wow. listen to all this. as most of you know, i stayed at JE in August, and have mixed things to say. remember, it was BEFORE keith.

the good things: the staff was very nice.
the beach was exceptionally pretty.
the drinks were good.
the property was clean.
most of the meals were very good.
they got up a volleyball game just for me.
big screen TV in the bar.

the bad things: our water in the room was salty. and you could not drink it. i dont think they can help it, due to location.
the shower never worked.
the refridgerator broke.
i would not call the rooms "spotless", but acceptable. they looked a bit old.
meals were expensive, even lunch.
oh my god the flies. could not keep them off our food. it really annoyed my husband, as there is no where to escape. all food is outside, and they swarm you.
no mosquito netting anywhere, not even over my windows.
my shower knob fell off.

at that point, i will say they offered me another room. i did not like the room, it was older and looked it. i didnt think it was worth what i paid, so we compromised and we (and the couple next cabana over) shared the shower in a 3rd cabana. have you ever heard of such a thing? running back & forth in towels! for what it is worth, the plumber, a super guy named simon, went out of his way to try to fix the shower, apologising that the salty water destroys the pipes so fast, they have to be replaced often. after work that night, he came to hang out with us. he even sent us a christmas card.

i had several conversations via computer with jonathan in houston, and he tried. he has only been with them like 6 months. i even met him down there.

my opinion: JE has the potential to be great, as they say. the natural elements are there, and i just loved the grounds. BUT, they have some things to work on. without the happy staff, the place would have sucked. the mgmt better realize that. if they are going to charge that much PAINT THE ROOMS AND GET SOME FRIGGIN' MOSQUITO NETTING!! COMPENSATE YOUR STAFF WELL, AND THEY WILL MAKE THE GUESTS HAPPY. give the guests somewhere to hide from the flies and mosquitos. we were trapped in our room some night, or we would have been eaten alive.

would i recommend it to someone? it depends who, and what i think they want out of a vacation. i kind of liked it. i enjoyed being left alone. i went away for peace & quiet. when i required attention, the staff was attentive and friendly. roberto was a howl, he continually cracked me up! and susan & steve, carlos, and juan. and especially simon.

regarding the comments from/to denny: i saw nothing wrong withe what denny said. i think joe is totally out of line for his comments. it has nothing to do with the fact that i like denny. i also know a bit of his history with JE. denny has never bad-mouthed JE to my knowledge, and you know i read this board often. joe owes denny an apology.

and that's the truth. pfthhthht!