Rekindling Romance at the Don
Written: Jun 27 '04 (Updated Jun 28 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Exceptional service, great ambiance,gorgeous beach, padded beach chairs,lobby bar, Maritana Grill.
Cons: Seeing lots of guests not tipping! Exceptional service deserves a little something.
The Bottom Line: Will visit again because of exceptional service, beautiful hotel ambiance, good to fantastic food, beautiful beach, good location. A great place to relax and unwind.
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| casety's Full Review: Don Cesar Beach Resort |
Wow! We just spent 4 nights at the Don Cesar June 21-25 2004. My husband had been here once before for a business meeting a few years ago, and thought I would like it. We decided to come down, rather spur of the moment, to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary (and left the kids at home!)
Did I like it? I loved it! The hotel is visually exciting, a candy colored sand castle. I would describe the lobby and public areas as old county club plus old money Florida design. They even use Riedel wine glasses in the lobby bar and Maritana restaurant! Two nice sized pools, one outdoor hot tub that doesn't really jet all that much, and a beautiful, beautiful beach!
We had a great deal, one partial view gulf room, breakfast buffet included each day for $199. Yes, the room was very small, one of the smallest I have ever stayed in, even though it was a corner room. It was, however, furnished nicely, in great shape, exceptionally clean and the mattress and bed linens were divine.
Service was excellent. Beach boys set up chairs and umbrellas for you, bring you lunch or sodas, anything you want. The pool bar waitresses are fantastic. The piano player, Lito, has been with the hotel for about 18 years. He is phenomenal. I think the theme here is amazing service. Everyone we encountered loved working at the Don, and it showed. Many have been there for years.
The food ranged from good (breakfast buffet and lunch on the beach [get the crab claws] to unbelievable fantastic, best dinner I have ever had at the Chef's Table at Maritana Grill. Six course, ranging all over the menu from caviar to all types of fish and shellfish to beef. Save up those pennies and don't miss this opportunity! They say the table is booked for 4 to 8 guests, but we only had the two of us and it was fine. I think they do this in slow season when there are openings.
Guests included business groups, couples, families and even a few dogs! Something for everyone.
There was a sign saying beach umbrellas were $14 per day and cabanas were $20, but we were never charged!!? Also, you sign your beach towels out to your room every morning, but they are never checked back in. This to scare us out of stealing them?
We mostly spent our time hanging out on the beach with a few walks, swims and waverunning. It was very relaxing, fun, and yes, we think it is haunted, too!
Quick ghost story... When we first checked into our room, after the bellman left, the phone rang... we picked it up, no one there. The phone rang again a minute later, picked it up, no one there. One more time. We thought nothing of it. That night, about 10ish, we walked by the pool bar to go to the beach. There was a man standing over to the side, kind of smiling at us. We smiled back, and I commented to my husband that he was wearing kind of a weird outfit. He was dressed cuban-ish... He was wearing a white suit, brown shirt and a panama hat. A lot of clothes for how hot it was, and they seemed old fashioned. We didn't think much of this either. Two days later we heard the stories of Mr. Thomas Rowe, the builder of the hotel who supposedly haunts it (in a friendly way!) Guess what he looks like?
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
casety
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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