On our arrival we were greeted by the not quite completed new entrance. Can't wait to see what they do with that. We were anxious that they didn't change too much. Pulling up to reception was a relief. It was shiny, and with a new bell hop station, but, otherwise it was perfectly the same as before and a welcome sight. We checked in, greeted Lele and Lorena, and then because we were so early, waited in the lobby area while our room was finished. Lele had us upgraded from a Jr Suite to a Penthouse Suite. The new elevator was a nice addition to building 5. Not all the buildings were complete as yet, but, most were done.
The rooftop terrace was so nice, and surprisingly not as hot up there as I had thought it would be. The clouds had moved in, so, it may be way too hot up there when the sun is beating down. There is a jacuzzi tub, a table, umbrella, and two loungers.
Every guest receives a complimentary beach bag. A very nice touch.
Our first impressions of all the changes were very positive. The buffet has added stations and the choices are very much expanded, including a kids station and a healthy eating station. Ice cream is now available for both lunch and dinner, which really made Tim happy. The tables are all set with linens, and they added a bar inside where waiters fill your drink requests.
Of course, you can't improve on that view.
The lobby area is expanded to include a nice seating area that wraps the entire lobby. Wi Fi is included in your room rate, and it reaches everywhere in the resort including on the beach. Then there is the main bar where live bands perform every night. It's been polished up and the seating is so comfortable. A very chic upgrade.
The buildings are now connected by ramps and walkways, making the entire resort handicap accessible. It's also nice for strollers. Gone are the uneven stone pathways that made it impossible to wear high heels for dinner. The only place you still find them is in the drive between the lobby and the theater.
The 24 hour snack bar is so nice, quite a bit of work when into this upgrade.
The seating is comfortable and the buffet for breakfast lunch and dinner is so nice if you don't want to have to worry about leaving your palapa for too long to grab a bite to eat.
Which brings me to the palapas. They are an entirely new design for this resort. It's one change I am not happy with. Instead of the cozy and well shaded thatched palapas, they now have these bamboo structures with slatted roofs that do not block enough sun. I got an interesting stripey sunburn on the first day because I made the mistake of falling asleep without covering up. I hope they add some kind of removable draping under those roofs. We got creative and used a mexican blanket we had gotten in town, tied it up underneath the palapa, and it worked great. Looked pretty good, too,
The towel art did not disappoint, either.
And the flowers in our room lasted til the last day before they started to wilt.
Of course, ABBWR would not be true to the roots of the old ABR if it weren't for the people who work so hard there everyday to make our once a year vacation so amazing.
The food is outstanding. They worked very hard on this aspect of the new resort, and we were not disappointed and never had difficulty finding something we liked to eat. In fact, we usually had to pass by so many great choices because we were just too full to try them.
The evenings were magical, and the sparkle of the moon on the water was so beautiful.
The grounds still team with beautiful flowers and the beach is still 10 stars.
On the night of our anniversary (for our vow renewal) we again hired Lol Ha to set up dinner on the beach under the same palapa from our vow renewal dinner. It was also the night of the September super moon, so, a very magical night with a huge moon.
Our last day was so bittersweet. We had made new friends, renewed old friendships, and spent such a relaxing ten days in paradise.
Our new friends the Neumans from Bavaria Germany.
The last lunch in the snack bar, all dressed and ready to go.
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