Iguana Beach — Hotel in Dutch Caribbean

Just incredible. The diversity of the wildlife, the tranquility of the lagoons. The free roaming and very tame Flamingos of course and The wonderful staff, although a caveat to that was that the bar staff seemed utterly miserable every time I went up there. The servers/waiting staff were a joy though. There's some decent snorkeling to be had and even more so if you're brave enough to venture over the rocky breakwater that protects the beach. The nature walk with it's moving floor of hermit crabs was wonderful, and we always enjoyed feeding the Iguanas by hand when they got their lunchtime spoils. As a family we were 'restricted' to Iguana beach, but I much preferred this over Flamingo beach anyway. The Flamingos were at this beach for most of every day we were there, It's larger and has the main beach dining area also. I've been lucky enough to travel to many parts of the world and I'd say that Flamingo Island is possibly my...

We splurged on one of the cabanas, and it was a mixed bag.

On one hand, the setting is stunning. There's a cooler with still and sparkling water, a bottle of wine, a nice plate of fruit, and 3 jars of nuts, all of which we enjoyed. There are also towels, 2 floats, a hammock suspended over the water, and steps down into the water.

The cabana is furnished with a couch and chair that were surprisingly hard and uncomfortable. Two lounge chairs are outside and can't really be moved to shade (I did squeeze one partly into the cabana). They were also unpadded and uncomfortable. There's a staffer to serve the cabanas, but I wouldn't call him a butler--there was no way to summon him, so we had to find him when we wanted to, say, order lunch.

We ended up leaving earlier than we planned, simply because the furnishings were so uncomfortable. We did have a nice time, and we're glad we did this, but for the amount charged the experience...

After multiple attempts, I finally was able to book a massage at Renaissance Private Beach, and it was worth it!. A speedboat wisk you from the hotel to the island. There's two sides, one for families and the other for adults. As you walk to the beach, there's a mini forest along the side of the planks. I'm not sure what was in there, but in the end, I saw a few flamingos... beautiful. A few steps later is a clear water beach, cabanas, and hammocks stationed over the water. The water is shallow, and you can see mini fish. The food was amazing. I had the grouper and plantains. A few hours later, I made my way to the massage cabanas... breathe taking.. the back side of the cabana opened up to the sea. My massage was ok, I prefer a male masseuse. Overall, it was a relaxing day, definitely on...