Just back from our 4th trip to Pearl. We had a great time, as always, but came away with some mixed feelings.
A few thoughts to share:
All the staff were great as ever, and it is still a very special place, but ...
It's 8 years since our first visit, and much of the resort hasn't changed - which is part of the problem. The rooms are looking tired and well-worn and in need of a big refurbishment. Similarly, the disco (including the music) and playroom haven't changed, which means that they are as poor as ever.
Some things have changed for the worse. The prices, of course, have gone up a lot - about 30% more than our last trip. The food used to be good restaurant standard, but this time we had only one really good dinner in a week. It feels as if they have really cut back on quality and finesse. The beach is half the size that it used to be, having been swept away by storms, along with many of the palm trees. There's not a lot the hotel can do about that, but it limits the available space.
At a rough guess, about half the people there were wearing swimwear, both men and women, when it used to be 95% naked. Jacuzzi etiquette also seems to have slipped a bit, with people often using the jacuzzi beds for sleeping, lazing around and/or browsing on their phones. We have always thought that the beds were best for public sex, not as a secluded place for resting.
And one change which isn't good or bad, but just interesting: when we started visiting, we felt a bit bashful about admitting we were in our our 50s. Now most guests, like us, seem to be 50s or 60s - and we had lots of conversations about grandchildren
For the first time, we are not 100% sure that we will return - unless the hotel can raise their game on standards of accommodation, food, and evening entertainment. Just staying the same while prices go up a lot isn't good enough.
Does anybody else share our mixed feelings?