I have stayed at this hotel maybe 10 times over the last 5 years, and never had a complaint. It was never the nicest resort in the world, but I always felt like it was a good value and in a great location.
I always end up asking for a better room (6th floor, otherwise people are walking on your head and you can hear them peeing and flushing upstairs all night) and have always gotten one. That was also the case this trip; they were very nice to move me upstairs.
The problem is, this resort has seen better days. The air conditioning is shot, and doesn't work, so you wake up in the middle of the night roasting hot, and I had an adjoining balcony to strangers in a room next door so I kind of felt unsafe leaving the door open for fresh air. Also this time, instead of a fridge, I had the dreaded minibar with no freezer (which is stupid considering every room has a mini-kitchen and a blender and pots and pans, but no ice machine on the entire property.) The minibar kept stuff JUST above room temperature, and unless I wanted to call room service for ice every couple of hours I had tepid beers and diet Cokes in my room for the duration.
This wouldn't have been bad if the service at the pool or the beach was at all good. I sat on the beach my first day and waited, looking around, for the waiter, but they were all up at the bar standing around talking. I went up there to order a drink and they said "we'll bring it to you." Twenty minutes later I went back up there and wanted about 6 more drinks by then so I said I'd just wait and drink it right there. After I had drinks at the bar, the waiter came and brought me the other one (now a duplicate) I'd ordered to start with.
I asked them for a menu because by then I was starved and when I got my food (the cevice is good) and a bucket of beers (ICE !! Cold BEERS!!) and the check I signed it to my room and handed the waiter a nice tip and a nice smile in cash, about 30%, hoping he'd remember the next day and realize I was wiling to pay for good service.
The next morning I sat in my same spot at the beach and again had to go up to the bar and get it myself. The thing that's a shame is, the guy who used to work the beach USED to really market the drinks and the happy hours, bringing new ice buckets when yours looked melted, and you were never left wanting anything. I spent most of my week this time really thirsty, wishing I had ice, or a cold drink, or jeez I don't know would it kill you to smile?
SO: no air conditioning, drinks hard to come by, ice by delivery only (do you really want to call someone and sit and wait every time you need ice?) no working fridge in the room, and now, no hot water. For about the last two days I was there, the water pressure was off and they were doing some sort of maintenance. The day I left, there was no hot water (just air hissing out of the faucets with the occasional poof of rusty spray) and no one seemed at all concerned about it. I jumped in the pool and dried off but would really have loved to get a nice hot shower before the plane ride home.
Also, about midway through the week, the wifi in the room crapped out and when I called the front desk they told me "we don't offer wifi in the rooms." Well, every time I've been there for the last several years there's been wifi in the rooms, as "Pueblo Bonito Rose" in the network list, and a hotspot by the deli called "Rose Free Internet" or something like that. For the first time, that wasn't working ... not either one ... and also this trip for some reason I couldn't get emails or texts on my Blackberry (which is Sprint/Motorola) so I felt a little stranded as well.
I think the worst part is that no one seemed to really care, and even though I have been a frequent guest over the years and have had a great rapport with the hotel staff, there weren't a lot of familiar faces this time and when I complained about the hot water and the fact that I really needed a shower since I'd been sleeping in a room that was about 150 degrees since the A/C didn't work, all I got was a "too bad, lady." Really? Too bad, lady? I can only hope that the guy at the front desk didn't realize that was a pretty rude and dismissive thing to say ... but I have a feeling that not a lot got lost in the translation. Too bad is right, it used to be a great place, and I'm sad I won't be back.
