We booked multiple rooms for a family vacation through a travel agent, "Exotic Vacations", and found the Island Seas to be poor in service, sloppy in maintenance, and marginally edible for food. Our travel agent, confirmed "oceanside" rooms, but when we checked in, we were told that those rooms were only available to owners. There was no one to assist with our luggage, the 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartments were clean and spacious enough, but the dishwsasher IN ALL FOUR UNITS did not work (and Never were repaired) and the heat/airconditioners were very noisy. Towels seem to be a major problem, whether at the beach or daily replacements. No management was apparent, the front desk would allow the phone to ring endlessly, while staff was visible in the back room. Wait staff practiced rudeness and food was marginal to poor...and be careful, the bar will overcharge you by adding drinks to your tab. We booked a dinner at "Becky's" also through the Travel Agent, and the food was terrible, wine horrible, service passable, but we were the only ones in the restaurant.

Apparently the Island Seas has a "sister" property, which we did not visit but were told is was a "5 Star dump" compared to the Island Seas. I cannot imagine.

The Westin for slightly more money had a much better location, beach, food and service, plus walking distance to other shops and restaurants in Lucaya. We ate poolside and in Churchill's, both were excellent. (Churchills is very expensive but worth it ). The Le Med restaurant, in Lucaya, was very good. Snorkling/sailing on the FantasySea was fabulous, a great bargain. Scuba diving is excellent. Unexco is the best and it also has a small cafe at the dock with good and reasonably priced food.

We were there 12/28-1/1. I, too, went to The Island Seas not expecting much in the way of service, friendliness, etc. and came away quite surprised. While the customer service is not on the level of some nicer Mexican resorts, I found it to be quite adequate and never encountered any rudeness. That being said, "island time" is "island time" and "a few minutes" could mean anywhere from 15 minutes to never! Just a fact and, once we accepted that, we learned to chill and pick our "battles" (although nothing was a big deal). So, here we go:

Check-in: Yes, the check-in process is a little cumbersome; we had to see no fewer than 3 people at 3 different counters but it did go quickly and everyone was very nice. We were not able to get into our room early as we hoped (not the hotel's problem) and, in fact, got in almost an hour after the posted check-in time. Not a big deal but we were tired after having to get up for a 6 a.m. flight and it would have been nice to get in on time at least.

Room: We had a 2 bedroom that was HUGE. Very nice. Some supply issues (see below) but no biggie. Lots of closet and drawer space and really nice to have a full-sized dining table along with a breakfast bar. We loved the size and lay-out of the room. We didn't have a room that had been totally updated so we still had the old TVs but they worked fine (no remotes in the rooms unfortunately). Some details would make a big difference in turning these rooms from good to great: 2 of the 3 closet doors were off the hinges and, even after security came in to fix the safe in one of the closets, they were never fixed. No pen and paper in the rooms; would have been nice to have those available. The A/C units are REALLY loud. I happen to like white noise, but these really interferred with TV watching or even just talking. The units worked great though. The room did have a funky (not just musty) smell and I would suggest bringing along an air freshener..that should take care of it.
We also happened to get the VERY end building across the road, furthest from the main office. We were on the ground floor so we had absolutely no view, even the marina view was very limited so that was a downer. Of course, we weren't in the room that often but it would have been nice to be able to step out and see water somewhere. Next time I'll request another building if available.

Housekeeping: at check-in, our room was missing quite a few items (only had a few bath towels and nothing else for 4 of us), no toiletries, no batteries in the one remote (had 3 TVs so it wouldn't have gone very far anyway!) but I made calls and followed up for what we really wanted and forgot about the rest. Housekeeping was very responsive and did a very nice job cleaning the room (it was after noon before they cleaned everyday but we were out most of the day anyway and it really didn't matter), even turned the bed down and gave us extra pillows without being asked.

Grounds: well kept and very clean. Plenty to do though not a party spot.

Pool/Beach: Never had a problem getting a chair by the pool. The pool was pretty chilly and I only got in it a couple of times to cool off. One complaint: there were never any towels at the towel hut. They were always "in the wash" (for 4 days??!!). I suggest bring your own. While the chairs were occasionally out, there were usually some that had been abandoned on the beach.

Security: it took a full day to get our safe working but Smith in Security made sure it was taken care of and personally supervised the locksmith while we were gone from the room. There was a room break-in the next building down and they lost a lot of stuff (I'm assuming they didn't use their safe but I don't know that for sure). We did see reqular security patrols all during the night (I don't know if they always do that or if it was just because of the break-in) and I never felt un-safe.

Food: we purchased meal plan tickets ($50 per person per day) that included 4 drink tickets per person per day. While the menu for that program had more than enough variety, we will probably just due a la carte next time so that we have more choices; we figured it was probably a wash and we didn't save any money. BUT, the food from Coconuts was absolutely delicious. Service was REALLY slow, even when there wasn't a crowd and you need to give yourself at least an hour (usually more) for any meal. Not that they weren't working hard, I think they just have 1 or 2 cooks and they seem to do only one table at a time. Again, though, the food was wonderful and we never left disappointed. There was an Italian buffet one night that was wonderful. I'm from St. Louis and know Italian food and this was pretty darn good. My only complaints: no fresh fruit offered and, because the bar doesn't open until later, no soft drinks or tea were available at breakfast (only juice, water, coffee, milk). Tip: best bargain was the $1 canned soda in the machines on the property. I learned to bring my own to breakfast! The menu prices I noted seemed to be reasonable.

People: Like I said, everyone was very nice but very laid back. It was kind of like "welcome to our lovely hotel and beautiful island, make of it what you will!" We were never harrassed (asked at check-in and that was the end of it) about the time-share presentation. We were never really bothered by beach vendors. They would approach and keep walking if they got a "no" or no response at all. Not an issue.

Misc: they have *bikes* for rental..if you can find one with air in the tires and chains that aren't falling off. They have a nice shuffleboard court. Ping-pong table missing the net. Volleyball net right in the middle of the beach chair area.

Closing: I think if The Island Seas would pay a little more attention to details and fix the small stuff, it could really stand out. I can see where pickier travellers might not be thrilled with it but we found it a very affordable, nice option. They could really take it up a notch with just a little effort; We would definitely go back (already planning for next year) and really did have quite a nice time.

Although my experience was mostly pleasant at the island Seas Resort, there are a few things I think should be noted. The check in process is long, and the front desk agents are not very welcoming. As I was checking in I started to worry that I had made a big mistake. Please be aware there is a 15 $ tax charge per person, per day. Do an inventory check when you get in your room, and notify them if anything is missing right away, or they will charge you.
My condo was in the very back across the street, but not far of a wallk to the beach. The bartenders were great, but the waitresses at Coconuts were rude. 15% gratuity is included in everything on the island, so they aren't worried about giving good service.
I would stay there again, it is convient considering access to the beach, Port Lucaya and there is a place next door to rent boats,scooters,cars, or wave runners.

My mother and I visited during Thanksgiving week. We experienced beautiful weather. Everyone was very friendly and the property was well maintained.

I would have preferred an oceanview room or a room within the main building. We had a room that was across the street in one of the newly built buildings. The rooms are spacious, clean and relaxing. Our room had a view of the canal. The room was beautifully furnished with a full kitchen and supplies.

My only issue was that they were trying to sell us a Time Share. Once they realized that I had visited the property before (5 yrs prior) and had not purchaed a Time Share they became very nasty even refusing to give us our gift for sitting through their presentation. We ended up purchasing a Time Share from another property.

All in all this is a resort I would not hesitate to go back to. This is a place to go when you want to get away from it all. There is just enough of everything you need to enjoy yourself.

This is a great locaton for couples who just want to enjoy each other without alot of crowds and attractions.

I can't wait to go back!