Bon Aire section and other exterior changes to Hotel Breakers

I remember now one thing the bartender said was that the hotel closings will be determined by park closing times. So there will be a couple hours to enjoy what you can, with the latest for the bar etc. being 1A.

CPboy77 said:

Strange, I don't know any bars that don't provide some type of food.

I thought the same, but apparently having Starbucks right there and Fridays right down the hall can cover them for that requirement? Several people asked the bartender about food while we were sitting there and he referred all of them to Fridays.

No more coffee makers in the rooms! We don't like Starbucks and normally brew our own coffee in the rooms. I just discovered as part of the renovation they removed the coffee pots!

There is always Perkins, or Sandcastle suites has free coffee in the lobby

My wife and I like to brew our own coffee in the room. It's nice to have a cup without having to deal with the lobby and such. Frankly a coffee maker is pretty standard for hotel rooms at over $300 a night. As a repeat customer it's something we expected to have in the room.

Perkins will deliver to your room Full menu including coffee

Yes, that was a unfortunate part of the remodel. Even the random coffee stations are gone that used to be by the exits/ stairwells.

bgiese said:

We don't like Starbucks

I don't even know who you are anymore!

These are located in the main section? Where would this be?

CPboy77,

They're the rooms in the turrets at the end of the hallways. One of my favorite rooms. The curves on the window section gives it away. I love the view. Where did the pics come from?

The pictures are from the Hotel Breakers reservation page where you select the room you want. The majority of the room types have some pictures so you can get an idea of what they look like. Some of the new rooms in the Rotunda and Main section don't have any pictures up yet though.

The outdoor pool areas were supposed to open this weekend. Does anyone have any reviews or pictures?

No pictures, but the outdoor pools were open and full of people today. The jacuzzi already seems like a popular place to hang out, and there were plenty of kids enjoying the water activity pool.

Just got home after a weekend in the new Breakers.

The hotel is beautiful. I wish they hadn't axed the pool and the giant Jacuzzi, truncated the entrance hallway, removed the guest rooms above it, and demolished Bon Air. I thought BA was a beautiful backdrop to the scenery at that section of the park and would much rather have seen it renovated too.

However, I am grateful that they have preserved the historic look and feel of the original section, that they didn't completely remove the entrance corridor and Main wings as the rumors communicated to me by hotel employees in 2013 indicated, and that they've kept things like the tin ceilings, moulding, and woodwork.

By and large, they got it right. Thank you CP.

Now, for all those who said "They don't need the third pool and spa..."

This past Friday night at 10:30 PM (about half hour after park closing) the only remaining outdoor Jacuzzi at Breakers East was so full you couldn't see water anywhere. There must have been 150 people in it, standing squished in elbow to elbow. You'd have to see it to believe it. Needless to say, I couldn't take a much-coveted Jacuzzi after a day in the park.

Remarkably, this was the case even when the park was dead that day- every ride was a walk-on. I can only imagine what it will be like when there are actually a lot of guests there.

Point being... they may not need a second outdoor pool, but they do need another outdoor Jacuzzi. I hope they will add one.

There are a few other things they need to get ironed out if they are serious about being perceived as a resort property.

1) The service at the rotunda bar was extremely friendly, and I'm glad to say that the bar and firepits were open 2 hours past park closing (in fact, they kept the firepits on well after stated closing time due to demand, which is great), but the quality of the drinks was very poor. And I'm not complaining about strength/alcohol content, I'm complaining about the mix & taste. The margaritas were like a urine sample camouflaged with lime juice. My perception was that they had very friendly people with virtually no experience bartending and mixing drinks working the bar.

2) The indoor pool and Jacuzzi were drained and closed for much of the day and all of the evening Friday. An employee told me they were cleaning them. Why in the world would they be doing this during the operating hours, especially on a Friday night? This should be done overnight when the pools and spas are closed.

3) There should be some kind of food 24 hours a day. Room service, an open shop, or at the very least vending machines. It was disappointing to head into the hotel when the firepits closed at midnight to discover I was quite hungry and couldn't get anything to eat anywhere.

4) They ought to have a business center or some kind of facility where you can print things like boarding passes and such.

5) In my opinion, they should have free high-speed internet. That is pretty well standard around the world at hotels in this price range. The "Free Wi-Fi" at breakers is only Free at 1Mbps, which is 2G EDGE speeds (circa 15 years ago), or about 1/40th the speed of your average LTE smartphone data service. For faster speeds, you have to pay.

Just suggesting areas for improvement. All in all I had a great stay in a beautiful hotel with great service.

You could have walked over to the Sandcastle Suites hot tub! Lol

1) The bartenders I've had at the lobby bar made some really good Long Island's and Martinis. Maybe they had different staff there on your particular visit.

2) Could be some little kid had an "accident" and they had to close and clean the pool right away?

Pete, that possibility had crossed my mind, but both the pool and the Jacuzzi were closed, and the attendant said they had been closed for several hours for cleaning.

If some little kid crapped in the pool and then went across to the Jacuzzi and crapped in it too, then I want to borrow him for a practical joke or two :-)

CPBoy, I actually wish I had thought of that!

bgiese said:

No more coffee makers in the rooms! We don't like Starbucks and normally brew our own coffee in the rooms. I just discovered as part of the renovation they removed the coffee pots!

This is one of the first things I noticed....a few days after our stay I did receive an e-mail asking about out stay. The missing coffee maker was my only negative comment. I'm sure the CP folks want you to purchase Starbucks, but coffee maker in room that is accessible while in PJs is SO much more convenient.

.....And the free coffee machine at the entrance of Breakers (near old BonAir) also disappeared with Bon Air section. that was always nice to grab a few extra styrofoam cups to use in the room.

I also had questionable service at the Rotunda Bar the Sunday before Memorial Day. The man working the bar was incredibly friendly, but he seemed uncomfortable behind the bar. 2 women in front of me ordered Strawberry Daiquiris and I noticed he had to remake them twice, and he even commented that he wasn't quite sure how to best make them. I ordered a Rougabrew, but I waited probably 10 minutes to get it because he was still sorting out the Daiquiris. As I was leaving, a man asked if he could make a Pina Colada, and he seemed uncomfortable, but said he would do his best. I am sure this is just a training issue as it is early in the season, but he definitely didn't seem like a trained bartender. The space is awesome though, and I really enjoyed sitting out by the fire pits enjoying a beer. Hopefully enough feedback from customers will extend the hours a bit more at night.

That coffee maker business fascinates me. There must have been some reason to not include such a basic amenity in the rooms -- a bottom-line driven decision to make guests buy Starbucks? research suggesting guests were ignoring the in-room makers and going to Starbucks? -- but I can't think one up that actually makes sense to me.