My fiance and I did a site visit in July 2012. We are using HTR for guest accommodation and ancillary events only, not ceremony or reception, so I can't review "Wedding Value". The price quoted was $185 per person, per night.

Money-Wise

This location is a great way to maximize a modest budget (not a "budget" location though).

We are using HTR as our preferred/recommended hotel for guests. We are having the reception and ceremony elsewhere, but all ancillary events--welcome cocktail, rehearsal dinner, Sunday brunch-- will be held at HTR. At $20 a head for the supplement, we will be saving so much by having events at HTR versus off-resort, and I don't feel like I'm compromising atmosphere or quality in doing so.

The Resort

In sum-- the rates are reasonable considering how much you get out of the place. There are activities a-plenty, the rooms are very nice, the quality of the overall property is high (i.e., rooms and common areas feel new and are well-kept), the staff seems very friendly and professional, they offer a good range of different locations on the resort for your various events, and it's a great balance between family-friendly and couple-friendly.

There are separate adults-only and kids-allowed pool areas. The resort was clearly family-friendly, but did not at all feel overrun by kids-- still relaxing, quiet, and intimate enough for couples. The resort in general feels very spacious. Apparently they were at 80 or 85% capacity when we visited, but it didn't feel like it. I think this is because some of the resort is a timeshare. There is a lot for kids to do, especially given the adjacent Eco Park, so that helps keep things quiet around the pool and common areas.

The beaches are GORGEOUS. (A beach ceremony is an option, and it's a good one, especially as compared to some other beach venues we saw... this one was spacious and had beautiful, sea grass-free water.) There is also a natural "lagoon" area (still sea-water) that is calm and shallow, and great for snorkeling. The pools are nice, too-- better than average.

There's an Eco Park adjacent to HTR that it purchased some years ago. Use of the park used to be free for guests, but I think now you have to pay a fee for some activities like bike/trail excursions.

Drawbacks

My main gripes are not so big in the grand scheme, but here they are nonetheless:

- Kids 6 and under stay free (yay!), but you have to pay a $100 fee for kids 7-12. That is absurd. How much does a 7-12 year old really eat?? I've also seen other resorts offer a higher age threshold on the kids stay free deal; 12 and under.

- There are limited room upgrade options. While the standard rooms are plenty nice for us, some of our guests will be looking for a higher level of luxury. They won't have the opportunity to upgrade to anything like that at HTR; they will probably stay elsewhere.

- Also, there are basically three types of rooms, and only one of them offers a suite option, ideal for families, and I don't think there are that many of these. Or, if there are, there aren't many available to wedding groups (I think most of them are timeshare owned). This is problematic for us and for some of our guests who would prefer to book a two-bedroom suite to accommodate young kids + parents/inlaws who intend to do most of our babysitting.

- I was told that there are now some fees associated with some activities at the Eco Park. I don't know how much these fees are yet, but I was disappointed to learn that it used to be free and now it's not. At $185 per person, per night, I really don't want my guests to have to pay for anything additional.

All in all, this is a great property with tons of flexibility, options, and value. We honestly thought it was too good to be true! If you stay here, you will not be disappointed.