Great trip to TRS Turquesa

[Anne]

By Ken Z

Our return to paradise, my partner and I returned to the TRS Turquesa for our 12th visit to celebrate our 24th anniversary and my 50th birthday.

First Impressions
It was with eager anticipation that we arrived at the resort. For this trip we opted to book a private transfer with Dominicanplus Transfers and were so pleased with the prompt and efficient service. Upon arrival we were greeted by the bellmen who quickly took our bags and escorted us to main desk to check-in. Our first impressions from the gentleman checking in was unwelcoming but efficient. He provided us with paperwork to be completed and bands. Seemed a little off putting from our experiences in the past. A Bellman quickly took us to our swimout junior suite in building 55. Unfortunately when we arrived at the door neither of our room key wristbands worked. The Bellman was able to let us into our room however and we were happy to find it decorated with an anniversary banner, fruit platter and a gift bottle of rum. We breathed a sigh of relief. This was the welcome that we were use to at the Turquesa. I will note that it took three return visits to the front desk that evening to get our keys to work. Both the front desk and guests were left frustrated. However with that being said we do like that your wristbands are now your room key —-you never have to worry about remembering your key.

The Swimout Suite
For us the swimout suite is the ideal room. We love being able to walk off your suite deck and into the pool. You have ready access to your own washroom and your sunscreen etc. We found the pool very quiet and relaxing. Drink service to the pool was quick and accommodating. We also love the location of Building 55 it provides full sun both morning and afternoon. Plus building 55 is close to all of the amenities. The only drawback for some might be how close it is located to the Secret Pool. On foam party afternoons the thud of the music can invade the peace and tranquility.

Dining Options
When we travel to the TRS Turquesa we choose to dine only in the TRS restaurants. We find that they provide the level of service and the quality of food that we desire. When we first travelled to the Turquesa the only dining option was the Royal Gourmet. We then saw the addition of the French Restaurant and now the addition of Helios and Kuskos. With all of these options we now truly feel there is no need to travel into the other sections. My husband is a chef and dining for us is an experience. We enjoy getting dressed for both lunch and dinner and having a relaxing 2 or 3 hour experience. There were many highlights for us at all of the restaurants. There was one noticeable change in the French with the Chateaubriand, no longer is it served on the stone with two accompanying sauces. The quality of the beef is still excellent but the show is gone. Plus I personally really miss the bernaise sauce. A highlight for us was also the addition of Helios. We love the beach club vibe. The cerviche scallops were wonderful and the surf and turf excellent. We also really enjoyed the crab cakes and duck at lunch. Carprichio and Helios and both open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We loved having two options for dining at lunch with two different menu options, unfortunately this changed 5 days into our holiday. Both restaurants are still open for lunch but with identical menus. This cut your choices in half and eliminated a number of favourite options. Both guests and staff at Helios were taken by surprise. Our experience at Kuskos was excellent but rushed. We were served 4 courses in 45 minutes. One item was arriving before we had even begun to enjoy the last dish. I am hoping that this could be addressed. It should also be noted that the air conditioning in this restaurant does not work at efficiently as the other TRS restaurants.

Smile Service
Wow! That is the best way to describe the experience that Octavio and his team provide. For our 25th anniversary Octavio arranged an intimate dinner for us at La Bohieme including champagne, candlelight, rose petals, speciality cake and a saxophone soloist. It was magical. He really made us feel important members of the Turquesa family.

The Reason We Return
We are drawn to the Turquesa time and time again because of the staff who are family to us. The are members of the Turquesa team who truly have left an imprint on our heart. Remanita at La Bohieme spotted us from across a crowded dining room and immediately came to welcome us on our first evening. Throughout our stay she went above and beyond ensuring our experience was exceptional, on our last day their were shared tears between the three of us. Another member who is a dear member of our heart from previous trips was Claribel in Carprichio. She two spotted us on our first morning and instantly reconnected with us. Both of these young ladies provide excellent service that should be consider the exemplary standard the TRS brand. We were also were really impressed with Estefani in la Bohieme and Helios, she is a rising star. One two different occasions she turned bumbling service provided by here colleagues in to memorable occasions when she spotted that things were quickly going down hill for us. She is an exception addition as is Jesus and Solanyi at Helios. Finally other standout members for us were Mabel at the main bar, Octavio at Smile Service and Melky as a butler—- who was not our butler but checked in regularly to ensure we were having a good experience.

The Butlers
We keep reading on trip advisor the amazing work of the butlers and all of the little extras they do for their guests, well this was not our experience. Over the course of 10 days we had an ever changing cast of butlers —none of whom went out of their way to make our experience outstanding. Our first evening Yan Marc introduced himself and the next morning he told us he was relocated. If it had not been for Melky who we have had in the past no one would have checked on us. On one occasion I asked three different butlers for assistance on the same issue over a 2 hour time span. The butler service for us was disappointing.

Overall
Our return experience to the TRS Turquesa was a great experience. It was the perfect place to celebrate two milestones. There have been changes since our previous trip but for the most part they are positive.

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