We booked this resort as our spring break trip before the resort even opened, which was a little scary. The resort opened its doors early February 2015. We visited mid-March 2015. Overall, we are glad we selected Finest as our spring break destination. The resort is all-inclusive and family friendly.
The biggest thing the resort needs to work on is the food. Don't get me wrong, the food isn't bad. In fact, it is what you would expect for an all-inclusive. But this means the food isn't good. It's just average. There are three adult restaurants on the property. Those seemed to have the best food out of everywhere we ate. TravelMan and I ate at the (adult only) Bistro for lunch while our kids were at the kids' club. It was the best lunch we had in our six day stay; it was also the best service we received at lunch. We also ate at the (adult only) French restaurant one evening. The food was better than average here as well. All of the other restaurants were average.
The servers at all the dinners were outstanding. They tried to go above and beyond to make sure our needs we met. Yet, the servers at breakfast and lunch (with the exception of Bistro) acted like they could care less we were at their table. I had to ask multiple times for water for myself and most meals my kids were never served a drink at all, not even water.
When you book a room you can book in the general section (various rooms to select from), Finest Club section (various rooms to select from), or Excellence Club section (adults only section). We selected the junior swim up suite in the Finest Club. This gave us a private check-in, which ended up not being private at all. There was a party of eight families trying to check in all at the same time plus our family with only two workers. The Finest Club also gave us a gift in our room (which was a beach bag) as well as fresh flowers. There is also an exclusive pool, bar, and lounge for Finest Club guests. However, the pool was not monitored so really any guests throughout the resort could come to it. It is distinguished by navy towels (as opposed to the aqua towels); yet, I don't think the guests are aware of this. I made the suggestion to the hotel of armbands for Finest Club guests. This way the staff would know who was supposed to be in this "exclusive" (which wasn't exclusive at all when we were visiting) area. Some travelers won't like wristbands. They don't bother us. (This room was Room 5071 Swim Up Suite in Finest Club.)
The grounds were well kept. Interestingly enough even though the hotel had only been open for 6-ish weeks, there were areas of the resort that didn't look new. Overall, it was beautiful and felt very much like a tropical vacation.
The room was spacious. It worked great for our family; yet, the bathroom was not private. We were in a swim up suite in building 5 where the back porch opened to the pool exclusive for Finest Club guests.
The view while standing on our porch
Jacuzzi tub that overlooked the porch along with a day bed on the porch
Room - that's a bed in the back and the couch in the front pulled out to a bed in the evenings for the kids
The rooms include WiFi (which worked well most of the time), a minibar stocked with beer, soda, water, juice, and candy. Additionally, there were full bottles of liquor and wine.
This is definitely a family resort. Kids were everywhere. That is exactly the kind of resort we were looking for since we were traveling with our kids. If I were on an adult only trip, I don't know that I would have selected this hotel (even though there is a small, adults-only section). And speaking of kids, the Kids' Club was great. Our 9- and 7-year-olds loved it. Somedays they didn't want to leave that place. Plus, our 7-year-old made an impressive piñata that is currently hanging in his room at home!
Proud M on the night he finished his piñata and brought it back to our hotel room.
This is a family resort...if you look at the branding of the hotel itself, they have three lines -- Beloved, Excellence, and Finest. Excellence is for adults only. However, Beloved and Finest are marketed as a family resort. When we were there, the main pool was open to everyone. It was difficult to find a chair as they were always taken already. But we made do. Plus, we had a swim up suite, so we usually played in that pool. However, the day we checked out, the hotel changed the main pool and made 1/2 of it an "adults only" pool. This was disappointing to hear since this is a family resort. Additionally, I can only imagine how difficult it would be to find a chair now that only 1/2 of the chairs are for families. There are activities to do at night -- the hotel had carnival type games one night, a casino set up one night, and a 9:30 show every evening. If you are looking for "night life" go elsewhere. Again, this is a family resort and something a little quieter in the evenings was perfect for our family. On another note, the bathroom design in the rooms allows for no privacy -- something that should be considered for a family resort.
TravelMan and I on our back porch enjoying the peaceful evening after the kids went to bed.
I suggest packing bug spray. I don't consider this any fault of the resorts, but the bugs were horrible our last 3 nights (the first 2 nights they were fine). Bug spray doesn't take up much space in your bag; you'll be thankful you have it if you need it.
In the end, there was no reason for us to be scared of booking this resort prior to its Grand Opening. It was a great vacation!
TravelLady Rating: This resort is worth the visit if you are prepared for average food. I can see our family returning. In fact, our kids have asked us almost everyday when we are going back.
While visiting I saw a few family reunions being hosted at the resort. I think this is a fabulous idea! There are so many things for people to choose from -- non motorized water sports, swimming, visiting the beach, reading by the pool, kids' club, beach volleyball, spa, golf, excursions in Cancun, plus more! I highly recommend this as a family reunion destination.