I think this property has the potential to be an all around decent resort. Noting that the staff were very friendly, polite and helpful when needed, and my room was very clean. Most of the staff I encountered seemed to be very hard workers and anxious to please guests. And, the price was decent for what I received. However, there are a few items that could have turned my entire experience into a nightmare had I not practice one of my favorite mantras..."Relax & Release"!
First, my experience started at the airport when I attempted to get the shuttle to the hotel. An airport employee called the hotel to inquire about the shuttle for my sister & I only to be told that our rate did not include shuttle service, after having called in advance to verify shuttle availability. We were forced to take a taxi which cost $30USD; The upside is, two other travelers were going to the same property, in a taxi, after having been told the same thing, and we were able to carpool and split the taxi cost. Upon check-in the desk agent stated that shuttle service was for guest who were staying 7plus days (my stay was 5). Then the clerk proceeded to tell the other travelers that their stay did include shuttle service, but they didn't call far enough in advance to request the service. While the property did not reimburse me for the taxi ride and shuttle confusion, they did offer me FREE breakfast during my entire stay!
Second, the room had a stale/musty odor which quickly dissipated once I turned on the A/C and opened the balcony. Once the air was circulating, I closed the balcony door and didn't have a problem with room odor anymore during my visit. SUGGESTION: I know that the property is concerned with conserving energy. Though, I would suggest getting the room completely ready for visitors, to include turning on the A/C. First impressions last a while and the room odor was not pleasant.
Third, I was familiar with the power going out on the island. However, it slipped my mind during check-in. The staff did not offer any flashlights for emergency use. The power went out twice while on the island, and I visited another property with a generator during the outage.
Next, the walls seem thin as my neighbors were extremely loud and I could hear loads on noise next door.
Then, after the power outage my A/C made LOUD noises ALL night and my refrigerator leaked all over the floor. Now, to be fair here, I want to say that these incidents went unreported until check-out only because I stayed out of the property long periods of time and when I returned to the room, I simply wanted to sleep. I didn't want to be bother by repair men in the middle of the night/early morning.
Now the kicker, I ate lunch at the bar, on property, one day. Huge mistake! I ordered a basic pizza; it was so bland and the crust was entirely too thin for adequately hold the sauce and toppings. But, that was not the most annoying thing...my sister and I asked for two plates, in order to share. We proceeded to watch the server grab two dirty plates, which we saw removed from tables, and RINSE them off for us...yes, rinse NOT WASH!!! We immediately asked another server to wash us clean plates using soap, which he did and aggressively washed the plates! Needless to say, we didn't finish the pizza and we didn't eat at the property anymore during our stay. It was disappointing.
Finally, I like to end on a positive note! Check-out was a breeze and there were no billing mistakes. he staff, again, were pleasant and warm. We were provided a shuttle to the airport, but for $5USD/pp - not bad! The shuttle driver was courteous as expected!
Room Tip: All off the rooms that I saw seemed similar. I'd simply suggest calling ahead to ask that the A...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
March 16, 2013
Dear Guest,
Thank you for your very detailed review on our property and I would very much like to invite you again to visit us so that you can see how we have taken you notes to heart and made a number of modifications.
I am sure you might not be aware of this, but Roatan works on Diesel Generators and since we try and be environmentally aware, we try and consume as little power as possible and leave a small a carbon footprint as possible. It is for this reason that we do not switch on equipment in advance to our guest's arrival. Furthermore, we encourage our guest to turn off equipment as they leave their room to help with take care of our environment.
You are correct that flash lights are not offered to guests as we have invested on a back up generator for those events. We are surprised that you did not choose to stay with us and enjoy our generator and the comfort of your room during the outage.
What a shame that you did not report your issues to our front desk, as you would have been pleasantly surprised by the level of efficiency and quality of repair that our Maintenance Crew would have done. They realize that our guest are there to enjoy, relax and forget about the everyday concerns, which is why they take care of the problems quickly and as hassle free as possible. Always making sure that our guest enjoy their stay to the utmost.
As with the maintenance, it is a shame that you did not report the issues you had with our beach bar to our restaurant. Action would have been taken and you would have had a completely different experience.
Once again, I do hope you will return to our wonderful island and enjoy the beauty that our beach has to offer, while diving in our Marine Reserve. We look forward to your next visit, so that you can see how much we have improved.
Hoping to see you soon,
Paradise Beach Hotel
Roatan Swiss Hotels.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.