Trip Report Mar 3-10

Discussion in 'Grand Oasis Viva' started by somebeachsomewhere, Mar 13, 2014.

  1. somebeachsomewhere

    somebeachsomewhere Regular Registered Member

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    Trip Report Mar 3-10

    Us - We are a mid-low 40's couple that love the sun & fun. Been on many holidays.......as for adult resorts it's TTR twice, Hedo twice, and now GOV once. We are often early to rise and late to bed........don't want to miss any action lol. We're not too hard to please.......but friendly service, quality facilities/amenities, and cleanliness are important to us. A 4* resort with an upbeat social atmosphere is more our style than a relaxing 5*.

    Transfer - First time we used USA Transfers and they were super. Walked out of the airport, got in the pre-booked taxi and off we went to the resort. Very pleasant service. Will do it again.

    Check-in - Arrived about 11am and walked right up to the counter......no line-up whatsoever. Obviously timing is everything here as we could have arrived behind a charter bus and had a long line ahead of us......that's just luck. If you are coming on a charter.......I would strongly suggest booking a taxi so you arrive well ahead of all the others. The person at the counter spoke good english and we were done in 10 min. Just left our bags with the bell boy and came back at 3pm to get our room key. We did email Valentina a week or so ahead and also mentioned her name at check-in.....would also strongly recommend that. At about 2:45pm we happen to meet Valentina by the pool and she personally escorted us to get our key and up to our room.

    Room - Very nice. It was the Spice (remodeled) room with King bed. Super ocean & pool view. Love the large sliding window.....felt like we were outside. Exactly what we hoped for. We had read about the fridge being warm unless you open the cabinet door so we did so and it worked good for us. Shower & water temp was also good.

    Pools - Main pool was where we hung out. It's a nice big pool with a shallow lounging area and a good pool bar. Octavio is a super bartender. We never had a problem getting a chair by the pool but we do get up & out of the room by 8am at the latest. We leave our blinds open so the sun gets us up & at'em. Towels are free.......they ran out a couple times but not a long wait to get another fresh batch. We'd keep ours from the day before so we had them when we went out in the morning. The main pool is the place to be as it gets into party mode around noon-2pm. The quiet pool looked nice also but it's just that.....a quiet pool lol.

    Beach - The beach is awesome. Lots of room for lounging and beautiful soft sand. You can walk approx 500' or more into the ocean and most of it is only knee deep. There's a sand bar about half way to the ropes and its only a few inches deep.........great for sitting down with a cold drink and cooling off. Loved the beach.

    Bars - All the bars were good. Octavio in the pool bar was awesome.....used him a lot. If it was busy we would go in the lobby to the Diva bar as it was usually a short line if anyone at all. Didn't use the main deck bar much as it was usually the busiest. In the early evening we loved the VIP bar.......good service and great Rum, Champagne & Martinis. We loved the Coyote bar at night.......was always fun during our stay. By the time the Coyote closed at 1am we were usually ready to call it an evening but we did walk across the street to a small bar called Hogie's BBQ.......it was a very nice quaint little place.......felt very safe as it's right across the street and very open. Many people walking by going to or from the clubs.

    Food - We tried most the restaurants and found them all good. The White Box was super........both lunch and dinner. The dishes here are very tasty. The Italian was also very good but would like to see the flavor stepped up a notch......we love Italian and although good we were hoping for great. The Mexican was good.......we had the fajitas and loved them. The Schilla was very good also.......we were treated to a special menu for our anniversary and it was very good. The Sushi at the main deck bar was awesome........only had the shrimp rolls and loved them. The Wimpy's burgers and chicken by the pool bar did the trick during the day.....helps keep the wobbly legs away lol. The crispy chicken was a hit and the burgers were small but ok. As for the buffet, this is where they could improve with a couple more selections. We loved the omelettes, yogurt, & fruit etc......but not a big selection after that. If they added a couple regular meat items like bacon or hot ham it would be far better. We saw a bacon tray a couple times but not every day. We only did the buffet for breakfast so not sure what lunch was like........we ate at the White Box, Italian & Wimpy's for lunch as they're all by the pool.

    Service - We found all the staff to be very friendly. Some of them have very busy positions that keep them hopping all day long and they are very deserving of a tip (at very least a pleasant smile to let them know you appreciate what they're doing). The person we saw the most was Octavio in the pool bar. He was awesome. The bartenders at the Diva & VIP bars were also great. The servers in the evening restaurants were all very pleasant as well. We spoke to Sara by the pool on a couple of times and she is super......and very good addition to GOV. **The absolute gold mine of this resort is Valentina. Head & shoulders above any other management personnel we have encountered at any resort. She is a very beautiful person (personality & appearance) and there is little doubt that she is focused on making this resort successful. Her presence here on CCC is just one of the many things she does that is above the normal call of duty. She is very accessible and either at a desk by the check-in counter, or walking through the resort chatting with guests. She spoke to us a few times during our stay.......always asking how it was going and if there was anything she could do to make it better. Hands down.......first class all the way.

    Party - The party scene usually starts in or by the main pool around noon-2pm.......about the time everyone has some liquid energy lol. Whether you come with a group or come alone.......it's gonna be what you make it........if you're smiling, laughing & having a good time......people see you as approachable and come over to chat and soon the group grows. We had a lot of fun in the pool.........often joining others who were having a blast. When the sun goes down we would generally clean up, have a quick drink at the VIP bar, grab a bite and then head to the Coyote. It was usually hopping and we had a great time there also. We met a lot of fun people and hope to meet them again.

    Tid Bits - Just a few rambling points. We did the Boobs Cruise and loved it. It was good to see Chinos & Omar again........as always they put on a good show. The cruise was great Steve......will do it again. There was 3 couples from GOV that went on the Boobs Cruise (met them on the boat) and then we picked up another couple as Chinos has the boat pull right up to the GOV swimming area and entices a couple out to join us......but they have to be naked lol. On another note, people often ask about the topless aspect and yes, during our stay there was approx a good 6-12 woman topless each day.......some stay topless all day and others take them off in the afternoon when the party picks up in the pool.

    That's about it........can't think of much else. There was a younger "spring break" type presence while we were there but they didn't over-run or rule the resort.......quite the opposite as we found them to be very friendly and helped get the party started. Played beer pong with a few of them lol.

    We will be back Valentina...........

    *Sorry for the long report.........please forgive any typo's.
     
  2. Scott'N'Jenn

    Scott'N'Jenn Regular Registered Member

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    Great TR... Looking forward to trying it out for ourselves!
     
  3. desire-66

    desire-66 Addict Registered Member

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    There sounds exactly the way we like to spend our vacation. ( minus the getting up early part ). Look forward to it. 2 and a half weeks.

    I didn't realize there were so many bars at the resort. Your report was what a trip report should be. Full of tidbits Great job
     
  4. steveandjudy

    steveandjudy Addict Registered Member

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    Thank you for taking the time to share your GOV experience. We are there in May and can't wait to experience it ourselves.
     
  5. summerbum

    summerbum I can choose my own title Registered Member

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    Thank you! This is exactly the kind of report a lot of us are looking for. I really appreciate the time and thought you put into it.
     
  6. bryane40

    bryane40 Enthusiast Registered Member

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    Thank you! It sounds awesome, fun, and relaxing. And yes, Valentina is the bomb!
     
  7. girlfortony

    girlfortony Regular Registered Member

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    Thanks for sharing!!
     
  8. SlickDickDan

    SlickDickDan Newbie Registered Member

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    I was the the fortunate person who was invited on the Boobs Cruise. Had so much fun with you guys. Thanks for having me. Everyone was awesome.
     
  9. Bramcouple

    Bramcouple Enthusiast Registered Member

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    Great report Sounds like we'll have a blast in 8 days
     
  10. babydoll

    babydoll Regular Registered Member

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    Awesome Trip Report...Thank you for taking the time :)
    Getting excited now, only 19 more days..... :) :) :)
     
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