In a nutshell - the best overall resort experience I've ever had! Collectively, our group of 6 unanimously agreed. AND WE WERE NOT LEVEL. Just regular guests. So many reviews on this site are from Level guests so we really had no idea before we arrived of the non Level experience. As we were there for two weeks (Apr 1-15), I'll start with the most important reason the resort is so wonderful - the staff! To start our day, my friend and I went to the Balance Bar every morning for coffee/tea/smoothies and a few little pastries. YANELITZA, the barista there was amazing and always happy to see us!!! I enjoyed americanos with the odd cappucino every now and then and my friend, Yvette, had English Breakfast tea. We also enjoyed the smoothies from time to time which were fresh and fabulous as well as some of the specialty teas made daily. Now that I'm home, I'm wondering how I can survive each morning without that joyous start to the day where we sat in a beautiful airy breezeway with a colourful companion - the resident peacock - who would stop by to visit from time to time. A huge shout out to YANELITZA, our morning saviour who was some days accompanied by Adriana who was also lovely. To note, on the day we left, Yanelitza met us with a surprise delivery of our smoothies to the lobby! After the Balance Bar, we headed back to our room to get ready to hit the glorious beach. Our rooms were so very close to the lobby in building 19 (ours was 1916 - 2nd floor room overlooking the main thoroughfare to and from the beach and lush landscaping including a little lagoon with pink flamingos and other wildlife). We loved the location as at night, all the entertainment took place there and the evening buffet was a one minute walk. The peacock mentioned earlier took up residence in a tree near the room so we said hello along the way. The beach and pool were a short trolley ride away. They ran continuously and the drivers were always friendly and helpful. If we didn't want to wait, we walked - and the drivers would stop to ask when passing if we wanted a ride. Back to the room, we had everything we needed. Comfortable beds and pillows, a well stocked mini fridge and a sweet, young cleaner who took great care of us. Never any shortage of towels or toilet paper - the basics for sure but these are things we have had to fight to get at many other resorts. Beach towels were never an issue and if your towel went missing, the helpful staff at the front desk went out of their way to ease your mind and provide a new card. Customer relations at the resort were also amazing - Antonio and Armondo and several others truly went above and beyond to ensure we had the best guest experience. My friend will elaborate in her review on her interactions with both of these gentleman and others as she was their direct point of contact. The beach was our main retreat throughout the days and the pool from 5-7 pm was a great respite for our five o'clock Cosmo. Although there was some seaweed, it never hampered our ability to swim. The men on the beach worked tirelessly in the hot sun to clean it and we were in awe by their efforts. If you can, please show them some appreciation - they have very little. Beach chairs were never hard to find but a hut was more difficult...by noon, we could usually nab one but some days were harder and later than others. Activities at the beach and pool were many and varied such as mud cleansing, Pilates, yoga, dance lessons, spin bikes in the pool, aquafit, painting, paddle fit you name it! More about the animation team below...much more! As for the food quality/quantity, everywhere and anywhere we ate was divine. We all agreed, the best of any experience we have had. The breakfast and lunch buffets at the beach, the food truck by the pool bar, the dinner buffet by the lobby and all the restaurants we tried (we did the Vietnamese, the International, the Mediterranean, Quimera (thanks to Antonio/Armondo) and the Hacienda. We loved each and every one. We could have eaten at a few more a la cartes given we were there for two weeks but the buffet was soooooo good, we didn't bother. The pasta chef at the nighttime buffet deserves a special shoutout...he was quite funny and went out of his way to make a great pasta. LAST BUT NOT LEAST IS THE FANTASTIC ANIMATION TEAM - a VERY, VERY SPECIAL SHOUTOUT to our great friends JAVIER (my future son-in-law lol) AND CLAUDIO who were just the best humans (NOT TO MENTION DANCERS) and who even organized a surprise birthday party for our friend, Theresa. It took place in the "Zen" room (as we labelled it) in the main lobby. They spear headed the event with one of the lobby waitresses, "Queen Moon" (Rena) independently. The management was on board and also there to greet us after dinner with Claudio, Javier, Rena, Ningel and Coca Cola (aka) with champagne and cake and the best rendition of happy birthday. Javier and Claudio even purchased gifts for our friend from the hotel shop. She was in tears...and we could not believe how they had gone out of their way to decorate and organize the event. These people deserve soooo much credit. In the daytime, this team also led many of the pool and beach events. They work so hard but always took the time to talk and hang out. Fun, smart, respectful, talented and professional. They truly made our trip so memorable and are the main reason we'd definitely return. The animation team was led by their tireless manager, Pablo, who was anywhere and everywhere - very engaged and respected by his team - the quality of the entertainment he procured was stellar from top quality musicians to singers to shows. He and the animation team had the lobby jamming and dancing through the night. Special mention was the Silent Party which was a first for us and probably our favourite event besides the Walk Around the Moon event - something we hadn't heard of before. So fun. We danced pretty much every night away in the lobby. Special shoutout to the night bar gents who were superb - the waitresses - RENA AND MODESTO, and others who we came to know and love. These lobby teams were simply amazing during the entire two weeks. Also, not to forget JOSE at the beach bar who was the BEST. He hustled day in and day out and stood out for sure. Finally, our waitress in the lunch buffet who was in the corner near the grill and bar. Her name escapes me right now but my friend Yvette will make mention in her review. Do not hesitate to book this resort. the demographic was young to old. It truly fits the bill as a wellness resort but so very fun at the same time - we came back rested and rejuvenated (although we made the most of each and every day and night...)! A few final points: The grounds are spectacular in and of themselves. We felt very safe - security team did a great job, The maintenance and gardening teams were superb - always at work cleaning and pruning and so very friendly. Overall, we felt very welcomed and pampered. I can't say enough. We cannot wait to return. We hope to see you again next year! THANK YOU ALL. Love from the Halifax, Nova Scotia gals: Lynn, Yvette, Theresa, Heidi, Carol Ann and Gwen …