Jimmy K.
Yelp
We stayed here recently for a family trip and were pretty disappointed. We had the only kid in the group with us and were looking forward to the kid's club and water park. Unfortunately, the kid's club was closed and the water park is under construction. We did not know about the construction until we arrived. One entire building is currently closed for some much needed renovations. Which, had it been opened, the place would have been even more packed and restaurants impossible to get into.
Rooms -
The rooms were spacious. We had an ocean view room, which you could see as soon as you walked in. The bathroom had a rain shower, jetted tub and a window so you can see the ocean while showering. The beds were comfortable. There was a table with 2 chairs and a pull out couch. They had a crib available for our daughter. The balcony was nice with a couple chairs and table overlooking the main pool. Sound definitely travels, as we could hear our upstairs neighbors preparing for whatever marching band competition they have coming up. Our daughter's white noise machine helped with that.
Restaurants
There are a couple restaurants/bars closed currently due to construction. Zaffiro, Coco Loco, and the piano bar are closed.
La Plaza buffet - this was the best place for food and it was just ok. We ate here every day for breakfast. They had an omelet station, a station for huevos rancheros and chilaquiles, as well as fruit, eggs, bacon, etc. They had pizza, sushi, hot dogs and hamburgers for lunch. Pastas, pizzas, fish and more options for dinner
Coffee house - we enjoyed this place every morning for coffee.
El Cortez - we tried to get in for dinner on Monday night as a couple of the other restaurants were closed. It was an hour wait at 6:30 so we went to Dozo. We ended up trying this place for lunch with a smaller party. The fish tacos were good. The shrimp cocktail was tasty. A couple people ordered the fried fish. Just a heads up, they were expecting breaded fish that was fried, however when it arrived, it was a fish with the head, tail and fins still on.
Poke place - close to the pool, this place had great blended juices drinks and excellent ceviche. The tuna poke was fantastic as well.
Taco truck - pool side taco truck. This place and the ceviche place are the only pool side food options they have in the main pool area. The tacos are just ok. They didn't have much flavor and it was a long wait (20+min) for the line and to get your tacos. Several people were ordering through the pool side waiters so you didn't have to wait.
Hacienda Baja Grill - steak house. We tried multiple times to eat here and finally went through our concierge to "hold" a table for us right when the restaurant opened. The seating system is not very organized. They will not seat incomplete parties, which I understand, but we were told they don't have a waiting list either. We got there at 6:30, about an hour after it opened and we were told to come back in an hour and a half. With our daughter, this didn't work for us, so we tried a different place for dinner.
El Molino -Mexican restaurant. After our debacle at the steak place, we were able to get a table here. The chips and salsa were tasty. The mole enchiladas were fantastic. The green enchiladas were flavorful. Our daughter enjoyed her quesadilla. The service was great.
Dozo - we were able to get our big party in after we couldn't get in at El Cortez. We had to break up the tables, which we thought would speed things along. However, this was the slowest restaurant of the trip. Over an hour and a half for our party of 4. The party of 5 waited over 2 hours. The sushi was great. The edamame was tasty. My steak was disappointing. I cut over 1/3 of it off because of the fat. Unfortunately, we were not able to get a hibachi table on our trip. We tried multiple times and tried to use our concierge without success.
Spirit of 1968 - We went to the sports bar a couple times for a drink before dinner and to watch the NBA finals. The pool tables are nice. The staff is friendly, but they dropped the ball not having food there. Wings, nachos, hot dogs, literally any food would make the place better. No kids after 10 which wasn't an issue for us.
We were pretty disappointed about the food overall. Especially the lack of options around the pool. No nachos, fries, hot dogs, burgers to keep people at their coveted pool chairs. We saw several people ordering room service then bringing their club sandwich and pizzas down to the pool.
Overall, we would not recommend this place and we would not stay here again. Perhaps once the construction is finished it will be improved. Or if you went with a small group without kids, this is an ok resort. The all-inclusive resort we stayed at last year was in a better location, cheaper, had access to other resorts, and wasn't under construction.