Overall, the resort property looks nice. There are some maintenance issues that are obvious, like the paint on the buildings and the roofs of the villas. The grounds looked to be in great condition and the grounds crews certainly did a nice job.
The villa we stayed in was in good shape. It was clean and the maid did a nice job of keeping it clean. The bed was very comfortable, but new pillows would be a plus. Having 2 sets of sliding glass doors to the porch was really nice. A couple of small issues were present. There was no drain stopper in the bathroom sink. A problem for those of us with contact lenses!! The towel bar in the shower was missing. The brackets were on the wall, but no bar. The shower head could be better. We would suggest one that can be taken off the holder and used as a hand held with some sort of constrictor to make the water pressure higher. There was no mirror other than the bathroom. Perhaps a single full length mirror on the back of the bedroom door. Even though it is nude, it's still nice to have a mirror. The large shower stall and the in room water heater were a huge plus. Braco had a shower with jets on the walls in the front and the back as well as a large shower head and a hand held shower head, all controlled separately. I think adding the hand held shower head would help a lot.
The beach is very nice, if small. If the resort ever gets crowded that's going to be an issue. If you ever want to really expand, it would seem you would need to pull some of the rock from either side of the beach and put down sand. One option to perhaps consider is taking some of that rock out a ways and putting it down as a reef to reduce the waves and make a nice little lagoon. Just a thought, but probably expensive. The pools and hot tub were very nice and clean. The maintenance people did a good job. Of course, we only got a chance to use the beach for a day or so!!!
The food was wonderful. The only meal we felt was not outstanding was the Friday buffet. The food was lukewarm (except for the soup) and just not that good. The desserts, however, were the best that night. All other meals were "order off the menu". We found the wait staff to be very attentive and service excellent. The fish dishes were on a par with some of the best restaurants we have eaten in. The bread and other baked goods were phenomenal. Overall, they had some of the best food we have ever had at a resort. One distinct advantage we felt Caribe has is the restaurant, both the food and the fact that it is clothing optional vs. Braco where we had to get dressed for dinner. Their room service was a nice feature. We didn't know you could ask for room service at Caribe until a couple of days before we left. I am not sure if it's really "officially" available or the wait staff was trying to be helpful. It would also be nice of there were brewed decaf coffee available.
The spa was interesting. We know it's independently owned, but it needs a face lift to be on a par with a top resort. The massages we had were nice. They did a good job and we felt it was worth the price. We were a little surprised that we were in separate rooms for the massage but it looked like they could not do a "couples" massage there. Not enough room. The manicure and pedicure were good. It can certainly be an asset to the resort.
The activities seemed to be on a par with what we saw in Jamaica. The difference was the much smaller crowd that did not seem very interested in doing any of them. We really don't have a lot of interest ourselves, quite honestly. We go to be on the beach, in the sun. We don't want to learn Spanish or play games, or such. But that's just us!! We know a lot of people DO enjoy those activities and the young ladies sure tried to get people going. I felt bad for them since they were trying so hard and not getting a lot of response.
The gym was good, if small. We tended to get there fairly early and a couple of people came in to use the treadmill that Debbie was using. I know they are not cheap, but if it gets a little crowded that might be an issue. The weight machines are starting to rust and need some maintenance to keep them from falling apart down the road. We both thought it was a good set up, though. We are both pretty disciplined about working out but it could be that a lot of guests just aren't interested in it on vacation.
We consistently had issues with the wifi coming and going. I am not sure how much was the power fluctuations or signal issues with the antennas. Free wifi is definitely a plus over Braco. It would also be nice if there were a few more English language channels on TV besides all the sports channels. At least ABC, NBC, and CBS, if possible.
Occupancy was low, no more than 15 to 17 couples all week. Not a problem for us as we are not there for a lot of socializing or big parties. Crowd was a spread of ages from 30's to 70's. People were friendly but not pushy (there were at least 6 or 8 swinger couples but they were not aggressive or anything)
All in all, we will likely go back and WOULD recommend the resort. Caliente is poised to upgrade the property and has a brand new manager in place as well as people from FL onsite to oversee the details as it gets fixed up. Nothing against Braco, but the ability to be nude at all times everywhere and the lack of bugs has us sold on this place. |
