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Trip Reports |
| If you would like to a trip report of your own, then you can send it to me via E-mail and I will post it here. |
| #85- 9/07/2003 21:31:04 by Heidi Johns johns_heidi@yahoo.com |
|
My husband & I stayed at Viva for 6 days, 5 nights over Labor Day weekend. This trip we
left the kids at home. I can't wait to take them on the next one!
Room & Front Desk Staff We arrived just after Noon and received our room immediately upon arrival at no extra charge. We had to stop the bel-hop so we could get a drink at the bar before going to our room =0) We received a studio room (probably because we went as part of a timeshare presentation deal). We had a full kitchenette complete with stove, fridge, toaster, microwave, linen napkins, plates, glasses & silverware. (Not that we needed any of this at an all-inclusive). There was a very comfortable Murphy bed that came down from the wall, a couch, nice TV, and table & chairs for two. The bathroom was spacious and clean. There were a few tiny ants that meandered thru on occasion, but they didn't get into anything and didn't bother us in the least. Dining After dumping off our luggage at the room & yes we tipped the bel-hop, we threw on our suits, a shirt and shorts and headed to lunch. The dining room is very large and if you can't find something to eat that you like- you're crazy. Each and every meal they had plenty to choose from. Rice, chicken, steak, pork, melon, melon, melon, wonderful breads and dairy products. We went deep sea fishing on Monday morning and Viva staff told us to bring back our fish and the chef would cook it for us. Sure enough Monday night I had the best fish I ate in my life, the chef prepared OUR fish and served it to us. Yes- we tipped the chef!!!!! This in my opinion is above & beyond what we bargained for. We ate way too much and loved every bite. Beach/Pool After lunch, we got our beach towels at the pool shack and went to the beach. The water is a color of turquoise that pictures cannot capture. It's the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. We spent alot of time on the beach swimming, snorkeling, kayaking all at no extra charge. The first morning I was there I saw two dolphins swimming within 2' of shore then swam away just as quickly- but they were there and beautiful. Honestly, we personally didn't have much luck seeing anything snorkeling but we spoke to others who saw plenty of beautiful fish and reef. And the divers we spoke with were pleased with their experiences as well. The beach was not crowded by any means and you could walk along the beach in either direction and be completely alone! There is a very high population of Italian guests and there were a few women did go topless. The water temp was perfect, the sand white & soft, and clean from debris. The pool was large and the water temperature was perfect. We do recommend wearing water shoes in the pool and ocean. The bottom of the pool is rather rough and my husband tore up his toe pretty bad during an invigorating game of water polo. The lounge chairs were plenty and if you wish to leave your stuff under your chair either at the pool or the beach, it will be there exactly as you left it when you return. Staff Besides the beautiful beach, clean pool, comfortable room and affordable stay, the staff completely made our vacation! Viva's international staff was outgoing, fun, beautiful and very helpful. They start their day at 9am entertaining the guests with activities from games to aerobics to meringue lessons, and proceed to the theater at 9:30pm for the evening show. After the show, you can find many of the staff in the disco dancing and mingling with the guests. They work their butts off and never quit smiling! They truly seem to love their jobs and ensure that you are having a good time. I already miss all of them sincerely! The shows are very entertaining and make you realize how talented the staff is. These are not Broadway musicals- but it's more than I could ever imagine doing, and we were truly impressed and entertained. One night they had a "game show" type of show. My husband & I were called up to participate. I thought for sure I'd wet my pants laughing so hard. We received feedback from other guests the rest of the week that were "pulling" for us to win the contest. It was more fun that should be legally allowed =0) The hospitality of the staff extends to the bartenders who are always smiling and always eager to get you set up with your next refreshment of your choosing. We highly recommend taking a travel mug. The plastic cups that they normally use allow your beverage to get warm before you hit the beach. Using our mugs kept them cold and the bartenders will even rinse them out everytime you refill your drink. They're more than happy to fill 'em up again and again. I know my husband & I drank & ate our money's worth. Each bartender has their "specialty" that's not indicated on the wall- we had alot of fun sampling each bartender's "specialty". Kids Although we did not bring our children on this vacation, there were plenty of children around and we did not feel that the children there were ruining our vacation. There's plenty for them to do, and with 26 acres if you need to get away from someone else's children I'm sure you can find a spot. We look forward to going back with our kids next time. It's not fair for us to have all the fun! Deep Sea Fishing We booked a fishing excursion through Capt'n B's fishing charters. He is not affiliated with the resort in any way and we do highly recommend him. He was WONDERFUL. We paid $80/person for 4 hours. He picked us up at the hotel and filleted our fish for us. I would be more than happy to provide any other information anyone wants regarding our excursion. Summary Viva is not a 5 star resort, nor did we want a 5star resort. We cannot wait to go back. This is a beach resort- it's all about sunning, swimming, dancing and if you like- drinking more than your fair share. Usual apparel is shorts, tops, and sandals. Anything above that would be overdressed. This resort is exactly what we wanted! The staff, the guests, the food and the rum were more than we ever dreamed of. We will go back and would love to purchase a timeshare- and maybe retiring in the Bahamas.If you have any questions for me, please feel free to contact me. I highly recommend this resort and should you be considering going there- take me with you!!!!! Mrs. Heidi Johns Viva fan extrodinaire aka- The Cheezeheads! PS- Hello to: Peter, Marissa, Stacey, Alison, Cecilia, James, Stephan, Keir, Kendall, Kevin, Gregory, Bertie, Sonia, Al, Dolly, Patricia, and my apologies to anyone I left out! I miss you guys already. |
| #84- 4/07/2003 12:52:38 by Burn, George GBurn@cch1.org |
| My wife and I are members at Viva Fortuna and joined 5 yeara ago. We like it there and go primarily as a get-away from noise and stress. Took my teens along this year in honor of senior year in high school during their spring break and unfortunately, VIVA was overrun this time with College kids who were on their own spring break. They were mostly polite kids, although there were people three deep at the bar, beach chairs were at a premium, and noise was plentiful. Would recommend that if you want peace and quiet duing your time at Viva, plan around spring break. Also found out that VIVA plans spending several millions to upgrade the rooms and to tidy up years of wear and tear. Look forward to seeing that. |
| #83- 1/26/2003 15:53:27 by Scott Mathias SMATHIAS@nc.rr.com |
|
Trip Report - Club Viva Fortuna Beach, Grand Bahama Island
From January 16-20, 2003 What my wife and I, both 37 years old, were looking for was a relatively warm place to get away from it all on a long weekend (Jan 16 - 20). Our criteria was to spend less than $2000 for the entire 5-day, 4-night trip, to a warmer (than North Carolina) destination, where we wouldn’t spend an entire day traveling each way. Grand Bahama Island and accommodations at Club Viva Fortuna Beach seemed to fit the bill. We paid $1625 to the travel agent for airfare, all-inclusive lodging, and hotel/airport transfers. We paid another $40 for island departure tax, $40 for airport parking, $24 for island cab fare to a shopping destination, and $40 for off-property meals and drinks. On Jan 16 we left home at 5:40 am and were on the beach by 12:00 noon. Check-in was uneventful and we were told we had one of the nicest rooms there, an oceanfront 2nd floor end unit near the pool and dining hall. If that was the nicest room, I’d hate to see the worst. The entire room, inclusive of bath and closet, is relatively small 12’ x 23’. There are no king beds available, so the two queen beds take up most of the room. The room was reasonably clean, though the bathroom tile grout had some mildew. There was no towel bar, the toilet was very noisy, and you always had to fiddle with the handle to get it to stop running. The plaster on the bathroom ceiling and walls was peeling, as were the fabric mats on the framed art. The furnishings were spartan but serviceable. Anything made of metal was horribly rusted, including all light fixtures, the metal part of coat hangers, the suitcase valet, and all door hinges. Bedding was not luxurious, but comfortable, especially the pillows. There wasn’t enough light in the bathroom, and the balcony light consisted of a broken plastic fixture will a bulb hanging from wires. We really liked the room’s tile floors in terms of keeping things clean. However, carpet would have helped dampen the overall noise level better (more on that later). The balcony window a nice view, but the window was so dirty it was not possible to enjoy the view from inside. The balcony itself contained two plastic chairs and a broken table, and was not very private, being separated from the adjoining balcony by open lattice. I could sit on the balcony and view the sleeping area in the adjoining room. The louvered screens at the balcony and bathroom created nice breezes, but one set of louvers in the bathroom didn’t work. The louvers also meant there was no way to block outside noise. In keeping with the spartan theme, there was no pen, paper, coffee maker, clock, radio, or mini-bar. The phone had horrible static, and despite two complaints was never fixed. We made one nearly unintelligible 7-minute, $21 call to North Carolina to let family know we had arrived safely. We tried but failed to make a local call to confirm our transportation to the airport for departure, and ended up going to the front desk to make the call. The public areas at Club Viva are nice, though not opulent, and since the place was only about 1/3 occupancy, none of the public places were overly crowded. The beach area was expansive and clean, though many of the plastic chairs were broken. The beach and pool staff were nice enough, but not overly friendly, and the two bars were well staffed. The bartenders will try to make anything you want, and usually succeed in pleasing. Most of the drinks are quite good, and definitely not watered down. If you are a beer drinker, I recommend bringing your own plastic pint glass, since the 8 oz cups don’t go very far. You can purchase a 20 oz cup from the gift shop for $8.50. I tired quickly of the radio station playing hip-hop music at the beach bar. We never made it to the disco - too tired - so I don’t know how nice it is. The water activities were fine, including snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing and sailing. However, only one small sailboat was seaworthy so you had to wait longer than you should. Many of the other activities seemed a bit infantile, but consider that they are catering to families. My kids would probably have liked some of them. The nightly entertainment was, at times, enjoyable, and there are some talented staffers there. But the Club Viva dance they ask you to do at the end of the show is totally lame. I would have preferred some live music, but none to be found. The open-air dining hall was spacious but the logistics of the buffet setup were not optimal. I found myself constantly dodging people with a full plate of food. I would give the food in the dining hall mixed reviews -- breakfast was outstanding, lunch was barely tolerable, and dinner was hit-and-miss. The best thing I had at lunch was an unattractive but edible hamburger. Except for breakfast, I had better food at the YMCA camp my daughter and I attended last summer. I recommend making reservations at the Italian restaurant, which we did as often as we could. The food is good, but repetitive (all the tomato-based pasta dishes taste the same), and the atmosphere is better than the dining hall. One caution, don’t get the table wine – it is awful. We also ventured east down the beach to eat some conch dishes at a small restaurant called Club Caribe (you won’t get the local favorite at Club Viva). The food was acceptable though more expensive than I thought it was worth. The service was very slow, and the cashier would not give me change in American dollars. One day was cloudy and somewhat cold, so we took a taxi to Port Lucaya for shopping. I recommend shopping there, though I thought most of the merchandise in the straw market was junk. Clothesline seemed to have the best clothing, and I also recommend Esperanza Imports, Gone Bananas, and Linens of Lucaya. The House of Rum had the best prices on bottled liquor. The food at The Pub was very good, proving that you could get decent food for a decent price on the island. My biggest complaint of the entire trip was the nighttime noise at the resort that kept me from getting a good night’s sleep every night. Since there are not sound deadening materials in the buildings, every bit of noise bounced off surfaces and carried. For example, the clang of dishes from the bus station at the dining hall echoed endlessly in our bathroom. You could hear the pulsing beat from the disco, and hear every word (and song) from the late night partiers on the beach. Every time an entry door or balcony door closed it sounded like a bomb going off. Thankfully, vacations afford naps to make up for lost nighttime sleep, so we took a nap every afternoon before dinner. But the consequence was that we didn’t see a single sunset. On some of the message boards I heard complaints about the Viva Vacations Club sales staff pestering them. At check-in, we kindly but firmly told Dolly that we were not interested in the Vacation Club or the 90-minute presentation and were not really bothered ever again. Perhaps the key was telling her we were more than willing to pay -full price- for the off-site excursions and activities rather than spend up to 2 hours of our relatively short vacation in captivity. On Jan 20 we left the compound at 6:30 am and were home for lunch by 1:00 pm, with plenty of time left in the day to catch up with the news and take care of other household chores. All-in-all, we had an enjoyable time, so some credit must be given to Club Viva for that. Given the criteria we started with, I would probably make a similar choice again, though I would try Our Lucaya resort instead. If I were willing to spend a little more money and travel a little farther, I would probably try Jamaica or Virgin Islands since the weather is likely to be nicer farther south, but there are no guarantees. A friend traveled to Jamaica for her honeymoon a week earlier, and it rained 3 of the 4 days they were there. |
| #82- 1/18/2003 14:37:28 by AnctilA@aol.com |
|
Hello! I looked for months at all the reports and I did not expect much. But when we pulled up even the lobby looked better than I thought. And immediately the front staff people were awesome. During our week there I felt safe, I enjoyed the people on the beach selling - I promised Dorothy, Henry and Pricella I would buy one thing from each of them and I did. The staff is awesome - Wagner, Amanda, Jessica, Adriano,
Andrea - they just made the days go by with fun. The food was good - not great - but then again I never overate and stuffed myself and I never once was hungry. Loved the tennis lessons with Wagner. Kayaking and we did a lot of shore trips - people on this Island our the best people in the World - they do not see color of your skin - they are kind and caring and if you listen to them they will teach you and remind you of the Golden Rule. We bought into the timeshare and I can not wait to go back again - of all the places I went to - this is low key and fabulous - Thank you Mable for our help and Sonya and Tonya - staff is just the best. Worst part of trip was the darn models that were all over the place because travel network was filming and do photo shoots - but my husband did not mind - not sure why not??? :) |
| #81- 1/04/2003 00:31:29 by rdtufts rdtufts@mchsi.com |
| i loved me stay there!!!! the staff was the best! i stayed there new years 02-03 they had the best show! i remember going to the disco and dancing with one of the friendly staff members after i gave him a hug then the very next day he was back working!!! the staff members work very hard and are the best i have come by ever!!!! |
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| This page was last modified on 22 February 2004. |