A New York Christmas from BeachJunkies on Vimeo.
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
NYC Christmas
Here is a video montage on how we spent Christmas this past weekend in New York City. We are currently working on a review of our AMAZING stay at Royalton Hotel and we will also cover all the restaurants we ate at. For now, please enjoy our video.
A New York Christmas from BeachJunkies on Vimeo.
A New York Christmas from BeachJunkies on Vimeo.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Beach In The City
I have some exciting news! If you're a follower of our blog, you will know that we have gone to the Caribbean for Christmas twice in the last 3 years. This year we thought we would change it up. "A" has never been to New York City and I thought the most appropriate way to introduce her to NYC is during Christmas! You've seen it in the movies, how wonderful and magical the city can be during the Holidays and this is what I want her to experience.
The most important decision of this trip was the hotel. Location is everything in NYC. Though they have a great public transit system, I find it best just to walk everywhere and experience what the city is all about. There is a certain energy you feel when you walk the streets of NYC and I wanted "A" to have that.
I want to share with you all how we decided on our hotel. We found that it was a great way to narrow down your hotel options for a city vacation especially when there are so many wonderful hotels to choose from.
- Create a personal google map - you can do this if you have a gmail account. Simply go to maps, then create maps.
- Mark all the sights, restaurants and shops you want to visit - this can give you an overview of how you want to plan your trip. It will also show you what the most convenient spot is to have your hotel.
- Search hotels - on the map you will find the most convenient hotels that is within the vicinity of your plans. Once you've done that, go on tripadvisor and do your research.
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| Our map for Christmas 2011 |
I know it seems simple enough but it really helped us on narrowing down our options.
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| Royalton Lobby |
With all that said, I am excited to let all of you know that we will be staying at the Royalton New York! This hotel to me SCREAMS New York. It's a wonderful boutique hotel located right in Midtown Manhattan, steps away from Times Square, Rockerfeller Center, Central Park and 5th Avenue. To us this was the perfect hotel.
When we go on city vacations (which is rare) we love staying at boutique hotels mainly because it feels more intimate. I also find the interior decor of these hotels are just par to none. Royalton is part of the Morgans Hotel Group which also offers the Hudson, Mondrian and Morgans in NYC as well as a few other wonderful looking properties in LA, San Francisco, South Beach and London.
We booked a Standard Room with a soaking tub. What is a Royalton soaking tub you ask? See below
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| Royalton Soaking Tub |
Isn't that just awesome? I figured this was a great feature to have. I mean who would not want to soak in this wonderful tub after a long day of trekking around the city in Winter?
Another perk that sold us on this hotel other than the location was Forty-Four. Honestly we cannot wait to eat here and of course, have a cocktail or two.
So please stay tuned for our review of the Royalton, Forty-Four and all the other restaurants and sites that we will visit during our Christmas vacation NYC.
If you can't wait for our review? Check out this great review of the Royalton by Oyster
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Resort Tour Post: Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana
We had a chance to check out Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana during our stay at their sister resort next door, Now Larimar. Secrets Royal beach is an adults only resort and shares the majority of the restaurants with Now Larimar.
Walking to Secrets Royal Beach takes literally a minute from Now Larimar. You can access the resort through a pathway just off the courtyard of Now Larimar or from the beach. Our first impressions of Secrets Royal Beach was "WOW! It's really quiet over here!". You don't hear the hustle and bustle of the resort next door and a quiet, relaxation atmosphere is definitely achieved. The courtyard at Royal Beach is a lot wider and in the evenings, is a great place to enjoy a drink and listen to some live music.
The pool is very different form the ones you see next door at Now Larimar. There is a main section where the pool bar is located and a lazy river goes through the middle of the resort. The palapas are spaced out accordingly and really promotes personal space which is key at an adults only resort. The only unfortunate thing is that the color of the pool isn't the sea green color that Now Larimar has. We really love the look and feel of that pool but I'm guessing you can always go next door to use it.
We had a chance to eat lunch at La Riviera restaurant and the restaurant is decorated wonderfully. It was nice to eat outside while taking in the great ocean breeze and a nice break form the sun. You can also eat inside but the view is just too good to miss out on. The selection of the food at La Riviera was a lot better than the Carnival Buffet at Now Larimar. This was of course expected since it is a 5* resort compared to Now Larimar. The food was fresh and I really suggest in getting some of the kiwi that they have there. I swear it was one of the biggest I've ever seen and eaten. It was awesome.
The beach atmosphere at Royal Beach is much quieter and they offer more relaxing activites such as Yoga and Stretching in the morning and for those that want something more exciting, they have Beach Volleyball twice a day. I found that it was a bit more competitive than the other side since of course it was all adults that were playing. The one thing that you don't get at Now Larimar that you do at Secrets Royal Beach is beach service. They have waiters taking your drink order and bringing it right back to you, but really the beach bar is no more than a 2 min walk from where ever you are. The left side of the beach is where the majority of the palapas are situated and the right side is where you will find a more open area where you can still get some shade from the abundance of palm trees that are located there. There are hammocks as well towards the back of the beach if that's what you fancy.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to experience more so we can't comment on the rooms and the other restaurants since the week we were leaving, it wasn't offered out of Toronto. You can always do an upgrade once you get there if you run into the same problem as us. It's a great resort from what we saw and if it does get too quiet, you can always go next door to get more of a different vibe.
Below you can view the 360 videos we took of the resort. Hopefully this will give future guests better idea of how the space looks. We are finding these days that videos are a more reliable resource of how a property really is.
For more information on the resort, you can visit the Secrets Resorts website here or to see what other people think, you can visit here
Walking to Secrets Royal Beach takes literally a minute from Now Larimar. You can access the resort through a pathway just off the courtyard of Now Larimar or from the beach. Our first impressions of Secrets Royal Beach was "WOW! It's really quiet over here!". You don't hear the hustle and bustle of the resort next door and a quiet, relaxation atmosphere is definitely achieved. The courtyard at Royal Beach is a lot wider and in the evenings, is a great place to enjoy a drink and listen to some live music.
The pool is very different form the ones you see next door at Now Larimar. There is a main section where the pool bar is located and a lazy river goes through the middle of the resort. The palapas are spaced out accordingly and really promotes personal space which is key at an adults only resort. The only unfortunate thing is that the color of the pool isn't the sea green color that Now Larimar has. We really love the look and feel of that pool but I'm guessing you can always go next door to use it.
We had a chance to eat lunch at La Riviera restaurant and the restaurant is decorated wonderfully. It was nice to eat outside while taking in the great ocean breeze and a nice break form the sun. You can also eat inside but the view is just too good to miss out on. The selection of the food at La Riviera was a lot better than the Carnival Buffet at Now Larimar. This was of course expected since it is a 5* resort compared to Now Larimar. The food was fresh and I really suggest in getting some of the kiwi that they have there. I swear it was one of the biggest I've ever seen and eaten. It was awesome.
The beach atmosphere at Royal Beach is much quieter and they offer more relaxing activites such as Yoga and Stretching in the morning and for those that want something more exciting, they have Beach Volleyball twice a day. I found that it was a bit more competitive than the other side since of course it was all adults that were playing. The one thing that you don't get at Now Larimar that you do at Secrets Royal Beach is beach service. They have waiters taking your drink order and bringing it right back to you, but really the beach bar is no more than a 2 min walk from where ever you are. The left side of the beach is where the majority of the palapas are situated and the right side is where you will find a more open area where you can still get some shade from the abundance of palm trees that are located there. There are hammocks as well towards the back of the beach if that's what you fancy.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to experience more so we can't comment on the rooms and the other restaurants since the week we were leaving, it wasn't offered out of Toronto. You can always do an upgrade once you get there if you run into the same problem as us. It's a great resort from what we saw and if it does get too quiet, you can always go next door to get more of a different vibe.
Below you can view the 360 videos we took of the resort. Hopefully this will give future guests better idea of how the space looks. We are finding these days that videos are a more reliable resource of how a property really is.
For more information on the resort, you can visit the Secrets Resorts website here or to see what other people think, you can visit here
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Heartbreak In Jamaica
This is a short little video we put together to show the different animals you can see right off the beach of Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton in Lucea, Jamaica. Definitely one of the best snorkeling off the resort I've seen! Enjoy =)
Heartbreak in Jamaica from BeachJunkies on Vimeo.
Monday, June 20, 2011
RESORT REVIEW: Now Larimar
Trip date: June 5-12, 2011
Location: Punta Cana, DR
Beach junkie rating (based on 5 stars):
Beach: 5 / food: 4.5 / room: 4 / pools: 5 / snorkeling: n/a
This is our 6th time to Punta Cana and our 2nd time to this resort. Our first time was back in 2009 for Christmas. Back then, it was NH Real Arena. Click here for our previous review. The re-branding of the resort took place May 2011. Everything is the same except the resort is now owned by AMResorts and the resort is now called Now Larimar. The staff remains the same but the restaurant names have changed. The Paradise Club is now the Preferred Club.
My husband and I went to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. Before we left, we contacted the resort with various requests and all our emails were answered immediately.
We booked through our usual travel agent. The package was with Transat Holidays and the flight with CanJet. I don’t think we will ever want to flight with CanJet again. You cannot check in online, the seats are tight and the aisle is very narrow. Luckily we arrived early, customs was a breeze, our transfer to resort only made two prior drop offs and we were at our resort within a little over an hour of landing.
Check in
Check in was quick and swift. We first went to the front desk but then got escorted to the Preferred Lounge to check in. There we were greeted by Johanna who explained everything to us. Our room wasn’t ready so we ate some snacks in the lounge and grabbed some drinks at the lobby bar and sat in the courtyard till our room was ready. We waited a total time of 30 minutes.
Room
We are going to try to clarify this as much as we can since most of the disappointments and confusion with this resort starts off here. We had booked a Preferred Club Suite Ocean View with our travel agent. According to the Now Larimar website, these suites feature:
* Living room and a separate dining area
* Two flat screen cable TV with remote control
* Nespresso machine
* Exterior Jacuzzi on the terrace
* Two make up mirrors
On the website as well, it states that if you’ve booked this room category, you get the following inclusions with your suite:
* Personalized check-in and check-out with concierge service
* Preferred status and amenities
* Private Preferred Club Lounge
* Two private, Preferred Club pools
* Upgraded bath amenities
* Bathrooms with double sinks
* Pillow menu
* Complimentary wireless internet access in suite
* Complimentary computer access in Preferred Club Lounge
* Upgraded mini-bar and room service menu
* Daily continental breakfast service in the lounge
* Pool concierge & bar service
* Afternoon hot and cold hors d’oeuvres; exquisite desserts & fine liquors in the lounge
* Complimentary newspaper in room every day
Many guests we met including ourselves were expecting this since all of us had booked the highest possible category from our travel agents. Unfortunately we were wrong.
We had contacted Roberto at the resort to submit our room request and he cleared up right away that we did not book the rooms facing the ocean and the preferred pool. Those rooms are the Ocean FRONT Suites, not Ocean View.
The Ocean View suites were located at the inside part of the resort facing the pools and are all located in the block closest to the beach. The room view that we got was basically the same view we got 2 years prior but facing South this time instead of North. Instead of having an open concept room like last time, the bathtub with jets was outside in the balcony and the bathroom was enclosed. The room didn’t have a separate dining area or two flat screen TV’s as stated on the website.
As far as the extra service inclusions, we did received the following
* Personalized check-in and check-out with concierge service
* Preferred status and amenities
* Private Preferred Club Lounge
* Two private, Preferred Club pools
* Upgraded bath amenities
* Bathrooms with double sinks
* Complimentary wireless internet access in suite
* Complimentary computer access in Preferred Club Lounge
* Upgraded mini-bar
* Daily continental breakfast service in the lounge
* Pool concierge & bar service
* Afternoon hot and cold hors d’oeuvres; exquisite desserts & fine liquors in the lounge
The Wireless Internet Access in suite: This is free and complimentary but ONLY if you ask for the user name and password from the concierge. They also only give you an allotted usage time of 10 hours per ticket which seems to mysteriously go really fast. We used the internet for about 3 hours in total by our 3rd day and by then we got a message saying that we had reached our maximum time allowed. It was no problem getting another user name and password though.
Room Category Names: To stop the disappointment and confusion with future guests, NOW Larimar should consider changing the room category names. The Ocean Front Suites should be called just that BUT instead of having Preferred Club Ocean View suites, they should rename them to Preferred Club Pool View suites.
During our stay it was clear that the Executive Ocean Front suites were getting all the inclusions and services that were stated on the website. All of the other Preferred Club Ocean View guests did not. Fortunately for us, we knew this coming in and our expectations were lowered but for the other guests that didn’t know, it was a real let down and I don’t blame them.
So the lesson learned, If you want the rooms that are facing the preferred pool and ocean, book an Ocean FRONT Room. To be honest, the preferred club ocean view rooms unfortunately weren't worth it. We could have just gotten a regular room with the same view and expected less which for some maybe more of an enjoyable vacation.
With all that said, our room was clean (no musty smell). We had the electronic safe, a well-stocked mini-bar, amenities in our bathroom, face towels, beach towels and plenty of bath towels. We also got bathrobes and slippers. Some things that were missing was a directory and room service menu. We got both of these by asking for them at the Preferred Club Lounge. We did notice that we were suppose to get turn down service but never received it (probably because we always had the do not disturb sign on when we went out for dinner). The balcony had two chairs and a table, as well as the outdoor jacuzzi. It was really nice to sit on the balcony at night and just read. The pools and building are really well lit at night.
Food
Carnival International Café - which is located by the lobby was opened every day for breakfast (7:00 am to 11:00 am), lunch (12:30 pm to 3:00 pm) and dinner (6:30 pm to 10:45 pm). The various themed night are Dominican, Italian, Spanish, American, Gala, Mexican and Asian. We ate at the buffet at the Dominican, Spanish and Mexican night.
I highly suggest that you make an effort to eat at the buffet on the Dominican night to get a taste of their local cuisine (see photo below). After all, you are in their country so why not take it all in. We found that since the last time we were at this resort, the buffet has changed significantly with much more selections. If you can’t find something to eat, then maybe you are not cut out for all-inclusive resorts. What we enjoyed was that there was a section reserved for Preferred Club members at dinner.
Asides from eating at the buffet, you can order room service for breakfast, lunch or dinner but note that the menu is very limited. When we ordered breakfast one morning, we got everything listed on the menu and it only took about 20 minutes.
Castaways & Barefoot Grill - both are located close to the main pool and beach. Castaways is open from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and has a small buffet of salads, pizza, paninis, burgers, fries, veggies, rice and some type of meat. They also have delicious, refreshing self-serve vanilla or chocolate ice cream in a cone or cup. Barefoot Grill (open from 12:00 to 3:00 pm) is found just outside of the restaurant and serves grilled red snapper(see photo below), pork chops, chicken and also paella. Right beside it is a fruit bar which offers freshly cut fruits such as papaya, mango, pineapple, etc. You can either eat in the restaurant or take it out to the pool, beach or your room. Please just be courteous and return your dishes and clean up after yourselves.
There are four a la carte restaurants for dinner- Mercure (French), Spice (Asian/Teppanyaki), Bluewater Grill (American) and Capers (Italian). There is always one of the restaurants closed each night. With the switch from NH Real Arena to Now Larimar, there is no longer a reservation system, it’s all first come, first serve. The busiest dinner times are between 7:00 to 8:00 pm.
We ate at the following:
Bluewater Grill - First off, I really think they should change the decor in this restaurant but the food was okay. We had ribeye steak, braised beef in Jack Daniel’s sauce (see photo below), chicken caesar salad, asparagus cream soup, an combo platter of chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, quesadillas and potato skins. For dessert was cheesecake and a brownie.
Mercure - this French restaurant was our favorite. The decor is really nice and it’s an adults-only. We had traditional french onion soup, mushrooms & escargot, Atlantic salmon fillet (see photo below), Beef bourguignon, caramel chiboust and apple and cream strudel. We were also treated to a banana flambe.
Spice - this Asian restaurant gives you the choice of Teppanyaki or a la carte. We went for the Teppanyaki tables with three other couples we met earlier that day. In order to be all seated together, one of the couples arrived at 7 pm to put our name in and we didn’t get seated until after 8 pm. no problem, we just grabbed a drink and waited. If you have had Teppanyaki before, it’s all the same. Fried rice and veggies, along with beef, chicken and shrimp. They serve susi, miso soup and tempura for an appetizer and then tempura ice cream for dessert. The night we ate there, the A/C wasn’t kicking in so we ate dinner fast and got out of there.
Lobster Dinner on the beach - this is a dinner which you have to pay extra for and can be booked with the concierge. On the menu is shrimp cocktail served in a pineapple, a whole lobster with veggies and mashed potatoes and chocolate cake with a fruit platter. You also get one bottle of wine and one bottle of champagne. We did this because we were celebrating our 5 year anniversary. I don't think we would typically do this. It was a lot of food to eat (even though it doesn't sound like it) but was an experience to eat on the beach at night. It wasn't very well lit but we did get to enjoy a lightning storm in the background. Thankfully it didn't rain. There were no bugs but it did get really quiet and one thing we regret was not taking our speakers and played some music while we ate.
Bars
There are plenty of bars all over the resort. I won’t name them all but you will find one at the lobby, sports bar, the three pools, by the beach, basically, anywhere you turn, you are able to get a drink. Since we were staying at the Bavaro building, we mainly used the bar, Splash at the Preferred Club pool. Daniela, the server consistently went around taking everyone’s drink order. By the end of the week, she knew my drink order - a bottle of water with either a beer or slushie mojito. The lobby bar, Moments has an extensive drink menu and most of the bars, you can get a delicious cappuccino.
Beach
Bavaro Beach is always great! We love this stretch of beach! It’s wide, and just awesome to be in. During our stay, we didn’t have any problems getting a palapa on the beach. There is enough shade and chairs to go around in this resort but you do have to get up early to get the premium spots. The vendors to the left of the beach don’t bother you really. They will call for you but a simple “No Gracias” can end that conversation quickly. There also is a security guard who stands ALL DAY under a palapa and I wish someone would give him a chair.
The beach is lit at night and they play movies for both kids and adults on the beach. This is something new and we unfortunately didn't take part since none of the movies that were playing interested us. They also showed some NHL and NBA games when we were there.
One suggestion to Now Larimar would be to have a section on the beach for preferred club guests and extend the pool concierge service that is offered to the beach as well. This we believe will make your guests feel like they really did pay for something extra.
Pool
During our stay we only used both Preferred Club pools since we figured since we paid for it, we might as well use it. There was never any lack of chairs around both of these pools and it was a great place just to sit down and read a book. I wish that they did place some umbrellas with some of the loungers since it does get really hot and uncomfortable when the sun is beating down on you. There really is no relief from the sun at these pools .
The main pool was always rockin’. Seemed like fun if you’re into that scene. We enjoyed watching people from our balcony in that pool just enjoying themselves.
The quiet pool (which was the pool we mainly used our last stay) has the same vibe as the preferred pools but it as no bar or waiters to take your orders.
Entertainment
I spoke to one guest and he said that there wasn’t enough entertainment during the day. I can’t say I agree with him because we are the type who like to relax on the beach or poolside. Everyday the entertainment staff offers yoga, stretching, water aerobics, beach volleyball, water polo or volleyball and a special activity that changes daily by the pool (bed decorations, vegetable & fruit cravings, painting class, cocktail making, weaving palms, massage clinics and finger painting). In the evenings, you can either watch a show in the Larimar Plaza or Crystal threatre (Dancing Around the World, Galacaribe, White party, Circus of Dreams, the Michael Jackson show or Karaoke night) or listen to live music before the show. There is also movies on the beach or dancing at the Eclipse nightclub from 10:30 pm to 1:30 am. We don’t have kids but they do have the Explorer’s Club with a kids program from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm.
Staff
The staff at Now Larimar are so friendly and helpful. They always greet you and smile back when you greet them. Yes, most of them cannot speak English but they try their best to communicate with you. Some outstanding staff we would like to mention - Johanna at the Preferred Club Lounge, Mirabel at Castaways and Bluewater Grill, Luis at the concierge for our lobster dinner, Pasqual our server for the lobster dinner, Ricardo the photographer, the bellboys - Antonio and Henry, Jhonathan at the buffet in the Preferred section, Daniela at the Splash preferred pool bar and Moments lobby bar and Kelvin who was everywhere and served us many times. A special thanks to Tara, the social media coordinator at AMResorts and Roberto, the rooms division manager. They both made our stay a very welcoming one and gave us some perks as returning guests celebrating their anniversary.
Check out
Check out was quick and easy just like the check in. They actually called us to see if we needed a bell boy to come and pick up our luggage which was nice. The one thing that I want to keep on mentioning is KEEP YOUR CHECK OUT TICKET to give to once you enter your bus. You cannot leave the hotel with out this. This is proof that you had checked out and cleared all outstanding business with the hotel. You don’t know how many times I see people scrambling for this ticket. This is a process done at all the all inclusive resorts I’ve been to.
Overall
We spoke to many guests about Now Larimar and most people liked it except for the room category confusion, lack of daytime activities, no reservation policy and lack of selection in room service menu. As mentioned before, this was our second time to this resort. We personally still like the resort but would like to check out other resorts offered by AM Resorts. I will also still recommend this resort to people as it’s a small resort with a selection of restaurants, a gorgeous beach and nice pools. It’s a great first resort to go to since it’s not that big and you won’t spend half your day trying to finding everything. The one thing that I really like about this resort is how it’s laid out and how it looks at night all lit up. One of my favorite things to do was to read on the balcony at night.
The resort does have to iron out a few kinks such as being consistent in what is offered with preferred club rooms, the no reservation system for the a la carte restaurants has many guests waiting during prime time hours, the time share people need to stop calling the guest rooms and chasing people while they exit the buffet. Also the preferred club lounge should be returned to the section where all the rooms are located. It’s easier for the preferred guests to enjoy the premium liquors, afternoon hors d’oeuvres and desserts.
Shout out to all the wonderful people we met at Now Larimar and at the Punta Cana airport:
Mark, Sarah, Lewis and Aston from the UK - you made our last two days enjoyable with great conversation.
Eva and Andru from Montreal, Kat & Ryan and Rachel & Devon from Mississauga - it was a shame we met you too late but we did enjoy our dinner with you at Spice and our impromptu beach party.
Greg and Jane from New Jersey - thanks for hanging out with us at the pool after everyone left.
Shameer and Forzana from Richmond Hill - it's too bad we weren't staying at the same resort but with you guys, you made the plane ride and wait at the airport bearable.
Randy, Mercedes & Angelina from Brampton - you taught us the goodness of karma.
Still not convinced? See what others think here.
Location: Punta Cana, DR
Beach junkie rating (based on 5 stars):
Beach: 5 / food: 4.5 / room: 4 / pools: 5 / snorkeling: n/a
This is our 6th time to Punta Cana and our 2nd time to this resort. Our first time was back in 2009 for Christmas. Back then, it was NH Real Arena. Click here for our previous review. The re-branding of the resort took place May 2011. Everything is the same except the resort is now owned by AMResorts and the resort is now called Now Larimar. The staff remains the same but the restaurant names have changed. The Paradise Club is now the Preferred Club.
My husband and I went to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. Before we left, we contacted the resort with various requests and all our emails were answered immediately.
We booked through our usual travel agent. The package was with Transat Holidays and the flight with CanJet. I don’t think we will ever want to flight with CanJet again. You cannot check in online, the seats are tight and the aisle is very narrow. Luckily we arrived early, customs was a breeze, our transfer to resort only made two prior drop offs and we were at our resort within a little over an hour of landing.
Check in
Check in was quick and swift. We first went to the front desk but then got escorted to the Preferred Lounge to check in. There we were greeted by Johanna who explained everything to us. Our room wasn’t ready so we ate some snacks in the lounge and grabbed some drinks at the lobby bar and sat in the courtyard till our room was ready. We waited a total time of 30 minutes.
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| courtyard at Now Larimar |
We are going to try to clarify this as much as we can since most of the disappointments and confusion with this resort starts off here. We had booked a Preferred Club Suite Ocean View with our travel agent. According to the Now Larimar website, these suites feature:
* Living room and a separate dining area
* Two flat screen cable TV with remote control
* Nespresso machine
* Exterior Jacuzzi on the terrace
* Two make up mirrors
On the website as well, it states that if you’ve booked this room category, you get the following inclusions with your suite:
* Personalized check-in and check-out with concierge service
* Preferred status and amenities
* Private Preferred Club Lounge
* Two private, Preferred Club pools
* Upgraded bath amenities
* Bathrooms with double sinks
* Pillow menu
* Complimentary wireless internet access in suite
* Complimentary computer access in Preferred Club Lounge
* Upgraded mini-bar and room service menu
* Daily continental breakfast service in the lounge
* Pool concierge & bar service
* Afternoon hot and cold hors d’oeuvres; exquisite desserts & fine liquors in the lounge
* Complimentary newspaper in room every day
Many guests we met including ourselves were expecting this since all of us had booked the highest possible category from our travel agents. Unfortunately we were wrong.
 |
| Ocean FRONT Suites |
 |
| Ocean View Suites |
As far as the extra service inclusions, we did received the following
* Personalized check-in and check-out with concierge service
* Preferred status and amenities
* Private Preferred Club Lounge
* Two private, Preferred Club pools
* Upgraded bath amenities
* Bathrooms with double sinks
* Complimentary wireless internet access in suite
* Complimentary computer access in Preferred Club Lounge
* Upgraded mini-bar
* Daily continental breakfast service in the lounge
* Pool concierge & bar service
* Afternoon hot and cold hors d’oeuvres; exquisite desserts & fine liquors in the lounge
The Wireless Internet Access in suite: This is free and complimentary but ONLY if you ask for the user name and password from the concierge. They also only give you an allotted usage time of 10 hours per ticket which seems to mysteriously go really fast. We used the internet for about 3 hours in total by our 3rd day and by then we got a message saying that we had reached our maximum time allowed. It was no problem getting another user name and password though.
Room Category Names: To stop the disappointment and confusion with future guests, NOW Larimar should consider changing the room category names. The Ocean Front Suites should be called just that BUT instead of having Preferred Club Ocean View suites, they should rename them to Preferred Club Pool View suites.
During our stay it was clear that the Executive Ocean Front suites were getting all the inclusions and services that were stated on the website. All of the other Preferred Club Ocean View guests did not. Fortunately for us, we knew this coming in and our expectations were lowered but for the other guests that didn’t know, it was a real let down and I don’t blame them.
So the lesson learned, If you want the rooms that are facing the preferred pool and ocean, book an Ocean FRONT Room. To be honest, the preferred club ocean view rooms unfortunately weren't worth it. We could have just gotten a regular room with the same view and expected less which for some maybe more of an enjoyable vacation.
With all that said, our room was clean (no musty smell). We had the electronic safe, a well-stocked mini-bar, amenities in our bathroom, face towels, beach towels and plenty of bath towels. We also got bathrobes and slippers. Some things that were missing was a directory and room service menu. We got both of these by asking for them at the Preferred Club Lounge. We did notice that we were suppose to get turn down service but never received it (probably because we always had the do not disturb sign on when we went out for dinner). The balcony had two chairs and a table, as well as the outdoor jacuzzi. It was really nice to sit on the balcony at night and just read. The pools and building are really well lit at night.
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| Room 1456 |
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| Amenities |
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| Balcony of room 1456 |
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| View from room 1456 at night |
Food
Carnival International Café - which is located by the lobby was opened every day for breakfast (7:00 am to 11:00 am), lunch (12:30 pm to 3:00 pm) and dinner (6:30 pm to 10:45 pm). The various themed night are Dominican, Italian, Spanish, American, Gala, Mexican and Asian. We ate at the buffet at the Dominican, Spanish and Mexican night.
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| Breakfast Buffet sample |
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| Dominican Night desserts |
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| Dominican Night Buffet sample |
Asides from eating at the buffet, you can order room service for breakfast, lunch or dinner but note that the menu is very limited. When we ordered breakfast one morning, we got everything listed on the menu and it only took about 20 minutes.
Castaways & Barefoot Grill - both are located close to the main pool and beach. Castaways is open from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and has a small buffet of salads, pizza, paninis, burgers, fries, veggies, rice and some type of meat. They also have delicious, refreshing self-serve vanilla or chocolate ice cream in a cone or cup. Barefoot Grill (open from 12:00 to 3:00 pm) is found just outside of the restaurant and serves grilled red snapper(see photo below), pork chops, chicken and also paella. Right beside it is a fruit bar which offers freshly cut fruits such as papaya, mango, pineapple, etc. You can either eat in the restaurant or take it out to the pool, beach or your room. Please just be courteous and return your dishes and clean up after yourselves.
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| Grilled Red Snapper, Rice and Beans and Carrots |
There are four a la carte restaurants for dinner- Mercure (French), Spice (Asian/Teppanyaki), Bluewater Grill (American) and Capers (Italian). There is always one of the restaurants closed each night. With the switch from NH Real Arena to Now Larimar, there is no longer a reservation system, it’s all first come, first serve. The busiest dinner times are between 7:00 to 8:00 pm.
We ate at the following:
Bluewater Grill - First off, I really think they should change the decor in this restaurant but the food was okay. We had ribeye steak, braised beef in Jack Daniel’s sauce (see photo below), chicken caesar salad, asparagus cream soup, an combo platter of chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, quesadillas and potato skins. For dessert was cheesecake and a brownie.
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| Click the menu to expand |
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| Braised Beef |
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| Mercure |
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| Click the menu to expand |
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| Atlantic Salmon |
Lobster Dinner on the beach - this is a dinner which you have to pay extra for and can be booked with the concierge. On the menu is shrimp cocktail served in a pineapple, a whole lobster with veggies and mashed potatoes and chocolate cake with a fruit platter. You also get one bottle of wine and one bottle of champagne. We did this because we were celebrating our 5 year anniversary. I don't think we would typically do this. It was a lot of food to eat (even though it doesn't sound like it) but was an experience to eat on the beach at night. It wasn't very well lit but we did get to enjoy a lightning storm in the background. Thankfully it didn't rain. There were no bugs but it did get really quiet and one thing we regret was not taking our speakers and played some music while we ate.
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| Shrimp Coleslaw Salad |
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| Whole lobster with mash potatoes and veggies |
Bars
There are plenty of bars all over the resort. I won’t name them all but you will find one at the lobby, sports bar, the three pools, by the beach, basically, anywhere you turn, you are able to get a drink. Since we were staying at the Bavaro building, we mainly used the bar, Splash at the Preferred Club pool. Daniela, the server consistently went around taking everyone’s drink order. By the end of the week, she knew my drink order - a bottle of water with either a beer or slushie mojito. The lobby bar, Moments has an extensive drink menu and most of the bars, you can get a delicious cappuccino.
Beach
Bavaro Beach is always great! We love this stretch of beach! It’s wide, and just awesome to be in. During our stay, we didn’t have any problems getting a palapa on the beach. There is enough shade and chairs to go around in this resort but you do have to get up early to get the premium spots. The vendors to the left of the beach don’t bother you really. They will call for you but a simple “No Gracias” can end that conversation quickly. There also is a security guard who stands ALL DAY under a palapa and I wish someone would give him a chair.
The beach is lit at night and they play movies for both kids and adults on the beach. This is something new and we unfortunately didn't take part since none of the movies that were playing interested us. They also showed some NHL and NBA games when we were there.
One suggestion to Now Larimar would be to have a section on the beach for preferred club guests and extend the pool concierge service that is offered to the beach as well. This we believe will make your guests feel like they really did pay for something extra.
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| Bavaro Beach |
During our stay we only used both Preferred Club pools since we figured since we paid for it, we might as well use it. There was never any lack of chairs around both of these pools and it was a great place just to sit down and read a book. I wish that they did place some umbrellas with some of the loungers since it does get really hot and uncomfortable when the sun is beating down on you. There really is no relief from the sun at these pools .
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| Preferred Club Pool on the Bavaro Side |
The main pool was always rockin’. Seemed like fun if you’re into that scene. We enjoyed watching people from our balcony in that pool just enjoying themselves.
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| Main Pool |
The quiet pool (which was the pool we mainly used our last stay) has the same vibe as the preferred pools but it as no bar or waiters to take your orders.
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| Quiet Pool |
Entertainment
I spoke to one guest and he said that there wasn’t enough entertainment during the day. I can’t say I agree with him because we are the type who like to relax on the beach or poolside. Everyday the entertainment staff offers yoga, stretching, water aerobics, beach volleyball, water polo or volleyball and a special activity that changes daily by the pool (bed decorations, vegetable & fruit cravings, painting class, cocktail making, weaving palms, massage clinics and finger painting). In the evenings, you can either watch a show in the Larimar Plaza or Crystal threatre (Dancing Around the World, Galacaribe, White party, Circus of Dreams, the Michael Jackson show or Karaoke night) or listen to live music before the show. There is also movies on the beach or dancing at the Eclipse nightclub from 10:30 pm to 1:30 am. We don’t have kids but they do have the Explorer’s Club with a kids program from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm.
Staff
The staff at Now Larimar are so friendly and helpful. They always greet you and smile back when you greet them. Yes, most of them cannot speak English but they try their best to communicate with you. Some outstanding staff we would like to mention - Johanna at the Preferred Club Lounge, Mirabel at Castaways and Bluewater Grill, Luis at the concierge for our lobster dinner, Pasqual our server for the lobster dinner, Ricardo the photographer, the bellboys - Antonio and Henry, Jhonathan at the buffet in the Preferred section, Daniela at the Splash preferred pool bar and Moments lobby bar and Kelvin who was everywhere and served us many times. A special thanks to Tara, the social media coordinator at AMResorts and Roberto, the rooms division manager. They both made our stay a very welcoming one and gave us some perks as returning guests celebrating their anniversary.
Check out
Check out was quick and easy just like the check in. They actually called us to see if we needed a bell boy to come and pick up our luggage which was nice. The one thing that I want to keep on mentioning is KEEP YOUR CHECK OUT TICKET to give to once you enter your bus. You cannot leave the hotel with out this. This is proof that you had checked out and cleared all outstanding business with the hotel. You don’t know how many times I see people scrambling for this ticket. This is a process done at all the all inclusive resorts I’ve been to.
Overall
We spoke to many guests about Now Larimar and most people liked it except for the room category confusion, lack of daytime activities, no reservation policy and lack of selection in room service menu. As mentioned before, this was our second time to this resort. We personally still like the resort but would like to check out other resorts offered by AM Resorts. I will also still recommend this resort to people as it’s a small resort with a selection of restaurants, a gorgeous beach and nice pools. It’s a great first resort to go to since it’s not that big and you won’t spend half your day trying to finding everything. The one thing that I really like about this resort is how it’s laid out and how it looks at night all lit up. One of my favorite things to do was to read on the balcony at night.
The resort does have to iron out a few kinks such as being consistent in what is offered with preferred club rooms, the no reservation system for the a la carte restaurants has many guests waiting during prime time hours, the time share people need to stop calling the guest rooms and chasing people while they exit the buffet. Also the preferred club lounge should be returned to the section where all the rooms are located. It’s easier for the preferred guests to enjoy the premium liquors, afternoon hors d’oeuvres and desserts.
Shout out to all the wonderful people we met at Now Larimar and at the Punta Cana airport:
Mark, Sarah, Lewis and Aston from the UK - you made our last two days enjoyable with great conversation.
Eva and Andru from Montreal, Kat & Ryan and Rachel & Devon from Mississauga - it was a shame we met you too late but we did enjoy our dinner with you at Spice and our impromptu beach party.
Greg and Jane from New Jersey - thanks for hanging out with us at the pool after everyone left.
Shameer and Forzana from Richmond Hill - it's too bad we weren't staying at the same resort but with you guys, you made the plane ride and wait at the airport bearable.
Randy, Mercedes & Angelina from Brampton - you taught us the goodness of karma.
Still not convinced? See what others think here.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Punta Cana Photography - Ricardo Vásquez
For our 5 year wedding anniversary, we decided to trash our wedding outfits..otherwise known as "Trash The Dress"
I had looked around for different photographers in Punta Cana to do this shoot for us and I decided that it would be better to use the in house photographer at Now Larimar since you have to pay extra for a day pass for other photographers to come in.
I contacted Ricardo Vásquez through email and we had set up a time to meet and discuss what we wanted. He is a real friendly and professional guy!
Below is a slideshow I made of the photo session we had with Ricardo or "Richie". His work speaks for itself and if you are getting married at Now Larimar or Secrets Royal Beach, make sure you ask for him. He is amazing!
Contact Information:
Ricardo Vásquez
Email: ricardovasquezh@yahoo.es
web: flickr.com/ricardovasquez
5 Years... from openmiQ on Vimeo
I had looked around for different photographers in Punta Cana to do this shoot for us and I decided that it would be better to use the in house photographer at Now Larimar since you have to pay extra for a day pass for other photographers to come in.
I contacted Ricardo Vásquez through email and we had set up a time to meet and discuss what we wanted. He is a real friendly and professional guy!
Below is a slideshow I made of the photo session we had with Ricardo or "Richie". His work speaks for itself and if you are getting married at Now Larimar or Secrets Royal Beach, make sure you ask for him. He is amazing!
Contact Information:
Ricardo Vásquez
Email: ricardovasquezh@yahoo.es
web: flickr.com/ricardovasquez
5 Years... from openmiQ on Vimeo
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
We're headed back
Beach Junkies is off again! This time we are going back to the beach where we got married, Bavaro Beach celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary! We will be returning to NH Real Arena which just got re-branded as NOW Larimar. This is only the second time we have returned for a repeat visit to any resort. The only other time we did it was 5 years ago for our wedding.
The sister resort of NOW Larimar is Secrets Royal Beach which is right beside the resort. We were lucky enough to schedule a tour of the resort during our stay so we can at least show you all a new resort while visiting an old favorite.
We will also be visiting Raphael again at Macao Surf Camp! I've heard they've added a new camp hut which was under construction when we were there so we can't wait to see that! I hope I have a better performance than last time, which was absolutely dreadful lol!
So stay tuned for our first re-branding edition and first ever resort tour post!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Best Beaches of 2011?
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| Playa Megano - Santa Clara, Cuba |
Take a look at the list here Do you agree?
Friday, September 3, 2010
Staying fit while on vacation
Sure, what's the point of maintaining your workout plan when all you really want to be doing is lying on the beach. Well, #1 - you don't want to fall off the wagon, you worked hard to achieve that beach body and #2 - you will most likely be eating at the buffet three times a day. If you don't stay active, you may just pack on the pounds you just lost before vacation.
David Hirsch created a great 10 minute express workout you can do in your hotel room or on the beach. Check out this link and print out the express workout and bring with you on your next beach vacation.
David Hirsch created a great 10 minute express workout you can do in your hotel room or on the beach. Check out this link and print out the express workout and bring with you on your next beach vacation.
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