounded by nature. Oh well… tipped Fernando 200 pesos for his excellent guide work. Wished I had more to give but left my money in the safe. Suggest you tip at least $10 USD, but I would have been more comfortable tipping $20 USD. YMMV… overall a nice hike, but grueling, unbearably hot/humid. Do not believe them when they say it’s a 45 minute hike one way. That’s wrong. More like 2 hours.
8/10/22: Japanese themed restaurant review: Just a fantastic experience - the staff was just lovely and the food excellent! XOXOXI. Yaret was just brilliant - she created a wonderful experience at the Japanese-themed restaurant. Alejandro was excellent at tending to drinks. It was just a lovely (and fun!) experience!