Another Review!
Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2005 11:22 am
Having just walked the dog in the cold and rain, I thought I'd remind myself of our fantastic 2 weeks at Coco Reef.
It was our first time in the Caribbean, I don't have much experience of staying in hotels, but my husband has a background in hotel management and customer service, so can be quite critical. From the moment we arrived we felt special and relaxed, and that's how we stayed - apart from one gripe, which I'll get out of the way. The air conditioning in our room was so noisy it felt like there was a helicopter hovering over our heads. We spoke to reception twice and they were very prompt about getting someone to look at it - twice, but to no avail. The thing seemed to crank itself up to fever pitch during the night. Having de-camped at 2am on the 3rd night to another room (4 of us), we spoke to one of the managers, who was charming and while we were out during the day had us moved, to a room with a much newer unit and a nicer aspect, so happiness all round!
We found the whole atmosphere at the hotel extremely relaxed and friendly. I am a very smiley person, and it was so nice to have people around who were willing to smile and greet you back. OK there was the odd waitress who seemed a bit stand-offish, but life gets to us all sometimes.
We never had a problem finding sunbeds with some shade, you just have to be a bit flexible sometimes. There were plenty of portable umbrellas, and depending on the time of day enough palm plants to hide under.
We were AI and it suited us immensly - just added to the relaxing atmosphere. The children (9 and 12), loved just being able to get themselves a drink or ice-cream without anyone counting the pennies. Neither of them had a problem with the food, although I did hear some people saying it was too spicy. But then there were children's meals for the less adventurous. Even in Tamaras our youngest always found something he liked - and it was always possible to ask for it without the fancy sauces. No problems booking tables either.
No-one says much about the pool, but actually it's not bad really. We spent a couple of days by it as my son got a bit of prickly heat and the salt water was aggravating it, and it was really rather nice for a change - close to the bar too!
I could go on forever in this rather disjointed way, but I won't. I would have no hesitation in going back to the Coco Reef (if I could afford it - maybe in a few years), and even the husband has made noises that he wouldn't be against the idea - praise indeed!
It was our first time in the Caribbean, I don't have much experience of staying in hotels, but my husband has a background in hotel management and customer service, so can be quite critical. From the moment we arrived we felt special and relaxed, and that's how we stayed - apart from one gripe, which I'll get out of the way. The air conditioning in our room was so noisy it felt like there was a helicopter hovering over our heads. We spoke to reception twice and they were very prompt about getting someone to look at it - twice, but to no avail. The thing seemed to crank itself up to fever pitch during the night. Having de-camped at 2am on the 3rd night to another room (4 of us), we spoke to one of the managers, who was charming and while we were out during the day had us moved, to a room with a much newer unit and a nicer aspect, so happiness all round!
We found the whole atmosphere at the hotel extremely relaxed and friendly. I am a very smiley person, and it was so nice to have people around who were willing to smile and greet you back. OK there was the odd waitress who seemed a bit stand-offish, but life gets to us all sometimes.
We never had a problem finding sunbeds with some shade, you just have to be a bit flexible sometimes. There were plenty of portable umbrellas, and depending on the time of day enough palm plants to hide under.
We were AI and it suited us immensly - just added to the relaxing atmosphere. The children (9 and 12), loved just being able to get themselves a drink or ice-cream without anyone counting the pennies. Neither of them had a problem with the food, although I did hear some people saying it was too spicy. But then there were children's meals for the less adventurous. Even in Tamaras our youngest always found something he liked - and it was always possible to ask for it without the fancy sauces. No problems booking tables either.
No-one says much about the pool, but actually it's not bad really. We spent a couple of days by it as my son got a bit of prickly heat and the salt water was aggravating it, and it was really rather nice for a change - close to the bar too!
I could go on forever in this rather disjointed way, but I won't. I would have no hesitation in going back to the Coco Reef (if I could afford it - maybe in a few years), and even the husband has made noises that he wouldn't be against the idea - praise indeed!