We flew Sun Wing and had a good check –in. We convinced the ticket agent
that we wanted window and aisle seats. We were very happy to see that
the middle seat was not allocated.
NOTE!!!! Our bags were underweight. We had one carry-on.
We were impressed with Sun Wing. They actually served a meal.
Customs and immigration went well. No one checked our bags or asked us
any questions. Quick trip to the Blau. Arrived about 11:00am.
Checked in and were told we had a VIP room in the salt-water section on
the 3rd floor of building 32, room 61. The room was not ready and so we
said hello to several friends and had a few cocktails. Our room was
ready before noon and we went to check it out.
The front entrance faced the Tower and the Suites building was on the
right. The building was fenced off and there were several workers
working everyday on this building. I saw them carry wheelbarrows of
cement up 3 flights of stairs.
Observations
The lagoon pedal boats are in operation again. There is a notice that
children must have animation staff in attendance. Guess they got tired
of kids getting stuck in the lagoon.
The saltwater pool is as beautiful as we remembered. They have new
statues near the bridges. The swim up bar is in operation but they have
removed the island that used to be in that area. Remember, with the palm
trees in it?
The buffet that was open was the one near the saltwater area. The larger
one was closed. They had tables outside on the veranda as well as some
on the grass.
Derek took several pictures of the new children’s play area. It is quite
nice. It has a clubhouse, a pool and sand play area. It is well
situated to the right of the area between the buffets. You can see it
when you come across the bridge where the turtles and ducks are housed.
They have cleaned up all of the pools in that area and the fountains are
working and it is very pretty. One of the pools that had been dormant
for a while has been made into the kid’s pool. For further directions,
it behind the disco and near the north end of building 14 and very close
to the Hemingway beach grill.
The kids liked the ducks and fish and turtles. The fountains were all working. It really looks beautiful.
The artisans were found in front of the 1st buffet, where the outdoor
tables were previously. Likely, will find a new home when the buffet
reopens.
The stores in the square were also open. The end shop now houses the gym but is poorly equipped, with no airflow at all.
The fresh water section is now under construction. The crews were
working 2 x 12 hour shifts in order to get the buildings prepared for a
group coming in the following week. We spoke with Eduardo and he was
hoping to have the pool painted and filled by Monday, but it seemed very
unlikely. They were concentrating on the buildings to the right as you
entered the resort, between the bridge and the old seafood restaurant.
We did notice there were guests there before we left. On the other side
of the pool they are doing major infrastructure work. The area has been
dug up and pipes and electrical are all being replaced. Building 15 is
closed and it is all dug up in front. Derek also took some pictures of
the work being done. Eduardo said there is work being done in the rooms
and they will all be the same in both sections of the resort.
There is a change in the tennis court area. There are still 2 tennis
courts but the other courts are now a beach volleyball court, a soccer
pitch, and a basketball court. A very good idea, as the tennis courts
were not getting much use. Now there are options.
Restaurants
Buffet for breakfast lunch and dinner. The usual food but I really like
the way it is laid out. It is very easy to get around and there are no
clumps of people. We never found a line up and the resort was quite
full, at least in the saltwater area.
Saltwater pool grill was open fro breakfast and that was very pleasant.
It opened at 9:30 am, so great for late sleepers. Real coffee available,
a bread basket with every meal, and bacon and eggs sausage, fruit,
cereal, yogurt, juice, coffee and tea, all table service.
Several friends were working there so it was always a pleasure to have a
meal or a coffee. It was also open for lunch and they had a grill as
well as the kitchen. I was able to get some fresh fish (10 minutes out
of the ocean) cooked to perfection with grilled vegetables. The staff
treats us so well, it is no wonder we all keep going back and back. The
chef is always willing to cook fish for you if you are able to get any.
They do a very nice job and always add grilled veggies.
At lunch hamburgers, hot dogs, veggies were available from the grill and
pasta, pizza from the kitchen. Of course, at all times Papa Fritas.
They know how we all love French fries and they were plentiful.
The churro stand is back in the square. It was quite busy. Kids loved them.
In the evening the Grill became the Cuban Restaurant. It is very nice and well protected from the wind.
After the 1st day it was quite windy at the beach and so the pool area
was very busy. There were always chairs available and it did not seem
crowded as the pool is so well laid out. Three was a volleyball net in
one of the pools and the staff did play some other games as well as
aquafit each day.
They have sun umbrellas around the pool and they are set in concrete.
They are quite large and we enjoyed them. Chairs are the same as the
beach.
In one area of the pool there were 5 massage tents. Curtains are hung
completely around the table but are pulled back to catch a breeze.
Several lounge chairs that surround the tents require, for some at
least, to keep their bathing suits on. I require bare back for an
effective massage.
All Transat guests got a free massage per week as did VIP guests. You
had to book at the Public relations office and they were very busy. I
would have preferred the massage therapist who has been there for years
but she was fully booked the days I tried to get an appointment. The
massages provided at the pool were “relaxation” massages and were really
nothing more than rubbing oil into your skin. Much like someone putting
sunscreen on for you. There was no therapeutic value whatsoever. Nice
but Derek could have done it better. Too bad, but I guess when it is
free--------------
Observations
I must comment on the General Manager, Eduardo. He is everywhere on the
resort. He attends the show every night with his wife and takes a bow at
the end of the show. I am very impressed with the way he runs the
resort. It is also evident that the staff all respects him and are happy
to have him as a boss. He is in constant motion and you do see him
everywhere. He is very approachable, very friendly and happy to listen
to any ideas that guests put forward. He meets the staff bus when the
workers arrive. He compliments the staff and they work very hard for
him. He seems able to get things done that were not possible before. He
really seems to be on top of it all. He was working with the crews who
were working so hard to get the buildings ready for the guests that were
arriving in a few days. He makes an appearance in the square before
dinner to greet people and at the buffet and all of the a la cartes.
I complimented him on all of the changes and he immediately credited the staff. Classy!
There were many families with small and school age children. More kids
than I have ever seen at the Blau. It seemed like a lot of kids were
missing school.
New furniture in the lobby was quite comfortable.
Bit of a problem with kids on the pool table in the lobby. Parents
allowing kids free rein with pool cues and no instructions regarding the
felt on the table. Kids didn’t seem to know the balls don’t bounce of
the floor. There were actually some balls with chips in them. There was
no chalk and only 2 cues, one without a tip on it. Makes for fun game of
pool. Derek and I like to have a glass of wine and a game of pool
before dinner and we usually bring our own cues and chalk but we packed
so light this time we had to make do.
There is new lobby patio furniture, looks like wicker but is actually
durable plastic. Also beautiful new furniture in the square. Very
comfortable. Finally, that uncomfortable wrought iron tables and chairs
are gone. Who cares where?
The piano bar has also set up tables on the south side of the bar.
Didn’t see much use of them but a good idea for when it is busy and
people want a quieter place than the square.
Resort was nearly full on the salt-water side. More guests expected but
for the fresh water side. Staff still working all out to get the
buildings ready for the Monday.
On the Friday they decorated the Pool grill area and had a Cuban party
with a live band. It barely started and the rain came pouring down and
the wind blew in. We were already in our room so we missed the wet
party. Eduardo was of course in attendance.
Up until the Friday we had great weather. We woke up to see huge white
caps and a warm but strong wind. Slept in and then set up at the pool,
did some aquafit and some dance routines? Pool was quite warm and
enjoyable. Sun disappeared about 3:00 pm and so we decided to head home
and have a nap. There was an umbrella in the room and so we had no
problem getting to dinner.
The wind and the rain were awesome. Giant white caps. It rained hard and
it was coming in the front set of widows, even though they were closed.
There was a crack at the bottom of one set of windows. Had a bit of a
flood but towels saved the day. A lot of mopping up and wringing out but
once it was cleaned up we used towels to dam the flow. Once the wind
slowed down or maybe changed direction we were fine
The wind was so strong it was snapping the clothespins off the line on
the balcony. Brought the clothes in and saved the day. Our towels were
dry when we put them out but were soaked in minutes. So much for
freshening up the towels. We then didn’t have them to mop up the flood
as they were so wet, but we managed. We used a metro shopping bag to get
the sopping towels from the window to the bathroom to wring out and use
again. I felt Cuban. I looked around for a solution of sopping wet
towels and spotted the bag and the light went on. It worked like a
charm. I left the bag there thinking it would be put to very good use by
the staff.
We hung around the room till dinner. The square was out of the question. We started to think we were in Costa Rica again.
Rooms
The rooms were the same as the other section with new canopies over the
bed. TV offered T.S.N., BBC news, HBO and a few new stations. The
balconies are L shaped, there were front windows as usual and 2 side
windows, one with a Juliet balcony. Everything else was the same. I love
the rooms with the large windows. We were able to sleep with the
windows open and hear to the ocean. I love to sleep to that sound.
The wind stayed pretty fierce on Sat and Sunday and only the very brave
were in the water. Anyone on the beach was using chairs to block the
wind. Looked like little forts all along the beach.
New
Near building 14 and 15 they are building a new Grill and restaurant. It
is a huge outdoor and indoor building. The current beach bar and grill
will be just a bar when it is completed. It will block the ocean view
for a good part of building 15.
The area in front of bldgs 14 and 15 was all dug up and all new wiring and plumbing was being installed.
Yareys was not open and the pool was still empty and waiting for the last coat of paint.
The old seafood restaurant is posted as dangerous. It will never be
fixed. It will need to be dismantled, as it is a hazard. I doubt they
could afford to do the necessary work to get it back.
Building 22 and 14 were in use before we left. They managed to get them done.
The 2nd buffet, on the way to the salt-water pool will become the Nolitour’s only buffet when the 1st one reopens.
All the palapas on the beach were gone and they are in the process of
rebuilding them. It must get discouraging when the keep getting blown
away,
The entertainment was excellent. The young dancers are very professional
and we enjoyed all of the shows. They work very hard every day and it
shows.
There was an excellent band at the piano bar each evening (guitar,
keyboard sax and clarinet) that we also enjoyed. We also enjoyed the
family band with the young woman who plays the flute. She is growing up
and I feel that I have watched her become a young woman. They played at
the buffet as well as at the disco before the show.
VIP Lounge
There have been some changes to the VIP Lounge. The large room that used
to serve as the smoking lounge is now a regular seating area. The
smoking room is a very small area off the main lounge. They took down a
wall and opened up a room that used to be off to the side and then
partitioned off a small area. It has a window looking out onto the
tarmac. You can watch the planes arrive. Service is still excellent and
now has 3 staff members.
I still love the VIP check in. That alone is worth the cost.
I think that is it for now. Any questions I am happy to answer
No comments:
Post a Comment