ASP trip report July 17-23--fabulous!

[Sloane Kettering]

I returned from a week at ASP last Wednesday and had a fantastic vacation.

Stayed on the Aventura side and loved being there--the pool, the lagoon, Mundaca, the place where we ate breakfast every morning--all wonderful. Our room was in "Accordion"--did anyone else notice the buildings are named after musical instruments?--and had an ocean view. And robes and filled mini bar!

Ate at Mo Mo No Hana 3 nights--the sushi was very good, as were the entrees. Ate at La Hacienda one evening--had shrimp and filet--both were really nice. Ventanas, the Italian restaurant with the pool in the center (random!) was pretty good as buffet goes, especially as they would prepare fresh pastas and steaks for you. Hung out at the Q Bar and played pool quite a bit--they always had munchies such as popcorn and chips and salsa. Went to Karaoke night in the disco and sang! Also went to Casino night and "Any Thing Can Happen" night--goofy but fun.

As for the spa treatments, opted for the 80 minute aromatherapy massage and the hot stones--set you free! One of the best massages I have ever had. Though the prices were reasonable and worth the splurge.

Thought 99.9% of the staff was fabulous--the only person with whom I had a problem was "Susy" at the Spa side lobby front desk. Luckily, it was as I was checking out, so her lack of customer delight did not affect my view of the resort. Maybe she was just having a bad day, who knows.

All in all, it was one of the best vacations I have had, and I travel a lot for both work and pleasure. I did notice toward the end of the stay it got much busier--the day after we arrived, the Question of the Day, (a trivia game with prizes at the Aventura pool) was "How many people are staying at ASP?", and the answer was 1100, so maybe it was really slow when we first got there. Perhaps the service is not as good if they are really busy, because we did not have to wait in line for anything except check out (with rude Susy).

Much more to say than what is in this post, so I would be more than willing to answer any questions. Bottom line: I will be returning, hopefully sooner rather than later!