Archive for January, 2008

The soccer

Wednesday, January 9th, 2008

The resort has a nice soccer ground located behind the tennis and GO quarter. The field is really green and clean. If you really pay attention to it, you can find few holes but it is OK. The field can be divided into two smaller fields if they aren’t enough players to use it entirely.

Everyday, at 5 PM, Melvin, a GO who is also pool master, organizes a soccer competition. Melvin is really friendly, always smiling. The competition lasts around 6:30 PM (after it is the night). It is way enough as it is usually very hot and you will be quickly exhausted.

There is always at least 10 players ready to practice soccer. Beware that mosquitoes are numerous on the field and they will be looking after your legs…

The night club pub

Monday, January 7th, 2008

Le bar du night clubThe night club pub is located in the night club! It has an opened direct access to the beach and the sea. This pub is opened throughout the day and most of the night. There is one self-service machine for sodas. Next to the pub, you have the snacking where you can eat hot dogs and burgers outside of the regular lunch hours. The night club bar offers the same drinkings as the main bar. You will enjoy the quiet atmosphere during the day and the refreshing wind during the night between two dances on the dancing floor.

The main pub

Monday, January 7th, 2008

Le bar principalLocated between the lobby and the swimming pool, the main pub is an inescapable place in the resort. Two self-service machines are available for sodas (sprite, coke, fanta, …). It is opened from early morning until midnight (after that, you should go to the night club). At lunch time, you can take crisps, peanuts and boiled ham with the cocktails.

With the “all inclusive” package, you can spend the whole day at the pub and take as many cocktails as you want. I however recommend to pay attention to that as with the heat, it could be painfull to take too much alcohol. The pub offers a vast choice of local cocktails (pina colada, sex on the beach, …). You can also have some cocktails without alcohol. You can also ask for cocktails not listed on the menu (mojito, …). Finally, if that’s not enough, you can still order a bottle of champaign but you will have to pay for it.

I advise you to try the different juices, especially the mango one which is excellent. The iced strawberry juice is so refreshing. You can’t leave the resort without having tried the pina colada (with or without rhum based on your taste).

The pub team is very friendly and available. When the resort wasn’t full, they even came around the pool to take the orders and bring back the cocktails directly to you!

The dinner

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008

The dinner time is between 7h30 and 10h00 PM. Both restaurants are usually opened for the dinner. Each evening, the dinner is organized around a food theme : Italian, Caribbean, oriental, gala, … There is also a dress code which you are free to follow or not : white, black and white, red, flowers, smart.

I especially enjoyed two evenings : the Italian one for the dessert diversity (tiramisu, ice creams, cakes) and the gala one (lobster, caviar, salmon, fat liver). Every-time, the restaurant design is arranged to follow the theme.

Usually, dinners are better than lunches, especially on the dessert diversity front. I really tasted good cakes at the Club.

People are less in a hurry during the dinner and so it is easier to meet people and have a true dialog. The main challenge is to have the good table. You’d better forget tables with a couple and a baby because they aren’t there to discuss but rather to feed the baby. It is better to find a table with a GO. It is also more difficult to discuss with big families than with couples or singles. Don’t hesitate to sit down at a table with older people as they always have interesting stories to tell and will be good partners for the tennis or the bocce ball.

The lunch

Tuesday, January 1st, 2008

The lunch time is between 00h30 and 2h30 PM. You can usually choose between the Samana and the Hispaniola restaurants however I advise you to go to the Hispaniola because the direct point of view on the sea is really nice there and the food choice is almost identical for the lunch between both restaurants.

Usually, for the lunch, you have a vast choice of salads, then hot meals (meats, fishes, french fries and vegetables). Then you have some fresh fruits and few cakes. I have been a bit disappointed by the cake choice for lunch but it was fine for the dinner.