Our vacation at Swept Away

[Lou]

We just returned from our 4th trip to Swept Away and thought we should write this review.

Overall the trip was fantastic as usual. We met up with friends old and new. We met Dan and his wife Evelyn from Ohio from this board. We met old friends Art and Pat again from Colorado, as well as their friends Dave and Patti from Illinois. We missed Tom (Csa_vet) by about 20 minutes on Saturday. Renewing friendships and meeting new people is always special.

There were very few negatives experienced. We had a private dinner which was great. We had specified the location as the gazebo, but ended up on the beach. For a couple of reasons this was disappointing, but the dinner was fine and the surprise to my wife was priceless. It was a very romantic interlude in a romantic week. If you are going to do a beach dinner, wear insect repellent, as those sand fleas do come out at night and you will get bit. We did mention the location concern to the concierge desk, and the next day found a letter of apology and two polo shirts in our room.

I'm going to risk some flak here and give our opinion of the Blazing Piano (Ulitmate Chocolate) that doesn't match many others. We first experienced him in the old setting, above the Palms, and during happy hour. It was a true sing along. Now it is much more talk and when songs are sung, which is much less frequently, it is more and more soloists with a mike. It is more of a karaoke like affair. Many people seem to like this, but we long for the old days. We visited twice. The first night we left when Ulti had not appeared by 10:00. The second night we did stay for quite awile. When it was obvious singing was a low priority, we left. Again, many people like how it is now, but we did not like it as well.

Now let's get to the wonderfufl stuff, which was just about everything else. We spent much, much time on the beautiful beach. The water was perfect. The beach is fun to walk in both directions, but more fun to the south. The food was as great as ever. Because we had booked during the Fila special and also used Romance Rewards points, we had lots of credit at the spa and gift shops.

The credits are easy to redeem. For the spa, just bring the certificates with you and they apply it to your account. Any charge over your credit is billed to your room account. For the gift shop you can shop at any of the three. Just charge your purchase to your room and turn the certificates in at time of checkout.

For the first time ever, Helen and I had two 50 minute couples massages in one week. She also had a manicure and it cost almost nothing out of pocket. Two of our massage therapists deserve extra credit for magic hands. Both Dahlia and Annette had "the touch" which left you floating on air.

Also Roan and Yves, both of whom work on the beach desserve an extra shout out. Both were hard working, personable, and went out of their way to take care of us. Also our private dinner server, Simone, was great. She was attentive but not intrusive.

This has gone on long enough. It boils down to the fact that we really enjoyed our week in paradise, and long for the time that we can return. We will be glad to address any questions.

[Margi]

We have some spa credits to use in October 2010. Can you use the spa credits for the employees tip? Also, what exactly is the process of the couples massage? Did you use the Buddha pool before??? after??? We have never been to the spa. How does it work?

[Bkhiattky]

Sounds wonderful!! Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us!!

[WandA]

No......You cannot use Spa Credits for a Tip! If you had a Dinner gift certificate at a restaurant at home you could not use the overage to Tip your waiter.....

The Spa Credit is a RR perk, any remaining balance goes unused. You don't get cash back

[Vee]

Lou - I am SO glad we aren't the only ones to feel that way about Ulti. On our first two trips, he was over by Lemongrass, and we made a point of getting there SEVERAL times during the week. We loved drinking a cocktail and enjoying the sing-a-long. On our third trip, we went to see him in the new location at the new time. First: I don't like the new time. It's too late. And we also hated the format. Neither of us are Karaoke fans, and that is what it is now.

Such a bummer. After that time, we haven't been back to see him once. We have our fifth trip coming up in May, and ya know what.... we're not going to see Ulti then either. And it's really disappointing. (Note: It will NOT keep us from having a truly spectacular trip, though.)

Thanks for letting me throw in my 0.02.

V

[sblovin]

While at the spa I never saw anyone use the Buddha pool as "treatment." In fact, I never saw anyone in the Buddha pool except myself and my husband, but we went there late at night. For some reason that hot tub was warmer than the other two by the pools, and it was lit in soft lights and set away from everything. People didn't walk by us on their way to Bayside, and even though Couples people usually don't gawk, it was nice to be in a more private setting. We ventured in the Buddha Pool several times, but we found it was kind of dirty (sand on the bottom) so we hung out more in the hot tub. Now, I've heard that the Buddha pool and Spa Hot Tub can get kinda rowdy at times, and sometimes turn into an extension of Tower Isle, but we were never a part of that. It's fun to go there at night. I looked forward to that part of my vacation almost every day!

[Sublimebrad]

Is the Buddha pool in the spa? Can you go there when not getting a spa service??

[Lou]

The couples massage is a massage done by two therapists at the same time in the same room. Yes we used the buddha pool before, but not after, although you could. After a massage, I don't generally need more relaxation.

As to how it works, you just show up 15 minutes before your appointment. They'll check you in. Change into your suits (if you didn't wear it) in the locker rooms and shower if needed. Use the robes and flip flops provided. Get into the pool and start to relax. When it is time they will get you from the pool area and take you to the massage room and direct you from there. Go aahhhhhh!

[Lou]

Vee: There were several others, mostly those that had experienced Ulti before the move of time and place, that felt as you and I.

[gonegril]

We agree with Lou's impressions of the Ultimate Chocolate experience - we loved the old singalongs above the Palms, and also loved that we could use this as a cocktail hour before dinner. Oh well, he's obviously still popular - there were lots of people around the piano the last time we were there - Its just not for us....

[Chris]

Lou & Helen -

Glad to hear you had your usual great time at OUR beloved SweptAway. Its wonderful to hear that you can still rely on some things that don't change!

We'll be enjoying our next visit in May, and can't wait!

Merry Christmas to you both...

Chris & Joyce

[Lou]

Chris! Good to hear from you. Change isn't always bad, but constants are nice too.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Joyce as well. Wish we could join you in May!

Lou and Helen