Magdalena Grand Beach & Golf Resort

The staff and the food saved the day. Meals were freshly cooked from a menu, which was a nice surprise for an all-inclusive stay. The food was excellent, the staff were great, and the wine was good, though there was no Rose. Lisa was very attentive, making sure we had everything we needed, even enough coat hangers. We got a warm welcome and a glass of Rum Punch when we arrived, then were shown to a lovely clean room and later to the Salaka Beach Restaurant. The hotel was quiet, so I’m not sure how the staff would manage if it were busier. It must have been grand in its hay day, but now it’s very tired and needs serious investment. The main pool was out of action and seemed to have been that way for a while, though work began during our stay. It’s on a Golf course, and we were offered a round during our week. The course was lovely and challenging, but the hired clubs were diabolical. Would I return? Yes, to play golf, but I’d bring my own clubs. The hotel needs investment, and it’d be good to see how the reviews look over the next few months.

I booked this property to celebrate two milestone birthdays and introduce two guests to Trinidad and Tobago, expecting the quality I’d had in the condos before. The stay was disappointing. At check-in, the front desk loudly announced the full cost in front of other guests, which felt very unprofessional. Across our three rooms, there were several maintenance problems: safes that didn’t work, including one with no battery; a broken bed; a fridge that never worked; door latches that often failed; and patio tub controls that worked only now and then. In one room, the bed was right under a window with a bright hallway light and no blackout curtain, so my light-sensitive guest couldn’t sleep. Housekeeping’s attempted fix left the room in disarray, and I had to move the furniture myself. Each room has a QR code that gives the impression they want feedback, but it leads to a missing website. I spent hours coordinating with security, housekeeping and engineering, which took time away from the trip. Dining was the resort’s only high-end feature. If you stay here, stay at the condos.

The bar food was terrible, and the rooms were dusty and clearly hadn't been cleaned. The bathrooms felt outdated, with rust visible in the toilet bowl, and the washcloths were faded and worn. After checking in on Dec 29, 25, my family and I were shocked by the state of the place. The social media presence gives a misleading impression. We got sick that night, so we had to cut our stay short and leave the filthy hotel. It was windy and rainy during the brief time we were there, and no one came to clean our rooms. They should use that hotel space to house homeless people in TT.

The restaurant staff were the only good part of this place. The front desk staff seemed clueless about anything to do with the hotel. The room smelled old and was very dirty, with a rusty shower enclosure and a shower space boxed into a tiny area. Breakfast was extremely tasteless.