Wyndham questions?

[1KWIK_69]

Thanks for the info. There was some talk of new management at Wyndham, not certain. It is a positive sign if the food improved, that is good news. Sue

Su Sue, from the sound of things, we all seem to be in agreement. Avoid the buffet, and make reservations for the regular restaurants early. One thing, I believe non Sabor guesta are still allowed to make reservations for one dinner at the Mosaic in Sabor.
Like you, I'd stay there again if the price was right, but I would also be better prepared with the knowledge I gained the first time I stayed with them. It's always better to learn from other people bad experiences but we don't always have that luxery.

 

[spyder]

My wife and 2 kids have been staying at the Reef/Wyndham every year since 2002. We have not had any complaints about the food, it's buffet and we can usually find something we like. Every meal is different, not sure what a previous poster stated about the food being the same every day means. That said, we do not look for 5 star food in a buffet line. They do have restaurants that require reservations and we've had some very good meals in them. Kids club is fine, lots of activities. Nice beach for Coz as well, it has sand and is sand out into the ocean like you would expect. Not sure what kind of tap beer but it's definitely drinkable and I refuse to drink Miller Lite. Pedro has been at the Cabana bar since the beginning and he doesn't make me wait on anything

Have always dove with SDS, they have always been very accomodating and really did an unbelievable job with my newly certified daughter last year (11). Even gave us our own small boat for the four of us when we went out as a family and the divemasters really focused on helping her. When my son and I go out on our own we always get put on the experienced boats. He started diving at 10 and is now 17, they treated him the same when he was young as well. The concrete pier has always been there and is the property of SDS. It got trashed by Wilma and has been rebuilt. We were in the Reef when Wilma came in, they took exceptionally good care of us given the circumstances. Some others at the time, well, let's just say when I hear about "ugly Americans" I can't disagree... It's Mexico and it's vacation, you can either have a good time or not. Your choice.... We'll be there 4/2-4/11, can't wait!

 

[loudives]

Better call them about min age for the KIDS Club. I have had people tell me it is excellent, but there kids were 7-8. I have seen smaller kids but 3???

Tap beer is either XX or Sol. Bring an insulated 16oz cup they will fill it, otherwise you get a small 8oz cup. Mix drinks are the cheapest booze they can find but you get that at most AI.

Buffet does tend to have much the same every day. Pork is real big there. About 4 different entrñÆs for dinner. Salad bar pretty good but stay away from the creamy sauces as the refrdg tables don't keep them real cold. If you see them bring out some fresh ones thats the time to get it. Food is adequate. Snack bar for sandwiches and chips is real good.

Do be at the buffet at 6pm for dinner or you will wait for a table. Management cut back on employee 3 years ago and service has suffered. Order 2 drinks at a time cause you may not see a waiter after his initial visit.

2 piers on the property. Sand Dollar concrete pier on the north end and Aura wooden pier on south. All operators will pick you up but you pay the daily pier fee. Sand Dollar is $3 a day. Use the wooden pier it was $2 in Jan. and sometimes the guy wasn't there so free.
Lockers are for SDS customers. Go with an OP that will keep your gear. My favorite is www.bottomtimedivers.net but there are others

taxi will be 13-15 to town.

If you can, ask for a room backing up to the Aura property. It is the most quiet area of the resort, or upgrade to beach front room. There are rooms behind the amphitheater and kitchen area that tend to be a bit noisy in the evening and also the cistern is in this area and it can emit an odor.

The place is not the Ritz, but it is OK. I classify it as a working mans resort. No worse than a Holiday Inn.

 

[Sue Sue]

Su Sue, from the sound of things, we all seem to be in agreement. Avoid the buffet, and make reservations for the regular restaurants early. One thing, I believe non Sabor guesta are still allowed to make reservations for one dinner at the Mosaic in Sabor.
Like you, I'd stay there again if the price was right, but I would also be better prepared with the knowledge I gained the first time I stayed with them. It's always better to learn from other people bad experiences but we don't always have that luxery.

You are right for sure....and overall, the Wyndham stay was not a total wash out. It was really OK when considering all the factors. The only real downside were the meals. Every day for lunch & Dinner we were served the ground beef thing, the pork thing, the pulled chicken thing and the fish thing. The ground beef and chicken things also made a showing at breakfast as well. Salads were limp and the dressings were not chilled. Other than that the rolls were good and there was a cute selection of desserts. Perhaps it was just the week we were there, and if not, hopefully there have been improvements.

 

[1KWIK_69]

You are right for sure....and overall, the Wyndham stay was not a total wash out. It was really OK when considering all the factors. The only real downside were the meals. Every day for lunch & Dinner we were served the ground beef thing, the pork thing, the pulled chicken thing and the fish thing. The ground beef and chicken things also made a showing at breakfast as well. Salads were limp and the dressings were not chilled. Other than that the rolls were good and there was a cute selection of desserts. Perhaps it was just the week we were there, and if not, hopefully there have been improvements.

No, I don't think it was just the week you were there. That's a pretty dead on description of the buffet. It was ok for a meal or two, but not every day. Why didn't you make more reservations at the nice places? It took us a couple days to get with the program, but then we made sure we had reservations for all of our remaining nights. One nice thing about the Sabor section. You don't need a reservation at Mosaic for lunch. Every day after diving we headed straight there, gear and all. We'd just use the shower by the pool to rinse our gear. We then would grab one of the outdoor tables by the pool and clean them out of calamari and guac. We really loved that restaurant. Their grouper was seriously tastey too! I don't mean to sound that down on Wyndham. It really is a very nice place and much more upscale than the majority of dive resorts that are talked about on here, but there are so many little things they could improve on to make everyone's stay so much better.

Would it be too much to ask that you have a bar tender when you have a pool bar, and at least a dozen people using the pool?

By the way, they do have name brand liquers. You just have to specify the brand. It helps if you tip them even though the all inclusive thing says you don't have to. Maybe your first drink will be weak, but after dropping a little tip for it, your second drink is usually much better.

 

[driftin' by]

Thanks for all the responses and feedback! Honestly, I just don't have a good feeling about it... however when in Coz, I need little else to enjoy myself besides a bed and some decent food and drink. Most of the other things I inquire about are for my daughters comfort. Sounds as if they've tried to make it a luxurious experience skimping on staff and food. We stayed at Allergo the spring following Wilma and experienced the lack of staff to that point that it was nearly impossible to any service. At times, Fiesta Americana seems a bit understaffed as well however, it also seems to be inline with their occupancy levels. I have absolutely zero expectations of quality food at any AI... I'm all aware of how it gets boring and repetitive but that's is easily dealt with by eating in town when possible. I just don't want to get sick.

So getting back to my not so good feelings.... the whole pier thing is kinda silly IMHO. I understand that there are costs involved when building and maintaining one but I thought that was just the cost of doing business in Cozumel. Not that I can't afford the fee, it's just an added hassle and simply the principle.

How in the world does a family-friendly resort build water slides for adult use only!?!?! That's pretty silly too but perhaps they are limiting their liability is there was an accident with a smaller child. I saw where 2 slides converge into one.

Oh no, not the chair game... Didn't think this really occurred in Cozumel. I'm all too aware of it having spent several weeks at some of the mega resorts on the mainland before we became divers. Sounds like Wyndham is more of a vacationers resort than a diver's resort. I think I'll miss the feeling, quaintness and clientale of a diver's resort. I would think the name change to Wyndham had a lot to do with attracting non divers to the resort.

Based on a majority of the responses, for a couple hundred more, I'm leaning toward the quaintness and familiarity of my beloved FA. Thanks again for all the feedback.

 

[driftin' by]

Better call them about min age for the KIDS Club. I have had people tell me it is excellent, but there kids were 7-8. I have seen smaller kids but 3???

No you're right... it's for 4 and up but still our daughter will be under the direct supervision of a hired babysitter while we dive and as we've experienced in the past, she'll be taken to the kid's club to enjoy some of the activities they have for children. Nevertheless, if it's a rowdy group of 7-8 year olds, I'd prefer her not be taken to the club.

 

[driftin' by]

Every day for lunch & Dinner we were served the ground beef thing, the pork thing, the pulled chicken thing and the fish thing.

:rofl: That pretty much sums up AI food.

 

[Sue Sue]

No, I don't think it was just the week you were there. That's a pretty dead on description of the buffet. It was ok for a meal or two, but not every day. Why didn't you make more reservations at the nice places? It took us a couple days to get with the program, but then we made sure we had reservations for all of our remaining nights. .........

Well???? We didn't know what was really up, you know? Our room was not ready when we arrived so we stored the stuff and went into town to check in with Blue XT SEA. When we got back we had our first AI meal....we checked it out and it was ....OK..... The next few days were basically all about diving. Up in the morning, out to the pier, dive, come back in the afternoon and relax, I think we also had one night dive as well. We planned on using the buffet as we just wanted to grab a quick bite without a time constraint of dinner reservations. However,after the third day, and the beef and chicken things showed up for breakfast, we figured out what we were really dealing with. We tried to get a reservation for the last night but they were full. IF there is a next time, I would make blanket reservations and just no show if busy. Or, I would take my own stuff. A fresh ham sandwich, chips and pickles and a bottle of SOL from a cooler would have been like gourmet cuisine.

Again, overall, the whole experience was not horrible. Overall I think the Wyndham AI plan worked well for a quick trip. I would not however set out to plan my vacation there. My friend and I did not really have much more in our plan other than diving and relaxing a few days. Basically, it was just a spur of the moment girlfriend run away from home weekend. But, a return trip to Wyndham would have to be a VERY GOOD deal for me to try it again. At least I would be prepared. Otherwise, I will stick to what I enjoy the most and that is staying in town and going out to the many wonderful restaurants.

 

[Sue Sue]

:rofl: That pretty much sums up AI food.

Josh, that's funny...

Although, Michael and I stayed at the Park Royal once and the AI buffet there was actually not bad at all. The foods were fresh, presented well and the service was good. There were some repeat selections, but not at all like the Wyndham. The set up actually reminded us of the Lido deck on a cruise ship. The circumstances for that trip were similar to the Wyndham trip as we also booked the trip to run away from home for a few days after our 1st son's wedding. The price was a very reasonable last minute rate hotel/airfare included and we jumped on it. Sue