This is a beautiful, modern resort with a veritable zoo inside displaying penguins, flamingos, parrots, and more. The atrium is large and expansive and made me feel quite disabled.
I had hoped that by staying at the host hotel, I would have an easier time getting to and from conferences. That was sadly not the case. Perhaps I should have insisted on a room in the tower closer to the conference center. My room was about 0.4 miles from the conference room. I had not reserved a power scooter for this trip, hoping I could get around on my own. By the time I decided I needed one, it was Sunday and the rental place was closed. On Monday, they didn’t have any available, but they could get me one Tuesday afternoon (when the conference was essentially over).
The single elevator that accessed the conference rooms was also the only elevator access to the pool, making it quite a distance for me. Between my tower and the conference center, not too far behind registration, were the rampS to the pool—SEVEN of them! This collection of long, steep ramps may comply with ADA laws, but it presents a major barrier for those of us with limited endurance and motor fatigue. Even my friend who does wheelchair marathons would have found these arduous!
I did discover that the next-door property (a Hyatt Residence to which guests had full access) had a more accessible pool. From my tower, I could take the elevator to the bottom level and past the Urgent Care Clinic out towards the parking lot. This had a more gentle slope to the neighboring pool.
Once I did get to the pool, I found it quite extensive and I enjoyed swimming in the warm water. I challenged myself to swim all the way around (note that I can typically only do about 100 yards at a time) and it was a good bit of exercise. There are lifts to the pools and hot tubs, but you will have to ask for assistance to use them. There are numerous beach chairs, some on the patio and some on enclosed, fake beaches. The water slides looked enticing but required either stairs or steep ramps for access, so I had to skip them.
Access to the ocean was right across from the pool. However, the waves were high and the water was cold (late March), so I didn’t get in above my knees. I had hoped to snorkel, but this was more of a bodyboarding beach than a swim/snorkel spot. In order to snorkel, I would have had to leave the resort, which I decided was not worth the effort, considering the conference schedule.
They did offer a yoga class at the FAR end of the resort. This building (not considering the distance) was accessible and the instructor was nice and helpful. It included a complete gym where I could have done some therapy exercises had I not been exhausted from walking long distances.
