New Year's week on the Big Island of Hawaii - Waikoloa, December 28-31, 2012

Trip Index

• New Year's week on the Big Island of Hawaii -Waikoloa
• Celebrating New Year's at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• Hilo and snorkeling heaven in Kapoho

It had been a while since I went on a trip with my parents, so last fall, I had asked them where they wanted to go.  They had never visited the Big Island of Hawaii, so I planned a trip for New Year's, as my parents were out of town during Thanksgiving week (thus our trip to Cabo) and Christmas was reserved for extended family activities.

One thing that I had learned on my very first trip to the Big Island (that we had applied on our trip over a year ago) was to split the hotel nights up across the island, from west-to-east, or vice versa.  It had taken over three hours to drive from Kona to Volcano one way, which made for a very tiring day excursion from Kona and we hardly got to see much of the national park.  I planned a west-to-east itinerary for this trip, spending three nights in the Waikoloa area, followed by a couple of nights in Volcano, then ending with three nights in the Hilo area.

A learning from our last trip to the Big Island was that it was a drag to drive four hours back to Kona airport from Hilo.  So ideally, we'd book flights going into Kona, but departing from Hilo.  Unfortunately, the price for the open-jaw ticket was $600 more for the four of us than roundtrip Kona, so we decided to suck it up and wake up at 3:30am on the last day of our trip to drive back.

We enjoy having the convenience of a kitchen and laundry while on vacation.  Trading for a timeshare on the Big Island was out of the question because of the way the nights were planned across the island.  The timeshare would have been for seven nights in Kona.  I turned to using Airbnb and VRBO to rent nights at condos and homes.  Some properties require a minimum number of nights (even weeks!) so I was locked out of some properties due to the short stays.  Plus, it was late September when I started searching, and many places were already booked for the holidays.  Try to book Hawaiian holiday rentals as early as you can to ensure a good location for your budget, as prices normally won't budge due to high demand.  There have been some horror stories regarding vacation rentals; be sure there are plenty of reviews for the properties you are interested in so you are prepared.

The Onizuka Center for International Astronomy on Mauna Kea was on my to-do list, so I had my eye on an inexpensive Waikoloa Village condo on VRBO, as condos within my budget at the Waikoloa Resort were already booked.  The location was relatively close to Mauna Kea (about 1.5 hours away) and I didn't care that it was not near the beach.  However, someone rented it just as I sent the inquiry.  The next few days, I ended up sending a few more inquiries to ads for neighboring condos, but no response.  Fortunately, I decided to check Airbnb again, and a new listing had been posted for a beautiful condo in Waikoloa Resort within my budget, and our dates were available!  I immediately booked it (as you can purchase directly on Airbnb) and got very quick replies from the owner.  I was lucky to find a place at such short notice and great price within the Waikoloa Resort, right next to the Kings Shops and Queens Marketplace.  Since it was a new listing (the owner switched from a traditional property manager to Airbnb), there were no reviews, nor did the property calendar show any nights had been rented, but based on the information listed in the ad, I was able to find reviews of that specific condo elsewhere on the internet, which settled my doubts.

I'll talk more about the other properties when we get to that point in the trip...let's dive in!

On Friday morning, the four of us flew on Hawaiian Airlines from San Jose to Kona, transferring in Honolulu.  I prefer to fly on United to collect frequent flyer miles and have an opportunity for complimentary upgrades to first class for myself and a companion due to my Premier Gold status, but Hawaiian had a much lower fare and I wouldn't be able to get all of us into first class anyway.  The airplane was a Boeing 767 2-3-2 configuration; at booking, two sets of two seats were still available for assignment, yay!  Hawaiian still serves hot meals in coach class.  Last time we flew Hawaiian back in 2009, the meal was served in a cardboard box and consisted of an unappetizing enchilada (a burrito on the return flight) and a brownie.  What can one expect for free?  Then a few months before this trip, Hawaiian switched to "new coach service" with improved meals and wine inclusion...very similar to offerings on international flights.

not too bad

In Honolulu, we landed in one terminal and walked to another terminal for our connection.  The airport walkways are partly in open air, so when we exited out the terminal doors, we were caressed by a warm breeze and brilliant sunshine, a contrast to the winter environment we had left six hours ago (if we are allowed to complain about California weather...).  We're in Hawaii!

In the second terminal, there was a food court, so we got some lunch, none of which qualified for a blog picture.

The flight from Honolulu to Kona was on a smaller Boeing 717 plane.  Since it was a short flight, there was just packaged guava juice service.  I rented a full-size car from Dollar using a code that I unexpectedly found on my employee discount website.  Usually I find better codes and coupons on carrentalsavers.com but not this time.  Since holiday car rentals in Hawaii are very expensive, it pays to try out every code and coupon combination you can find.  Another good website to try is discounthawaiicarrentals.com.

First stop...Costco!  We bought items with the knowledge that we would be moving from place to place, making sure things could last outside of the refrigerator for a bit, especially when we went from Kona to Volcano.  (though I did splurge on some poke that I knew we'd finish in the next day or two)   For smaller items such as cooking oil, butter and ice cream, we stopped by the Island Gourmet Market in the Queens Marketplace.

Afterwards, we drove half an hour to our home for the next three nights, the Fairway Villas at Waikoloa.  The condo was exactly as pictured (so I didn't bother taking any pics), and it felt like we were staying at a friend's house, which was nice.  There were condiments in the refrigerator, basics in the pantry like foil, plastic wrap, sandwich bags, and coffee filters.  Even laundry detergent!  The golf course was just right outside the balcony, so it was entertaining to watch inexperienced golfers whacking at the ball.  There was internet available, but it was a wired connection requiring an ethernet cable to connect to the modem, which we didn't have.  What we ended up doing to get a connection was to sit close to the balcony, as the Kings Shops free wi-fi signal was strong enough to cross the lagoon.

The condo complex had a community barbeque area so we had purchased steaks for easy meals.  However, if you got to the barbeques during prime dinner time, you had to wait in line because everyone had the same idea.  Best to show up early!

On Saturday, we visited the Waimea Homestead Farmers Market in Waimea.  There wasn't much there, more cooked food and crafts than fruits and vegetables, but it could have been because we arrived late in the morning.  We did buy a few fruits and I was able to find a pack of the rare white tea from Volcano that Kaleb and I enjoyed on our last visit.  On the way back, we happened upon a makeshift fruit and vegetable stand in front of a small house adjacent to a laundromat, and ended up buying a ton, including some longans, one of my favorite fruits.  My mom would ask the price of various bagged items from the boy tending the stand, and he would respond "two dollars".  Every inquiry was met with "two dollars".  We didn't believe everything was just two dollars because of the amount in the bags and quality.  Perhaps his parents would yell at him later for selling everything for two dollars each.

yummy longans

That afternoon, we walked over to the Kings Shops, which were just across the lagoon from the condo complex.  Some nice higher end shops and restaurants were there, such as Louis Vuitton, Coach, Roy's and Merriman's.  The small Macy's there contained designer clothing.

our condo was on the top floor of the building in the picture

lagoon adjacent to the Kings Shops

We didn't buy anything, though we did spend some time looking at real estate listings posted outside a realtor's office.  For mere millions, you could own a home in paradise!  (or ~$500k for a condo like the one we were staying at)

Sunday, we headed out to Hapuna Beach, which is known for its soft white sand and perfect waves for body surfing and boogie boarding.  The condo had some beach toys stored in the closet on the back porch.  Unfortunately the boogie board was broken in half under the lining, but the chairs and umbrella came in handy.  Parking was scarce, but fortunately I only had to circle once before someone backed out.

The waves were coming in pretty hard that day, but that didn't stop folks from entering the water.

Hapuna Beach

Mom and Dad enjoying the sunshine

Since the waves were too strong for regular swimming, after enjoying the sounds of the ocean and having lunch, we returned home and took a dip in the condo pool.  The water was pretty brisk!

This was our last night on the west side of the Big Island.  We didn't get a chance to visit the observatory...next time perhaps.  Tomorrow, we're off to Volcano!

***

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Rest of the week at Zoetry Casa Del Mar - November 20-23, 2012

Trip Index

• Thanksgiving week at Zoetry Casa Del Mar in Los Cabos, Day 1
• Day 2 at Zoetry Casa Del Mar
• Rest of the week at Zoetry Casa Del Mar

A new day!  I planned to start over again and shake off the disappointed feeling I had the other day.  But we were awakened this morning by loud hammering outside.  The pool bar was being renovated, which was right outside our balcony.  I then remembered seeing a sign in the main building's courtyard yesterday saying "Decoration in progress".  I thought it meant something like putting up pictures or other soft items.  They really meant "renovation".  We got up and went to breakfast downstairs at Tapanco.  This time, I planned to order unhealthy items and do special requests to make my tummy satisfied!

It was late morning but no one was at the hostess stand.  We ventured further into the restaurant, where the manager saw us and ushered us to a table on the patio.  When it came time to order, we had the same waiter as the day before.  I asked him if they could give me papaya on a plate, and he said yes.  I also asked for a side of sausage for my pancakes.  He was not sure what I meant, so he had the manager come over to clarify my request and to verify again the entire order.  I definitely hoped he was in training, as it seemed out of place to have an untrained waiter at a fine resort.  Wouldn't shadowing a veteran server work better?  After our orders were taken, we were offered a selection from a basket of breads and pastries.  I had forgotten about this in my previous blog entry until I saw the pats of butter in the pictures.  The baked goods were dry and lackluster the previous morning.  The butter, while it looked appealing on the plate, when spread onto the pastry, did not taste like butter.  So Kaleb and I did not select anything today.  But all in all, this morning's meal was satisfying, so it boiled down to more informed choices.

trying new juices today

plate of maradol papaya

huevos rancheros

pancakes

During our meal, I noticed that the couple sitting a few tables away received a bill.  The restaurant also served the public and not limited to Zoetry patrons.

The previous night, we had received the next day's resort newsletter, called the "Sundial", that gave some information about the next day's specials.  This newsletter would be delivered every night during turndown.  It was also accompanied by a plate of sweets.

sweets

After breakfast, we headed over to the beach lounge chairs to enjoy the view and the sounds of the ocean while reading our Kindles.  It was partly cloudy, so we didn't have to worry about finding chairs under an umbrella.

the beach ends at a slope, cannot see the waves crashing from here

Unfortunately, it turned out that the Beach Club right behind us was under renovation as well, so the sounds of the waves were intermixed with drilling, hammering, and loud music coming from a radio.  This also meant that lunch was not served there, as listed in the Sundial.

There were rarely any servers coming by to take drink orders.  We weren't the only guests out there either.  A server did pass by once, and we were able to order a couple of drinks as well as some french fries and guacamole delivered to us.  We had tipped him, however he did not return until over an hour later.  In the meantime, Kaleb had to go to the pool bar and bring back a beer, and fortunately I had brought a couple of bottles of water from our mini-bar to quench my thirst.  This was a complete 180 degrees from our experience at Secrets.  Despite a great start to the day, my hopes started to fizzle out with all the noise and the lack of service.  We packed up and headed back to our room to sit on the balcony instead.  At least the pool bar construction had ceased as the workers moved to the Beach Club.

For dinner, we went to Tapanco.  The menu was somewhat different than Mezquite and there was a dress code.  Men needed to wear a collared shirt, long pants and dress shoes.  I forgot to take a picture of the menu, so some of the dishes I cannot identify.  I did have to add salt to my fish entree.  The best dish that night was the seafood trio.

salmon amuse bouche

I think this was a grilled octopus salad

seafood trio

some sort of fish

surf and turf maybe

chocolate mousse maybe

cake

After dinner, we decided to stop by the Maguey bar to get some extra limes and salt to drink with the bottle of tequila in our room.  The place was surprisingly empty, with only Esteban the friendly bartender manning the counter.  I supposed with Zoetry being marketed as a wellness spa and resort, there wouldn't be a lot of drinking.  But not even one patron in the bar for a nightcap?  Esteban gave us a glass full of limes and a salt shaker and we returned to our room for the night.

The next day, we were awakened again by drilling and hammering by the pool bar...might as well get up and have breakfast.  We had similar breakfast dishes at Tapanco (this time the waiter didn't bring the manager over to confirm our orders), then we walked down the beach to check out the sister resort Dreams Los Cabos.  Dreams was next door to Zoetry, but "next door" meant the same as "one block away" on the Las Vegas Strip. :)

The beach was pretty empty, with long stretches of sand meeting the blue ocean.  Too bad it wasn't swimmable!

testing the current

beach all to ourselves!

Arriving at Dreams, we noticed there were a lot more people there because the resort caters to families.  It seemed livelier as well.  We stopped by Portofino, the Italian restaurant, to see what was offered there.  Staying at Zoetry also includes privileges at Dreams, so you can use the facilities there as well as eat at the restaurants.

Portofino wasn't open for lunch, and I didn't see anything exciting to eat amongst what was open, so we walked back to Zoetry to have lunch.  On the Dreams beach, there were a bunch of horses tied up on a wooden post.  We had seen people riding on horseback up and down the beach the past few days, so we had found the origin.  It looked to be an independent business, not associated with Dreams.  I think the best time to ride would be sunset; pictures would be beautiful and romantic with the pink light and hazy horizon.  We didn't get around to doing this though.

Lunch was at the Beach Club.  The construction was done so the restaurant was open, but the loud music remained.  I had thought that was only for the construction workers, but it seemed to have become part of the restaurant.  In addition to the food we ordered last time (french fries and parrotfish ceviche), we also tried the fish tacos.  They were decent, especially with fresh pico de gallo.  Again, our water glasses weren't being filled when they got empty and the wait staff were hardly around.  I overheard one couple remarking on how slow the service was.  There were plenty of open tables in the restaurant so it wasn't because it was too busy.

Since the music was pumping again at the Beach Club, we didn't lounge out there, so we found a quiet pool amongst the condos that were adjacent to the main building.  The water was not heated, so it was brisk.  We had also found the main pool to be cold as well.  If the weather was hot and humid like other times of the year, the cool water temperature would be refreshing.

After swimming, we returned to our room to get ready for our spa services.  In the meantime, I set out to try the complimentary laundry service that Zoetry provides as part of the "Endless Privileges", filling the bag in the laundry basket with dirty clothes and wet swimsuits, then called down to the front desk for pick up.  A few minutes later, someone knocked on our door.  He picked up the bag in the closet and told us that the clothes would be ready the next day.

We headed over to the spa and checked in.  There was no one in the lounge area, nor in the jacuzzi room.  There were snacks available in the lounge such as cookies and fruit.  The massage was decent, but not eyes-rolling-into-back-of-head-good achieved by my preferred therapist at Massage Envy.

That night, we went downstairs to eat at Tapanco again.  At this point, it felt like repetition.  I didn't even take any pictures of our food.  After dinner, we headed over to Maguey bar for a nightcap.  Esteban was there again.  We had him mix up his favorite tequila cocktails for us.  He was so friendly to talk to.  We learned about his family, how he met his wife, and where he lived.  He made us feel more welcome in one hour than the whole time we had been at Zoetry.  The other staff hardly smiled and seemed to not care if we were there or not, even though we were leaving tips.  Needless to say, we gave Esteban a huge tip!

I ended up having one too many tequila drinks and enjoyed the aftermath later.

We received another copy of the Sundial that night...for some reason, they weren't delivered to our room every night.


We also got little "sweet dreams" cards some nights, printed with wise sayings.


The next morning, there was no construction noise so that was a plus.  But I couldn't help yearning to go home, not because I was homesick, but there was just a feeling of dread.  I told this to Kaleb and to my surprise, he also felt the same, and this is coming from a laid-back kind of guy who doesn't let things faze him.

Today was our last full day at Zoetry.  We went down to breakfast and tried some different entrees and juices.

pita bread with egg

bagel with lox

I thought that having a bagel would settle my stomach from last night, but to no avail.  I ended up not eating lunch, just sat on the balcony during the day, and ordered room service for supper.  (the "seafood trio" was on the menu so we had that again)  I didn't feel like I missed out on eating at the restaurant since the food and service wasn't super exciting.

In the late afternoon, we had received a phone call from the front desk informing us that the laundry deliveryman was just outside our door.  We had put the "do not disturb" sign on the door so it was considerate of them to call ahead just in case.  All the clothing that was taken was there, with every article of clothing either hung up with a plastic bag, or folded and wrapped in tissue paper.  To lighten your luggage, you could bring a few days' worth of clothing and use the laundry service halfway through the week.  It was a treat to pack clean clothes into our carry-ons.

I also called Terramar transfer services in the afternoon to reconfirm our pick-up the next morning.  Worldwide phone calls were free (part of the Endless Privileges), a plus for making restaurant or activity reservations, parents wanting to check on their kids while away, workaholics to dial into the office, etc.  There was also wireless internet in the room, so you could get your Facebook fix.

We were so happy to wake up the next morning, because we were going home.  At breakfast, I decided to go completely off the menu and ordered "huevos con chorizo" (scrambled eggs with chorizo sausage), a popular breakfast entree in Mexico.  Our same waiter was surprised at my request and had to bring the manager over again to re-confirm.  Kaleb went with the French toast, since he wasn't feeling very well after eating the seafood trio during last night's room service.  Unfortunately, in keeping with the wellness theme, my huevos con chorizo looked like scrambled eggs with ham.

French toast

so-called "huevos con chorizo"

When the bread basket came, I saw some croissants in there, so I gave the baked goods one more try, but it did not satisfy.  It didn't seem like there was any real butter on property.  The pat of "butter" on my plate did not spread smoothly or melt at all throughout the meal.

After breakfast, we returned to the room to pack and check out.  The front desk agent gave me a massive comment book to sign, so I wrote an entire essay about our experience at Zoetry, the good and the bad.  I doubted that anyone would read it.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it got ripped out of the book.

While we were waiting in the lobby for our Terramar transfer, we met one of the staff named "G", who was very friendly and welcoming.  Where was he during our stay? 

Our trip to the airport and flight were uneventful.  It was nice to finally go home, something that I hardly ever say when I am on vacation!

In summary, a vacation is usually what you make it out to be.  It'll never be perfect, and you roll with the punches.  My being agreeable and open-minded means most of the vacations I take, I have a great time, even if the trip is affected by events that are out of my control.  I do go in with certain expectations, especially if those expectations are advertised as part of the package.  When I read reviews with generally 4 to 5 star ratings, I usually discount the few bad ones as the guests may have been too picky or chose the wrong resort for their tastes.  Now I have become a "bad apple" in a sea of positive reviews.  In this case, I felt led astray by the marketing of Zoetry.  With its higher price point, Zoetry was advertised as the ultimate resort, with "Endless Privileges", gourmet, organic restaurants, and pampered luxury, so I expected this.  I certainly expected more than my experience at Secrets.  The material "privileges" were fine, such as the Bulgari toiletries, complimentary laundry service, top shelf cocktails, and complimentary 20 minute spa treatment.  But I would not label Zoetry's food as gourmet, and I have eaten at so many distinctive restaurants; I felt Secrets had generally better tasting food (except the Japanese restaurant).  I doubt many of the entrees would have made it past the "Chopped" judges!  It is possible to make healthy food tasty through use of herbs and seasonings.  In terms of service, we were hardly pampered in the restaurants nor on the beach. We left tips even though gratuities were included in the all-inclusive Zoetry package, but it didn't improve the service; in fact, we felt like unwelcomed guests.  I don't like servers hovering over me every minute but being ignored is unacceptable.  So giving the benefit of the doubt, I theorized on what might have contributed to our less-than-stellar experience:

*  "Regular" staff on vacation - I read a lot of names being called out in glowing reviews, but we did not meet over half of them, so perhaps those folks were on vacation and we had less than stellar service because of it, for example, the waiter in training at Tapanco.

*  Construction at the resort - the noise was everywhere; changing rooms wouldn't have gotten us away from the hammering and drilling since the work was being done in the resort's beach area and the main building.  We were looking forward to peace and quiet and Zoetry had advertised itself as a "private getaway".  There was no announcement about construction at the resort on the Zoetry website or any other travel outlet.  If I had known ahead of time, I would gone to Secrets Marquis instead.  Based on the current postings on Zoetry Casa Del Mar's Facebook page, it looks as if construction is complete, so future guests will hopefully not be disturbed by the disruptions.

*  Not being honeymooners or big spenders - we were there on a sale rate in the lowest level of accommodation.  We didn't upgrade to a prime oceanfront suite, indulge in "romance packages", buy bottles of wine (despite being all-inclusive, bottles cost extra), or schedule extra spa treatments.

*  Not tipping enough - I had witnessed a couple tip $20 for breakfast...perhaps the $5-$10 tips we'd leave at each meal service and room cleaning was chump change.  I couldn't tell if that couple had better service as they were leaving when we arrived.

We weren't the only guests who had this experience...recently there were reviews on TripAdvisor that mirrored how we felt.

Read review 1
Read review 2
 
Would I return to Zoetry Casa Del Mar?  Probably not.  I may give Zoetry another try, but at their flagship resort in the Riviera Maya, and if I was looking for a wellness retreat and lighter fare.  I'm glad I experienced Zoetry, so I can avoid recommending it to my foodie friends, as the cuisine is certainly not what most of us consider gourmet. We could have eaten some dinners at Dreams, but that would defeat the purpose of staying at Zoetry (which cost much more), and we'd either have to pay for a taxi to Dreams and back, or walk down the beach in complete darkness.

The resort itself is very quiet (minus the construction) and you hardly see the other guests.  If you're looking for a secluded getaway, Zoetry would fit the bill, as long as you are okay with "wellness" cuisine, or say, if your normal day-to-day life involves eating out all the time and you need a break from the richness.  If you are a foodie, and have no choice but to eat at Zoetry, my recommendations would be any seafood entree, pancakes at breakfast, fresh cut papaya, pico de gallo, guacamole, french fries, or go eat dinner at Dreams. :)

Now that this trip is finally blogged, I can move onto all that has happened since Thanksgiving, including a spectacular trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, foodie heaven in Las Vegas, as well as an unforgettable adventure in the Canadian Rockies!  Stay tuned...I promise I will take less than 8 months to write the next entry.

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Day 2 at Zoetry Casa Del Mar - November 19, 2012

Trip Index

• Thanksgiving week at Zoetry Casa Del Mar in Los Cabos, Day 1
• Day 2 at Zoetry Casa Del Mar
• Rest of the week at Zoetry Casa Del Mar

The next morning, we headed down to Tapanco restaurant for breakfast.  There weren't a lot of patrons as it was late morning, so we were able to be seated on the patio.  Everything was a-la-carte, including an extensive juice menu.  No buffets at all in this resort, just two sit-down restaurants and a pool bar.

We ordered a couple of the juices and two entrees:  eggs a la Mexicana and the salmon omelet.  It seemed that the server didn't fully understand what we had asked for as he brought over his manager a few minutes after taking our order.  The manager repeated the order to us and we confirmed the items.  I supposed that the waiter was in training.

eggs a la Mexicana

salmon omelet

The entrees looked really good, until we took our first bite...bland.  Even the omelet, which wasn't marked as a "healthy item", topped with a creamy sauce, was bland.  Yes, we were at a wellness resort, though I expected the food to be "healthier", but still taste good by use of herbs and spices.  I reflected back on last night's dinner.  The lobster salad was barely dressed, which was acceptable as I usually forego salad dressing, but probably not for most people.  The fish was not heavy but it was seasoned well.  The small portion of chocolate mousse I had for dessert was not marked a healthy selection, but it wasn't decadent either, in order to be 215 calories.  I hoped that lunch would be more satisfying.

After breakfast, we took a stroll around the resort to get familiar with the surroundings.  Zoetry Casa Del Mar has beautiful grounds and a picturesque setting on the beach.  Unfortunately, the ocean was not swimmable due to strong currents in the area.

beautiful day

these particular units seem to be privately owned

We strolled around the resort and noticed there was remodeling going on in the main building as well as the restaurants.  Then it was time to eat lunch at the Beach Club. 


While we were waiting for our food, we saw a vendor put up shop on the beach.  He kept his distance from guests who were lounging nearby, probably a hotel policy.  The vendor was selling a kind of kite which looked like a parachute hooked to a green action figure.  If I had a kid, I would've been tempted to buy it since it was really cute.  There were other vendors walking up and down the beach, offering souvenirs like hats, tote bags, and jewelry, never once approaching the guests unless they asked for them to come closer.

Much of the lunch menu was marked "healthy" which did not bode well.  Even the quesadilla was listed as a healthy choice.  But thankfully the french fries were pretty tasty and cooked well.  I ordered an extra plate of fries in addition to the ones that were included in Kaleb's burrito.  I would also give thumbs up to the guacamole and pico de gallo.  The ice cream was, you guessed it, healthy.  I wasn't tempted to ordered it again for the rest of the week.  I watched a waiter deliver an order of food for some folks who were lounging on the beach...hamburgers!  That was not on the menu.  I did read in TripAdvisor reviews that if you wanted something not on the menu, they would try to accommodate.  I had never imagined special requests for mundane items like hamburgers.

I noticed that our wait staff did not come by often enough to refill our empty water glasses, nor did they ask if we wanted anything else to drink besides the mojito and beer we initially ordered or if the food was all right.  Since it cost more to stay at Zoetry than Secrets, I had expected at least the same level of service so I was starting to become disappointed.  Only a few other tables were occupied, and there were four waiters hanging around.  I overheard one of the couples remarking on the slow service, so it was not just me.

fruit skewers

guacamole and salsa

parrotfish ceviche

shrimp quesadilla

miraflores burrito

ice cream

After lunch, we contemplated lounging on the beach, but there were no empty lounge chairs (there were only about ten total to begin with), plus not many umbrellas for shade like we had experienced at Secrets.  We ended up relaxing on the balcony of our suite, reading Kindles, once in a while retreating back inside for some air conditioning or a cold drink from the mini-bar.  We also went to the spa to make an appointment for our free 20-minute treatment, one of the "Endless Privileges" that guests receive while staying at Zoetry.  We used the spa coupons that we received at check-in to extend our massages to 70 minutes. (standard 50 minute massage with $40 discount plus 20 minutes free)  The massages were scheduled the day after tomorrow.

For dinner, I didn't want to return to Mezquite, last night's restaurant, as it was too dark to see the food.  I also wasn't motivated enough to go to the other restaurant for dinner.  We ended up ordering room service but I neglected to snap photos.  The selections on the room service menu were very similar to the offerings in the restaurants.

Today left me with a empty feeling that I hoped would disappear the next day.

***

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