The wife and I were there in November of last year. I dunno if that's recent enough for you. Without a doubt, the poster above who will be there soon would be a better source of info, but in the meantime:
WHEN WE WERE THERE IN NOVEMBER (in CAPS because it's an important qualifier) the resort was definitely under construction. There were several areas of the resort where construction was taking place, but our suite was across the bridge from them and we were never bothered by any noise or untoward attention from workers.
The non-diving staff seemed amiable enough for the few times we interacted with them, which I guess is just how you want it to be: if you're spending too much time dealing with the front desk or the cleaning staff then you have problems you don't want to be dealing with, so passing marks all around there. The on-site breakfast buffet (provided each morning as part of our package) was very good, it was at the bar/restaurant by the pool. Other meals at THAT restaurant were a little pricey, and meals at the other restaurant on-site (out past the beach) were CRAZY expensive, so avoid it unless you're starving or loaded or both. We were in a suite so we had the chance to hit the supermarket and do a little cooking in our room.
The diving staff was, IMO, great. They took really good care of us and prices seemed pretty reasonable, especially when compared to other stuff at the resort. The DMs listened to our requests and tried their best to meet them; the only thing we didn't get to do was dive salt pier because a boat was docked so it wasn't their fault. There were plenty of opportunities for boat diving (how dare I mention it in the shore-diver's paradise?) if that's your style. Some was included in our package, but we ended up getting a few more trips added in because it was just so convenient. The "resort's" reef, 18 palms, was pretty sweet, especially in the morning and at night. It felt like a bit of a copout to dive it as much as we did, but the sights were great and the convenience was unbeatable. There are always fresh tanks ready to go at both entrances to the reef, and at the dive shop too so all you had to do was drive up, grab a couple tanks, and roll out to do some shore diving. My only complaint was they didn't have 100s, only 80s and 65s. Yeah, I'm a gashog.
Since you asked, the beach is OK, for as much as we used it. Which is to say, we walked across it on the way to go to the reef. There is a little tiki-bar right there so you can keep hydrated or buzzed, whichever might be mandated by your diving or not-diving plans. I don't think it would really compare to the beaches I've seen at bigger resorts in places like Florida or Cancun, though. The pool was clean, but it didn't have a reef in it so we didn't use it.
There is a car-rental place (a couple, actually) right on site, so you can rent a car and return a car with no hassle, it just takes a while if you're with a large group.
So, the dive shop and dive staff was great, and just about everything else was... OK, but... we took the time to visit some acquaintances of our organizers who were at the Buddy Dive resort and things just seemed more... polished, for lack of a better word. Pricing seemed to be on a par with the Plaza Resort, but things seemed a bit cleaner and better kept. The biggest difference I saw in the two dive shops was the Buddy's had 100s, but of course that was going to get my attention.
So what's my verdict? Based on what I saw in November, when my wife and I go down in the future (please please please let it be soon!), we'll probably book at Buddy's. But, the Plaza Resort has a lot of potential and if they've been working hard over the winter things could be much more "polished" to use my own word and they may be ready to rock your world. I wouldn't worry about changing your reservation, unless for some reason you feel like the construction was really going to turn you or your wife off. If you don't mind a little clutter here and there, you should do just fine.
EDIT TO ADD: Don't take this as a hands-down recommendation for Buddy's though. I only spent a few hours there. Also, I don't recall seeing any real beach at all to speak of at Buddy's, so your wife probably wouldn't dig it.
Hope this helps, drop a PM if you have any further ?s...
Ike aka "Hilma Hooker is DA BOMB"
