good review--had fun

[melindajo612]

My husband and I, both age 47, stayed at the Iberostar June 1-8, 2003. Loved it!! We picked it after a lot of research, including reading many Trip Advisor reviews, because we wanted something that wasn't a high-rise like most of the resorts. The grounds are lush and immaculately maintained, the housing units are colorful and cute, the food was excellent, the staff friendly and helpful. Our room was very attractive, had great air conditioning, and once we took a few items out of our mini-fridge, it kept our water and soda cold. Based on Trip Advisor reviews, we requested a second-floor, non-smoking room away from the dive shop and disco (noise) and the tennis courts (sewage smell). Our room was perfect (7312) and the maid service was wonderful. I wish we had read the little instruction card in the bathroom when we arrived; we would have known that towels we hung on the towel rack would not be removed from the room each day. We kept wondering why she would leave new towels but not take away the old ones! Food is available somewhere on the property 22 1/2 hours a day! The "snack" at the pool area in the afternoon was pretty bad: hot dogs most of the time and they ran out of buns a lot. But the breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets were delicious and offered a huge array of dishes. We made our reservations for the specialty restaurants (one steakhouse, one Mexican food) at the beginning of the week, as suggested. Oddly, only the Mexican restaurant was considered formal enough to require long pants for gentlemen, but it had the worst service and food we encountered all week! Men can't wear tank tops to the nightly dinner buffet, so bring at least a t-shirt. The shore is a little rocky at the beachline, it's true, but the lounge chairs and small palapas were plentiful and well-situated so that you could have your own little area if you wanted to. We would have snorkeled off the dock, but the windy conditions were stirring up the water and it wasn't very clear. The resort has sailboards, kayaksere very warm, so we only went in once, but the resort also offers air rifle shooting, pool and ping pong tables, aerobics, etc. for entertainment. We rented a car for the week. I had never done an all-inclusive resort before and I enjoy being able to explore the area around where I am staying. The extra $200 was well worth the expense. Definitely reserve a car with air conditioning: you may feel like a spoiled tourist, or think you are spending extra money needlessly, but you will be glad to have it. The island is EXTREMELY humid! (And I was raised in Philly, so I know humidity.) Be careful if you rent from Budget: their international reservations desk had told me to pick up my car at the airport, but when we arrived we found out their desk at the airport has been closed for 8 months and they now have an office only in town! We had a voucher from Apple Tours for transportation to the Iberostar, and their rep at the airport got a van driver to drop us in town at the Budget office instead. The taxi ride would only have been about $4 if we had to do that. We went out from the resort each day either in the morning, between breakfast and lunch, or in the afternoon, between lunch and dinner. The east side of the island is beautiful and wild: stop at one of the beach bars for lunch by the sea (we liked Playa Bonita). You can body surf or boogie board at a few of the beaches, although the surf and currents preclude snorkeling, so take a suit if you're interested in that. The town of San Miguel is very nice. We ate lunch twice at La Choza, a moderately priced restaurant frequented by locals. Their margarita is the largest and tastiest I've ever had! We shopped in a lot of little stores, especially those away from the main street that cater to cruise ship tourists. Still, the prices were not cheap. I thought I'd find a lot of little silver earrings and bracelets for $5 or $10, but prices were comparable to the US. I bargained a ring down to $20, and bought an inlaid barrette for $8. (The airport store Cinco Soles had pricd, so I was able to pick up a few last minute gifts without feeling ripped off.) We visited the original settlement, El Cedral, founded in 1849. It is almost just across the highway from the Iberostar, a mile or so off the highway, and no one really promoted it to us (not the Apple Tours rep at the hotel or the hotel staff). We thought it was one of the best side trips. Just a small plaza area with a few simple shops and a church, but driving around the pretty residential streets really gave us a flavor of local life that was memorable. The residential areas of San Miguel were interesting also. Watch out for gas prices. Like most of the world outside the US, Mexican gas costs way more than at home. We only had to put 1/4 tank in our little Nissan Tsuru before turning it in at the end of the week, and that cost us $15 US! Take plenty of cash--a surprising number of places won't take credit cards. We ended up going to a bank on the plaza and taking a cash advance on our VISA, for a $5 fee! We took a snorkel tour one day, a diving trip another day, and took the submarine trip with Atlantis also. All were wonderful. We went diving with the outfit at the Iberostar (Dressel) and got Ramon as our divemaster and guide. They only put about 6 divers with each guide, and Ramon was very helpful with my nervousness (we only dive once a year, and it always seems that the preparations of the equipment and getting into the gear is happening way too fast for us). Ramon held my hand for the first 10 minutes of the dive until I was comfortable. Our snorkel trip was on the catamaran Manta 1, and we had a good time. The catamaran is very stable in the water, so although there was some rough water that day we had a very comfortable time. Do take tip money with you: they make you margaritas and serve soda and fresh fruit. The submarine trip is great for those who don't dive. It holds 48 passengers, you get a big window/portal to look out of, and you go down to 100' and cruise the reef for about 40 minutes. Other suggestions: women, takneck--it is very sweaty there (at least in June). Take plenty of cash with you if you plan to leave the resort; a lot of places don't take credit cards. Tip the bartenders when you order a drink and speak up if you want name brand liquor or a stronger drink. We really liked the casual friendly atmosphere at El Cedral bar, the one beside the pool. The lobby bar seemed more impersonal. Bartender Darwin at the El Cedral remembered our names after a couple of days and was very nice to talk to. If your room fridge isn't keeping things cold, remove a few items. That's all, I guess. We would highly recommend Iberostar resorts (there are about 70 worldwide) and will probably look for them again when we travel in the Caribbean or Spain or the Mediterranean. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

[StarFriend]

What is the name of the Star Friend that wore sunglasses during the day and glasses at the shows?