Upon arrival (a day late thank you Excel!!) , we were welcomed with a soft drink after checking in. We then sat waiting for 5 mins for our cases to be taken to the room before realising that was not gonna happen
Rooms: We were allocated two rooms in the 'big block' of 3 high overlooking the sea. Unfortunately my friends room smelt of urine, and despite assurances that it was the ammonia in the floor cleaning fluid, persisted to the following morning. We subsequently moved to two beach view rooms, with higher ceilings (that did not smell) for the remainder of the trip. These rooms were tired, with loose taps, gaps in the patio doors, and chipped / cracked baths. Comfy beds and good a/c tho, with good views through the foliage to the beach.
Food: Canteen self service from big metal containers in the main restaurant, occasionally with some-one placing the food on the plate for you. Tasty, but geared towards the European / USA pallette with limited local food offered. The bookable little restaurant area offered freshly barbecued food and what seemed to be nicer food - we booked that one as often as possible!! Staff accommodating with the childs food preferences, and would happily provide chips for him if not on the menu that evening. The seafront lunch bar was superb - chicken Roti being my fave, and a friendly waitress who remembered our orders from one day to the next (this girl and the cook in the evening little restaurant both received tips at the end of our stay)
Bar staff: Hmm - our phrase to each other after getting drinks most nights was 'get a job you like' ! I think we had the grumpy crew for the fortnight, as I observed the bar team displaying similarly attitudes to all guests. From the guy who just rolled his eyes when he wanted to take your order, through to the simple ignoring of people wanting a drink by others, I was not too impressed with this area. Whilst I realise that continually making cocktails / serving / cleaning cups can be dull for staff, a little customer service training may help them to help guests enjoy themselves more...
The beer was off for three nights, which did not help things with certain guests, one of whom I know went next door to the Courlan to drink instead.
Beach - superb if you like big waves (which I do). Not your lapping Carib postcard, but great for body boarding (a bit crash down) and diving in / through.
Unfortunately, my friend had several hundred dollars stolen from his safe in the room (left the ppt, credit cards and the PSP tho). Upon reporting this to the police, we were told that this was not too common in the Grafton, that the digital keypad safes were easy to overide with a code, and that they received 3/4 similar reports a week from other parts of the island - so beware.
Reading through this, it does seem a little negative, however we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. With a little tlc to the rooms, and a little more care to food choice/ staff training, the Grafton would improve significantly. As things stand, I would rate it at a low 3*. Not too sure if I would stay there again, and would probably check out the Courlan next time if going all inc.
Seperate reports to follow at some point on Trail Dogz, and the (not noisy) quad bike tour
Alex