Ensenachos Resort Dec 2006

Here is a review of our trip in December.

Hideaway, Ensenachos

Some observations Derek and I made. Things we particularly liked. There have been many reviews and so we will try not to comment on stuff that has been dealt with by many others. This is the 1st resort I’ve seen that so many have gone so soon and all reported on their experience.

DECOR:

We have all read about the beauty of the lobby and the rest of the buildings but I particularly loved the floral arrangements on the tables and shelves in the lobby area. There were a team of men who came in every Thursday and changed the arrangements and I was in awe of the originality of the creations. Many people commented and swore to take the ideas home. They were exquisite. Flowers hanging upside down from the top of the vase and huge vases with one flower in them. I have pictures if you go to Derek’s photo gallery.

The landscaping throughout the resort was spectacular. I have never seen so much of the original habitant within a resort area. It was like having parts of the forest around you. It gave a very different feel to the walks around the resort. Three was much precision landscaping done by the very talented gardeners but there was an equal amount of natural trees and brush as there was designed plants. Again, we noted that for the 1st time in Cuba the staff (as in the gardeners) were equipped with state of the art tools. The gardeners actually had real hedge clippers and electric trimmers. We are very used to seeing them with a machete and a very large knife. It did seem to give the landscaping a bit more of a precision look. The landscaping was beautiful and it was a joy to walk or bike around the resort.

We liked the smooth paths, they were easy on the feet and were not terribly hot when you were bare foot

ROOMS:

The rooms have been described on several occasions so I will not add anything except to say we really enjoyed the shower. I did so especially after the Blau a few weeks earlier. The balcony was also very nice. It was quite large and private, even though our room was on the 1st floor and at the front of the building.

The bathrobes and towels supplied were so soft and cuddly and absorbent, (I will not be able to go to the Blau again) Derek and I wanted to keep them and bring them home. (we didn’t) Slippers were also available, a very nice touch if you knew in advance and didn’t bring your own.
Maid service

There was day and night maid service. Towels in the morning and in the evening. Bed turn down, and they changed your beach towels, a service we particularly enjoyed. We never had to go to the info desk and/or wait for a towel.

CONCIERGE:

I think the concept is great especially for people who have not been before and don’t know the ropes. I know the reservation system is a lot better that spending any part of your day standing in line to make a reservation. There are some problems that need to be ironed out. Different people related different experiences with their concierge. Some had their reservations made for the week on the 1st day and some did not know until 5:00 pm on the day of, where or if they were dining a la carte. Derek found it impossible with our concierge the 1st week to get a booking for the happy face group. He informed us that each building got x # of seats at each restaurant and had to mete them out to all of the guests. He had some great difficulty with this chore on a daily basis. He tried very hard to please but seemed to be a bit overwhelmed at the whole prospect. The second week we had a different concierge and she was amazing. (More later) I swear she knew about problems before they happened and she had a handle on everything. One couple we met couldn’t get something as simple as the beach towels sorted out having been sent here and there and back again. They were very laid back about it and it was a running joke each day. They did not let it interfere with any of the joy they were having in paradise. I think the resort will end up with the best of the best by the time all is up and running.

BARS:

The lobby bar was very comfortable and versatile. It served all drinks of every description and the bartenders were very well trained in all ways. The service was impeccable. The bar could be open air or closed depending on the weather and the bugs. There were several door, on 2 sides, to the patio/veranda. It was a short walk across the hall to the cigar lounge where they had the pool table and the 15 year old rum. WE played pool a few times and Derek indulged in the rum. In fact, I believe ha and another happy face managed to deplete the supply completely. I suspect they did it all by themselves.

The orientation meeting was held in a meeting room and the whole area of that resort was obviously designed for conferences and business conventions. Soon it will be Cuba where the companies will be treating the staff to out of country meetings.

Drinks included all coffee liqueurs, all brand names, Smirnoff, tanquaray, jack denials, scotch, brandy, if you wanted it, it was available.

The bars had granite tops. Having just priced them for our kitchen renos, we were impressed. They had electric ice crushing machines at the bars.
The nightclub/disco was not usually busy but there were a few nights when the crowd was there and dancing. It is well set up with benches, stools, tables and chairs and couches. It is also staffed by 2 of the 3 staff from the Sol and Melia. Hernier was the bar man and was from the Sol. Carlos Amores was from the disco at the Sol and then the piano bar./disco at the Melia.

BEACH:

There were lots of beach chairs, no matter when you made it to the beach. They were unfortunately hard plastic and very hard on the back. We were surprised that this resort did not have more comfortable chairs at the beach. It meant we were unable to spend a lot of time at the beach due to my lingering injury sustained at the Blau a few weeks earlier. There were also lots of palapus’. The beach is very wide and so there were 5 or 6 rows of chairs and no one was crowded.

The water was shallow for a short walk and then was swimable very quickly. The water was however, very cold the whole time we were there. We were quite surprised as the weather was very warm. Derek does not enter the ocean if it is not warm, warm warm. Therefore it was not much fun to go alone.

It is a great beach to walk as everyone has said. There is always something to see and the sand is so nice to walk on.

There were also lots of chairs at the pools. They were nicely spread out to give some privacy but it was also easy to group chairs if you wanted. There were additional chairs available and the attendants were happy to get them for you.


BEACH BAR:

We found it to be very busy at all times. The staff tried very hard but there was a very small area to serve both food and drinks for
everyone on the beach. There will have to be more bars or a major expansion on this bar to adequately serve everyone. We tried a few times to get table service but they were just too busy. We were never in that big a hurry but did feel sorry for the hard working staff that were running from here to there and trying to get everyone fed and watered. We found it much easier to walk up to the pool snack bar to get lunch. There was also a limited selection. The 2 guys who were in charge of cooking the food had quite an assembly line going with buns on one BBQ and meat on the other but it did take quite a while. They were cooking for a lot of people. When the resort is full and people have paid a lot of money and expect fast and efficient service, the resort will have to do something to rectify the situation.


POOL SNACK BARS:

We were very happy with the pool restaurants. They were called snack bars but were misnamed. We spent most of our time at the Royal Hideaway Spa section pool. The menu included calamari, cold tomato soup (delicious) chicken breast sandwiches, Caesar salad, regular or with grilled chicken, and many more delightful items we enjoyed. The service was impeccable, friendly and fast. You could have a quick lunch or, as we did on some days, a long leisurely well into the afternoon lunch. There was full bar service and the beer was served in chilled glasses.

There were linen table cloths and napkins. I got a lesson each day in how to fold the napkins. And there was a test.

We liked the pool service for drinks. You could go to the bar, in the water or not and the staff came to your chair to serve you and were very prompt and frequent.

Our favorite wait staff was Ingrid at the pool snack bar. She was fun and went out of her way to please and to tease. She was efficient and pleasant. We enjoyed her nearly every day.

SPA:

One of the duties of the concierge was to book appointments at the Spa. I found (at least with William) it was not possible. He would take the request and tell you he could not confirm till the end of the day. If he was unable to book the time and person you wanted, you had to wait until the next day or agree in advance you would accept any time of the day and with any of the staff available. They have computer at their desks but from what I could gather they were not hooked into the system. Perhaps it is a future plan. I found it much easier to go to the Spa (next door) and book my own appointments.

I was very impressed with the facilities and the caliber of the staff. Everything was up to the minute high tech ultra sophisticated. All of the staff were very proud of the facilities and were happy to show me around. They offered all types of massage and any other kind of spa function.

One day Susset was taking a group of Cuban people on a tour and one of the men came up to me and said Hola, do you remember me? It was Jose, the receptionist from the Melia Spa. We had great hugs and he informed me that they were there for a tour and they would be getting some training at this spa. What a small world.

All charges from the spa are added to your room bill and so you do not need to carry any money with you. You just sign for the treatment. I had a massage every 2nd day and it did help my back. They were much more expensive than any other resort. $40.00 for a ½ hour regular massage and it was the cheapest one. I also had a pedicure. It was not so expensive but also not as thorough as one here in Canada.

There was also a lap pool at the spa in front of the gym. It was very quiet all day and we spoke with a couple who spent their days there because they liked the quiet. It was also the area where yoga and tai chie were held.

HOT TUB:

We found the hot tub and the cool pool beside a nice place to spend the day. We would ask for the hot tub to be turned up until it was actually hot, (the Cubans have a problem with this concept) and then we could hop in the cooler pool for awhile. I had my floating lounger with me and I could lay in this pool and read without disturbing anyone or floating in anyone’s way. There were comfortable loungers set up there as well and it was very near the bar and the snack bar. Given the great set up and the service, I couldn’t tear Derek away from the pool. I have to admit I was very happy to stay there most days. It was better for my poor tailbone and the water in the pool was much warmer than the ocean.

FRIENDS:

We ran into many friends form the Sol and Melia. Some we recognized, and some who recognized us. It was such a treat to walk into a room or bar or restaurant and have someone come rushing over to give us a hug and exclaim how great it was to see us. They were very afraid that the cost of the resort would keep old friends away. We explained to them that the resort at this time was in fact the same or less that the Sol and Melia. They were surprised because they were aware this resort was going to be very expensive and elitist.

In the Spa pool area we met Jeony (Melia lobby bar) who is called el gatto, (the cat) he remembered us and greeted us with joy.

William, our concierge for the 1st week remembered immediately upon our arrival. So did Roberto,the bell hop (from the Melia). He remembered my sister as well and asked for her. Roberto came to us the next day to say Eli was waiting for us to arrive and wanted us to go and visit him. He said when we were ready he would bring us to see him at the buffet in the villa section.

The delivery person for the maid supplies arrived and knocked on our door a few days after we arrived and with practically no English, he managed to convey to me that he was bringing a message from his mother, our friend Elsa from the beach grill at the Sol. We did not know the Sol was shut down and were planning to go over and see her. He had a letter from her welcoming us back to Cuba and telling us the Sol was closed and so she would be unable to see us this trip. I was able to respond to her and have him take a letter to her. He is going to school to learn English and will attempt to become a concierge. I do get the impression it is a coveted job. I am therefore surprised that they are not all of the same caliber. (more later)

We met Raymond the gardener near the pool, we remembered him from the Sol.

WE met Dacre, he works in the lobby bar. He was the brand new employee who gave Derek and I the tour of the resort last Feb., 06.

Yasmenony, a student we made friends with at the Sol buffet was working in the kitchen at the buffet. She was very excited to see us and asked for Judy immediately. She is working 4 days at the resort and attends school 3 days. She is not concerned with not having free time. She is loving the resort and is very excited about working there on a permanent basis. The buffet is the only place where there are students working and they are the final year students. She is one of those bubbly happy face staff that you love to run into every day.

SEAFOOD RESTAURANT:

WE enjoyed the restaurant. The setting out on the point was beautiful. There was an outdoor veranda around 3 sides and it was very romantic to walk around and look at the moonlight. There is a gazebo near by with a lit path to it that is also nice to share a moment. It is quite a distance from the main lobby and so it is a good idea to get a ride, if you are dressed and wearing high heals.

The interior is elegant and we found the food and the service to be excellent on both occasions we ate there. We were excited to find Duny (from the Sol) working here and she arranged to be our server and so it was very special. She was a student when we were last at the Sol in Feb, 06 and we enjoyed getting to know her then. She loves working at the resort and is very happy.

We were offered 2 choices of red and 2 of white. Chile and Spanish. I chose Spanish and enjoyed the wine more than I expected. I had lobster and chicken and my only complaint was the portions were too much and I hate to waste such good food. They will offer you a taste of the wine and you can choose from the 2 selections. NOTE: they had proper stoppers fro the wine and the champagne. A small thing, but there were so many small things, they add up to a luxury resort with all of the little amenities we never expect to find in Cuba.

MISCELLANEOUS.

There were small spoons available at the bar and in all of the restaurants. I have always had a problem finding them.

Bicycles were new and had all of their parts and were comfortable. My butt did not care for the type of seat and I did walk a bit funny for a few days but we enjoyed our bike ride.

I have the Italian restaurant review as well as the Gourmet restaurant and I will get to them soon. Until then, so long.

Geri