Collective Governors Island

I should really start leaving reviews because I’ve been in the hotel business for almost 20 years and travel a lot. Nonetheless here is my first! I’ll give you the positives and the negatives, with a very honest opinion. Some of the negatives of Collective Governor’s Island are outside their control, others aren’t. I booked 2 tents for my wife’s birthday: one for us and one for our close friends. We stayed two nights… Friday to Sunday. POSITIVES - The views are incredible. Do yourself a favor and take in the late-night views. Nowhere else will you get this view of NYC, Jersey City, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Incredible. - The tents are spacious. We have done a bunch of TENTRR trips (RIP TENTRR) and the size of the Collective tents is awesome… So much room to move around, ample seating, etc. - The beds are comfortable and they did a nice job making up the tent like a typical hotel service. - The bathrooms are also nicely appointed considering this is, at its core, camping. - Pickup was flawless. They were waiting for us as we were told and our guide Rihanna was very friendly. - The food is hit or miss, but don’t miss the cheese platter and prawns. We ate two meals… the first night I had the lamb chops. I am a foodie: we eat out 3-4X a week and travel often. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and preparation of the lamb. The cheese boards and prawns were amazing. We ordered many during our stay. The second night I had the whole fish for two. It was decent at best. Lacked flavor and buried in tomatoes. Just a bit more caper and salt and some more crisp on the skin and it would have been perfect. - Governor’s island is beautiful. Take a walk around the loop if you stay. - The proximity to the island’s spa is wonderful. We got day passes and spent 5 hours on Saturday. I’d review the spa separately… it was nice but very overcrowded in the afternoon and food was bland. NEGATIVES: - I arrived to the room and found ear plugs on the nightstand. I thought this strange given the location. When it came time to sleep I realized why…. There is a party boat that passes by every 45 minutes or so until 2AM and OH MY GOD… the ear plugs are useless. It’s like having a subwoofer under your bed. I can guarantee this barge is pumping at 10X the legal decibel level for after 11pm. But who do you even call about this? The police, the coast guard? So you can forget a peaceful night’s sleep if you come over the weekend. Of course, this isn’t Collective’s fault but you should be aware. The City should do something about this boat. It’s ridiculous. - Similarly, the tourist helicopters around New York are the rats of the air. Dozens of them flying low overhead literally all day long. The city should crack down on these invasive machines. Not only are they dangerous, but they’re insanely noisy. We were really fed up with them very quickly. Again, not Collective’s fault but you should be aware that this will not be a peaceful place t

AS we arrived on the island after a 10 min ferry ride I was not that impressed. Dilapidated buildings, lots of construction and the roads needed to be fixed.. First impression not great, Once we arrived at the retreat I noticed metal fence that surrounded the area. Was a turn off. There was a baseball field too close, near public visitors walking, but on the other hand it was very romantic, amazing sunset, dinner was excellent and having our own bathroom was worth the extra money. We rented a bike, which was al ot of fun. Make sure you ride on every road as there are little gems you don't want to miss. Hammock row, tons of food areas, forts, flowers and more. Grab a message at the local Spa, enjoy a drink at Gitano's a hip, DJ vibe, but eat dinner at the resort - Will not disappoint. The staff needs help as they do not meet our expectations after paying $1000 + a night all in. There is a lot of helicopters and boats, but the fan in your room fades it all out. Lower your expectation and you will be pleasantly surprised. just a bit pricey.