We just stayed at Planation a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. There was still a lot of work going on. We had a 1BR suite and ours was very private, was nude most of the time, but many of them are not so. The views were outstanding. We beached at CO, and yes a car really is necessary, both for the beach and dining in the village. The staff was very nice and helpful too. We also visited Esmeralda. They had just opened and work was still going on but it looked quite nice. The pools we saw were right out in the open in full view but there may be more private ones we didn't see. We preferred Plantation but I think Es is a better location, with a much easier walk to the beach and village (but still a good trek down to CO). Kakao is going up right there and should be open soon. A quick glance at the rates show Es to be more expensive, but also more upscale.