On a huge, pristine reef-protected white-sand beach near the airport, this property consists of two buildings painted in coral and trimmed in white. Overhead flights are minimal and do not bother guests. The staff dotes upon divers, handling everything from suiting up to the final drip-dry hanging of fins.
The pleasant tiled reception area is clean and cool, and the staff here is friendly although hard to reach at times. Fabrics in pastel prints cover white rattan furniture amid plants and beautiful floral arrangements.
The air-conditioned dining room sets up wonderful breakfast and dinner buffets, and lunch is served on the fully screened patio. The excellent variety is designed to appeal to the all-inclusive crowd, making culinary concerns on this small island a nonissue. The pub keeps the atmosphere casual and bustling during the evening hours. Sea breezes cool the popular indoor-outdoor bar, and maps, photography and art adorn the hallways to the gift shop and office.
Flowering plants and arbors of sea grapes surround the pool, lending privacy to the hammocks hidden within their ample shade.
The hotel's two-story-long pier ends in a large dock. Diving and snorkeling are spectacular (with a stellar staff who truly understands why most people are here), and guests can also entertain themselves with tennis and volleyball courts, a whirlpool, video center, gift and dive shops, kayaks and mountain bikes. The Tropical Touch Day Spa offers such services as hot-stone massages, facials and body wraps. A fitness center with limited equipment is also on-site.
The conference center has seating for 120 people, and an on-site coordinator helps with business meetings and weddings. Internet access for guests who can pull themselves away from the beach to do some work is a welcome enhancement. Laundry facilities are also available.
Air-conditioned accommodations have well-maintained furnishings done in dark tropical greens accented by shades of raspberry and lime green. Floral prints grace the king or queen beds and draperies, but it should be noted that management has dutifully noted their attention on recreational features rather than in-room amenities. Ceiling fans, cable TVs, king or two double beds, coffeemakers, hair dryers and combination baths are common throughout.
Wooden balconies with white balustrades are pleasant additions to second-floor rooms. Patios with windows and doors enhance ground-floor units, which face the pool and beach. Carpeting in upper-level rooms keeps noise down.
All units are now considered smoke-free. Although diving couples predominate, this hotel still has plenty to offer nondivers. Though luxury isn't at the top of that list, this is a friendly relaxed place to spend a vacation where no one gets upset when sand is tracked inside. Children under 5 stay free.
