Long A$$ Review--first Trip Since The Remodel 7/18-24

FakeNewsTeam · Aug 4, 2018

Thanks for the info amd take.
Much of what is a bummer.
Confirmation of some of what we have experienced and observed.
Will see more for ourselves next week.
As I have written before, change is inevitable and it appears that much of the change is to the detriment of fun and what made TTR what it once was.
We can only hope that it is cyclical and will return, maybe not what to completely what it once was, but to a solution acceptable to old, new, and to management.

Mark and Staci · Aug 5, 2018

Best pot-reno report we've seen.

been 9 times since 2011. Been back twice since reopening. Cant seem to get the same excited feeling about going back now as we did pre-reno.

Vibe has definitely changed and been "toned down". Not at all why we originally fell in love with TTR. We knew after our first post reno trip in Oct., that things were changing, and the "innocently wild" TTR we loved in the past was probably was on it's way out.

summerbum · Aug 6, 2018

I had a thought: Everything about the remodel seems more about looking cool in Instagram photos rather than it is about customer comfort. That's kind of ironic at a resort that doesn't allow photos!

Flash2 · Aug 7, 2018

summerbum said: ↑

This was our 8th trip to TTR, but first since the remodel, and I'm going to put it right out that I'm going to be giving some very mixed opinions here. I love TTR, and I am so grateful for all of the fun and friends I've made there. I had a fantastic trip. However, there are some really stupid things I wish the management would address.

This is going to be long, so for those of you who want the short version here's what it boils down to: The way the resort looks, the way the food tastes...all irrelevant. The bottom line is that the people you find yourself with will make or break your vacation.

About us:
We travel a lot and love to be right in the middle of any ruckus we find. Todd is undefeated as Mr. Temptation! We've been coming to TTR since 2011 at various times of year, so we've seen the place at its rowdiest and at its quietest.

We had two friend groups go after the remodel but before us. Interestingly, one group raved about it and told us we were going to love everything, and the other group said it's now "TTR Lite" and that they may not go back. We definitely wondered which side we'd fall on!

First impressions:
Looking around, my first thought was, "If they're going for sexy, why did they use the same color scheme as my kids' preschool?" The cool towel and cold drink on arrival are nice. The check in process was much more quick and efficient, and the inevitable meeting with the timeshare person was less pushy than in the past. In addition, our Bash Tower room was ready early. Our friends' jacuzzi room was not.

Bash Tower rooms:
The Bash room had a decent view of the ocean and a very clear view onto the shenanigans on the balconies across from us. The air conditioning worked great (we were even cold sometimes!) and there was plenty of storage in the room cabinets and in the bathroom. The room even had robes and a Nespresso! Nice!!!!!

The window shade was the first of many examples of stupid things that were designed for form and not function. You push a button next to the bed, and the shade raises from the floor to the ceiling. There is no in-between--it has to be all up or all down. You can't access the balcony unless it's up. So, in the morning, when one person wakes up and wants to go sit on the balcony, the poor late sleeper (*cough* Todd) hasn't got a chance because the room gets completely flooded with light.

Simple fix? Blinds that slide side to side and allow for partial opening.

The Bash rooftop:
It's beautiful, with stunning views from the infinity pool, and a shady bar with excellent food. It's also boring as hell. Nice place for a quiet, romantic retreat. It could be a blast if all of your friends have access, too. It's set up with a nice light and sound system, yet they close at 6. What a waste.

The Sexy Pool:
I'm 5'0", so I knew this was going to be an issue. I cannot say strongly enough how much I hate the changes to the sexy pool. The old pool was a great size and nice depth--I'm so sad they screwed it up!

Yes, there are plenty of ledges, but socializing groups tend to drift, and when they'd start to shift or move, I had to choose between staying on my ledge and finding a new group, or following the group into the "murky depths." In the depths, I couldn't hold a drink comfortably, and didn't want to think about what was getting splashed in there from the pool, anyway. I had a float, but that kept drifting into people. I had friends who would carry me across and hold me up in the middle, but that wasn't really convenient.

The most ominous moment of the trip: I was talking to a woman who has been to TTR many more times than me. She loves the depth of the pool now because "you don't have to see all of those boobies all the time." Ummmm...help me out with this, but if you don't want to look at boobies, couldn't you go to any of the hundreds of other resorts in the world? Is this the customer TTR is courting, now? 'Cuz if this is the type of person they're going to attract, we're going to lose our carefree happy place.

Meanwhile, there are more funholes, so we ended up gravitating toward them. Even though it's much larger, the water was still very warm in July. I can't predict what will happen in cooler months with so much water relying on the sun to heat it.

Although security kicked us all out by blowing whistles on some nights, they let us stay in until 8 on other nights. Not sure why the inconsistency, but we were grateful when security let us stay. (And, seriously...whistles????!!!)

The restaurants and food:
We aren't foodies by any means. Our usual style is to drink until we're kicked out of the pool, get dressed, and throw something down our gullet as quickly as possible so we can get back to the party. So, we ate in the buffet every morning and the buffet or Amore's for lunch every day and most nights.

We were always happy with the buffet--but then, we always were. The fresh omelettes and made-to-order fajitas and tacos are always great. There was always enough variety that we left full.

We did try Romanza, the hibachi, and She for dinner. All of the food was excellent. I can be a fussy eater, so I was a bit worried about She--but I truly liked everything, and the presentation was really cool. Todd worried he'd leave hungry, but he was fine. The hibachi was really entertaining and delicious.

The atmosphere (i.e. The Only Thing that REALLY Matters):
Yes, it's "TTR Lite."

Body shots got us kicked out of the pool "WHAT??? I thought those were practically required at TTR??!!" you say? Not anymore. First day there, a friend tried to do a body shot off my nipple; I was clearly consenting, and the bartender told us we couldn't do that and made us leave.

Every day, we saw security making someone they deemed to be over-served leave the pool. A girl in our group stumbled, and security "grounded" her by sending her to their room and telling her not to come back to the pool for the rest of the day (granted, she was tipsy after the Boobs Cruise, but not so much to justify getting kicked out.). Another friend tripped on the pool stairs (which you can't see no matter how sober you are, by the way) and had defend himself to security in order to be allowed to stay at the pool!

Pool games and entertainment are very similar to before, but there is less encouragement for people to "vote" by getting naked.

One day, the floated around a really cool "fruit kayak," where you could go get a mango, pineapple, jicama, etc. on a stick. It was classy and a really nice treat.

Theme night participation is way up, and people really go all out on the outfits. Bash had a great energy every night. The shows are more professional...but less personal, less audience involvement. Like many things around the "new" resort, they're slick and meant to be looked at and admired. I missed the "anything goes" games and the lingerie night casino games, though.

Bottom line: First-timers were amazed at how "crazy" TTR is; repeaters were rolling our eyes, knowing how much they were not seeing.

The Biggest Turn-Off: The Completely Arbitrary Caste System:
We had a Bash Tower room, so we had free rooftop access. Our friends paid the same price as us for a jacuzzi room, but had to pay for rooftop. Our other friends had an ocean-front suite for which they paid significantly more than us, but they also had no rooftop access. Other friends came on a referral, so they could access the Premiere deck, while the rest of us couldn't.

I sense that management is disconnected from their repeat customers. Everything they see as a selling point for memberships is something that removes you from the party: quiet rooftop access, quiet deck access, etc. The things they've sunk money into (food, design) are things you can find at any resort in Cancun or DR.

So here's what I wish I could tell the managment: TTR became the special place that it is because it allowed/encouraged people to lose their inhibitions and to socialize. People come back because TTR has been the only place that offered an energetic, sexy, fun party atmosphere. It will stay that way if the people who value that keep coming and holding on. If the long-timers and repeaters move on, though, I'm really scared that TTR will be no different from any of the other adults-only AIs in a few years. I really hope the management starts to look at the things that make them special and start to focus on them.
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Good review. We are heading home today. Our biggest beef is the riff-raff that has infiltrated and have no respect. Cameras out all the time. Selfies in the pools. Videoing. Also seems the number of singles and single-groups has drastically increased. Staff/service wasn't as great as our previous trips (this is 2nd post reno). Honestly questioning if we will be back

FFC/WBA · Aug 7, 2018

T & L, your report totally reflects our feelings/experience. 2 trips since reno, 21 days in all. November was ok, the big Jacuzzi was fun, no obvious closing time in pool. The shows seemed ok, bit tame but…. In July they were like a show you’d see on Broadway… especially Angels and Devils, the video on the big screen was the most erotic thing going on !. No parties in Jacuzzi, Sexy pool turned out at 7pm. No night dipping…. As for the bloody blinds, your experience reflects our own. We’ll decide on the next trip if we feel the “wild” side is returning (our gut feeling is, it’s not)…. One great thing is… the Boobs Cruise is still wild.. thank you Steve..

Bryan21178 · Aug 7, 2018

Nice review I have to agree about the TTR Lite!!! I liked the renovations but the vibe is tame. I still like the place and we will be back.

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Long A$$ Review--first Trip Since The Remodel 7/18-24

FakeNewsTeam It's a matter of time, but time is all we have! Registered Member

Mark and Staci I can choose my own title Registered Member

summerbum I can choose my own title Registered Member

Flash2 Regular Registered Member

FFC/WBA Guru Registered Member

Bryan21178 Guru Registered Member