I was at the Phoenix from 1/17 to 1/24. Building A is open and occupied but there are a lot of little problems and some major ones as well. I had to move out to the Divi Links for our second week and they did a great job of acommodating me and my guests. Doug Kuhn, Resident Manager from NC is there, and is doing a good job. But there is only so much they can do when things are behind. We're dealing with foriegn contractors, some lazy workers, and materials not yet arrived. Nevertheless, they shouldn't have opened. And if you're thinking of renting out your unit, who would want to pay big bucks to listen to construction, have styrofoam in your beach and pool water, and get dust all over them, all week long. I did it for a week and could not do it any longer.
My wife and I decided NOT TO STAY the month of February because it would be a nightmare. We were going to rent, but you can't do that when we are dealing with construction conditions, problems with the rooms, unstocked items, broken utilities and appliances, etc..... so we have requested that our 2009 maintenace fees for this year be applied to next year. We'll see how that goes.
Pool: The pool has water in it but cannot be opened because of all the construction. The kiddy pool is huge and is in the way of the bigger pool. Looks like "hot tubs" will be cold tub whirlpool extensions of the swim up bar.
Units: They are behind schedule which is no surprise, but I can say the units will be nice, when they are complete. Complete being the operative word. Washer/dryer all in one is a disaster- they DO NOT work. Some shades are not up; ceiling fans missing; electrical system problematic; appliances missing; phone system problems; and a bunch of other minor issues. But the beds are AWESOME! Flat panel TV's are superb. A major issue is going to be where they will put all the people that will be inundating the pool and beach when all 4 buildings open. WOW!
Restaurant: It is not even close to opening. But they are working on it.
New Lobby: Foundation isn't even poured.
New Parking Lots: What? Not even a gleam in the stream yet.
New Beach: Yeah, right. There is not a hell of a lot of new beach. When we bought in 2007, we were told that the beach would be all the way down to the beach police station. No way. It's only 40 to 50, maybe 75 yards NW of the jetty. That section has some serious seaweed- I hope they are planning to dredge it out and clean it up.
Chickies: They are putting a lot of new chickies up but they are now so close together that you'll need a to be a limbo dancer to get around other parties to your chickie, or to /from the beach. That's not quite a big deal- I can handle this.
BOTTOM LINE: Why are they even open? They should be extending people's contracts and waiving maintenance fees but not opening until they are ready to host owners/investors in the manner they should be hosted. Something about not getting construction styrofoam flying into my food and drink is a little too much to expect I guess. I spent over 100 thousand dollars buying weeks 3-8 and I'm SOL this year for weeks 5-8 after having paid maintenance fees. My unit is not yet complete so how can there be maintenance. It is disappointing to say the least.
HOWEVER, DIVI is a professional outfit. It looks like they know what they are doing. I base this upon the 4 other properties they own and maintain. Me, my wife, and our guests were taken care of at the DIVI Links, but there is nothing like being right on the beach. I'm not a fan of golf cart rides.
My wife and I are appreciative of the efforts put forth by resident manager Doug Kuhn, the front desk staff, Activities Director Avril Culley, towel hut manager Carmen, and beach assistant Louis - they are good people and really care about us. But the corporate people are pushing the deadlines and resort operations are having trouble because there is only so much that can be done with limited time, manpower, and supplies.
So I'll leave you with my prognosis: It'll be GREAT next year.
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John L