This was our second visit to this resort. Our first time was for my sister’s wedding with over 75 guests, and it was an amazing experience – so much so, that we chose to return. Unfortunately, our recent stay was the complete opposite and involved a serious incident with very poor handling by hotel staff.
Upon arrival, check-in took over an hour. While frustrating, we tried to stay positive. Due to late restaurant availability, our party of 13 (7 adults, 6 kids) was seated outdoors at 9 PM in unbearable heat. The kids were miserable, but the restaurant manager kindly helped us secure better reservations for the rest of the trip.
However, the next evening turned into a nightmare.
During dinner, a server delivered French onion soup so hot it required a towel to handle. As he attempted to place it, he lost control and dropped it, splashing scalding soup onto my young niece. She immediately began screaming — not just crying — and we later realized it had stuck to her neck and was burning through her skin.
The server appeared annoyed and dismissive, claiming he’d burned his hand and “it wasn’t that bad.” A dermatology PA who happened to be dining nearby stepped in to assist us, calling for a medic who eventually arrived with cold water. The PA insisted on silver sulfadiazine cream (Silvadene), which the medic agreed to use. Although initially labeled a “first-degree burn,” the broken skin clearly made it a second-degree burn.
Despite this, no staff member checked on my niece for over 40 minutes, and no one came to our table to follow up or apologize until we asked for the check — at which point we had lost our appetite and were ready to leave. The manager was apologetic and understanding, which we appreciated, but the damage had been done.
The next morning, the food and beverage managers (Cecilia and Adolfo) visited the room. While they acknowledged the server dropped the soup, they also emphasized repeatedly that “it was an accident,” and claimed the server ran to get the manager — yet no manager showed up until much later. When we brought up the need for better training around serving dangerously hot food, Adolfo plainly told us, “This is not something we train for.” That comment alone was alarming.
To make matters worse, we were later approached at the pool by a manager (Santiago) who took photos of our niece without consent. When questioned, he said it was “to reserve the area for us,” which felt like a thin excuse. The whole situation made us feel like we were being monitored and even manipulated.
After the burn incident, we were suddenly able to get any restaurant reservation we wanted — clearly, a reaction to what happened. The only compensation offered was a future 3-night stay in a 3-bedroom unit, which we declined. We didn’t feel safe or respected, and the idea of returning was out of the question.
At checkout, they offered to comp the room but only if my sister and brother-in-law signed a release of liability, which they understandably refused since their daughter had not yet been seen by a doctor. The release form was quickly snatched away when we tried to take a photo of it.
To add insult to injury, we were incorrectly charged for movies we didn’t watch. When we questioned the charges (including two charges two minutes apart in one room), they refused to remove them, even though many reviews have mentioned this pattern.
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Bottom Line:
This property may look beautiful, but the safety, empathy, and professionalism we once loved are gone. Our family trip turned traumatic because of poor safety protocols, mishandled medical response, and a defensive attitude from management. We left feeling unsafe, watched, and disrespected.
We want others to know what happened, especially parents traveling with children. Accidents can happen — but how they are handled speaks volumes. This resort failed on that front.
