Hotel was very clean, staff very professional, but they did not interact with the guests and seemed bored. Hotel was not even 1/10th full and they would not upgrade room. Upon check-in, to request a non-smoking room, you must sign a form stating that if you smoke in the room, you will be fined $120.00. It seemed like everything was done by the book!!! Lots of security walking around at all times glaring at you as if you were going to break a rule, very uncomfortable. Pool closes at 10PM sharp, but is not fenced off from hotel. Was walking by the pool and a security person yelled, "you're not supposed to be out here." Checked out and went to the Westin, fabulous place. Best Western was convenient to the International Bazaar and casino, but it got old fast with the panhandlers. The beach is where you want to stay, but the casino is nice to visit.

We stayed at the Best Western Castaways on spring break. I gave them my Visa Check Card for a $300 room deposit. They said it was denied. My friend gave her credit card for the $300. When we checked out, her deposit was credited back. When we got home I found that $300 was debited from my account by Best Western Castaways. Mr. Barnett, who is VP and General Manager tells me that they never charged me the money and will not refund it. I hope that if nothing else students will see this and know not to ever stay there as they are very unreputable.

The Castaways was a rather plain hotel, with some plusses and minuses: on the plus side, the place was very clean, and the staff was attentive. You always saw the manager and/or security walking around. When they say they don't want you to hang stuff (like wet clothing) from the balconies or railings, they mean it. I hung some clothes that got wet at the beach from a hanger, and hooked the hanger onto the balcony railing, with the clothes inside the railing, and while I was away at supper, they came into my room and put the clothes on the bed, and left a message stating that NOTHING was to be hung from the balcony ( a problem in a country with a very humid climate!) The pool was very nice: big and deep, and kept, like everything else, very clean. The staff was nice enough, some people very good at letting us in on how to get around and what tourist things were good to do and what we could pass on. On the other hand, a woman at the registration desk couldn't give us any suggestions about where to go for a good meal. The attached restaurant was only open for breakfast. That meal, although good, was a little expensive. I don't know that we'd stay here again, we might pay a little more to get a more complete experience. But if you're going to be using the hotel just for sleeping at night, it's very reasonable, and the pool is not bad at all for when you'd like to go swimming and not come back all sandy.