Review: Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort

When scoping out hotels on Guam, two choices popped out at me: the Sheraton and Westin. There’s something about Westin Hotels that draws me—maybe just that immaculate white Heavenly Bed that I always get a good rest in—but then again, the Sheraton’s Sweet Sleeper Beds are close, if not identical, in comfort and the Sheraton Laguna Resort on Guam seemed to receive higher praise from other reviews I looked into. Had my stay on Guam been a day longer, I certainly would have stayed a night in each property, but ultimately I chose the Sheraton. While I cannot definitively proclaim which property is better, I can say without hesitation that I had a great stay at the Sheraton.

Maybe I would have been treated well at the Westin (or the Hyatt or the Marriott for that matter) as well, but the Sheraton staff was tremendous, the room was comfortable, and the grounds were quite becoming to relaxation. My only regret was not having an extra day to relax in the pool—overlooking a beautiful shoreline and rich blue water.

We rented a car at the airport because the cab drivers—I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: cab drives live a tough life, but I find them, more than any other profession (including politicians) to be crooked—wanted $15 for 1.5 mile drive to the hotel and would not negotiate. A car rental was only $27 so it made sense to go that route—plus, it would give us a chance to explore the small island a bit the following day before our flight to Tokyo. All that to say, the hotel has ample free parking that we utilized.

The check-in crew was wonderful—welcoming us to Guam and explaining all the amenities available at the hotel. A luau was going on nearby and as we took a look down as we walked to our room. Staged luaus are a bit too cheesy for me, but there seemed to be a lot of folks enjoying the performance and the hotel does offer a variety of different programs—a bit different each night during the week.

My uncle and I both hold status in the Starwood Preferred Guest program and were upgraded to a nice suite on the top floor of the hotel. The room was smartly decorated with deep shades of red and black and featured a living room, guest bathroom, bedroom, and master bath.

Two welcome amenities awaited us, including a bottle of red wine and a plate of sweets (which turned out to be a very satisfying late evening snack).

Down the hall was the club lounge, which was compact but functional. I did not take any pictures inside because it was crowded, but the evening hors d’oeuvres featured a nice selection of cold and hot items, mostly of an Asian theme, including dumplings, noodles, rice, and typical lounge finger food like chopped veggies and cheese.

Back in the room, a shower felt wonderful after essentially flying with only short breaks between flights from Frankfurt all the way to Guam via Washington, Houston, Denver, Boston, Los Angeles, and Honolulu (but that was by choice…). It was only 2200, generally a few hours before my bedtime, but my internal clock was messed up and I went right to bed, sleeping soundly for the next nine hours.

Wide-awake but refreshed at 0700, I donned my workout gear and headed downstairs to do a workout. On the way, I passed the hotel’s fancy Japanese restaurant, The President. A shame I did not have a chance to try it… I had the gym to myself and found the equipment to be more than suitable for my needs. The resort did not appear crowded and the only person who came in during the workout was a hotel staff person to check on towels. There were plenty of them.

After a great workout and another shower, my uncle and I headed down the hall to the Club Lounge for breakfast. Inside, now about 0830, we found every table filled. The host sheepishly pointed out the obvious: there was no space for us, but invited us to enjoy our breakfast in the La Cascata restaurant downstairs. While we could have enjoyed a nice Japanese breakfast in the lounge, we were happy to find an extensive selection of American, Continental (not the airlines), and Japanese food downstairs. I’m a sucker for American breakfasts and had a wonderful one here.

I found the people of Guam to be exceedingly nice, even reminding me of the kindest people on Earth in Fiji, and the service during breakfast was fantastic. A smiling lady offered fresh-from-the-oven hot croissants from table to table, which I thought was a nice touch. From the restaurant you could look out on the lush grounds of the pool and gardens, making for a nice backdrop to enjoy your meal in.

After breakfast we had a couple hours to kill before the flight and rather than driving around the island decided took a walk around the grounds of the hotel. The property extends to the water and is elevated a bit, making the view from the pool quite spectacular (with clear water in the ocean below).

The hotel even had tennis courts, a botanical garden, and a boat available for transport to the small island of Alupat just a few hundred meters from the hotel.

We were warmly thanked and escorted out the door on upon checkout, a great way to end our stay at the hotel.

This Sheraton Laguna Guam has lot going for it: the rooms are comfortable, the staff is nice, the grounds are well-kept, and the resort seemed like a perfect place to relax. Whether you are looking to escape to somewhere serene or just somewhere comfortable to sleep on a layover between Asia and Hawaii, the Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort has you covered.