The most over rated resort area you have been to? (It's a poll-everyone should contribute!)
Aug 5th, 2003, 11:14 AM
#61
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MightyIsis, Re: 4 Seasons Maui: Yes it is terribly overrun with undiscipilined kids. Add that to the noise of people shouting their BS conversations into their cell phones. The peak of my stay was this guy shouting into his cell phone right next to the massage cabana that says "quiet please, massage in progress". Not possible to relax here. I was really disappointed. Have stayed at almost every other resort in Hawaii (incl 4s BI) and wished we had spent our $$ elsewhere. Also, the pools are too small. The resort did upgrade us to an exec. suite upon check in and the service was great but the clientele is mostly wannabees. Service is as good other 4s, no nickel and diming. The beach is very good though.
Aug 5th, 2003, 11:18 AM
#62
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P.S., did I mention the nighly flute practice at sunset by the child in the room above us? It seems the child was getting on the parents nerves so they sent him outside so everyone else would have to listen to it.
Aug 5th, 2003, 03:00 PM
#69
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Wow--i came so close to booking a trip to Cancun, Cozumel or the Bahamas...so glad i didn't...i chose Grand Cayman and i hope no one says that was awful!
I don't know of a resort area but i will choose The Mirage in Vegas to be very over rated!
I don't know of a resort area but i will choose The Mirage in Vegas to be very over rated!
Aug 5th, 2003, 04:15 PM
#70
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I think that a lot of those "wannabe's" are actually "be's". Too low end an accommodation and you get obese rubes, too high-end and you get obnoxious, loud people. That said, most overrated goes to Cancun.
Aug 5th, 2003, 04:30 PM
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Must admit, for me, it was Hawaii also. I was disappointed in Maui till we saw the Wailea area before heading to the airport. If I'm traveling that far, I'd much rather go back to Australia or New Zealand. I think New Zealand is amazing!
Aug 5th, 2003, 04:40 PM
#72
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Greenbrier Resort - White Sulphur Springs, WV
Took hubby there for 50th BD. Room had 'astro turf' green carpeting, such bold wallpaper it would wake a dead man. Portion sizes in Sam Snead's small...in the main dining room, they didn't know how to cook a medium filet, serving it well-done (expected at the Greenbrier someone should know how to prepare steak!), not to mention that I booked a package that included a photo, flowers and candy in the room which I had to ask for the second day. When they finally sent the flowers, I burst out laughing because it was cheaper looking than a bouquet bought at the local supermarket and we never received the photo b/c we were supposed to be told to make a reservation when we arrived, none of which occurred. Lastly, they serve an afternoon tea in the parlor (complimentary, ahem) which was just a reason for a lot of guests and their children to act like they had never eaten before. An overpriced disaster!
Took hubby there for 50th BD. Room had 'astro turf' green carpeting, such bold wallpaper it would wake a dead man. Portion sizes in Sam Snead's small...in the main dining room, they didn't know how to cook a medium filet, serving it well-done (expected at the Greenbrier someone should know how to prepare steak!), not to mention that I booked a package that included a photo, flowers and candy in the room which I had to ask for the second day. When they finally sent the flowers, I burst out laughing because it was cheaper looking than a bouquet bought at the local supermarket and we never received the photo b/c we were supposed to be told to make a reservation when we arrived, none of which occurred. Lastly, they serve an afternoon tea in the parlor (complimentary, ahem) which was just a reason for a lot of guests and their children to act like they had never eaten before. An overpriced disaster!
Aug 5th, 2003, 06:43 PM
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Re the Greenbrier
Obviously, even the best hotels, cruises, and restaurants can be "off" from time to time. That being said,
in over ten visits to the Greenbrier in recent years I have always left feeling that my expectations were not only met, but exceeded. Obviously, the property and its decor is not for everybody, and there is no excuse for poorly prepared food. But I want to put in my two cents on this one because the GB is my favorite resort in the country, and I've tried many, many others. All of them have fallen short in one (or more) way or another (e.g., the Broadmoor, Loews Ventana Canyon, the American Club, Enchantment Resort, the Boulders, to name a few I have visited in the last two years alone.)
Obviously, even the best hotels, cruises, and restaurants can be "off" from time to time. That being said,
in over ten visits to the Greenbrier in recent years I have always left feeling that my expectations were not only met, but exceeded. Obviously, the property and its decor is not for everybody, and there is no excuse for poorly prepared food. But I want to put in my two cents on this one because the GB is my favorite resort in the country, and I've tried many, many others. All of them have fallen short in one (or more) way or another (e.g., the Broadmoor, Loews Ventana Canyon, the American Club, Enchantment Resort, the Boulders, to name a few I have visited in the last two years alone.)
Aug 5th, 2003, 06:55 PM
#75
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Sabie--You are right, there are times when any place can be off and sometimes when you least expect it, everything turns out fabulous. I sometimes find the more you anticipate a place to exceed your expectations, the less it does and vice versa. Unfortunately for me, it only takes one bad experience and spending more than $1,200 for two nights at the GB coupled with the treatment we received will not entice me to return....probably ever. I forgot to add above that on top of what we paid for our package, b/c there was champagne included in our "package", the GB added approximately $20 additional fee to our bill for consuming alcohol in our room--so much for the "champagne" included in the package.
Aug 5th, 2003, 07:06 PM
#76
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hugglynn
You should write to Ted Kleisner, the GM of the GB. He has always sent a very nice letter to me when I have made comments about the property. More than I can say about the Broadmoor, where the GM told me that if I return (no chance in hell of that), they would "upgrade me on availability!"
You should write to Ted Kleisner, the GM of the GB. He has always sent a very nice letter to me when I have made comments about the property. More than I can say about the Broadmoor, where the GM told me that if I return (no chance in hell of that), they would "upgrade me on availability!"
Aug 5th, 2003, 07:39 PM
#77
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I agree with Cozumel...the "5 star" isn't even close to what I would consider 5 star...dirty, ancient decoration/bedding, poor service.
But I have to agree with the fact that some vacations are for culture, some are specifically for kicking back and doing nothing in a different environment. We stayed at an absolutely amazing resort south of Playa del Carmen that was exactly all we wanted for that vacation...an escape from the insane hours we'd both been working and the stale office air/concrete: tons of pampering, time to lay on the beach reading all the books I'd been wanting to catch up on, sipping my frozen drink, while hubby windsurfed and/or napped in the sun. The massage and facials, gourmet dining, etc. helped us along the way to rejuvinating. Thank god there was no night life or an abundance of singles, the last thing we felt like seeing was a mini-spring break with drunken singles alternately spewing on the beach at 2 am and/or drunkenly mauling the person they met an hour ago right outside your patio. We were able to take after dinner stolls along the beach in front of our resort without listening to groups of partiers screaming "whooo-hoooo!". It's those sort of things I don't know why someone travels away from their home to do.
But I have to agree with the fact that some vacations are for culture, some are specifically for kicking back and doing nothing in a different environment. We stayed at an absolutely amazing resort south of Playa del Carmen that was exactly all we wanted for that vacation...an escape from the insane hours we'd both been working and the stale office air/concrete: tons of pampering, time to lay on the beach reading all the books I'd been wanting to catch up on, sipping my frozen drink, while hubby windsurfed and/or napped in the sun. The massage and facials, gourmet dining, etc. helped us along the way to rejuvinating. Thank god there was no night life or an abundance of singles, the last thing we felt like seeing was a mini-spring break with drunken singles alternately spewing on the beach at 2 am and/or drunkenly mauling the person they met an hour ago right outside your patio. We were able to take after dinner stolls along the beach in front of our resort without listening to groups of partiers screaming "whooo-hoooo!". It's those sort of things I don't know why someone travels away from their home to do.
Aug 5th, 2003, 07:40 PM
#78
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Sabie: each of the places you just mentioned falls into the same category in my travel experience: places that were once great but are now just good.
The American Club was never about great rooms (except the bathrooms), but has beautiful grounds, top notch golf, good food.
Enchantment's rooms are clearly outdated (except the suites built two years ago). The location is the draw.
The Boulders is clearly well past its prime and is now run by a second rate management outfit.
Ventana Canyon's rooms are very average these days for a golf resort and it, too, has location as its main positive feature. The pool is nothing special for an Arizona resort. Restaurant is good but not special.
The Broadmoor is definitely a grande dame whose luster has dulled in many ways.
Compare the Greenbrier with places like the Ritz Carlton Naples, the Point on Saranac Lake NY, the Four Seasons Big Island, the Ritz Carlton Kapalua, the Four Seasons Boston, etc. The Greenbrier's rooms don't stack up against any of those. The grounds are beautiful and the ambience is special and service is very good. But at its core, a great resort still has to have great rooms and bathrooms. The GB falls short of the top echelon there.
The American Club was never about great rooms (except the bathrooms), but has beautiful grounds, top notch golf, good food.
Enchantment's rooms are clearly outdated (except the suites built two years ago). The location is the draw.
The Boulders is clearly well past its prime and is now run by a second rate management outfit.
Ventana Canyon's rooms are very average these days for a golf resort and it, too, has location as its main positive feature. The pool is nothing special for an Arizona resort. Restaurant is good but not special.
The Broadmoor is definitely a grande dame whose luster has dulled in many ways.
Compare the Greenbrier with places like the Ritz Carlton Naples, the Point on Saranac Lake NY, the Four Seasons Big Island, the Ritz Carlton Kapalua, the Four Seasons Boston, etc. The Greenbrier's rooms don't stack up against any of those. The grounds are beautiful and the ambience is special and service is very good. But at its core, a great resort still has to have great rooms and bathrooms. The GB falls short of the top echelon there.
Aug 5th, 2003, 08:21 PM
#79
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travleis
Agreed on the bathrooms at the GB, but not the rooms themselves, at least the more expensive ones (although a lack of central a/c is a minus). I spoke with a manager there and they said that in order to maintain the historical original building, they can't just enlarge the bathrooms and put in central a/c. They would have to gut the building.
Agreed on your comments about the other properties as well. I haven't had the good fortune to stay at the Point (by the way, the company that runs the Point just opened a small inn in Santa Fe, Inn of the Five Gables I think - any reports on that?) or the Hawaii properties you mention. My point in naming names is to say that all of those places are hyped as being the alpha and the omega by various critiquers (Fodors, Mobil, Frommers, CN Traveller, etc.) and in my experience, they don't live up to the hype. Mobil apparently agrees with you about the GB, since it took away its fifth star and won't give it back.
Agreed on the bathrooms at the GB, but not the rooms themselves, at least the more expensive ones (although a lack of central a/c is a minus). I spoke with a manager there and they said that in order to maintain the historical original building, they can't just enlarge the bathrooms and put in central a/c. They would have to gut the building.
Agreed on your comments about the other properties as well. I haven't had the good fortune to stay at the Point (by the way, the company that runs the Point just opened a small inn in Santa Fe, Inn of the Five Gables I think - any reports on that?) or the Hawaii properties you mention. My point in naming names is to say that all of those places are hyped as being the alpha and the omega by various critiquers (Fodors, Mobil, Frommers, CN Traveller, etc.) and in my experience, they don't live up to the hype. Mobil apparently agrees with you about the GB, since it took away its fifth star and won't give it back.
Aug 5th, 2003, 08:55 PM
#80
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What more can you tell me about the new inn in Santa Fe? We love both the Point and its sister the Lake Placid Lodge. We also love Santa Fe. Sounds like a must-visit new hotel.
BTW I didn't mean to imply that all the hotels you listed aren't great hotels. They are all worth a trip in one way or another. I usually latch onto phrases like "best in the country" or "best in the world", however, as that's very high praise. I think you actually said the GB was your favorite in the USA...which cannot be argued. Only you know what you like.
Have you been to Charleston? Sounds like someplace which would be right up your alley. One of my favorites as well.
BTW I didn't mean to imply that all the hotels you listed aren't great hotels. They are all worth a trip in one way or another. I usually latch onto phrases like "best in the country" or "best in the world", however, as that's very high praise. I think you actually said the GB was your favorite in the USA...which cannot be argued. Only you know what you like.
Have you been to Charleston? Sounds like someplace which would be right up your alley. One of my favorites as well.
