Decameron San Luis - All Inclusive

The location is far from the airport and city center, in an ugly neighborhood, and the beach has no room to sunbathe. The rooms were old and smelly, and the snacks were horrible. Service was very bad, with nasty, unkind employees. Whoever cleaned our room took two pairs of sunglasses and a body lotion from the nightstand. Not happy with this “resort” at all.

We had a great time. Lorraine was attentive and took good care of what we needed. Everyone was very nice, and the food was delicious.

The island buses stop in front of the hotel every 20 - 30 mins and go to many parts of the island, so you don't need to rent a scooter. They're full of local people, which is part of the experience. Bring water shoes for the rocky beach here and at the “aquarium.” All island beaches are public, though the hotel didn't mention that, so you can get to them from almost anywhere. Shops and tourist-area businesses close for lunch and siesta from 12-3. Take a taxi or a bus to get there. At breakfast you may have to fetch your own juice, while waiters bring hot drinks; for lunch and dinner, you can ask the wait staff for drinks. The family and friends who had stayed at Decameron properties in other countries spoke highly of them, so we were shocked by how poor this particular one was. Online, the rooms look modern, but in person they're dated. Beds get made daily. There are three pools and a kiddie pool, and the piano bar and stage host nightly live music or movie nights. Most restaurant and bar staff were nice. Tipping early can get you more generous pours. Wi-Fi in the rooms barely works. On the balcony or around most of the resort it sometimes connects at just 1mb up and down. The password changes, so ask the lobby if you're having trouble. Reconnecting often fails with a “simultaneous connections exceeded” message, apparently because all guests share the same SSID and password. It's too weak for TV streaming, and there's no internet cable connected. Lobby staff were mediocre, and sometimes we had to join a different line to get their attention. No jacuzzi. The ping pong and billiards tables are worn out. Our room phone didn't work for calling the lobby. They said they were switching phone providers, but reviews from three years ago mentioned the same issue. The water isn't potable. We had to ask for hand towels. There was mold on cracked shower walls and tiles, dirty bathroom floors, and cobwebs on the walls. The snack area didn't have enough tongs, so people might use their hands to take food, and the paper containers aren't great. The piano bar could use better lighting so you can see performers or take photos. Common areas and outside of rooms are in bad shape and need repairs. Some stairs, balconies, and railings aren't level or the same height, and some areas are rusty. The public bathrooms between the buffet and middle pool are so poorly arranged that you can't sit on the toilet and close the door, so you have to sit or stand sideways. They advertise two restaurants, but the Japanese one wasn't available and seemed to be used for meal prep. Apart from the buffet, access is by reservation, but there's no concierge to help. You have to scan a QR code to reach their site, which sometimes works, and you need a decent connection. Reservations open at 8am and fill quickly, and we got 404 errors several times. The tour staff also need customer service training. The woman took a personal call on speaker after greeting us, then helped once she finished. She left out key details: we had to find our own way back after the “aquarium” tour at rose cay, which we only learned before boarding, and she didn't tell us to eat before the island chiva tour or wear swimsuits for a stop at the natural pool.

The bathroom situation was a problem because they're very old, but the food was good. Staff were nice, and the bartenders gave very good service. In general, it was a pleasant stay.