Sunterra’s Desert Paradise Resort is a property that caters primarily to the time-share crowd. While I didn’t note anything particularly bad about the facility during my five day stay there, neither did I note anything particularly good. In short, I can best sum up the general experience as mediocre, especially when compared to similar types of properties in the area at similar rates.
During my five day stay there I occupied a 1 bedroom suite. The suite comes with several amenities including:
-A full kitchen with a full size refrigerator, microwave, stove & oven, dishwasher, and a minimum complement of utensils and dinnerware.
-A washer and dryer (one of the few amenities not usually offered in this type of property).
-Two TV’s (bedroom and living room)
-DVD and VCR players (living room only)
-Patio with table and chairs
While the list of amenities definitely puts the resort ahead of a typical Las Vegas hotel room, closer inspection reveals that this property suffers in comparison to similar types of properties in the Las Vegas area that can be had at similar rates. Points which detract from the amenities and the overall experience include:
- A bland, uninspired and incongruous interior décor with mediocre quality furniture in mediocre condition. Specifically, the décor is typical Best Western but with no universal theme, either in a particular room or throughout the suite. The quality of the furniture and furnishings can best be described as WalMart or Target quality and, although not falling apart, the majority has definitely seen better days and looked it. Other properties of this type offer much better furnishings and much nicer decors.
- The appliances are all Whirlpool’s economy models. So don’t expect any of the better features such as a timer for the oven. Again, similar types of properties in this area offer better models of appliances with more features.
- The same can be said of the TVs and DVD player. The TV does not offer anyway to access the DVD input directly. Instead you have to turn the TV to channel 2 and then change the channel down one on the remote to access the auxiliary input. It appears that the remote was specifically made for hotel rooms and doesn’t anticipate the need for the TV to access an auxiliary input. I never did figure out how to access the VCR from the TV, but since it wasn’t plugged into the TV and I didn’t have any videocassettes I wanted to play I didn’t worry about it. I guess the management expects you to unplug the cables from the back of the DVD player and plug them into the VCR if you want to use it. Also, only an average compliment of TV channels was available (I was really looking forward to watching AMC and there was, of course, no HBO, Cinemax, or other premium channels), and there was no channel listing or guide available.
Again, the entertainment compares well to the average Las Vegas hotel room, but other properties of this type in this area offer much better setups with a full compliment of channels, a channel guide, a full featured remote, etc. In other words, much more like home.
An even more glaring deficiency, even compared to standard hotel rooms, is the lack of free WiFi access. At Sunterra’s Paradise Resort you have to pay for WiFi: a minimum of $22 for 3 days or $40 per week (although free access is available in the lobby). And sadly, in my suite, I had to be within 4 ft. of a window before I could even connect to it (and that’s with a brand new MacBook Pro). These days even economy hotels offer free WiFi.
There are many other examples of a bent towards economy in the furnishings, for example:
-The floor creaked loudly when I walked on it (no consequence to me but I can imagine what it was like for the residents below me).
-All of the light bulbs used are the lowest wattage possible (there never seemed to be enough light in any room even with all of the fixtures turned on.)
-There were only two small waste cans for the entire suite, one next to the toilet and the other hidden in the kitchen pantry.
-There was a large walk-in closet for the bedroom but it only came with 12 hangers, and the coat closet in the living room had none.
-There were no towel racks in the bathroom. Only a single towel hook next to the shower and a double hook on the door to the toilet.
-The bathroom had a standard tub and low-flow showerhead. No water massage.
Again, none of the preceding can be considered a significant deficiency (with the possible exception of the WiFi access) when compared to an economy hotel room, but together they present a pervasive air of economy and significantly detract from the overall experience. Especially when compared to similar types of properties in the area at similar prices.
Lastly, outside of the suite itself, the bent towards economy and a lack of consideration for the guests continued. One example is that the pool and Jacuzzi were both closed (ostensibly for maintenance) during my stay. A note given to me at registration indicated that they would both be closed from September through November. A friend of mine that lives in the area indicated that this is a frequent tactic used by area hotels so they don’t have to heat their pool facilities in the cold weather. Another example is that the grounds keeping staff decided that they would manicure the rockscape next to the guest’s parking stalls while the guest’s cars were still parked in them, covering them with a thick layer of dust in the process. Normal consideration of the guests would have dictated that the affected stalls be roped off or, at least, the guests warned to move their vehicles.
Would I stay there again? Possibly, if no other similar facilities were available (the one I normally stay at was booked). Certainly the price was reasonable (although Expedia indicated that I received a highly discounted rate). And the location is only about 20 minutes from the south end of the strip during rush hour (10 to 15 minutes at less congested times) if that’s your objective. But, given a choice, much better accommodations can be had for the same or even less price.
