We just returned from a three night stay at Windsong (Feb. 9 - 12). The first thing I would share with others considering the Windsong is that is not really a full service, 5-star hotel. It was very clean and the staff were extremely kind and helpful, but it just didn't have a hotel feel to it- it felt more like I was renting a private condo. I probably wouldn't have noticed this as much if I hadn't spent some time visiting my brother and his wife at Seven Stars (that place was awesome and had all the amenities and exceptional service that you'd expect from a 5-star resort; we wish we had stayed there). Little things like not being able to get a bottle of water at 10pm (the front desk person offered to fill up a bottle for me from his water cooler, but I had already thrown my bottle away). Yes, I know, you can drink the tap water, but I'm on vacation; I wanted to splurge. The restaurant had closed for the night so he said he had no access to it. Our room had a soap/shampoo dispenser on the shower wall but the products all felt like body soap (even the hair conditioner). Two days into the trip I discovered our friends in a different room didn't have that in the shower- they had nice bottles of stuff brought in by housekeeping every day. The curtains in our room were also an issue. It was bright as could be at 6:30am due to the extremely sheer curtains on all windows (I was nervous to change in the room at night if the lights were on for fear that you could see right through them). The elevator didn't work the first 24 hours we were there (fine for us, walking to the 4th floor is good exercise, but not sure what they would have done with someone unable to take the stairs). The beach of course was beautiful and the hotel is right on a reef so snorkeling was great (Seven Stars didn't have the best snorkeling). I also loved the free kayaks and bikes at Windsong, and Charles was great and always happy to bring us drinks, etc. And we never had any trouble getting chairs on the beach. The pool was nothing special- not sure why Fodor's raved about it- other hotels we visted had way cooler, and larger and more luxurious pools. We stayed in a studio which had a small window view of the ocean. I'm sure I would have been more impressed had I of reserved a penthouse. The hotel was not very full and we asked about being upgraded at check in but were told we'd have to pay for an upgrade (again, at Seven Stars, they were upgraded without even having to ask). Food at Jo Jo's was really, really good, especially the free breakfast (you can add on a side of eggs for just $3 and it's huge) and the grouper sandwich and grouper quesadilla. Service was really, really slow most of the times we dined there. I thought that was normal until we ate lunch at Seven Stars and, you guessed it, service was impeccable. Also, it seems like they only had one taxi driver they were willing to call so be sure to give plenty of notice if you need a ride. At Seven Stars, you can walk to a lot more places (like Cocca Bistro or the casino or a grocery store). It was really quiet and peaceful at night, which I liked, so a really good place for families. Overall, it was a fine place to stay as long as you're not looking for a full service, Four Seasons type place. It just felt like the staff were all still learning how to run a hotel. Oh the computer lab was a nice touch, being able to print boarding passes was helpful. I will definitely return to the island but I'll prob stay at Seven Stars next time. I like being able to walk to nearby shops and a grocery store. Windsong is more secluded, though you can walk on the beach to Mango Reef restaurant and Somewhere (tex mex restaurant) nearby.
Room Tip: Ocean front with a balcony is probably worth the splurge.
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