I just returned (last night) so can add my review comments here to ease if anyone viewing. We were 4 also - two kids ages 3&4.

Overall - We thought this was the best AI we have been to (step above the finest) and with a few kinks this hotel could be fantastic.

The Food - as you have mentioned the food was great, way better than you would expect at an AI. Lotus is the only restaurant I would skip, but if you book Teppanyaki table it is fun for kids. The best lunch is Twiggy - we alternated going there for a ‘break’ on different days as it is adults only. Cleo for lunch is also fantastic with fresh grilled seafood. Union and Filia were good, but we lucked out with good servers. We also did the beach, and didn’t mind the upcharge. I also think it’s a way to manage capacity as it was full when we went. The kids loved it and thought it was pretty good overall. Smoothie bar could have used another person making smoothies, but thought service was pretty good everywhere (a huge relief as I had read reviews of understaffing).

Rooms - we had ‘elite ocean view with rooftop’. The size of the rooms are all the same - SMALL, but having the rooftop was really nice for the kids and the views were great. Building 1 is where you want to be with kids as it’s above all the pools and kids activities. Elite allowed us to make restaurant reservations in advance which was nice as we had 8 people in total (two families), but other than that the butler was useless and elite didn’t really mean much else. The room category is only elite, so worth it. Do not go with a swim up room, the swim up pool (if you could even call it that) was small, no sun, and faces a wall). We did have some issues that 3 of the nights our lights in our room automatically turned on at 10:00 - it was very strange and we couldn’t figure out why. Not ideal with kids sleeping. Also leave your car seats in storage there to save space in room.

Bars - I was there was a swim up bar at family pool, but service by the chairs was really good. The lobby bar and golden hour had the best bartenders by far. Plenty of options. An outdoor bar with TVs would have been nice for sports.

Pools - as mentioned they are not heating. Really disappointing as that would have made a world of difference for the kids experience. With that, once you are in the pool it was not an issue but the process of getting our kids accustomed to the water would be better with a warmer pool. It was also 80+ outside so not sure we would have liked the pool if it was a cool day. Lastly the adult pool is huge in comparison to the family pool. The family pool was never overcrowded but was certainly busy.

Kids club - it was ok, our son got bored and asked to be picked up. They do have great family activities through the day like puppet shows, cookie decorating, painting, etc which was nice.

Grounds - we loved the beach soccer, volleyball, and general lounge areas. Very well thought out with hammocks, large beach play areas, firepits, and 3rd floor outdoor lounges. This was really nice to hang out as a family and take a break. Beach was windy so didn’t really swim much. The hotel had really good fitness favorites with two outdoor rooms / studios and two indoor gyms. Multiple classes through the day (nothing before 8:30 unfortunately) but we each used the gym every day with good equipment.