The resort shows some signs of wear, as can be expected, as it opened in 2003. After being shut down of a year due to being flooded by a hurricane (2009?) That forced a major renovation, Pool Deck Restaurant enclosure, nightclub, bathrooms, doors, windows, etc.
At present, poolside lounges need replacement, mostly the cushions. They replaced the dining area chairs and tables a few years ago. The landscaping is always under constant upgrade. The maintaince is great.
The food is reliable and generaly good. Breakfast is made to order at a buffet or on order. Lunch has a grill set-up at poolside with a daily theme. usually eight hot dishes and a center grill for requests. You can also order from the menu or a combination of the two. Dinner can be whatever you want, at HBR or one of the restaurants at El Dorado. The new Pub is great, we went twice.
I can see the new high-rise to the North as a future problem. Although the have planted a lot of Palms on the beach and have built 3 Suites between the resort and the construction, it seems that high rise people will get an eyeful. I was flying my kite on the beach and construction workers were waving to me.
Some say that HBR is doomed. I asked an Exotics Staff member about those concerns. He said that HBR has a occ. rate of 92%, higher than textile resorts at 86%. So it would seem that HBR might survive. However if 92% at a 44 room resort affects the 86% at a 200 room resort, things will change. Hope not.
