Hey gang,
I just got off the phone with Antonio Salas, Guest Services Manager at Pearl. I had sent a note (3 times) outlining some of the issues we have seen in recent reviews around food, service, and seaweed and expressing our concerns, and he called me about 1/2 hour ago.
Nice fellow, very accommodating and eager to reassure.
On the seaweed, he expressed that they are out there cleaning it every day (that's not as other reviewers have reported, but he assures me it's now the case), and while they are doing their best, the entire Caribbean is suffering from the same issues. Let's call it climate change just for kicks. He was very earnest in his explanation and his assurance that they are out there every day. And so we'll see when we arrive Sep 1.
On the food, I was very clear that it seemed like the quality had seriously declined in just the past few months, and that was according to folks who had been there several times and now were determined not to return based on this issue. He told me that they have had the same executive chef for a number of years, they work very hard to be sure everyone is happy and accommodated, and they take food quality very seriously. He didn't directly give any reason for a reported decline in quality, but again he was very earnest while assuring me that we won't be disappointed.
He will be meeting us at the front when we arrive on Sep 1, as will Edgar, the Front Desk manager. He offered to introduce me at that time to the chef and to the management of the resort, in case I had any further concerns that they might be able to address.
Frankly, that's about the best response I could have expected. He called me, expressed his concern over our concern, reassured me that we won't feel the issues we brought up, and offered more action if I want/need it. The proof will be in the pudding, of course, and we'll report when we're back.
J&M