Scubaschne
Registered
Hi, I just returned and will be try to be brief and skip airport stuff etc and just talk about resort. I was there 4 yrs ago and while I was expecting some decline in the resort based on recent reports, it was more than I expected. The staff is still great, the dive staff in particular. I will be hard pressed to return to FI, and will most likely continue to go to Cozumel instead. I find I can dive there for about the same money, see more sea life and have a better resort/food experience. I hope the mgt change over improves the resort, I know in this economy it has been tough on dive resorts all over, but I think CoCo View and other resorts may be a better option for me in the future.............. We got there in time for hurricane Richard so obviously diving was out on Sunday and they told us we couldnt dive on Monday either. They ended up taking us out on the 11 a.m. dive and the later afternoon one. The viz was not that great all week, some dives were clearer than others, and several had a pretty strong current, the boats were rocking alot so getting back on could be a bit of a challenge but the boat staff/divemasters were terrific in helping out.
My biggest issue with the resort is maintenance and the food. We had many of the same shower issues the Nagel reported, shower head hanging by a hose(trust me, I am used to European showers, this wouldnt stay attached at all), NO water pressure almost any time you used shower, no hot water 3 of 7 days, the a/c was so cold the first night we both put fleece jkts on, if you turned it down it quickly became hot and humid, then 2 nights no a/c at all! and it gets hot and humid quickly in those rooms, they sent maintenance after 3 requests, but unit stopped again in the middle of the night.Couldnt open the patio doors at all, lights outside broken so dark entrance at night etc. Other divers had some of the same issues, some had none, luck of the draw.
FOOD- was much better last time, the beginning of the week it was ok, but got progressively repetitive, with mostly starches. The biggest issue was by Wed, they were running out of many things, and according to staff, when they told mgt, they were told "too bad" I guess there just won't be any until the new mgt takes over. The staff was embarrassed and went out of their way to do what they could, even going out and getting certain items themselves. Just an example, by wed, out of diet coke everywhere, no butter, no syrup, almost no fruit like pineapple or papaya, ice cream gone(they went out and got some) next day, no white wine etc etc. Dinners became progressively sparser with rice,beans,potatoes,pasta and other starches. They put out pancakes and french toast but had no syrup and no butter. Did this ruin the trip? NO, however some guest that had never stayed there said they were extremely disappointed in food and maintenance issues and would never return. They felt like they had paid their money in good faith, and hearing that just because they were a few days away from a mgt change over they should not have to put up with some of the poor execution. In talking to one staff member, he said the cooks were all concerned for friday sat and sunday, because there was so little in the kitchen to cook, dont know how true that was, but it seemed headed that way. Many of the 2 large dive groups went out to dinner in town Friday night because they wanted a decent dinner.
On Wed, the owner came in along with the new mgr. Interviews seemed to be going on in the lobby, right in front of the current staff and all the guests, seemed unprofessional to me. At that time the staff was still unsure if they would have jobs come Monday, and seeing their possible replacements being interviewed right in front of them was uncalled for IMO.
BUGS- horrible, last time I was there I hardly got bitten at all, this time, even with repeated use of bug spray, I was eaten alive! The resort does fog every am at 6:30, and maybe the Hurricane stirred up the sand fleas, skeeters and no seeums, but they were out in force!
Beach- Be prepared for large groups of cruise ship passengers using the beach and having lunch in the outside restaurant area, maybe that is why they ran out of so much stuff? Just a thought.
I had a good time because of the group I was with, and some of the dives were good(3 seahorses on one) had I been there as a single diver or a couple maybe not so much. Several of the divers I met who werent with a group werent too happy with their experience. Everyone has their own opinions, but based on my week there, I will go back to Coz , Little Cayman, and other dive places before returning to FI. Their greatest asset currently is their staff, I hope the new mgt team appreciates that, and keeps those that wish to stay. I hope the group going in this week sees some improvements! I will be happy to answer any questions, again, this report is MY opinion, based on MY experience, your experience may be different.
My biggest issue with the resort is maintenance and the food. We had many of the same shower issues the Nagel reported, shower head hanging by a hose(trust me, I am used to European showers, this wouldnt stay attached at all), NO water pressure almost any time you used shower, no hot water 3 of 7 days, the a/c was so cold the first night we both put fleece jkts on, if you turned it down it quickly became hot and humid, then 2 nights no a/c at all! and it gets hot and humid quickly in those rooms, they sent maintenance after 3 requests, but unit stopped again in the middle of the night.Couldnt open the patio doors at all, lights outside broken so dark entrance at night etc. Other divers had some of the same issues, some had none, luck of the draw.
FOOD- was much better last time, the beginning of the week it was ok, but got progressively repetitive, with mostly starches. The biggest issue was by Wed, they were running out of many things, and according to staff, when they told mgt, they were told "too bad" I guess there just won't be any until the new mgt takes over. The staff was embarrassed and went out of their way to do what they could, even going out and getting certain items themselves. Just an example, by wed, out of diet coke everywhere, no butter, no syrup, almost no fruit like pineapple or papaya, ice cream gone(they went out and got some) next day, no white wine etc etc. Dinners became progressively sparser with rice,beans,potatoes,pasta and other starches. They put out pancakes and french toast but had no syrup and no butter. Did this ruin the trip? NO, however some guest that had never stayed there said they were extremely disappointed in food and maintenance issues and would never return. They felt like they had paid their money in good faith, and hearing that just because they were a few days away from a mgt change over they should not have to put up with some of the poor execution. In talking to one staff member, he said the cooks were all concerned for friday sat and sunday, because there was so little in the kitchen to cook, dont know how true that was, but it seemed headed that way. Many of the 2 large dive groups went out to dinner in town Friday night because they wanted a decent dinner.
On Wed, the owner came in along with the new mgr. Interviews seemed to be going on in the lobby, right in front of the current staff and all the guests, seemed unprofessional to me. At that time the staff was still unsure if they would have jobs come Monday, and seeing their possible replacements being interviewed right in front of them was uncalled for IMO.
BUGS- horrible, last time I was there I hardly got bitten at all, this time, even with repeated use of bug spray, I was eaten alive! The resort does fog every am at 6:30, and maybe the Hurricane stirred up the sand fleas, skeeters and no seeums, but they were out in force!
Beach- Be prepared for large groups of cruise ship passengers using the beach and having lunch in the outside restaurant area, maybe that is why they ran out of so much stuff? Just a thought.
I had a good time because of the group I was with, and some of the dives were good(3 seahorses on one) had I been there as a single diver or a couple maybe not so much. Several of the divers I met who werent with a group werent too happy with their experience. Everyone has their own opinions, but based on my week there, I will go back to Coz , Little Cayman, and other dive places before returning to FI. Their greatest asset currently is their staff, I hope the new mgt team appreciates that, and keeps those that wish to stay. I hope the group going in this week sees some improvements! I will be happy to answer any questions, again, this report is MY opinion, based on MY experience, your experience may be different.
Sound like you were there at the worst possible time with the management issues and rough weather. For my own curiosity, did the dives vary much between the East and West end of the island? Thanks for sharing your vacation experience.
