First impression count... Our check in experience was truly poor. They have a lovely area they take people for check in, but unfortunately they couldn't accommodate us there as it seems too many people had arrived at once. We were then put in what would be best described as a meeting room and asked to wait there. We waited and waited, and after 20 mins I decided to go see what the issue was... No issue, they're just busy. When they eventually attended to us, they then said that some of the rooms we'd specifically chosen weren't available, but they'd "upgraded us". This was simply not true as two of the rooms (out of three we'd booked) that had been upgrade, were just 1st floor instead of ground floor. I'm OK with timing issues and I'm OK when things go wrong, but what I hate is when hotels or any provider put some disingenuous spin on the situation. The whole checkin took 45 mins+, which is a new record in my world. It became obvious that they try to make some ceremony of the check in which in-turn means the "nice area" to check people in is over subscribed, and hence it doesn't work. From arrival to getting in the room was 1 hour. On a three night stay, on a special trip to meet up with your kids, this was a bad start.
On the positive side the location and the setting is fantastic. And the service around breakfast, dinner etc was very good. We also used the bar fairly extensively and Marrio was first class! He gave great service, and showed a genuine interest in the guests. I'd hire him.
Check out was also messy. My wife was at the front desk trying to arrange checkout time and transfer etc to the airport the day prior to leaving. The Managaer then stepped in to assist (an American chap who's actually very charming) and he made the necessary arrangements. The next day we then find that the times for check out and the transfer where different to what was agreed the day before! None of these things are life changing, however everything they got wrong induced some unnecessary stress. The reason to be there was to relax... If the they can't get the simple things right - things they do day in and day out, like check-in etc (with a managers intervention) then they don't deserve my money.
In conclusion the front desk is very poorly managed, and the operations staff need training. They also need better maintenance as multiple thing just didn't work. OK in a 4* beach place but not a top dollar Four Seasons. Sadly I'd have to say I couldn't recommend the resort (except for the stunning location) and frankly wished we'd picked somewhere else. Yesterday we returned from a trip to Cambodia which has a much tougher environment to operate in, and it was like night and day in terms of serves and overall experience.