This is the second time I've stayed at the Icon. You stay here for the amazing rooms, private beach, and pool. If you want really good attentive service for food and drinks then you're better off at a resort or hotel. A single drink on the beach on average will take +30 minutes to receive. There isn't a "real" restaurant either, just some buffet-style meals for breakfast and lunch and a little menu at the beach bar, not sure about the price since we never ordered them. The beach bar is nice, but the service was not great. You can stand there for 15 minutes before someone helps you even though there are no other customers. It was very frustrating at times almost like they ignore you. You need to transfer money to an Icon card to purchase anything, which is a bit annoying, especially since you can't get any money back you don't spend. We just gave our card with our balance to another guest to use when we left. Like I said, you don't stay here for the service.
One thing we noticed this trip around was a new bar nearby that played LOUD music until 3 AM almost every night. We were on floor 24 and it still rattled my bed. It was so loud for so long. It was very unfortunate. I'm not sure how the full-time residents deal with it.
Our room was amazing. It was clean and had a washing machine, which we took full advantage of. It's definitely a slower-paced, private stay and we enjoyed that.
Things we loved:
• The private secluded beach is amazing. Unlike other resorts, there is always a beach chair available. No one is going down at 6 AM and reserving every chair there is. The waves are nice and calm and a private swimming area is designated in the ocean.
• The pools are great and never too crowded.
• Taxis are super easy and cheap to get. The front desk is very helpful with that.
• Security feels nice, need a wristband to get in and gated entrance. Staff is everywhere
• Every night the views are breathtaking.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay. We knew what to expect this time around and kind of had the lay of the land down. I think next time I want to stay closer to town, with more in walking distance.