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My husband and I have not vacationed in over 10 years. I choose this hotel simply based on a photograph from a flyer. I must say we were so totally impressed that we cannot wait to go back and stay at the same place again!
We stayed from March 21 thru March 28. The hotel lobby is so cool with the water taxi and all the shops. Everything we needed was all right there. The Terraza Restaurant on ground level was a great place for breakfast and lunch, pretty reasonably priced, too. I had read mixed reviews about this hotel and after I booked I was skeptical, however I cannot say how happy we were to stay there. The Brasserie restaurant on the second floor had excellent food, also. We had burgers one night and their buffet another night. Everything in the buffet was fresh and hot. The price for the dinner buffet was about $25.00 per person. They also had a breakfast buffet which we did try and that was $15.00 per person. Well worth the price. The private island was like a small paradise to us. The water was cool and refreshing and the flamingos were entertaining. I could do without the iguanas, however. I'm told they are extremely friendly. At happy hour you can get beer at a 2 for 1 price. The waitstaff at the island were so sweet. Miloushka was our server and I miss her. She had a smile all day long!
As far as the noise from the adjacent airport, yes, it was loud but I love jets and the sound is incredible. The noisiest days are Sat and Sun.
If you go out to eat anywhere on this island we suggest El Gaucho. We had the most awesome steaks we have ever eaten anywhere!!! I'm serious. My husband had the 16 oz and I had a 12 oz. There was absolutely NO FAT or gristle. And the flavor was to die for. Yes, it probably gets tons of publicity but it was worth going. The meals come with salad, steamed broccoli , roasted potatoes and corn on the cob. Priced $22.00 to $26.00 for our meals.
We did a 4 hour bus tour of the island with DePalm Tours. It cost us $75.00 for 2 tickets. We saw the Chapel, the natural bridge, the Cali
fornia lighthouse, the Fontein Caves, Baby Beach and an abanboned goldmine. The bus had A/C and I say it was worth the money. It was nice to get out of the hot sun and see some of the island.
This island is not very pretty, however the beaches are gorgeous and the people are sooooo friendly!! Even the security guards will say "good evening" to you when you walk past them. We never felt uncomfortable walking at night.
To sum it up we absolutely loved it here and will defininitely go back and stay at the Renaissance again. Other great places to eat: Iguana Joe's- get the Pink Iguana drink, yummy Que Pasa- Bohemian food, very good!! La Petit Cafe- try the Mahi-Mahi
Thanks to DL (Hudson, NH) for this trip report ...
April 2004
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