By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.  Downtown Puerto Vallarta Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta Overview Pros- Spectacular ocean views, private beach, suites with outdoor jacuzzi, outdoor dining, complimentary room service, strong drink selection, large selection of activities, huge selection of pools, swim up bar Cons- Inconsistent service, tasteless and bland Mexican food, pricey rooms and suites, expensive transportation and spa options, high humidity, poor elite recognition Booking We travelled to Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta in March 2020 about one week before most of the world shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic. We didn't know it at the time but it was our last trip for about a year and a half until vaccines were widely available. In February 2020 we booked a Garden King for $350 per night. We chose the Hyatt Ziva because it was an all-inclusive and we were looking for an escape to warm weather and relaxation after a few stressful months. The AAA rate ended up being the same as the member rate and the member rate was less than the promotion rate so we just booked the member rate. We also decided not to book a private transfer since it was just the two of us and it would have cost $125 for two people. Eight days before our arrival I received a pre-arrival upgrade offer with various options to request an upgrade to a room at a reduced price. The options ranged from $59-$83 but did not include an offer a suite or junior suite. This meant that is I accepted any of these offers I would be accepting something I was already entitled too as a Hyatt elite member so we passed. I was really looking forward to this experience since I had a great stay for the bachelor party at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun though this ended up not being as solid of a stay as the Hyatt Zilara Cancun because of the difference in the quality of the food.  Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta Entrance Sign Check In We arrived at the resort via Uber and when we pulled up to the resort, we were required to give our names to the guard who cross checked our name on the guest list and then asked for the name of the driver and her license. This definitely added to the sense of the privacy at the resort since not only were we behind a gate but the resort was locked in a private cove with a private beach.  Lobby When we got out of the car, I gave my name to the bellhop who matched it to his list and sent us to check in at the Hyatt elite status desk. This is the desk used for all Hyatt elite levels and was less grand than the separate area at the Zilara Cancun. One of the benefits given in Cancun was a welcome toast, however, we were not offered a beverage at check-in here. We were given the full list of amenities for elites which included access to the club lounge, a preferred room within type booked, a 10% discount on room upgrade to another room, 10% discount on tours, 10% discount on upgraded wines and lobster. As part of the check-in process we were given the opportunity to upgrade from our base level Garden View room to a Jacuzzi Suite for an additional $90 a night versus the normal cost of an additional $150 or to upgrade to a swim up suite for an additional $120 a night. We decided to go with the Jacuzzi Suite because we heard bad reviews about the rooms in the old building. We wanted and ended up appreciating the privacy of the Jacuzzi Suite over the exposure of the swim up suite. We ended up finding this to a be a good decision since the “garden view” rooms were essentially rooms with views of the parking lot. We ended up getting a lot of use out of our jacuzzi and enjoyed the amazing views from our room on the 17th floor. I also really appreciated that Hyatt recognizes even low-level elite as the resort sent us a bottle of sparkling wine for just being a Discoverist elite. Though this palled in comparison to the bottle of sparkling wine we received during my trip to Cancun. However, I was disappointed because in Cancun the worst room is still a junior suite and all have ocean views so there would be no need for the upgrade. Since we upgraded our room wasn’t ready yet but we were told to come back in about an hour. They held our bags at check-in instead of bringing them to the room and also it was weird that they did not allow us to check in at the other towers check-in desks since were now in the new tower. Club Ocean Front Hot Tub King Our upgraded room (1755) was in the newer club tower on the top floor.  Old Tower  New Club Tower When we walked off of the elevator we were already impressed by the amazing view. The hallways have windows which were left open during our entire stay to let in the cool breeze and right off the elevators give access to the spectacular view which I heard one guest describe as a postcard. These views continued in our room as were one of the best features of the room. We were treated to amazing sunsets every day and on our last morning an amazing sunrise since the other mornings were cloudy.  Hallway in New Tower The suite was really large and had a big flatscreen TV, we never used, a separate sitting area with a couch and table with two chairs. The suite itself had amazing decor and was in good condition. It had lots of wood paneling and a circular curved ceiling with a fan. While the room had air conditioning (AC), the ceiling fan proved critical for the very humid nights when humidity reached 96%. Even when we turned on the AC the humidity was still unbearable and we had to turn on the fan. The bathroom was also very nice with marble countertops a closet and four shelves one of which had a safe. The bathroom also had sliding doors. In additional it also had a separate toilet room for privacy which I really appreciated. The room also had two snacks in a drawer which looked really sad and we did not touch. The shower was also really nice and had both a handheld and rainforest shower head. The water pressure was very good. Though I think the Kenneth MD (Zilara/Ziva shower amenities) were only average when compared to other hotels.  Shower The really amazing part of the room was the jacuzzi, which we used three times and found well worth the upgrade. It was on the balcony along with another table and set of wooden chairs. The hot tub was definitely only big enough to only fit two people. It filled up with turn dials and we found it easy to use as it had a button to turn on jets. The only issue we had with it was that on the day we were checking out we woke up and found that it was leaking water through the faucet and seemed to have been leaking for hours. It was amazing to be able to view the sunset from our deck and get warm when it got chilly late at night. Amenities and Activities Beach and Pools The resort is located directly on a private beach and offered stunning views. During our time there we jogged along the beach and swam on one occasion. However, the water was still a little too cold in March to enjoy the ocean. Because of the cold water most of the other guests also swam in the pools over the ocean. The biggest frustration of the beach and our stay were the beach vendors. Every day that we went to the beach there were vendors bothering us and trying to hawk items. I was really surprised that the vendors weren't kicked off of the beach since it was a private beach and security knew each person staying at the resort. The hotel also featured four infinity pools, a kid-friendly pool, and a swim up bar. We enjoyed these multiple times a day and they were refreshing because of the very humid climate in Puerto Vallarta. I once again loved the swim up bar and I think it may be my favorite amenity at all-inclusive resorts. During our stay the pools were full of people during the middle of the day but quieter in the early morning. The pool also offered stunning ocean views. Gym, Salon, and Spa The resort also had a gym, salon, and spa. We used the gym once during our stay and we were the only people there. It had a wide variety of equipment including ellipticals, treadmills, and weights. We didn't try the gym or the salon but the wide variety of offerings seemed expensive relative to the lower cost of living in Mexico. Resort Activities The resort offered a wide variety of beach and water activities during the day and at least one activity each night. The beach activities included beach volleyball and kayaking. Though we ended up wanting to relax and didn't try any of these beach and ocean activities.  Activities Center During our stay other activities included a movie night, dance party, and multiple shows. The fun part about the movie night was that it was set up with a projector on the beach. When we walked by no one was watching the movie but if we had a young child with us, I think this would have been a fun activity
One night the show featured fire and on another night, it featured acrobats by the pool. Both of these shows were packed with people and entertaining.
Visiting Downtown Puerto Vallarta Because we were staying at an all-inclusive and looking for a relaxing vacation we only ventured out once to Puerto Vallarta. My overall impression of the city is that it was a sleepy beach town with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and expats. As is often the case on our trips I was saddened by the significant development downtown and in the tourist areas, contrasted with the poor conditions on the outskirts of town where I assume many of the workers live. Dining During our stay the resort had vast array of dining options including five restaurants, a coffee shop, sports bar, club lounge, and room service. Blaze (American and Mexican) This was the resort's seafood restaurant where we went for lunch on first day and later for breakfast. It had a blend of Mexican and American seafood and I found the food wholly unimpressive. When we got there the first day Christina ordered a fish taco and while the fish was good the tortilla wasn’t tasty and they automatically served it on a flour tortilla instead of a corn one without asking. She had to ask afterwards specifically for corn which came back and tasted much better. I ordered the steak tacos but they were boring and flavorless. Everything at this restaurant felt like it was made blander for the American pallet to be non-offensive to any American or Canadian pallet since there were many Canadian tourists. Also, the service here was terrible. When we sat down, we were asked if we wanted anything to drink before we even had a chance to look at the menu. I asked for more time and that server never came back and instead another server came by our table. The same bland food and terrible service continued as breakfast which showed this restaurant continually delivered bad food and service. I ordered the Huevos y Asada and found it again to be very bland. Christina ordered some Mexican breads and was given three croissants and a turnover once again showing how they served inauthentic and bland version of Mexican food. The best part of the breakfast was the drinks including the Mexican hot chocolate and fresh juice which were really good and I found that to be a theme throughout the resort. The drinks were consistently really good while the food was generally bad or bland. The only other positive about this restaurant was its ocean views. Casa Grande (Mexican) This was the resort’s flagship Mexican restaurant. It was really large with a bar and then a big dining area at the back with a stage at the center. The restaurant had a lot of decorations and a thatched roof. Inside the room were Spanish clay tiles. Christina found the decorations to be over the top and tacky. In general, we found the Mexican food we ordered to be average and again bland. Also, we found the service to be average at best. Though once again we did really like our drinks which this time were margaritas. Melanzane (Italian) We visited this restaurant one day for lunch. The restaurant is right next to the main pool and open for lunch and dinner serving Italian food. It offered a range of pizza and pasta for lunch. We ended up sharing a margherita pizza which was really good. It was served warm, fresh, with a thin crust, and had flavor. It was funny that the Italian food was better than the Mexican food at this Mexican resort. Vivaz (Buffet) This was the busiest restaurant on the property and served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We found that this restaurant consistently offered above average food and better service than everywhere other than Puerza. Even though it was a buffet the servers offered to retrieve drinks and food for guests and constantly checked if anything else was needed. Pureza (Asian) We found this restaurant which is only open for dinner to be the most impressive. It is located next to Kids Club on the opposite end of the beach from Blaze. The setting is very sophisticated with no walls and a thatched roof and wood floors which allowed us to feel the great ocean breeze and hear the ocean. The service here was excellent with our server having indulged us by asking every question in Spanish and correcting us if we got any words wrong. He also checked back in with us several times when our dishes took longer than he expected. The food here was also really good and we felt that they were delivering authentic Asian cuisine. I really liked the Satay and it tasted as good as the one we had in Singapore. My beef ribs were also amazing and cooked to perfection so they fell off of the bone. This was the best dish I had during the entire trip. Christina's Pad Thai was also good but made with tomato sauce which is not typical for Pad Thai. We finally finished off with fried ice cream which was really good. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner here. Deli (Coffee Shop) This was a good spot for warm drinks at the resort and we constantly found the staff to be friendly. Also continuing the theme at this resort, the drinks were good. It also offered a variety of pastries focused on breads and cakes. The cakes I had I found bland but the bread particularly the chocolate bread was consistently good. The biggest disappointment here was that it did not offer ice cream which was one of my favorite deserts at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun. We were told by other guests that the Deli used to offer ice cream so I am not sure what happened. Hyghlightz (Sports Bar) This is the resort's sports bar and we stopped in briefly to check it out. It offered what you would expect from a sports bar. Beer on tap and lots of televisions with sports on every television.
Room Service The resort offered 24/7 room service and one afternoon we ordered room service for lunch. The order took about 30 minutes to arrive. I ordered a burger with bacon and found the taste to be bland and not flavorful. However, I was annoyed that after it arrived, we got a call to ask how long it took. There has to a better way to make sure they are evaluating how fast their service is without disturbing guests eating. Club Lounge At check-in we were told that with our room in the club tower we had access to a club lounge with additional food offerings and a separate bar. Since this was an all-inclusive, I was curious what would be offered at this club lounge and it was very underwhelming. It was located on the first floor of the new tower and included a very small additional buffet selection. Service The service here can only be described as remarkably inconsistent. In some instances, the staff were friendly and went out of their way to provide good service. However, in other instances the service was slow and not friendly. It felt staff were just going through the motions. One example of the slow service was at the pool bars. The resorts had multiple pool bars but the servers were slow and not friendly. Often, we had to go to the bar to put in or check- in on our orders which should be unnecessary. I would say the service at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun blew this service out of the water. It is amazing even through both are Hyatt all-inclusive and owned by the same hotel operator Playa Hotels & Resorts. Take Away Overall, I enjoyed our very relaxing stay at the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta. My biggest disappointment was the food which generally did not live up to the quality I experienced at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun. This was hard since the food is one of the most important components of an all-inclusive resort. However, the resort did make up for this with a strong drink selection, stunning ocean views, a jacuzzi on the balcony of our suite, a large selection of activities, and a huge number of pools. I don't think we would come back to Puerto Vallarta because I don't think there are enough activities outside of the resorts. However, if I came back to Puerto Vallarta, I would probably choose to stay at a non-all-inclusive so I could experience good Mexican cuisine.
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By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
California Dreaming with Dad Trip Report
California Dreaming with Dad Overview Delta 757 DCA-LAX Economy Class Review Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel Review Exploring California's Central Coast Exploring Los Angeles Delta 757 LAX-DCA Economy Class Review
Exploring California's Central Coast Overview
Across both of our stays the Renaissance Los Angeles Hotel stood out as a very good airport hotel. The elite recognition was excellent, the club lounge was solid, and the buffet breakfast stood out for a U.S. hotel. Pros- Excellent elite recognition, solid club lounge, stand out breakfast buffet for a U.S. hotel, free airport shuttle with tracking, airport adjacent location, pool and gym, and friendly service Cons- Poor sound proofing, uncomfortable sofa bed, and no in-room microwave
We stayed at the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel before our train ride to the Central Coast of California and before our return flights to Washington DCA. For purposes of this review I will included details from both stays. As the name may infer the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel is an airport hotel within a three-minute drive from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The location is amazing for an off-site airport hotel. About the only way the hotel could be closer is if it was attached to the LAX terminal.
Arrival and Check In
Arriving at LAX was a hot mess with construction happening everywhere in the terminal. Our bags were delivered within five minutes by Delta and we were on our way to find the hotel shuttle. 
Hotel Shuttle
One of the best amenities of the hotel is that it offers a free shuttle. Moreover, the hotel offers the ability to track the location of shuttles via a map on the Marriott app. This was a standout feature that I hadn't seen at any other hotel. When we used the shuttle, it seemed to never take more than 5 minutes to arrive but it could take up to 10 minutes to get to the hotel because of the traffic and poor design of LAX.
Hotel Shuttle Tracker
At check-in we were greeted by a very friendly check-in agent. She recognized Christina's elite status and offered her the choice of a $10 dining credit or 1000 points. We were only going to have the chance to have breakfast at the hotel so we chose the points. In addition, on the weekend, when the lounge isn't open, the hotel offers elites vouchers for complimentary breakfast. During our first stay the agent apologized that there were no upgrades available. However, during our second stay we were upgraded to a One Bedroom Executive Suite and allowed to check-in early at 10 am. During both stays I thought the hotel had excellent elite recognition.
Check-In Counter
Something I appreciated about this hotel was that it had some character including interesting artwork throughout the lobby. Another example of this was a live performance by a signer at the lobby bar during check-in on our first day. Both of these are things you typically don't see at an airport hotel.
Lobby Artwork
Club Queen Room and One Bedroom Executive Suite
During our first stay, we stayed in a Queen Room with access to the hotel's club lounge. The room had two queen beds, a tv, desk, and tub in the bathroom. The beds were soft and comfortable. However, the standout feature of the room were the views of the LAX runways. We ended up having clear views of takeoffs and landings at the airport which I found fun. The standout feature though had a big draw. Throughout the night we could hear the noise from the planes taking off and landing because the room had poor sound proofing. This is result of poor planning since you would think an airport hotel would have good sound proofing. 
Queen Beds
During our second stay, we stayed in an upgraded one bedroom executive suite. The suite had one king bed and a sofa bed. Just like the first room it also features great runway views.
King Bed
The sofa bed was not comfortable and I would have preferred to keep the two queen beds instead of the suite upgrade.
Sofa Bed
The suite also had a desk, tv, tub, and a mini-fridge. One odd aspect of the suite was that it had no microwave. I was disappointed that the suites in the hotel didn't have a microwave and we were informed that there was just one shared microwave for hotel guests.
Amenities
The hotel offered an outdoor pool and a gym which we did not use but stopped by to check out during our stay. The pool was small and shallow but I was impressed that they offered one at all at an airport hotel. The gym was large and well equipped.
Dining
During our first stay, we had a chance to check out the breakfast buffet before our morning train ride to Santa Barbara. The breakfast buffet was impressive and the best breakfast buffet I had seen at a hotel within the United States.
The buffet offered a wide variety of cold food options including fruit (melons, strawberries, bananas), yogurt, cold cuts, lox with cream cheese, bagels, and muffins. It also included hot food options including scrambled eggs, french toast, sausages, potatoes, and bacon. The stand out option though was the fresh omelet station. The omelet options included mozzarella, tomatoes, onions, and ham.
Cold Food Options
The buffet also offers a variety of drinks including orange juice, hot chocolate, coffee, and smoothies. I liked the orange juice, was disappointed with the hot chocolate, which was too milky and didn't include enough chocolate. Christina really liked the coffee and enjoyed the guava and mango smoothie.
Omlet Station
During our second stay, the club lounge was open so we had breakfast and dinner at the club lounge. The breakfast offerings were average and included powered scrambled eggs, potatoes, sauce, bagels, and a variety of fruit. I tried the eggs which I thought were okay and some fruit which I thought was good. Christina also enjoyed the fruit along with the sausage. Overall, this was a let down from the very good breakfast buffet but was better than other complimentary breakfasts I had within the U.S.
The area where the lounge excelled was with the evening hors d'oeuvres which were substantial enough to substitute for dinner. The first night featured chicken and gravy while second night featured penne pasta with turkey meatballs. I thought the penne pasta and turkey meatballs dish was so good that I got seconds.
Evening d'oeuvres
The lounge also featured great plane spotting which we enjoyed during every visit. Overall, I thought the lounge experience especially in the evening was solid.
Service
The service at this hotel was solid. I liked the staff and thought all of the staff were helpful and friendly. During our first day I appreciated that the staff recognized Christina's status, explained all of the elite benefit options and seemed genuinely disappointed to not be able to upgrade us. The biggest area of improvement for service would be to improve the speed responding to requests. During our second stay, two of us had to sleep on the sofa bed, but there weren't extra sheets or pillows in the room. We called and asked for pillows and blankets. While the staff did bring them the delivery took a long time. It would have been good for the staff to respond faster or proactively bring extra pillow and blankets since there were four people on the reservation.
Take Away
My expectations for an airport hotel are typically low. However, the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel really stood out. The hotel offered many things which are not typical of an airport hotel including an excellent breakfast buffet, interesting artwork, and a pool. This all came in addition to the great elite recognition, very close airport location, free airport shuttle, solid club lounge, and friendly staff. While there were areas for improvement including better sound proofing and quicker service this was a very good airport hotel. If you find yourself in need of a hotel near LAX I would definitely recommend the Renaissance Los Angeles Airport Hotel. By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Hotel Overview
During our short stay the hotel's amenities, dining, butler, and concierge services exceeded our expectations and showed us why this is a luxury hotel. Pros- Two Private Pools, Private Beach, Amazing Butler Service, Great Sea Views, Helpful Concierge, Great Honeymoon Recognition, Unique Breakfast Options Cons- Poor Check-In, Limited Elite Recognition, Insufficient USB Plugs, Uncomfortable Bed First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review 
St. Regis Abu Dhabi
Location
The St. Regis Abu Dhabi has a prime location on The Corniche, which is a strip of beach front property with restaurants, walking, and biking paths located in the heart of Abu Dhabi. The hotel is very large occupying two towers, with approximately 50 floors, and a presidential suite which connects the two towers. 
St. Regis Abu Dhabi Location
Arrival and Check In
Our stay at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi was short. We only stayed two nights arrived in late afternoon on the first day of our stay and left in the early morning on the third day. To get to the hotel we took a private car from Al Maha to the St. Regis Abu Dhabi which was about a two hour uneventful drive. When we pulled up to the hotel, I was impressed by the size of the two skyscrapers which the hotel occupied. The guest rooms of the hotel are located on floors 33-49 while the check-in, dining, and amenities are on or accessible via the ground floor through floor 3. When we walked into the lobby of the hotel we were blown away by the glitz and glam. At the center of the lobby was a marble staircase with multiple chandeliers. Below the staircase was a huge painting which served as the focal point of the room. Later on, our butler let us know that the designers of the hotel intended this to mimic the staircase on the Titanic. The hotel also added a grand piano below the stairs to continue the Titanic theme. This kind of glitz and attempt to emulate historic elements of the world is something we would see a lot of in Abu Dhabi. 
Prior to our arrival, we were upgraded to a Superior Sea View Room even though all of the suite types were still available on the website. Since were weren't upgraded in advance we wondered if we would get a suite upgrade during check-in. At check-in the agent made it seem like a big deal that we got a Superior Sea View Room. Even though as a Marriott Platinum Elite Christina should have received an upgrade to one of the numerous suites still available. We were even more disappointed since this was our honeymoon. The agent said that since it was our first time at St. Regis Abu Dhabi she would only upgrade us to better room not a suite. Also, she never mentioned the Platinum welcome amenity or thanked Christina for her loyalty as a Platinum elite. It was also a strange check-in process since she spent the entire time talking about the Philippines and did not walk us through any of the hotel’s amenities. At check-out we asked about the elite welcome amenity. The agent did not apologize for not offering a choice at check-in and said the options were points or breakfast. We were really disappointed by the poor check-in process and elite recognition at this hotel.
Superior Sea View Room
When the check-in process was done our bags were whisked away and showed up at our room minutes later. Upon entering the room, we were greeted by a dove towel, real flower petals, chocolate treats, and a bottle of red wine which was a nice touch by the butler team in celebration of our honeymoon. 
Honeymoon Welcome Amenities
The room was a larger than the standard size room with a TV, couch, desk and closet. The room also had a king size bed. The bed was not very comfortable and the pillows were way too flat.
King Bed
The room was decked out in marble and at the center of the room was a crystal chandelier. The chandelier had a very nice design and the same level of glitz found throughout the hotel.
Chandelier
A big downside of the room was that it had only one USB plug and no universal plugs which meant we needed to use our converters.
Sea View
The highlights of the room were the sea view and the bathroom. From the room you could see one of the pools, The Corniche Beach, and the Persian Gulf.
Tub
The bathroom was large for a non-suite room. It featured two vanities and sinks along with a shower a separate toilet, and a tub. A unique feature of the bathroom was the TV built into the mirror. This was the first time I had ever seen this and added to the luxurious feeling of the hotel.
Double Vanity with TV
Amenities
One of the amazing things about this hotel was the availability of resort amenities in the middle of a major city. The hotel had two pools one below the towers and another across the street next to the resort's private beach and accessible through an underground passageway. The hotel also had a direct connection to the mall. 
Private Pool and Beach
In the private beach area, there were three restaurants two of which were owned by the hotel and one Cuban restaurant that was under renovation. This area also had a kids club, a gym, and a swim up bar accessible via the pool.
One thing we did notice on our walk over to the private beach area was a bar and nightclub that was closed due to Ramadan. I appreciated that the hotel let us you know about the Ramadan rules with a guide of do's and don'ts including no dancing or singing in public. 
Hotel Ramadan Guide
Our butler invited us to sabering in the St Regis Bar which was offered by invitation only, unlike at the St. Regis Maldives, and was behind a curtain for Ramadan. Our butler let us know that normally the sabering would take place in the lobby with the grand piano playing Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go on. The sabering at this hotel was done by a woman which was nice to see. She asked us if we had ever seen sabering and when we said we saw it at the St. Regis Maldives she said, "I bet it wasn't done by a woman". She then walked us through the history of the sabering tradition this time focusing on Mrs. Astor and her desire to have a party for 400 people and sabering to welcome the guests. Once the sabering was done we were offered champagne and provided light snacks.
St. Regis Bar
Dining
Because of our short stay and early flight the morning of our checkout we only got to have one meal at the hotel which was breakfast on our second day. The breakfast at the hotel was primarily buffet with a small made to order menu with items such as an Eggs Benedict. One of the great things about this breakfast buffet was the unique breakfast items. For example, there was a poached pear with hint of cinnamon and apple sauce. Also, there was veal bacon which was salty and not good.
Another unique item was the green apple juice. It wasn't as sweet as red apple juice and I think I prefer red apple juice.
Breakfast Buffett Juices
This was a really good breakfast with a wide selection and unique items.
Service
Prior to our arrival, we reached out to the concierge staff for suggestions of activities in Abu Dhabi and the cost of transportation. The concierge staff provided us with numerous suggestions for Abu Dhabi including the prices and offered the hotel’s vehicles for transportation. We decided to go with the transportation to hotel arraigned by Al Maha and take the Uber to the airport because of the high-prices offered by the concierge staff at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi. When we got to the hotel, we took full advantage of the concierge staff again to map out our only full day in Abu Dhabi and the person who helped us was amazing. He knew all of the sights of Abu Dhabi and was able to quickly get us a reservation at the Mosque and at afternoon tea at Emirates Palace. He also saw us when we returned to the hotel for the night and remembered that he had helped us and our itinerary for the day which was quite impressive. Our butler service was just as impressive. He and his colleagues made us really feel welcome with the honeymoon welcome amenities and decorations. Shortly after our arrival he came by to and welcome us to the hotel. He gave us a rundown of his services including complimentary coffee/tea and free pressing of two items per day then set us up with the sabering reservation. Later on, he saw us in the elevator and we let him know we were walking around the hotel and he said he would show us around. He spent 20 minutes showing us all the amenities of the hotel including going outside in the heat to the private beach in his multi-piece suit. Finally, he left us a parting gift of food. In general I am still not sold on the benefit of having butler service but I liked the service much better at the St. Regis Abu Dhabi then at the St. Regis Maldives. I think this was driven by the fact that we had other options outside of the hotel and didn't have to rely on the butler for all of our planning and meal reservations.
Take Away
The St. Regis Abu Dhabi did so much to make this stay feel luxurious. This included the extensive marble and chandeliers, wide array of amenities for an urban hotel, and the outstanding service by the concierge and butler staff. While the check-in and limited elite recognition were frustrating, I would still consider staying at The St. Regis Abu Dhabi on a future stay in Abu Dhabi when I would hopefully have more time to explore the amenities and dining. By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Hotel Overview
This resort offered five-star activities, seclusion, and Michelin star quality food all in an all-inclusive setting. Pros- All-Inclusive, Wide Variety of Activities, Secluded Setting, Large Private Suite, Large and Comfortable Bed, Amazing Desert Views, Private Plunge Pool, Good Honeymoon Recognition, Michelin Restaurant Quality Food and Drinks Cons- Aging Property, Insufficient Plugs, Smelly Bathroom Amenities, Slow Service First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review
Location
One thing I should make clear at the start is the seclusion of Al Maha resort. While no seaplane ride was required, unlike The St. Regis Maldives, this resort was about an hour from the city of Dubai and about two hours from the city of Abu Dhabi. The resort is located is in the emirate of Dubai located within the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. Because of this location when you are staying at the resort you are more likely to see a gazelle than a vehicle and it is far different than the glitz of the city of Dubai. During our stay our guide informed us that the resort was originally a getaway for the Emirati royal family and friends and is located in this area because Al Maha has access to fresh water. 
Al Maha Location
Arrival and Check In
We emailed the resort in advance to request transportation from the Abu Dhabi airport to the resort. After reviewing the prices and confirming that we wanted to book the ride five days passed and we never heard back. We ended up calling and we were asked to send a new request. Eventually the resort confirmed our reservation for a driver prior to our departure for our honeymoon. 
Private Car to the Resort
Upon arrival at the airport in Abu Dhabi we were greeted by a driver who took us on the drive in a very comfortable Infiniti sedan. Once we left the emirate of Abu Dhabi we took a right heading on a highway to the desert. It was very eerie driving through the desert at night and all we could see were a few gazelle on the horizon. Once we made it to the desert we drove on a dirt road for about 10 minutes before reaching the sign for the Al Maha Reserve. Then we saw another sign for the Al Maha Research Center and passing that sign we arrived at the resort.
Al Maha Entrance
Once we arrived at the resort we went into the beautiful lobby and were greeted by the front desk attendant. She acknowledged Christina’s elite status, though called it Titanium instead of Platinum, and acknowledged it was our honeymoon. She then greeted us with a very yummy welcome drink and gave us the keys to our room.
Bedouin Suite
Al Maha is an all-suite property with each suite located in its own private villa. We stayed in Suite #14 which was a one bedroom suite but the resort has one, two, and three bedroom suites available. The suites are stunning architecturally meant to mimic a Bedouin style tent in the middle of the desert. While the property was very spread out our suite had a great location not too far from the lobby but still private. 
Suite #14
When we entered the suite there was a fruit welcome amenity and a bottle of sparkling champagne from Australia which contained no note but I assumed was in recognition of our honeymoon.
Welcome Amenity
This suite was huge and we suspect it was even bigger than our beachfront villa in The Maldives. At the entrance was a hallway containing multiple complimentary bottles of water and a Kureig coffee machine. The bottles of water were very useful since the super dry desert air constantly made us thirsty. In the hallway was also a mini-fridge containing beverages for sale. We didn't consume any since all of the beverages at the restaurant and through room service were complimentary.
At the center of the suite was a huge bed which I think was a California King size. The bed was very soft but pillows could have bee n thicker and comfier. In front of the bed were two chaise chairs and we loved relaxing and reading on these chairs. The ceiling of the suite was draped in a tent which really executed on the theme. The furniture was also on theme but really could use an update.
Suite Bedroom
On the opposite end of the bedroom from the bed was a desk which looked out onto the beautiful desert views. The sunrise views in particular from our suite were amazing. On the desk were a pair of binoculars to help spot the wildlife from the suite though most of the time the wildlife could be spotted with the naked eye.
Suite Desk
There was also an easel with paint for our use, the first time I have seen one in a hotel room, though ended up not painting during our stay.
Easel
One negative thing we noticed about the resort throughout our stay was just how much of the property was aging and needed a refresh. For example, our key was not an electronic key but a manual key. Also, the room had nowhere near enough plugs for our electronics.
 Suite #14 Key
The bathroom was huge and had a soaking bathtub and shower. I was shocked how great the water pressure was in the bathroom given that we were in the middle of the desert.
Suite Bathroom
The biggest downside of the bathroom were the bath amenities including the body wash from Chemin. We really didn't like the smell of the body wash but I did like the lotion.
Suite Shower
The highlight of the suite was the private plunge pool overlooking the desert. When we were in our suite during the daytime we spent the majority of our time in or near the pool. It was amazing sitting by the pool listening to our music and watching the wildlife. The pool was cold in the mornings and evenings but refreshing mid-day. One of the great things about the design of the pool is that the resort did a great job keeping it cool with the tent and the shrubs which provided some shade. Next to the pool was a pool deck which had two lounging chairs. As we sat on the balcony it was fun but then we started getting attacked by wasps and headed inside. The frustrating thing about the pool was that their were a lot of bugs and because of the wind we often smelled the poop from the wildlife in the Reserve. One area of improvement for the resort would be more frequent cleanings of the pool which often got debris from the desert or bugs.
View from Villa Pool
The suite was very private and when we were inside the villa or in the villa pool we couldn't see anyone else. Our most frequent companions were the wildlife including gazelles and oryx that roamed the Reserve. I was surprised by how close the wildlife got to us. There were a ton of birds that regularly came to our villa’s pool to drink.
Gazelle
Activities and Amenities
Al Maha only had a limited number of amenities but offered an extensive array of activities most of which were included in the cost of the room. In term of amenities Al Maha offered a spa, fitness center, and pool all located in the same area of the resort. We ended up not using the fitness center and opted not to get a massage at the spa because of the expensive prices. However, we did try out the outdoor pool which was right next to the spa. This was a really nice pool that was really well taken care of. The pool had the perfect temperature, many chairs and umbrellas, cold drinking water, and pool towels. It was also very private and we saw no other guests in the pool during our stay. I assume this is because each villa comes with a private plunge pool so many guests didn't feel the need to use the pool. We used it several times during the stay though because it was bigger, had a better temperature, and was cleaner than our plunge pool. I would strongly recommend checking out this pool during your stay. 
Resort Pool
During our stay the resort offered nine activities seven of which were in the cost of the resort stay. The activities included: 1) Falconry, 2) Nature Walk, 3) Ghaf Tree Walk, 4) Wild Life Drive, 5) Camel Trek, 6) Sundowner, 7) Archery, 8) Horse Riding, and 9) Desert Drive. We decided to participate in the falconry, wild life drive, camel trek, and archery all of which were complimentary.
Al Maha Activities
The falconry was a cool activity involving well trained falcons. During the session the falcon trainers gave us the history of the use of the falcons by the Bedouins that roamed the deserts of the UAE. In the past the Bedouins used the falcons to help hunt. The falcons are trained to eat via the glove and come back because of the lure which contains food as a reward. They are very helpful for hunting because of their amazing vision but they have a very poor sense of smell. At the end of the group session, we all got the chance to hold the falcon. Overall, it was a fun experience learning about the history of the falconry and getting to interact with the falcons.
Christina with Falcon
The camel trek was also a fun activity. I had never ridden a camel before and did not realize how temperamental they could be. On several occasions it took effort by our guides to keep them moving or in line. I am a much bigger fan of riding horses than camels.
Camel Trek
At the end of the ride, we stopped in the middle of the desert for a champagne toast and got a chance to mingle with some of the other guests. It turns out two of the guests staying at Al Maha had been at the St. Regis Maldives during our stay.
Camel Trek Toast
We also participated in the nature drive which was the most boring activity we participated in. While our guide did a good job engaging us with facts about the resort and the Reserve there wasn't much nature in the desert that we couldn't see near our suite. One new animal we did find and Christina got to hold was a lizard.
 Nature Drive
Of all of the activities we participated in we found archery to be the most enjoyable so much so that we did it twice during our stay. Neither of us had ever done archery before so we didn't realize how physically exhausting it is. We really liked archery and hope to do it again in the future. One interesting thing about the Archery course is that the resort kept track of the top archers. At the top of the board was professional golfer Nick Faldo and our guide told us that he previously met John Travolta at the resort. It was both strange and exciting to be staying at a five-star resort that hosted professional athletes and celebrities.
Archery
Dining
Overall, the dining was a highlight of our stay. I had low expectations since it is an all-inclusive resort but was blown away by the Michelin restaurant quality dishes. Al Maha had only one restaurant just off of the lobby which served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Because the resort is secluded like the St. Regis Maldives the stakes were already high for food at the resort, however, there was added pressure since this was the resort's only restaurant. One aspect of the restaurant's service I appreciated was a cold towel provided with every meal which I thought was a nice touch. 
Al Maha Breakfast Omlet
The restaurant had a wide selection which generally was spectacular. I felt that the meals were alive with flavor. One of the days I had the Al Maha Omelet which had salmon with just the right hint of salt and was fantastic.
Christina at Breafkfast
One of the breakfast highlights for Christina was foul medames which she had never heard of before. The dish came in a seared pan with two pieces of toast and two poached eggs with light garnish of sea salt and baby spinach. The sides came with a seasoned bean dip, a local cheese, yogurt dip, and hummus. After mixing everything together the flavors were so unreal and everything was fresh. The flavors were bold separately, but together it worked in a harmonious sensation. Christina wondered if the dish was only good because of our experience getting sick likely from the food in The Maldives. The weakest area of breakfast was the drinks. I had mango juice which I only thought was okay since it was less sweet than Caribbean mangoes. I also tried the chocolate milk which was made of camel milk and had a different flavor that I again I thought was not sweet enough.
We typically ordered lunch through room service during our stay. However, when we did try the restaurant we realized that the lunch menu in the restaurant was the same as the room service menu. I ordered the beef burger with bacon which was delicious. Christina ordered the butter chicken which was fantastic.
Butter Chicken
For dinner the restaurant served on the patio and it was great sitting outside amongst nature. We could clearly see the moon and the setting was quite romantic. The dinner was full service with an amuse bouche, pallet cleanser, appetizer, main, and desert which was quite impressive for an all-inclusive dinner service. One of the highlights was an appetizer of caviar which I really liked. My main was lamb which I thought was really good even though it was too fatty. The weakest part of our dinner were the desserts. I ordered the bread pudding which I didn't like.
Lamb Dinner
One of favorite things about the dining experience at Al Maha was that the room service was included in the all-inclusive rate at no additional charge and we generally had access to the same menu as the restaurant. We took advantage of this on several occasions. Some of the highlights from our room service orders were the grilled lamb kofta and the turkey mozzarella sandwich. The resort also had turndown service and I liked that the turndown service included chocolate but the chocolate itself was only okay.
Room Service Meal
Service
One of the weakest aspects of our stay was the service which was often very slow. First on a positive note our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable and we really appreciated his good service. However, our experience with the rest of the staff wasn't up to the luxury resort standards. As I stated earlier this started with the slow email response before we even got to the property. Once we got to the property the meal service was often slow. For example, one night at dinner we waited 20 minutes for our desert. At another resort this may have been okay but at this luxury resort the slow service was disappointing.
Take Away
Al Maha offered a secluded resort, with private plunge pools and amazing food. Despite the slow service we really enjoyed our stay at Al Maha. I would strongly recommend it as a honeymoon destination for a couple looking for a secluded and luxurious stay. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Hotel Overview
The beauty of The Maldives exceeded my expectations, this hotel was thoughtful in recognizing our Honeymoon and Christina's Marriott Platinum Status, and this was the best hotel room I have ever stayed in. Despite this I would never return to this resort since it had exorbitant fees, tasteless and extremely overpriced food that left us very ill during our Honeymoon stay. Pros- Beautiful Beaches, Private Plunge Pool, World-Class Snorkeling, Secluded Resort, Attentive Service, Amazing Elite Recognition, Honeymoon Recognition, Spectacular Room Design, Relaxing Massages, and On-site Doctor Cons- Overbearing Butler Service, Exorbitant Fees, Extremely Overpriced Food, Tasteless Food, and Food-borne Illness First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review
Location The Maldives itself is a secluded archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean with only about 600,000 people in 2020 and the journey to The Maldives from the United States takes more than a day. The seclusion is a selling point for visitors to the island nation which particularly attracts visitors looking for a luxurious tourist experience. The seclusion, beauty of the islands, and luxury is what attracted us to this island destination for our Honeymoon.  Location of The Maldives
The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli is located on a secluded private island of Vommuli in the Dhaalu Atoll, an island surrounded by a coral reef, in The Maldives archipelago. While The Maldives is secluded already this atoll is located about an hour seaplane ride from The Maldives capital Male and is by far the most secluded place I have ever visited. This seclusion really overwhelmed me when we first landed. I realized that we were almost as far as we could be from Washington D.C., in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and an hour seaplane ride from any city. For someone who is used to walking a few blocks to get to a pharmacy this really overwhelmed me. 
Trans-Maldivan Resort Service 2019
St. Regis Arrival Experience and Airport Lounge
Upon arrival in Male we were greeted by a very friendly hotel representative who quickly took our bags and walked us over to the Trans Maldivian counter to check us in for our seaplane ride to the resort. Because of the seclusion of the resort, the only options for guests to access the atoll is via seaplane or the resort's private yacht. I was impressed by the service from the hotel which took care of everything including our check-in and baggage. The hotel representative told us that we were the last guests to arrive that day and that our seaplane flight would last about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Once our check-in was complete we were whisked away in the St. Regis' SUV to its private airport lounge. 
St. Regis Maldive Vommuli SUV
On our way to the lounge we saw a lot of airport development and dredging. The Maldives is extremely low-lying and many of the islands are sinking in part due to climate change. Male is small and already densely populated. A lot of the expansion of the capital is fueled by dredging additional land. The hotel representative told us that The Maldives main industry is tourism followed by fishing and that the tourism started taking off about 18 years prior to our trip in 2019. The SUV was impressive with cold towels, bottled water, and even Wi-Fi. On the ride over we were played a video greeting on an IPAD from our Butler Ahmed, who goes by Tom at the resort.
Butler Video Greeting
After our video greeting the hotel representative told us that the hotel's marketing staff was based in Dubai and that it was the only resort at the time in The Maldvies that primarily catered to Americans. One thing that was impressive about the St. Regis Vommuli is that the service began from the first moment you interacted with staff. The staff asked us how we would like to be addressed and then took a picture of us in front of the St. Regis sign which I believe was used to help staff memorize our faces and our names. I was shocked that the vast majority of the staff at the resort addressed us by name. This was all a part of the five-star luxury feeling and extended to the airport lounge.
St. Regis Aiport Lounge Check-In
The lounge was well designed and private. It had air conditioning, a view of the water, and even a shower. In the bathroom there were amenities including a comb and toothpaste. We completed check-in at the lounge and were informed that because of Christina's Marriott Platinum Status and our Honeymoon we were upgraded from the base level Garden Villa to a Beach Villa (312). I was blown away by their recognition of Honeymoon and the elite recognition since at the time this Villa typically cost $1,600 per night and we were staying for five nights on points. We stayed at the resort in May which is rainy season and the staff member told us the resort was only at 50% occupancy. I am sure this made it easier to give us an upgrade. Honestly this was nice for us on our honeymoon since we wanted a relaxing environment. While we waited to be taken to our seaplane we were offered a variety of complimentary drinks and snacks. We both ordered ice tea which was quite refreshing. Everything about our welcome from the St. Regis felt luxurious.
Ice Tea
Trans Maldivan Airways Seaplane Ride
When it was time for our seaplane flight there wasn't a driver available so the St. Regis staff called a bus to take us to the sea plane terminal. The seaplane waiting area was hot and crowded. After a short wait it was a time for our seaplane flight. The St. Regis representative stayed with us until he saw that we safely boarded our sea plane. Our seaplane flight was on Trans Maldivan Airways which at the time was the largest operator of seaplanes in the world. I had never taken a seaplane before and I was super excited. As we were planning our three-week long Honeymoon the inclusion of a seaplane ride made our packing more difficult, because there was a weight limit per passenger was 30 kg (~66 pounds). Our seaplane had 15 seats and was full. They loaded luggage into the back of the plane and took weight measurements on an IPAD. 
Trans Maldvian Airways Seaplane
We taxied for about five minutes then had a surprisingly smooth take off. As we departed Male I was shocked by how densely populated the city was and there seemed no room left to develop.
Male, The Maldives
As we got further away from Male the views were breathtaking. The water was aqua blue and there were atolls surrounded by coral reefs dotting the country. I had seen many pictures of The Maldives before and beauty exceeded my expectations.
The Maldives
The seaplane at first was hot but when we got into the air it cooled down. There was a pilot and co-pilot who wore only sandals on their feet while flying. The plane was loud during takeoff and landing but quieter during flight. The in-flight magazine featured all of the Maldives resorts. The first stop was 40 minutes into the flight at a jetty. We dropped off some passengers who were then picked up by a boat. Landing on water is a weird feeling and much harder than takeoff. Then we took off again before making a second stop. On the second stop we picked up additional passengers who I assumed were headed back to Male. Finally, on the third stop it was time for us to land at The St. Regis Maldives. Unlike some other resorts the St. Regis had its own seaplane jetty allowing us to stop directly at the resort. As the resort came into focus I felt the awe of being in The Maldives and it felt surreal.
The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort
Beach Villa
Upon arrival we were greeted by multiple staff members including our butler Tom who waved hi from the seaplane pier. We were also provided complimentary cocktails in a coconut. 
Welcome Area
Our beach villa #312 was located three villas from the resort's main restaurant Alba which we found really convenient and allowed us to walk around the resort. Most guests took the buggies or bikes to get around but Christina and I saw no need and instead enjoyed walking around the atoll.
Beach Villa 312
I was quite impressed by the style of the villa it had everything you could ask for in a hotel room. The villa had an amazing design and was the nicest hotel room I had ever stayed in. There was a beautiful high ceiling a large king bed at the center of the villa. Behind the bed was a desk which included all of the information for our stay.
Beach Villa 312
In front of the bed was an ottoman for changing shoes and a large table in front of the ottoman. Near the entrance was a comfortable day bed also included in the villa.
Day Bed
On the right of the bed was a mini-bar which included expensive items for purchase including snacks, juices, wine, and champagne along with complimentary bottles of water. There were also USB plugs on both sides of the bed which allowed for easy charging of our electronics. Charging for electronics is something that is usually shortchanged in hotel rooms so I appreciated the wide availability here.
Minibar and Wine Fridge
There was a TV on the wall which was very clear and extended out of the wall for easy viewing when turned on. The TV and all of the lights in the room were controlled by an impressive electronic display built into an IPAD. One of the nice features was that the blackout and sheer curtains opened with a button. There were options to have just one curtain or all of the curtains open. When they were all open it provided a great ocean view. The IPAD also controlled the lights in the room and had several pre-set controls for every single light in the villa. The entertainment options were also extensive including live TV and Netflix. It also had the ability for you to connect your own device to stream music or movies and the sound quality was amazing. We used the sounds system to stream our music on several occasions.
Beach Villa IPAD
Behind the bed was a pair of sliding doors which opened to an amazing bathroom. I thought the sliding doors were another great design choice. On the right and left were closets with tons of space hangers, drawers, and places to store luggage.
Closet
Next to the closets were two vanities which had large mirrors and even zoom in makeup mirrors. These spaces were clearly set up for couples so each person could have a side of the bathroom and I was again very impressed by the design.
Vanity
Below the vanities were a ton of amenities including nail clippers, toothbrush with toothpaste, shavers, hairdryer, lotion, and sunscreen. The hotel thought of everything in terms of amenities and I appreciated that they did not try to nickel and dime you on amenities such as sunscreen. It was also impressive how everything was branded St. Regis Maldives which must be very expensive. The room even included flip flops though they were too small for me and uncomfortable. As we explored the room I kept discovering new amenities included a charging cable with multiple prongs to charge different devices, and even bug spray, a first for me in a hotel room. I felt I could have brought no bathroom amenities and been fine. In the middle of the bathroom was a very nice sunken bathtub on the right was a glass TV so you could watch from the tub.
Sunken Bathtub
While the villa had an indoor shower. One of my favorite features of the villa was the outdoor shower right off of the bathroom. The shower had two spouts which allowed us to shower at the same time. It was the coolest experience to be able to shower outside in complete privacy. This was due to good planning which included high walls in the back of the villa and spraying to control the bugs.
Outdoor Shower
Another great feature of the villa and the resort was that the Wi-Fi was so good that we streamed Netflix as if we were home. We were able to get a signal at the Whale Bar which was overwater. I was surprised that the Wi-Fi was so good at a remote resort. It was very humid so Christina and I drank a lot of bottles of water and I appreciated that the staff constantly refreshed these and even added more bottles when they saw how many we drank. Generally, the housekeeping staff was very friendly and refreshed the room twice a day. On the pool deck was another set of chairs where you could sit and eat and a large chair for lounging which I loved! It was maybe the coolest lounging chair ever with a ton of comfy pillows and I was so impressed by the comfort that I want to buy it for our house.
Lounge Chair
The pool itself was a 4 feet deep plunge pool. This was my first time having a room with a plunge pool and it was amazing. There is nothing like having your own private plunge pool with a view of the ocean it was so peaceful and we used it ever day that we were not sick. The pool was kept at a great temperature and really clean. The water in the pool tasted very lightly chlorinated and more like fresh water. The biggest issue I had with the pool was the lack of privacy. On a regular basis as we were in the pool we saw families walking up to it on the beach. Some of the beach villas have more covering by mangroves to make them secluded but this also blocks the ocean view so definitely a trade-off.
Plunge Pool
Another thoughtful touch was the jug full of fresh water to the beach which the resort kept to clear off your sandals and legs of beach sand. The beach itself was beautiful and full of white sand along with two beach chairs for relaxing and a beach umbrella. Because of the rainy season the umbrellas were closed for a portion of our stay to make sure they did not blow away.
Beach Villa 312
While we would have loved to try the overwater villa for a night, I thought the beach villas were the best type of room because not only do you get a plunge pool but you get direct beach access. We met a Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador elite member who was upgraded to a Sunset Overwater Villa but actually said she would have preferred a beach villa and we saw several couples with overwater villas come to play on our beach.
Amenities
The best amenity of having the direct beach access was the ability to snorkel out of our front door each day and we loved it! The snorkeling equipment was complimentary and our butler dropped it off before we even got to the resort. The St. Regis Vomulli also offered snorkeling classes but we were perfectly fine without taking the snorkeling classes. The resort's house reef was very cool as it allowed us to snorkel and see an array of sea life steps from our villa. One of the very sad things about our time snorkeling in The Maldives was seeing so many bleached reefs and the impact of pollution and climate change. 
Snorkeling
The resort also offered kayaking but we were told that the ocean was too rough during our stay for kayaking which I assumed was due to it being rainy season. Because we travelled to The Maldives during rainy season we didn't know what to expect, however, it didn't really put much of a damper on our stay. It certainly rained, sometimes very hard with strong winds, but it only lasted a few hours and was usually followed by strong sunshine. During these times it was nice to read from the comfort of our villa.
Infinity Pool
Next to Alba restaurant was an infinity pool. The resort also had Alba Beach, with beach chairs and umbrellas. However, we rarely used these since we had a private infinity plunge pool and direct beach access from our villa. During our stay we rarely saw anyone else at the pool or Alba Beach.
Alba Beach
Also, next to Alba restaurant was a library with books which could be borrowed and a desktop computer. We never used this space, but I was impressed by the selection of books. I could see it being a good place to hang out for someone who wants to be comfortable somewhere outside the villa.
Library
The resort also had a Boutique which sold a variety of items including hats, sunscreen, beach bags, and books. On the third floor was the Observatory Tower which had good views of the atoll.
Botique
The vast majority of the indoors activities at the resort were housed at Vommuli House and Socialite. Vommuli House was the bigger building and had additional books which could be borrowed along with a Children's Club, and a gym. There was also a tennis court behind the building with a resident tennis pro who we met while exploring the building. When we walked around the building was nearly empty and we never used any of these amenities during our stay.
Vommuli House
One space we did use was Socialite. This space had a table tennis on the ground floor in a covered area. Upstairs inside the AC had air hockey, pool, and video games. It was a fun space and really nice on rainy days.
Socialite
During our stay we took advantage of an offer for a discounted Maldvian massage ($125 each) which had to be used within 48 hours or arrival. The spa is located overwater next to the arrival jetty and has six separate massage rooms and a blue hole therapy pool.
Iridium Spa
This type pool is supposed be restorative. We were not impressed by the blue hole therapy pool which had nice views but was basically a shared salt water pool.
Saltwater Pool
However, our couples massage was great. We started out with a scented cold towel and cold drinks in the waiting area both of which were refreshing. There were also holes to see the wildlife below which would have been a nice touch inside the massage rooms.
Waiting Area Viewing Holes
The massage room bathrooms were very nice with all the amenities you could want including a shower. What we appreciated was how they were tailored for couples with the ability for us to change together and wait together unlike the separate rooms in the JW Marriott Singapore Spa. The massage itself was great and unique. It started off with the masseuses singing in the Maldvian language and ended with them pouring hot coconut oil on our heads. I would recommend this massage to other couples.
Massage Room Bathroom
Butler Service
One unique experience of staying at a St. Regis, among the Marriott brands, is the butler service. This was the first time I stayed at a St. Regis and the first time I experienced butler service at any hotel. As we arrived at the resort we were greeted by our butler Tom who took us to our room in a golf cart. He said that at the time he was the butler for four rooms. The butler service was a very strange for me and made even weirder by the fact that we were at a secluded resort. We were required to rely on the butler for everything including dinner reservations, spa appointments, and the butler seemed to always be present which I didn’t like. For example, he showed up at breakfast every morning. Prior to our arrival Tom had already made dinner reservations for us at Oriéntale twice, Cargo, and Alba for a buffet dinner. I really like having more control over making reservations and appointments so was annoyed that we had to go through the butler and that he made reservations in advance without consulting us. 
St. Regis Butler Greeting
One thing I did appreciate about the service was they ability to get two free items pressed a day along with a free shoe shine. We also used the laundry serviced during our stay and they did an excellent job at a decent price, for a luxury hotel, and pressed the clothes for free. Christina also liked the coffee /tea service which we took advantage of twice. The butlers also offered to bring us around in a golf cart which I thought was silly given how small the island was.
Coffee/Tea Service
One interesting thing I learned from our butler was because of the 24/7 nature of the job the staff lives on the island in staff residences without their family and in high season can sometimes go as much as 3 months without a break. During our time in The Maldives it was Ramadan and The Maldives is a majority Muslim county. During our stay our butler was fasting for Ramadan though we didn't notice any difference in service. Tom told us that the resort hired five new butlers which will provide staff more time off and our butler Tom took his vacation a day before our departure and very nicely transitioned us to another butler who handled our check-out. Another interesting thing about the resort was that the staff wore different shirt colors depending on their roles. For example, the head of the Butler Service and Rooms wore Blue shirts while butlers wore white shirts with cool beach hats it was clear that there was a ranking in place.
Unlike the JW Singapore South Beach, which did not even acknowledge that it was our honeymoon the St Regis really did a great job acknowledging us. The biggest acknowledgement was the upgrade which we may have nonetheless received due to Christina's Marriott Platinum status. However, I am sure our upgrade was made more likely because of our honeymoon and we really appreciated. Upon arrival we also had several Marriott Platinum welcome amenities in our room including the candy/snack display with amazing chocolates and a fruit plate. 
Marriott Platinum Welcome Amenity
We also had a bottle of champagne which was exclusive to the St. Regis Maldives and was fantastic!
Champagne
Also, during our stay our butler sent over a honeymoon cake which was a very nice touch and set up a rose petal bath. I thought the rose petal bath was another strange part of the butler service and made me uncomfortable. Finally, the resort threw in a complimentary blue hole therapy treatment which we used.
Honeymoon Cake
We passed on the unpacking service but took the butlers up on the packing service when it was time to leave because I was sick. Christina loved the packing service. Two butlers took about 45 minutes to pack and wrapped all of our items individually before putting them into our suitcases. I was not that impressed with the packing service and would probably skip it next time since I found it too invasive. The butler also checked us out in the room and allowed us to wait in the villa until the seaplane arrival. Christina really liked our butler and loved the butler service. While I thought our butler did a good job I did not like the idea of the butler service. Despite the elite recognition the butler service would make me think twice about staying at a St. Regis resort.
Dining
Alba The main restaurant at the resort which was Alba open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guests mostly ate only breakfast and dinner because of the ridiculous prices at the resort. We never tried lunch at Alba and only had one dinner. We ate here on the first night at the Soqu buffet which cost $175 per person and was a complete waste of money. 
Alba
It was supposed to be a buffet of Italian food but all of the food was completely tasteless and some of the worse Italian food I have ever had. The setting on the beach with a roasting pig was nice but generally the food was really bad and the best thing I had was the ice cream.
Soqu Buffet
Breakfast at Alba was better and gave options to order off of the menu in addition to the buffet which was complimentary because of Christina's Platinum Status. I tried several of the Buffett options including Dim Sum and Indian food and was left unimpressed especially compared to Singapore. Ordering off the of menu was better and included a wider selection. In particular I thought they did a better job with the seafood which makes sense in an island nation.
Crust
The only other restaurant open for lunch was Crust which was located under the huts at the beach to the right of Alba. This restaurant offered the most reasonable pricing and decent tasting pizzas though later the pizza got us sick. 
Crust Food
Cargo
Cargo offered a pre-fix menu at a price of $250 for two people. When we first looked at the menu we thought it was a choice between mains and appetizers etc. but it turned out we were served all of the items on the menu. This was absurd, wasteful, and wayyy too much food. Despite being one of only two tables the service was really slow and multiple times I refilled my own water glass. The food here was okay though I did like the lamb. Once again, the meal got us both sick. 
Cargo Food
Orientale
The one good meal we had was at Orientale. This made some sense since we were in Asia and it is their Asian Fusion restaurant. I liked that we started off by washing our hands and offering cold towels at dinner. Then they offered lemon grass water which was nice and refreshing. The food at this restaurant was a la carte and decent. 
Orientale
Whale Bar
This bar was located on a jetty off of Alba Beach. The bar prices were very high with the cheapest cocktail $20 and most $25+. We came here to eat dinner one night and most of the snacks were small and unimpressive. This was a spectacular setting with amazing sunset views. They had the same comfy chairs we had in the room at the end of the pier and it was very relaxing. I think this was my favorite restaurant and bar in the whole resort not because of the food or drink but instead because of the view and relaxing atmosphere. The bar was also the location of the champagne sabering. This is St. Regis tradition and done at St. Regis locations around the world. During this event the staff at Whale Bar explained to us the history and sabering and the technique and it was a really cool display. I would recommend doing this if you stay here. 
Whale Bar
In-Room Dining
The St. Regis offered In-Room Dining which we took full advantage of during our stay since we did not really like most of the food in the restaurants and were ill during a substantial portion of our stay. The in-room dining was available through the IPAD and contained pictures and absurd food prices. One example, of the ridiculous pricing was a $15 toast during breakfast which is even more ridiculous since we could get it free at the breakfast buffet. 
In-Room Dining Pricing
We ordered pizza from the app which tasted decent but ended up making me sick again. Another area where they could improve is the drink selection which was very limited on the in-room dining and the one thing we ordered was very watered down.
Pizza
One weird part of the experience is that the service calls to confirm each order but I guess they want to make sure you are not making an order by mistake. The selection mostly deferred from the restaurants with the exceptions of the pizzas. The one good thing was that items which overlapped between the restaurant and in-room dining had the same price though the resort added the local tax (12%) and gratuity (10%).
Food-borne Illness The worse part about our entire stay was the constant food-borne illness. This illness started on the second day of our stay and I know it was from the resort since we only ate at the resort. We received medicine from the resort doctor who was very friendly and skilled but I got sick again after eating more of the food. It seemed every time we felt better we ate something and felt sicker. The illness was so bad on our next to last day the doctor prescribed antibiotics. I got sicker than Christina and spent the majority of the last two days in bed. I appreciate that the resort has an on-site doctor, however, I didn’t like that the resort did not take responsibility. No one apologized to us for getting us sick nor did they comp any of our meals once they realized they were getting us sick.
Dining Takeaway
We were also shocked by the pricing for water at the restaurants which was $14 a bottle. I considered this pricing absurd and sometimes we brought our own free bottles from the villa to the restaurant to not pay the ridiculous prices . Another annoying thing about dining at the resort is that the IPAD in the room listed all of the restaurants but it did not list the times for the restaurants and did not include the menus despite the fact that all of the drink menus are on IPADs. Even if the restaurants opening times changed, which they did one time during our stay, then the resort could update the times on the IPAD. 
Dining IPAD Display
Another problem with the resort dining was that the portion sizes were ridiculously sized which meant that we were constantly unable to finish the meal at dinner and left food on the table. The restaurants could easily reduce the portion sizes and lower the prices. This seemed like a real waste and the prices seemed to be a way for the resort to make a major profit margin. This pricing also extended to the alcohol. For example, a bottle of Vevue Cliquot cost $150 dollars for a bottle that would normally cost around $50 in the United States. Another problem with the drinks was that there were few options for blended drinks that would normally be widely available at tropical resorts. The only thing that did impress me about the dining was that we were always addressed by name at every meal. It seemed that the staff studied our pictures and really remembered us. When you are paying five star dining prices you would expect better food and food handling. However, this resort failed on both accounts.
Take Away
Our beach villa at the St. Regis Maldives Volummi was by far the best room I ever stayed in. We got to stay in this villa thanks to the resort's fantastic elite and honeymoon recognition. The resort also had world-class snorkeling out our front door. However, this was not enough to make up for the negatives. The resort had exorbitant fees especially for the seaplane and the dining was by far the worst part of the resort. Not only was it absurdly priced but the food at best tasted above average and at worse was horrible. Even worse we got food-borne illness and every time we ate a meal it made us sicker. When you are stuck on the island you realize that food is key part of the secluded resort experience since you have no alternatives. The dining experience was so horrible that I could never envision returning. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Hotel Overview
My first stay at a JW Marriott left me with a positive impression of the brand. JW Marriott South Beach was a nice city hotel with a great location, good elite recognition, stellar views, and spectacular food including my favorite buffet ever. Pros- Spectacular Food, Cool Decor, Nice Art Work, Stellar Views, Large Basic Room, Huge Suites, Great Location, Great Executive Lounge and Spectacular Restaurant Breakfast Buffet, Fantastic Spa, and Solid Gym Cons- Bad Staff Communication, Poor Property Maintenance , Ice Cold 18th Floor Pool, and Weak Bathroom Amenities First Class Honeymoon Trip Report First Class Honeymoon Overview Delta Sky Club DCA Review Delta CRJ 900 DCA-JFK First Class Review Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Review Singapore Airlines A380 JFK-FRA Suites Review Singapore Airlines A380 FRA-SIN Suites Review JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach Review Singapore Surprise Singapore Airlines 737-800 SIN-MLE Business Class Review The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort Review Etihad Airways A320 MLE-AUH Business Class Review Al Maha, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa Dubai Review The St. Regis Abu Dhabi Review Exploring Abu Dhabi Etihad Apartments A380 AUH-JFK Apartments Review Location The JW Marriott South Beach is located in downtown Singapore, about a 15 minute drive from Changi Airport, which is an unbeatable location especially for first-time visitors to Singapore. The hotel is located in the South Beach development, which has a mix of commercial and residential buildings. The hotel is also located right above the Esplande subway station which allowed easy access via subway to the majority of Singapore. The hotel is also walking distance away from many tourist and cultural attractions including the National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore Flyer, Fort Canning Park, Little India, Kampong Glam, and about a ten-minute car ride from Gardens by the Bay. This made it easy to navigate the city and made us happy with our hotel selection.
Check-In
As we pulled up to the hotel we were immediately impressed by the size and design of the hotel. The hotel took up 24 floors of the east tower in the South Beach development while the hotel's spa, nail salon, and Sky Deck Pool occupied two floors in the west tower. 
JW Marriott Singapore South Beach
As we got out of the taxi a porter grabbed our bags and whisked them away without us asking. We would eventually see our bags reappear after check-in. The lobby had a large digital art display, art all around the lobby, and had a cool modern vibe. The hotel offered an art, tour though we never had a chance to go on the tour during our stay.
Hotel Lobby Art
Christina checked us in and the check-in agent asked us for our passports, something I am now used to happening when we travel internationally. Once the agent saw that Christina was a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite he handed us off to a VIP Check-in agent who handles Marriott elites. The VIP agent was very friendly, thanked Christina for her loyalty, and apologized that she could not upgrade us because there was a large business group at the hotel. She also asked us if we wanted 1000 points or the welcome amenity and we chose the points. She said that was a good choice since all of the amenities are available in the room anyways. I liked the fact that the hotel did not make elites choose between points and breakfast. I heard that not forcing elites to choose is more common in high-end Marriott Asian hotels. I also asked the agent about the additional 5000 points which were part of reservation. She said she would look into it and get back to us later.
One thing that was strange about the hotel was that throughout our stay there were items that we found not well maintained. For example, the second day during our stay the second lobby door was broken and remained unusable throughout duration of our stay. I was surprised about the condition of the property given the hotel only opened in 2016. 
Check-In Desks
Deluxe King
As we entered the elevator to our room on the seventh floor we continued to be impressed by the cool vibe of the hotel. In the elevator there was a video playing which made it seem like the walls of the elevator were an underwater glass display. The elevator itself was a smooth and very fast ride. As we excited the elevator hotel the artistic touch continued with the impressive grey pattern on the walls. 
Hotel Elevator Digital Art
Our room was a Deluxe King room the smallest category of rooms in the hotel with king beds. I was impressed by the size of the room given that it is one of the most basic rooms at the hotel. The room had curtains which we raised to see the nice city view including a view of the adjacent historic Raffles hotel. Unfortunately, the curtains were partially broken when we first entered the room, while they were fixed after we notified the hotel, it was strange that no one noticed this when cleaning the room. Another annoying part about the curtains was that they had to be either fully open or fully closed. The room also had numerous mirrors and white drawers all around. These drawers were not only for clothes but also contained the mini-bar and safe. One of the downfalls of the room was that it did not have enough drawer space for us put way all of our clothes. This would have been nice since we were spending nearly a week at the hotel. The closet had hangers, two sets of slippers, two robes, a shoe horn, shoe polish, and a shoe brush along with a light. Christina and I found the robes and slippers to be very comfortable.
Deluxe King Closet
The room also had a white desk next to the window which had a lamp, the spa menu, and a remote for the television, along with a paper outlining the great Marriott Bonvoy Platinum benefits at the JW Marriott Singapore South Beach.
JW Marriott Singapore South Beach Platinum Elite Benefits
Later on, we found a welcome amenity of fruit sitting on the desk with no note. We were unsure why we got the welcome amenity since it could have been because of Christina's Platinum elite status, the lack of an upgrade, or because of our honeymoon. The welcome amenity was a nice touch but poorly executed. Next to the desk was the King bed which we really liked.
Welcome Amenity
The television was built into a panel behind the desk and had several features. It included not just television channels but also music channels.
Desk and Television
The bathroom was large for a non-suite room and also was covered in mirrors. The bathroom had a sink with a drawer, various amenities, and a shelf below for towels. The amenities were provided by Aromatherapy and Associates and I really didn't like them. In particular I found that the body wash had a horrible scent. This was my first time staying at a JW Marriott and first time trying these amenities and I hope they are not the brand standard for JW Marriott. The bathroom had a separate door for the shower and the toilet room. I loved that the shower had strong water pressure and both a rainforest and handheld shower head.
Shower
The most interesting aspect of the bathroom was the Japanese Toto toilet. The toilet came with a remote and had a self-clean and bidet function. This was the first time I had ever seen one and I was very impressed. The biggest issue we had with the toilet was when we first entered the room it did not function. It turned out that the hotel turns off all of the toilets to save energy which is fine but when a guest checks in it would make sense to turn them back on automatically.
Japanese Toto Toilet
Deluxe Suite
On the second day after we hadn't heard back about the availability of a suite upgrade we went downstairs to talk to the check-in agent. The agent checked in and said that a suite was now available. We went back to our room to pack up all of our stuff which was annoying but turned about to be very worthwhile! We ended up getting upgraded to Deluxe Suite on the 14th floor. As we exited the elevator there was a very strange smell in the hallway which thankfully didn't reach the room. As we walked into the room I was blown away by the size! It was the largest room Christina or I had ever stayed in. The funny thing was that the hotel considered this a junior suite and it was the smallest suite in the hotel. It was crazy to think that the junior suite was bigger than our first joint apartment. I can only imagine the size of the other suites in the hotel! One awkward feature of the room is that it had no manual lock and only contained a digital lock. I think that the hotel room must have sensors to show when a guest was in the room because whenever we were in the room the hotel employees would ring twice. On the left side of the hallway as we walked in was a half bathroom which was also equipped with a Japanese Toto toilet. 
1/2 Bathroom
Next was the living room area of the suite which had a desk with several lamps, a couch, table, television, and artwork. I found several of the design choices to be questionable. For example, the artwork in the living room was creepy and the television obstructed the view of the city out of the living room window. However, I appreciated the large number of plugs on the desk including two USB plugs and two international plugs.
Living Room
The room also had a small kitchenette which had a coffee machine, sink, cabinets, and a mini-fridge. The mini-fridge and the cabinets contained very expensive items for sale. Also, Christina could not get the coffee machine to work and it was another example of something broken in the hotel.
Kitchenette
The suite also had two closets with one in the entrance hallway and the other in the hallway heading to the bedroom. I really appreciated that the closets had ample space for us to store all of our clothing and that the entire room contained soft close drawers. Also, inside the bathroom hallway closet were laundry bags which included absurdly high laundry prices. A few things I did appreciate about the closets were that they included a steamer and an umbrella which are both uncommon items in a hotel room.
Closet
The bathroom was amazing! It was very spacious and contained a shower, toilet room, and two sinks on opposite sides of the bathroom. However, the show stopper in the bathroom was the free-standing soaking tub with stunning views of Singapore. The bathroom also had both larger sizes and a wider variety of amenities than those in the Deluxe King Room. The additional amenities included a shaving kit and a nail filer.
Soaking Tub with Spectacular Singapore Views
The bedroom had a chaise lounge, a king bed, and a desk. The desk was positioned awkwardly on a carpet cutout which made it difficult to use. The room also had similar creepy artwork as the living room. The best part of the bedroom was the view. Since the room was a corner room on the 14th floor it had great views of downtown Singapore in both directions.
Deluxe Suite Bedroom
Dining
The JW Singapore South Beach had a plethora of dining options which was unsurprising in an amazing foodie city as Singapore. The hotel had eight dining and drinking options across the South Beach complex. This including Akira Back, run by a Michelin Star chef, Beach Road Kitchen, Court Martial Bar, and Tonic which were all accessible directly from the hotel. Additionally, Cool Cats, Fish Pool, Madame Fan, and Stag's Room were located inside the NCO Club in the South Beach complex. Also, specifically for those with Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Status or above and a room with executive lounge access had access to dining in the executive lounge. 
Map of JW Singapore South Beach Dining, Amenities, and Meeting Rooms
While we were at the hotel we had the opportunity to try only two of the dining options, Beach Road Kitchen and the executive lounge. We attempted to try Akira Back, however, it was completely full for Mother's Day dinner. We didn't attempt to try the other dining options because Singapore had such amazing dining that we wanted to explore the city. However, I can tell you that the breakfast buffet at Beach Road Kitchen along with the food and drinks in the executive lounge were spectacular!
Aikra Back
Beach Road Kitchen is located in the South Beach complex across from the main tower (east tower) of the hotel. The restaurant served breakfast, lunch, and dinner, however, we only tried the breakfast buffet during our stay. Breakfast was served from 6:30am-10:30 am during the week and 6:30 am-11:00 am on the weekends. The breakfast buffet included an extensive selection of food reflecting the diversity of Singapore. It was by far the best buffet I have ever tried. We had access to the buffet every day as an amazing Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite benefit, normally a cost of $45 Singapore dollars per adult and $23 per child, and it allowed us to skip lunch every day resulting in a substantial savings on dining.
Beach Road Kitchen
The breakfast buffet took up multiple rooms of the restaurant and included Indian food (e.g. curry and roti) Chinese food (e.g. dim sum and mode to order noodles), Western food (e.g. pancakes, eggs, and waffles).
My favorites were the Chinese and Indian dishes including the multiple types of dim sum, and the Beef Curry. The restaurant rotated several of the hot dishes every day which meant we were able to try different dishes every day we ate at Beach Road Kitchen.
Breakfast
I also really enjoyed eating the fresh honey and various jams with bread. If all of the food offered at the buffet was not enough the restaurant also came around with additional food samplers during breakfast.
Fresh Honey
I also tried several unique tropical fruits I had never heard of before including snake fruit. I was not a big fan of snake fruit.
Breakfast Buffet Fruit
The buffet also included a large variety of fresh fruit juice. In particular I loved the fresh orange juice. The only compliant at all about the buffet was that the desserts were mediocre. Overall, the buffet was spectacular and I would strongly recommend purchasing access at least one day even if you can't access it on a complimentary basis as a Marriott Bonvoy elite.
Breakfast Buffett Drinks and Fruit
As a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite Christina also had access to breakfast (6:30-10:30 am), afternoon tea (2:30-5:00 pm), Hor d'overes (5:30-7:30 pm), and evening cocktails (5:30-9:30 pm) in the executive lounge.
Bridge Access to Executive Lounge
One morning we had breakfast in the executive lounge. The offerings were very similar to the Beach Road Kitchen breakfast buffet. Some differences included that the lounge offered different types of dim sum, fresh cooked eggs, and the lounge did not have table tea and coffee service like the restaurant. The best part of the lounge breakfast was how quiet it was in comparison to the restaurant.
Executive Lounge Breakfast
The evening hor d'oevers were also a great benefit. The options included a variety of cold cuts and a few hot snacks which all together were enough to make a meal. The lounge offered several types of wine and beer along with water in the evening. However, the stand out were the variety of complimentary evening cocktails which included a tequila sunrise, mimosa, and old fashion. This was another great benefit of Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite status given the high alcohol prices in Singapore.
Amenities
One of the nice features of the hotel was that Wi-Fi was complimentary and available throughout the hotel without a need to login. This made it easy to access the internet throughout the hotel. The JW Marriott South Beach also featured two pools one on the 18th floor of the main East Tower and another called the SkyDeck located on the 6th floor of the West Tower. We checked out the 18th floor on our first day. The 18th floor had a wraparound balcony with amazing views of Singapore. On one side was comfortable lounging furniture facing the Marina including the Marina Bay Sands hotel. We really enjoyed relaxing on these chairs to have a bite to eat or read. 
Lounge Chairs
On the second side was a view of other South Beach Development buildings and games including pool and foosball. We had a lot of fun playing a few rounds of pool and foosball in this area.
Foosball Table
On the third side was the pool bar Flow 18 along with tables and chairs to eat, and the gym.
Flow 18
On the fourth side was the pool which had stunning views of downtown Singapore. When we walked towards the pool we were greeted by friendly staff who gave us towels and room temperature water, though we would have appreciated cold water given the hot temperature. The upper level the pool was shallow with three semi-submerged chairs and another chair with a table overlooking the Singapore's World War 2 Memorial. The upper level of the pool seemed to be set up to be photographed and looked more like a piece of art than a pool. The lower-level pool was much deeper and afforded the opportunity to swim. However, the water was ice cold! In the super humid tropical climate of Singapore a cold pool may sound good but this pool was freezing so cold in fact that we only lasted 10 minutes swimming. I was very surprised that the hotel did not do a better job to regulate the temperature of the pool and it seemed like they were pumping in ice cold water. If the pool had a more comfortable temperature I am sure it would be a social scene, however, almost every time we went up to the 18th floor the pool was empty which I assumed was due to the ice cold water.
18th Floor Pool
After the ice cold 18th floor pool we checked out the second pool on the 6th floor Sky Deck. This pool was located on the 6th floor of the west tower. In order to access the pool we needed to go down to the 2nd floor, across to the spa entrance then take an elevator up to the sixth floor. The set-up of this pool was awkward since it seemed to be set up for a bar and lounge atmosphere but there was no bar. There was a menu for Flow 18 at the pool but I never saw anyone taking orders. In fact, after multiple visits we only interacted with staff at the pool once when a staff member handed us a towel and asked for our room number.
Sky Garden Pool
We really enjoyed the Sky Garden pool since the water was room temperature, there was usually no one around and it also had stunning views of downtown Singapore.
View from Sky Garden Pool
Later in our stay we also checked out the gym on the 18th floor which we used once during our stay and it wasn't busy. The gym had a good mix of cardio machines and weights.
Gym
The gym provided cold towels, which were refreshing, cold bottles of water, wipes, and copies of the NYTimes and the Straits Times. Overall, it was a solid gym.
Water, Towels, Newspaper, Wipes
On our first day were really jet lagged so made a reservation at the onsite Spa by JW. We decided to have the jet lag couples massage which cost $150 Singaporean Dollars (SD) for 50 minutes. Before the massage we spent time in the separate men's and women's spa facilities. These included a jacuzzi and steam rooms. I found the steam room to be too hot but I loved the jacuzzi. The jacuzzi ended up being exactly what I needed after a long flight and after using it I realized just how sore my muscles were. After using the jacuzzi I went to relax in the spa lounge which was quiet and had cold water, magazines, and great massage chairs. I was very relaxed in this room until another client started working on his computer and fully opened the blinds. While in the spa lounge we were called into the massage room. I thought that the massage was really well done. My biggest complaint was that the masseuse was too hard on my sore muscles. Overall, I thought the couples massage was very good and worth the $150 SD.
Spa by JW
Service
Service at the JW Marriott South Beach could best be described as inconsistent. Prior to our arrival we reached out to the concierge about transportation options from the airport. The concierge offered us several options including the hotel's limo or private car options which were prohibitively expensive. When we let him know those options were too expensive he let us know about the less expensive airport shuttle. However, once we were on-site the concierge service was much less impressive. We tried to get a reservation to a Michelin star restaurant Lei Garden for lunch and after going to their website there were no openings. So we asked the concierge for help and he assured us that he would call us by 11:30 am to let us know if he secured any reservations. However, at 1 pm we hadn't received a call back so we called the hotel and left a message for the concierge. The concierge let us know that he made us a reservation for 1:45 pm. This meant we had to scramble to get back change and make it to the restaurant and this could have been avoided if the concierge had actually called us back earlier. The same dichotomy existed when dealing with the reservation agents. Christina received a welcome email for being a Platinum elite and when we checked in we were sent to the VIP check-in agent. However, we never received any communications about our upgrade or the extra points despite the agent's promise to follow. Moreover, our reservation was showing up in the Marriott app with a $750 extra person fee which we were not quoted in advance. When we went downstairs to speak with a check-in agent about these three questions his response ranged from uninterested to dismissive. He indicated that the app was just a glitch and refused to even look and let us know that the extra points would post after we insisted he look up the reservation. While he ultimately upgraded us he made it feel like he was doing us a big favor despite the promise at check-in. Christina suggested that the poor communications and disinterest we saw some of the time may be driven by the fact that the hotel seems to cater to business travelers and big groups which may make them lazy sometimes with other guests. Take Away We ended up enjoying our stay at the JW Marriott South Beach. It was a nice property with a great location in the heart of Singapore. The drawbacks of the property including poor communication, freezing cold 18th floor pool, and weak bathroom amenities were overcome by the positives. These positives included the cool decor, nice art work, stunning views, fantastic spa, and great rooms even at both the basic and suite levels. Ultimately the standouts of the property were the amazing location and the spectacular breakfast buffet. I would recommend staying at the JW Marriott South Beach in particular if it is your first stay in Singapore or if you are an elite with access to the executive lounge and breakfast buffet. Introduction During our First Class Honeymoon in 2019 we found that Christina's Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite status gave us access to amazing benefits including upgrades, free breakfast, and additional Marriott points. Her Platinum status ended up giving us access to experiences we could not have afforded without it. In this post I will discuss how to earn Marriott Platinum elite status, discuss the benefits, and provide tips on ways to maximize the status. How do you earn Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Status? Normally, Marriott Bonvoy Platinum elite status is earned by staying at least 50 nights in one calendar year. However, due to COVID-19 Marriott both extended 2019 elites status through February 1, 2022 and provided 50% elite night credits, 25 nights for current Platinum elites, allowing current elites to fast track to the next status level. Also, Platinum status can be earned by spending $75,000 in a calendar year on your Marriott Bonvoy Brillant American Express Card.  Marriott Bonvoy Member Sign Al Maha Dubai UAE What counts toward the elite night credits requirement? One great part of hotel elite programs in general and Marriott's program in particular is that a wide variety of activities help meet the elite nights requirement. Generally, there are four ways to earn elite nights credits. First, any individually billed nights at a participating hotel count towards status, this excludes nights paid for through central billing such as for a convention. Second, unlike airline awards all award nights paid for with Marriott Bonvoy points count toward elite status. Third, holding a Marriott Bonvoy credit card provides an automatic 15 nights towards elite status regardless of spending on the credit card. This can reduce the 50 night requirement by 30 percent. Fourth, having an event at a Marriott brand hotel can earn 1 elite night for every 20 rooms booked. This was significantly devalued at the start of 2020 but may still be helpful if you are having a large group event.  Marriott Bonvoy Elite Room Key What are the Benefits of Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite Status? Complimentary Enhanced In-Room Internet Access- All Marriott Bonvoy members that book directly with Marriott receive access to complimentary in-room internet. However, Platinum members receive access to enhanced in-room internet which provides faster speeds. Member Rates- All Marriott Bonvoy members that book directly with Marriott receive access to discounted member rates. Mobile Check-In/Services- All Marriott Bonvoy members that book directly with Marriott can utilize mobile check in where available. Dedicated Elite Support Line- When Platinum members call Marriott Bonvoy customer service members receive access to dedicated elite support. Unlimited Reservation Guarantee- If the hotel is unable to honor the reservation then it will provide the Platinum member with compensation ranging from $100 and 90,000 points to $200 and 140,000 points depending on the brand. You can find the complete details here. Points Bonus- Platinum members receive a 50 % bonus on hotel stays and money spent during stays. This means that Platinum members receive 15 points per dollar spent at the vast majority of brands. Late Check-Out- Platinum members receive a guaranteed 4 pm late check-out at non-convention and non-resort hotels. Guaranteed Room Type- If a Platinum elite member room type request is not met then the member receives compensation ranging from $25 to $100. In-Hotel Welcome Gift- At check-in Platinum members receive a welcome gift ranging from a choice of 500 points per stay and a Food & Beverage item to 1,000 per stay or breakfast in the restaurant. These benefits vary based upon the brand and you can find the full list here. Enhanced Room Upgrade- At participating brands Platinum elites receive an upgrade to the best available room including select suites subject to availability. Lounge Access- At JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Delta Hotels, Autograph Collection Hotels, and Renaissance Hotels Platinum members have lounge access. Annual Choice Benefits- After 50 elite qualifying nights Platinum members receive annual choice benefit with the choice between 5 Suite Night Awards, 5 elite night credits, a gift of silver elite status to another member, 40% off a mattress, or a $100 charity donation.  Marriott Elite Benefits Marriott Platinum Status Tips
1. Book Direct- Elite benefits only apply to stays booked directly with Marriott. In order to utilize platinum elite benefits it is essential to book direct. 2. Benefits Vary by Brand- To maximize Platinum elite status it is critical to be selective about the brand you book since benefits vary significantly between brands. For example, the In-Hotel Welcome Gift for the Element brand is 500 points or an amenity compared to the option for the The Luxury Collection of 1,000 points, and amenity, or breakfast in the restaurant. The differences are also not limited to value vs. luxury brands. For example, Platinum members don't receive upgrades to suites at Ritz Carltons while they do at St. Regis brand hotels. 3. Promotions- Periodically, Marriott offers promotions which can provide a shortcut to Platinum elite status. This is how Christina achieved Platinum elite status in 2018 with less than half the required elite night credits. Periodically, review your Marriott elite account for promotions. 4. Elite Benefits Guarantee- Marriott is unique among the major hotel brands in offering cash guarantees if elite members are not provided guaranteed elite benefits. We have had success getting a hotel to provide $100 in cash for not honoring one of the guarantees. Make sure to ask the hotel to honor the guarantee before check-out if the benefits are not honored. 5. Lounge Access- One of the most undervalued benefits of Platinum elite status is lounge access and is something which I would recommend maximizing. While the benefit is only available at a limited number of brands depending on the hotel it can be very valuable. For example, in the past we have been able to substitute a pasta dish for dinner and have been offered complimentary happy hours in Marriott hotel lounges. Take Away If you have the ability to earn Marriott Platinum elite status is can be very valuable and make a substantial difference during your Marriott stay. If you follow the tips above you can get access to benefits including complementary restaurant breakfast, lounge access, and suite upgrades. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Hotel Overview
This resort makes it easy to relax with ocean views from every room, multiple pools and hot tubs with stunning ocean views, a wide variety of fresh food and good drinks. Pros- Stylish Airport Transportation, Good Elite Recognition, Great Ocean Front Location, Ocean Views and Hot Tubs in every room, Champagne Welcome Amenity, In-Room Tablet, Wide Variety of Dining Options, Amazing Seafood, Good Alcoholic Drinks, Multiple Pools and Hot Tubs, Swim-Up Bar, Complimentary Room Service, Friendly Service, Hard-Working Staff Cons- Poor Concierge Service, Chaotic Airport Pickup, No Complimentary Water Sports, Awkward Check-Out Process Relaxing in Cancun Report Relaxing in Cancun Overview Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Washington Dulles Review Delta 737-800 IAD-CUN Flight Review Hyatt Zilara Cancun Review Location The Hyatt Zilara Cancun, which opened in 2013, is located in the Hotel Zone about a 20 minute drive from the Cancun International Airport and 15 minutes from downtown Cancun. Zilara is Hyatt's adult-only all-inclusive brand which in 2020 has 3 locations: 1) Cancun Mexico, 2) Montego Bay, Jamaica, and 3) Cap Cana, Dominican Republic all of which are owned and Managed by Playa Hotels and Resorts. I found the location to be good because it was directly on the beach but still close to the nightlife in downtown Cancun. 
Map of Hyatt Zilara Cancun Location
Airport Transportation
About one week before our arrival we reached out to the resort to schedule airport transportation to our hotel. We were quoted a cost of $90 one way or $150 roundtrip. Because we had a group of 5 guys this came out to a reasonable cost of $30 per person which we decided was a good deal. Upon exiting the arrivals area about Cancun International Airport (CUN) we were greeted by a chaotic scene. Surrounding us were at least a hundred different people aggressively trying to sell airport transportation services or pickup people with prearranged transportation. As we waded through this crowd of people and looked at all of the signs we did not see a sign with my name or the Hyatt Zilara sign. After about another 15 minutes we spotted the driver who apologized that he wasn't waiting for us upon arrival but explained that there were no parking spots available. We waited for about another 20 minutes until the final member of our group arrived and then we headed towards the hotel. Our transportation to the hotel was a luxurious black Lincoln Navigator with space for six passengers and a driver. When we entered the SUV our driver offered us a cold towel and cold water. We really appreciated this after standing in the hot sun for almost an hour. The luxurious ride was a nice start to our Hyatt Zilara experience, after a poor airport pickup experience at CUN. CUN really needs to improve the airport pickup experience and I would strongly recommend any larger groups staying at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun to arraign transportation ahead of time to avoid the chaos of the airport pickup. 
Hyatt Zilara Cancun Lincoln Navigator
Check-In
Hyatt Zilara Cancun Driveway
Upon arriving at the resort all our suitcases were taken and would be delivered to our rooms later.
Hyatt Zilara Entrance
As we entered the resort we were very impressed by the decor, which reminded me of a hacienda with an interior courtyard stain glass ceiling, and the atmosphere of the resort felt very cool. We headed to the standard check-in area and after recognizing that I was a Hyatt Discoverist, the lowest level tier of World of Hyatt elite status, we were ushered to a private check-in area for World of Hyatt elites.
Standard Check-In Area
All of the members of our group were shown to seats in this area and were offered champagne. I was again greeted as a Hyatt Discoverist and was told that I had been upgraded from an Junior Suite to an Junior Ocean View Suite. The other two Junior Suite Double Rooms we booked were also on upper floors with better ocean views. This was the first time I had stayed at a Hyatt as an elite and I was impressed by the Hyatt elite recognition. Overall, I was very impressed by the elite recognition and I felt we were treated like kings.
Junior Ocean View Suite Upon entering the suite I was again impressed that I was greeted with a welcome amenity of Champagne and macrons which I assumed was due to my Hyatt elite status. The champagne was good and the macrons were delicious. The continued elite recognition left me really impressed by Hyatt. 
Welcome Amenity
My Junior Ocean View Suite was a 653 square foot room with a king bed at the center facing the ocean. The bed was comfortable and had an impressive headboard with a mirror in the center.
Junior Suite King Bed
Near the sliding glass door was a table with two chairs, where my welcome amenity sat, and a flat screen television.
Junior Suite King Room
On both sides of the bed were side tables and on the right side was a desk with a wooden chair. At the foot of the bed was an ottoman which I really liked using to change my shoes.
In-Room Tablet
A really impressive feature of the resort was the tablet next to my bed which reminded me of the Aria. This tablet contained the schedule of the all of the resort's activities, information on all of the restaurants, and most impressive was the ability to order room service from the tablet. I really appreciate it when hotels embrace technology to improve the guest experience and I can say that Hyatt Zilara Cancun did just that.
Mini-Fridge
The room also had a dresser near the entrance which contained a mini-fridge and had a Nespresso machine on top. The mini-fridge came stocked with juice, beer, soda, and water. While I could order whatever I wanted at the restaurants or via room service I still appreciated having some beverages in the room in case I got thirsty.
In-Room Hot Tub
One very impressive feature of this resort is that all of the rooms contain an in-room hot tub. While I didn't get to use it one of my traveling companions who did use the hot tub said it was really nice.
Sink
The bathroom was split into two with one half having a sink, shelving, and a closet that contained a safe. Inside the closet was an iron, ironing board, and two robes.
Shower
The second half had a room with a walk-in shower, toilet, and phone. A cool feature of the shower was a window which allowed the person showering to have an ocean view. I really appreciated these great design touches.
"Magic Box"
Another impressive feature of the room was something the resort called the "magic box". It was located next to the entrance of the room and allows room service delivery and return with complete privacy. When room service was delivered a light turned on and you could retrieve the room service from the magic box. When we were done you simply returned the empty dishes to the magic box.
Balcony
I was really impressed that all 310 junior suites and suites at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun had at least a partial ocean view and a balcony. I loved the balcony in my room and it had a table and two chairs and I found the ocean view from my room to be spectacular. However, I didn't notice a significant difference in the view since all of the rooms face the ocean and my room and my traveling companions' rooms were on the same floor. The balcony also had a hammock which could be strung up. I didn't try it but my traveling companions said it was lovely.
Ocean View
The only part of my room I didn't like was the location. I loved the good view and being on a higher floor. However, I actually ended up finding the upgrade annoying because my suite was located at the other end of the resort far from my traveling companions. This meant more privacy but also long walks every time I needed to go back to my room. Overall, I was left very impressed by my Junior King Ocean View Suite. Having a private hot tub, a king bed, balcony, and ocean view made this a great room.
Dining One of the most important aspects of an all-inclusive resort is the dining and this is an area where the Hyatt Zilara shined. This was my first stay ever at an all inclusive and I was unsure what to expect especially when it came to food and drinks. The dining options at the resort left me very impressed. Hyatt Zilara Cancun had a wide array of dining and drinking options with six restaurants, one cafe, four bars, and 24-hours a day complimentary room service. During our two night stay we were able to try all of these dining options with the exceptions of La Adelita Cantina, which is only open for dinner, and Chef's Plate, which is the only dining option requiring a reservation and only accessible to guests stay in full suites. Pelicanos The first dining option we checked out was Pelicanos which is located next to the main pool and overlooks the ocean. Pelicanos offered stunning ocean views and a relaxed setting for a meal. Pelicanos is a Caribbean fusion restaurant with a heavy focus on fresh seafood. During our stay it was only open for breakfast and lunch. Since our stay its hours have expanded to include dinner. 
Pelicanos
Some of the highlights of my meals at Pelicanos were the grilled grouper, the shrimp cocktail, and the chocolate platanos (plantains). The grouper was one of the best I have ever had which is a strong statement coming from someone who grew up in the Caribbean.
Grouper
Pelicanos was our most visited dining option during our stay because of the good drinks, stunning views, and fresh seafood.
Shrimp Cocktail
Marie Marie
For dinner on the first night we went to Marie Marie. This is a gourmet Mexican restaurant which is only open for dinner. The restaurant shares a building with Cantina La Adelita and is located in a more secluded area of the resort near the outdoor hot tubs. 
Marie Marie Entrance
The restaurant had a very romantic atmosphere with dark mood lighting, a fountain, and candlesticks in the shape of a heart.
Marie Marie Decorations
I found the beef tacos at Marie Marie to be okay and I thought the ones I had in Mexico City were much better. However, the pork ribs I ordered fell off of the bone and were amazing while the flan was small but sweet and tasty.
Pork Ribs
The service at Marie Marie was outstanding. The servers checked on our table often and brought out additional appetizers and drinks that we didn't even order. Overall, I found Marie Marie to have a great atmosphere particularly suited for couples but my traveling companions and I still enjoyed the ambience, delicious food, and good service.
Marie Marie Dining Room
Spice
On our second morning at the resort we had breakfast at Spice the resort's buffet which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I didn't find the breakfast buffet at Spice to be impressive. 
Spice Brunch
While the buffet had many options including some Mexican dishes such as tacos, frijoles, quesadillas, and Conchas most of the food was American cuisine. This included pancakes, toast, and eggs. I found the American food I tried including pancakes and an omelet to bland. The most impressive part of the buffet was the fresh fruit and fruit juice station which included mango, guava, and orange juice.
Spice Breakfast
Asiana
During the second night of our stay we had dinner at Asiana the resort's Asian restaurant focused on gourmet contemporary Asian Cuisine. The restaurant is located in a more secluded area on the side of the resort not facing the ocean near Marie Marie. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and has two levels. 
Asiana Entrance
The top level, where we ate, served a full menu including sushi while the bottom level had a hibachi grill with a cooking show but required a reservation. We were not told about the cooking show at check-in so did not make a reservation but still enjoyed our dinner at Asiana. I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai and Korean Beef. The Chicken Pad Thai was okay but the Korean Beef was delicious. I loved the sauce the Korean Beff was soaked in. Asiana also had a menu offering Asian drinks including Sake. My traveling companions and I really enjoyed the Sake. The service at this restaurant was fast but indifferent. I liked Asiana but would probably opt for the lower level hibachi cooking experience if I returned to the Hyatt Zilara Cancun.
Asiana
Room Service
We ordered room service multiple times during our stay at the resort. I found room service to be a great feature because it was complimentary and convenient. Room service was very easy to order through the tablets in each room. I loved the use of technology to streamline and simplify the process. 
In-Room Room Service Odering
The only downsides to the room service were it did not allow the ordering of alcohol and it was slow. The first time we ordered it took 40 minutes. The highlight of my room service orders was the breakfast I ordered on our final morning in Cancun. It was very relaxing to order room service while I sat looking out over the ocean. The salmon omelet with fresh guava juice was very good and capped off my great dining experience at the resort.
Room Service Breakfast
Casa del Cafe
The resort also had a cafe called Casa del Cafe which had coffee, hot chocolate, and numerous deserts including a large variety of ice cream. It is located just off of the lobby and is open from 7am-10 pm. 
Case del Cafe Sign
I loved having access to ice cream and hot chocolate for most of the day. Also, like most of the resort it offered stunning ocean views and we sometimes sat on the couches drinking our warm drinks or eating ice cream and staring at the ocean.
Ice Cream
Trades Winds Swim Up Bar and Tequliria Beach Lounge
One my favorite features of the resort is the swim up bar Trade Winds located in the same building as Pelicanos in the infinity pool. The staff here was friendly and the drinks were very good. I especially loved the mango margaritas. I really appreciated that the resort did not water down the drinks which was something I feared staying at an all-inclusive. 
Trade Winds Swim Up Bar
The resort also has a beach bar called Tequliria Beach Lounge. I checked out the bar once and didn't find the tequila collection or drinks to be any better than what was served at other bars around the resort. I would only recommend visiting this bar if the other bars are busy or if you are already at the beach.
Time Out Time Out is the resort's 24 hour lounge. The lounge serves drinks and appetizers from 11 am-11 pm. It featured numerous televisions showing sports most of the day. It also had games such as pool, table tennis, checkers, and poker. During our visit it was under renovation so the bathrooms and the courtyard were closed. Timeout was never full when we went inside and we did not spend a lot of time here but it is a good option if you want to watch a particular game, play a game, or want some down time. 
Time Out Sign
Lobby Bar
The Lobby Bar was located just off the lobby behind Pelicanos. The bar was a fun place to hang out especially in the evenings when it filled up with other guests. In this space there were televisions with sports on and the area also hosted a lot of the nightly entertainment. 
Lobby Bar
Activities
The activities at the Hyatt Zilara make it clear that this a place to relax. If you are a person who wants to be very active during your vacation this is not the spot for you. The resort has multiple pools, a beautiful beach multiple hot tubs, and numerous daily activities. Two of the activities we did not check out were the Sky Gym and the Zen Spa. The gym looked nice from the outside and the spa offered massages with a view of the beach. 
Sky Gym
Beach
The beach at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun is beautiful but the ocean is very rough and not pleasant to swim in. The beach does have cabanas which are complimentary and do not need to be reserved. We went swimming in the ocean one time during our stay. What was also really disappointing was that the resort did not offer any complimentary water sports such as kayaking. I assumed this was because of safety concerns due to the very choppy water near the beach.
Hyatt Zilara Cancun Beach
Pools and Hot Tubs
Where we spent the majority of our time during the day was in the pool and in the hot tubs. The resort has two outdoor pools and multiple hot tubs. The first pool is a lap pool located next to Pelicanos and the second pool is an infinity pool also located next to the Pelicanos. On our first day the resort lap pool had a foam party which looked like a ton of fun and the pools were definitely the center of activity during the day. Both of the pools featured cabanas which were also complimentary and did not require reservations. Staff constantly passed by the cabanas to see if guests wanted anything to drink. I really liked that these cabanas came at no additional cost since so many resorts use this an opportunity for an upcharge. 
Infinity Pool
There were multiple hot tubs but we liked the ones that were more private located on the side of the resort not facing the ocean. These hot tubs were fun because for the vast majority of the time we were the only guests using them.
Glow Party and Michael Jackson Show
The resort had nightly entertainment and during our stay the two shows were a glow party and a Michael Jackson show. The glow party was held on the first night of our stay in one of the resort's ballroom. The resort did a good job turning the ballroom into a fun glow in the dark party. 
Glow Party
The party had many interesting decorations and characters. It seemed the staff were going for a trance dance party look. Overall, we really had fun at this party and I think the staff did a good job making sure the scenery was fun and the drinks were easily accessible.
Glow Party
The Michael Jackson show was held in the lobby during our second night. I thought the dancers in the show were very good but found the show itself to be short. I also thought it was distracting that the resort left the televisions on during the show. After the show ended the lobby bar had live music and became a hub of activity.
Michael Jackson Show
Service
The service at the Hyatt Zilara Cancun was great. The staff in the restaurants and at the bars seemed to go out of there way to make sure that guests had fun. For example, on our first day at the resort the champagne welcome amenity in my friend's room was already hot so he called down to ask for another bottle and the staff were happy to accommodate his request and sent up a cold bottle of champagne. Also, during our dinner at Marie Marie the waiter sent over appetizers that we hadn't ordered for us to sample and made sure that the drinks kept flowing every time we were empty. The staff at the pool were also great. It seemed that they were everywhere and any time a member of our party needed another drink they were ready to serve us. What I found most surprising about the service is that all of resort fees and gratuity are already included in the rate so staff were unlikely to get additional tips but were very quick and hard working. The biggest service downfall at this resort was the concierge service. About a week before our stay I reached out to the resort asking about their airport transportation options and any recommendations on nightlife in Cancun and I never heard a response. So about two days later I ended up having to call the resort to arrange the transportation. When we checked in at the resort I asked the staff member about nightlife options in Cancun and was given the generic answer of Coco Bongo but no other options. The resort really needs to step up their concierge services including responding to guest in a timely manner and providing additional information about activities outside of the resort. One additional item to note is the awkward check-out process at the resort. While many resorts allow you to leave the resort without formally checking out, this resort required a slip of paper saying you had checked out before you could leave the property. Take Away The Hyatt Zilara Cancun has a great location, impressive design elements, and all of the rooms have amazing ocean views which makes it easy to enjoy yourself in Cancun. The resort also features a wide array of fresh and delicious food and good drinks in addition to multiple pools with stunning ocean views and relaxing hot tubs. The staff is friendly, hardworking, and constantly makes sure guests are enjoying themselves. All of this added up to make the Hyatt Zilara Cancun one of the best resorts I have stayed at and I would strongly recommend staying here if you are looking for a relaxing resort vacation with beautiful ocean views. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight reviews, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further while traveling in comfort. Dining and Activities Overview "The dining destination" impressed with a wide array of high-quality food choices while the activities were expensive and the service was mixed Pros-Array of Dining Choices, Tasty and Creative Food, Fun Entertainment Options, Multiple Pools Cons- Expensive Entertainment, Lukewarm pools, mixed, pretentious day club, and mixed service Las Vegas Strip Trip Report Las Vegas Strip Trip Overview Aria Resort and Casino Deluxe Queen Room Review Aria Resort and Casino Dining and Activities Review Exploring the Las Vegas Strip American Airlines Boeing 737-800 LAS-DCA Review  Dining Aria's tagline is "The Dining Destination" and with an impressive array of about 15 dining choices the hotel delivered. We were intent on using every dollar of our $100 per room dining credit and $30 per person per day breakfast credit so were able to check out four of the dining location together. We got off to a quick start by checking out The Patisserie, located on the lobby level off of the casino, which is the Aria's French bakery.  The Patisserie The bakery is open 24 hours a day and featured coffee and all of the sweets you could desire including sweet and savory crepes, chocolate strawberries, gelato, and macaroons. I ordered the bananas foster and was so happy with my choice. The dish was sweet and lovely. The Patisserie is definitely worth a trip for breakfast, lunch, or a snack.  The Patisserie For breakfast we checked out the Aria Cafe where we could use our $30 per person breakfast credit. Aria Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch and is located on the lobby level off of the casino. I generally liked the atmosphere of the Cafe as it had a large water feature and large window letting in natural light. One interesting thing about the cafe's location is that it has a view of valet parking area in front of the hotel lobby and felt very Las Vegas with a bunch of luxury cars parked out front.  View from Aria Cafe We ate at the Aria Cafe for breakfast three times during our stay and each time I was impressed by the wide array of high-quality food options and the creativity of the dishes. Throughout my stay I never got bored with the selections and found the prices to be reasonable for Las Vegas allowing us to stretch our breakfast credits. One thing to note is that the credit did not include tax and tip.  Aria Cafe Breakfast Menu My favorite breakfast item on the menu was the red velvet pancakes. This dish featured chocolate chips melted onto red velvet pancakes and was simply amazing! I also ordered freshly squeezed orange juice with breakfast on my first morning at the Aria Cafe and was so impressed that had had it for all three breakfasts.  Aria Cafe Breakfast This was my third trip to Las Vegas and the first time I had the opportunity to check out a Las Vegas buffet. The Aria's buffet is simply called The Buffett at Aria. The Buffet is open for breakfast, brunch, and dinner and located on the second level of the Aria. We went to The Buffet for dinner once during our stay.  The Buffet Entrance Overall, I thought The Buffet's food quality was okay, however, what it lacked in food quality compensated with selection. The buffet featured numerous stations including a Fish Market, Pizza, Carvery, Asian, and Latin. The item I liked the most were the fresh cuts of meats but I would probably skip doing a buffet next time I am in Las Vegas.  The Buffet at Aria The final dining location we tried together was the Burger Lounge. This is Aria's casual take away grass fed burger place located on the lobby level right off of the casino floor. One cool feature of this restaurant is that it lets customers watch the chef's preparing the food.  The Burger Lounge I ordered the special which came with a burger, fries, and a drink. I thought the burger was okay while I loved the fries and the shake. I found the Burger Lounge to best choice for an affordable dinner at the Aria. Activities Like many of the Las Vegas resorts Aria's main activity is gambling in the casino. However, when I go on vacation gambling is never my main focus so I will discuss all of the non-gambling activities we experienced at the Aria. The Aria only has a handful of non-casino activities including a Game Room, Jewel Nightclub, multiple pools, and the Liquid Day Club. We never made it to the Jewel Nightclub and checked out the pricing at the Game Room but found it overpriced so I will focus on the Aria's pools and the Liquid Day Club. Aria has a large number of pools including two main pools for all guests and the Sky Pool exclusively reserved for guests of the Sky Suites. The pools were shallow and meant more for relaxing than swimming. The pools are surrounded by a large number of loungers and cabanas. The loungers are free and the cabanas have an additional cost and must be reserved. The Aria also had hot tubs which were completely unnecessary on these 100 degrees plus summer days in Las Vegas. My biggest compliant about the pool was how hot it was. The pool deck was so hot that walking barefoot on the deck could burn your feet. The pool water provided no relief because it was lukewarm. I really wished that they would cool the pool temperature on the hot summer days.  Aria Sky Pool The Aria also features a day club call Liquid Pool Lounge which also features a pool. This day club normally has a cover, however, because we were hotel guests we had complimentary general admission. The day club is located next to the Sky Pool and features a large pool, a live DJ, cabanas and a bar. When we went to the pool mid-day we were the only guests in the pool. It was fun to have a private pool and DJ for thirty minutes. The DJ spinning beats was very good and we enjoyed hanging out in the pool listening to her beats.  Liquid Pool Lounge The biggest downside to Liquid Pool Lounge was the pretentious atmosphere and high cost of using the cabanas. From the minute we walked in it was clear that the staff was only interested in serving guests with cabanas and were worried about us messing up the look of the club. On several occasions the staff came by and asked if they could clean up our clothing or fold out towels to keep up the look of the club. As time went by the day club's cabanas filled up with big spenders who ordered rounds of bottles and were treated well by the staff.  Liquid Pool Lounge Service
Service during our stay at the Aria was a mixed bag. For example, we called the concierge during our stay to find out about the location of various activities and the cost for entry into the day and night clubs for hotel guests. The concierge was friendly and efficiently answered our questions, however, there was a long wait to answer our call. At check-in the staff seemed fairly robotic and did not impress. At the restaurants we found some staff to be very friendly while others were okay. The treatment we received at Liquid Day club though was symbolic of staff at the Aria. No one was rude to us but it was clear that they cared most about serving those who they thought were big spenders. Summary Overall I was impressed with the Aria's hotel rooms and dining but not impressed by its activities. The quality and wide variety of the Aria's dining was impressive and set it apart from other hotel's on the Las Vegas Strip. If I find myself in Las Vegas again and was able to find a deal through the Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection I would certainly consider staying at the Aria Resort and Casino again. By RamonRamon is the creator of Travelling Companion. He focuses on flight reviews, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further while traveling in comfort. Hotel Room Overview The central location, Invited Guest Check-In, and comforts of the Deluxe Queen Room made for a great stay at the Aria Pros-Central Location, Invited Guest Check-In, Large Base Room, Large Bathroom with a Shower Tub Combo, Technology Integration Cons- Poor View, Awkward Room Layout Las Vegas Strip Trip Report Las Vegas Strip Trip Overview Aria Resort and Casino Deluxe Queen Room Review Aria Resort and Casino Dining and Activities Review Exploring the Las Vegas Strip American Airlines Boeing 737-800 LAS-DCA Review Location The Aria is a AAA Five Diamond resort centrally located on the Las Vegas Strip across from The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resort. The resort is a part of MGM Resorts and was developed as a part of the City Center development which includes luxury shopping and dining. The resort opened in 2009 and is one of the newest resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. We ended up really appreciating the resort's central location since it allowed us to easily walk the strip and check out other hotels and resorts in Las Vegas and attractions such as the Bellagio Fountains.  Map of Aria Resort Location Invited Guest Check-In I took a Lyft for the approximately 10-minute drive from the Las Vegas McCarran Airport and enjoyed seeing the other resorts on the strip including the Bellagio, MGM Grand, and the Cosmopolitan where I stayed during my last trip to Las Vegas.
I arrived at the resort around 11:00 am and the check-in line was about 50 people deep despite a resort check-in time of 3 pm. This was definitely the longest hotel check-in line I had ever seen and I was thankful that one of the benefits I received booking through The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection was Invited Guest Check-In.  Aria Check-In Line The Invited Guest line is an elite check-in line normally reserved for elite members in MGM's M life rewards program. However, because of my booking I was able to skip the normal line and use the elite check-in line which I estimated saved me at least an hour checking in. The Invited Guest line had no wait and an agent greeted me and asked for my MLife Rewards number and I told her I have the benefit of the check in through my reservation. She found my reservation and handed me a paper confirming all of the benefits available through the program and apologized that no room upgrades were available. However, because of the program I was able to receive early check-in to my room. Finally, I added both my M life rewards and World of Hyatt rewards number to the reservation to make sure I could earn World of Hyatt points. One thing to keep in mind is that when booking through The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection there is no way to add an your membership number for World of Hyatt and you must add it along with your M life rewards number at check-in. Once the check-in process was completed we headed towards our rooms. Deluxe Queen Room The process for getting to our room after check-in was not clear since the entire first floor of the resort is really focused on getting people to and from the casino. As a first-time guest at this resort I think the hotel should improve the signage directing guests to the rooms. Once we found out where the elevators to the rooms were located there was a security guard stationed next to the elevators who ensured each time that a member of our group had an Aria room key card. Our Deluxe Queen room (6252) was located on the sixth floor and had an unimpressive view of the ceiling of the lobby and the Vdara resort pool. I hoped we would at least receive a room with a better view at check-in so I was disappointed with this unimpressive view. While we did not have a view I really liked the floor to ceiling windows and I thought the room was quite impressive for a base level room. The room had black out curtains which were great for sleeping and sheer curtains which were great for blocking out the strong Las Vegas sun. As a heads up because of the curvature of the hotel we could see into some of our neighbors' rooms and they could see into our so bear that in mind if you have all of the blinds open.  View from Deluxe Queen Room The 560 square foot Deluxe Queen room was significantly larger than two previous base rooms I had in Las Vegas. The room had two queen beds with comfortable Sealy mattresses and six pillows each. I loved that the hotel included so many pillows! At the back of the queen beds were padded headboards flanked by two lamps. In between each bed was a side table with an additional lamp and plugs. In front of the beds was a desk which I found to be very awkwardly placed since if anyone was sitting at the desk the television was blocked. Next to the desk was a mini-fridge and on top of the mini-fridge were absurdly priced snacks and water. One egregious example was the Fiji water which cost $18 per bottle. My advice, stay away from the mini-bar and snacks in the room.  Deluxe Queen Beds Where I really noticed the additional space in this room was in the bathroom. The bathroom had a number of features which are not common in a base hotel room including a double vanity and a large and luxurious shower/tub combo which a glass door. I really liked the materials the Aria used on the sinks, the shower, and the tub. These materials made the bathroom seem high-end. The hotel also did a great job of keeping the entire room in great condition and I did not notice scratches or blemishes anywhere in the room. One awkward feature of the bathroom was a telephone located next to the toilet. I never understand why hotels put phones next to the toilet. The Aria offered shampoo, conditioner, and body wash from Kinu Haircare which is an Australian company I had never heard of before this trip. The biggest issue I had with the bathroom was the size of the tub since it was so small I could barely fit in it.  Queen Deluxe Bathroom What impressed me the most was the technology in the room. For example, whenever we walked into the room the binds automatically opened. The room also had lightning fast free Wi-Fi which was easy to access. Also, the lights, blinds, and room temperature could all be controlled from either the television or from a tablet located on the side table between the two double beds. The tablet also contained information about the resort including hours of the restaurants along with information about entertainment and retail. The tablet also offered pre-ordering at some of the resort's dining including Starbucks and the ability to order room service. As part of the technology in the room a guest could attach devices to play through the room's entertainment system via numerous connections including USB, HDMI, VGA, AV, and S Video. I really appreciated the way Aria integrated technology into the room. The only complaint I had on the technology front was the lack of sufficient bedside plugs which is a complaint I have at a lot of hotels but something I wouldn't have expected at a modern hotel like Aria.  In-Room Tablet Take Away
The check-in experience using the Invited Guest Check-in was a breeze and further demonstrated the value of The Luxury Hotel and Resort Collection for stays in Las Vegas. The Deluxe Queen room at the Aria Resort and Casino felt luxurious despite being the lowest category room at the resort. The view from the room was unimpressive but the resort made up for this by offering 560 square feet of space, comfortable beds, a large bathroom, and a room outfitted in the latest technology. I really liked the Aria's Queen Deluxe room and would consider staying in this room type at the resort if I was heading to Las Vegas for a group trip with multiple travelling companions. |
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