Wild Dunes Resort

I wanted to share our disappointment with the experience our group had this week at the Wild Dunes tennis facility. Our group of eight has been taking an annual golf and tennis trip for many years, and we selected Wild Dunes in part because of the resort’s reputation and the tennis facility’s positioning as a “world-class” destination. Unfortunately, our experience with the tennis program fell well short of those expectations. From the beginning, we found it surprisingly difficult to make court reservations, even though the dates of our trip had been established months in advance and we were guests staying at the resort. More concerning was the overall impression we received that resort guests were not a priority and that the facility was primarily focused on serving local residents. As visitors who specifically chose Wild Dunes for a golf and tennis trip, we did not feel particularly welcomed or valued by the tennis operation. When we did arrive to play, our group was assigned two courts that were in very poor condition. Given the reputation Wild Dunes promotes for its tennis facilities, the condition of these courts was particularly disappointing and certainly not what we expected from a resort of this caliber. I want to emphasize that our concern is not based on a single minor inconvenience. The combination of the difficulty securing courts, the feeling that resort guests were secondary to local players, and the poor condition of the courts left all eight members of our group extremely disappointed with the tennis portion of our stay. We chose Wild Dunes expecting a first-class golf and tennis experience. While we enjoyed other aspects of our trip, the tennis experience did not come close to meeting that standard. I hope the resort will take a serious look at how its tennis operation accommodates resort guests, particularly groups that select Wild Dunes specifically because tennis is an important part of their visit. I appreciate you taking the time to consider our feedback and would welcome your response.

The front desk staff are unapproachable, without warmth, unprofessional, especially Caitlin the nighttime from desk manager. Many of the front desk staff with whom I interacted should not be in the service industry.

I get the resort experience you are trying to apply, however having establishments that indicated they could not take cash and had to put everything on the room tab was not professional.

We had a wonderful weekend at Wild Dunes, but unfortunately that was largely because we were with great friends in a beautiful location. The resort itself did not deliver the level of service or experience we expected for what we paid. Our issues actually began before we arrived. We booked and prepaid for our stay months in advance, only to discover that our reservation had been canceled without our knowledge. We were never notified, and our prepaid money had not been returned. When we tried to resolve it shortly before our trip, the initial response felt much more like this was our problem to solve than an issue the resort should be invested in fixing. It was an incredibly frustrating way to begin a vacation that had been planned and paid for well in advance. Unfortunately, that was not the only issue. Throughout the weekend, there were multiple customer service moments that simply did not match what I would expect from a resort at this price point. One example was when I approached the front desk to report that an elevator was not operating correctly. Before I could even fully explain what was happening to the woman I had approached, another employee interrupted the conversation and handled the interaction in a way that felt unnecessarily dismissive. We also had a disappointing experience at the spa. I do want to give credit where it is due: the spa contacted me afterward, listened to my concerns, and offered a refund. I genuinely appreciated that response and their willingness to make it right. The billing experience has added another layer of frustration. We had paid for our accommodations in full before arriving, yet received additional resort-related charges at checkout. Now, after returning home, we are also being charged for beach towels that we absolutely returned. Guests use their room cards to check towels out, but there was no corresponding way for us to scan the towels back in. We returned every towel to the large designated towel-return bin as instructed. I have since found other Wild Dunes reviews describing the same experience of being charged for towels that were returned, which makes this particularly concerning. Any one of these things might be easy to overlook. Taken together, though, they point to a larger problem with the guest experience. At this price point, guests should not have to spend their vacation resolving reservation problems, questioning unexpected charges, worrying about proving that towels were returned, or navigating dismissive service interactions. There were absolutely things we enjoyed. The property and location are beautiful, we had a great time with our friends, and there were employees who were kind and helpful. I also appreciate the way the spa ultimately responded to my concern. Multiple things can be true at once: we can have had a wonderful weekend and still believe that the resort experience itself fell significantly short of what we paid for. For a property positioning itself as a high-end resort, I expected much more attention to the guest experience. For a resort at this price point, we expected much more. Unfortunately, we would be hesitant to return.

The rooms were clean and spacious; the entire resort was clean. Loved the atmosphere and coastal themes throughout. We loved the location and options of pools and the ocean. I was able to get a descent price on my Hyatt app with a bed and breakfast package. I recommend the Oyster Catcher at Sweetgrass as it is much better food. They have a buffet my husband loved. Marc and Virginia at the front desk were stupendous, very helpful, and wonderful. We used Marcs recommendations and they were spot on! He really made everything enjoyable. Really the majority of staff were very friendly. One hostess at Coastal Provisions was annoyed each time we were there and another couple was joining us. The only issue we had was at the spa. I booked and then moved four treatments the week before we arrived, 2 for my brother and sister in laws anniversary. When we first arrived everything seemed fine. I checked in and was enjoying the gravity table as I sprained my ankle. Then the manager came and said my brother and sister in law missed their appointment yesterday. I explained how it was moved and I booked it so we were doing it at the same time. We are still not sure if we will be charged for two of them. My brother was also charged (and ultimately credited) for something he never booked. The manager was very kind and checked on things. Ryan at the desk was incredibly sweet. Ultimately they still haven’t told us what will happen and we checked out. The blame seems to be on a second party booking? Regardless, we had a great stay and this is our second time here.