| Trip Reports |
| Welcome to the Trip Report page. Here you can find out about others experiences of Cancun and Playa, with their comments on hotels, restaurants and things to do and see. If you have a trip report that you would like to share please email me and I will post it. Enjoy!! |
| Posted by Danny Campo, Adventura-Spa Palace, November 1st, 2002 My wife and I got married at the Copacabana beach resort on aug.07 this year. It was an amazing experience. The Copa is a great place with beautiful grounds,buildings,beach,and spectacular rooms but the food was more like a 3 star not a five. For our honeymoon we stayed at the Aventura Palace . WOW, this place was a dream come true! First we entered and saw the beautiful lobby with stained glass ceilings, open air piazza (patio) just like something you would find in Rome! We were taken to our room via golf cart limo only to find a beautiful room with king size bed, jacuzzi, bar, desk, and balcony with a hammock. On the desk was a refreshing bottle of wine and a great cheese tray with grapes . They also sent us a bottle of champagne and a huge flower arangement! We fell in love with this place. From the amazing restaurants like the Hacienda (spectacular fine Dining ,just unbelievable ) the Japanese restaurant was also very fine with great service and the best Japanese food I ever ate. The two restaurants right at the ocean made completely of windows and a grass roof ( La Mundaca and El Greco) were also great , You could go to these to for great breakfast and sit inside or out , either one with a spectacular ocean view a nice breeze! Lunch and dinner were also great there ( I would get a huge grilled new york steak with shrimp ! wow.) The Italian restaurant was great too. It was the only buffet open for the evenings , the rest were a la carte. The grounds were wonderfully manicured and all the swimming pools were amazing! The animation staff was great, everyday by the pool from 8am till about 5pm they had great activities for everyone who was poolside or in the pool ( Andrea, Vanaessa, Ruben ,Erica my favorite poolside waiter Ben and the rest.. We had a great trip thanks to them) The shows at night were very good too with fun games and even professional acts like the Mayan show which left us speechless, it was great! They even had a casino one night per week where they give you fake money to play with then they have an auction where you can spend your winnings. This place was great and I want to go back soon! I highly recommend it , so if your going to the Mayan Riviera don't stay anywhere else ! oh I forgot to mention the world class spa and the fact that all tours like Tulum, Chichen-Itza, Coba, Isla Mujeres, and many more are all included! Any other hotel will make you pay 70 to 120 $usd for these tours! I will never forget this trip or this resort, this is what a vacation should be. I could write another 10 pages about it but I'm out of time. I'm sure you get the picture by now. THE END Posted by Jeff Murphy, Adventura-Spa Palace, October 23rd, 2002 My wife and I stayed at the Adventura Spa Palace from October 12-19th and found the resort to be just as advertised – a very clean, spacious and beautiful resort where you could let your hair down for a week of relaxation and pampering. Our trip to Cancun did not start out great. After arriving at the airport we had to battle through enormous lines that snaked through the arrivals hall to get to immigration. A long line in and of itself is distressing but the good folks in security company uniforms kept opening new doors to the line with each new aircraft arrival resulting in just a mass of people surging, in the heat, to try to get into the actual immigration hall so you could get into line. We waited, and battled and finally just after 2 hours of waiting made it to the immigration official and made it out into the blessed Cancun sunshine for our pre arranged trip to the hotel. We had a little difficulty finding our driver in the masses of people trying to get you to take their taxi or bus or whatever to your hotel but there he was in back. We met up and waited just a few more minutes before we were off. Also in the van were a few elderly women that we had to first drop of at the Mayan Palace. Our first stop, the Mayan Palace, we cannot say much about. We never left the van so we really are not in a position to judge the resort, but from the entrance it looked as if the place was under construction. As soon as the women left the van my wife commented to me that she sure was glad we were not staying there. I had to agree – the whole front area of the hotel was under construction and I am sure in time it will look lovely, just not right now. We resumed our trip South and we both commented that we did not realize that the hotel was so far south. It was my fault really, I did the research and the booking but really if you are thinking of Adventura be advised that you are pretty far south and it will take over an hour in a taxi up to Cancun and about 20 minutes or so (and a $24.00 R/T cab ride) to Playa del Carmen. Upon pulling up to the hotel we were very pleased to see the beautiful grounds and impressive stained glass in the ceiling. We were quickly handed a cool, scented washcloth to wipe our faces and a chilled glass of champagne to welcome us as we registered. Once the details were taken care of, off we were to our room. We stayed in room 3546 and had a 3rd floor room overlooking the pool on the Adventura side. The room was quite spacious with a king sized bed, fridge, TV, clock radio, safe, in room 2 person Jacuzzi, a wall liquor dispenser and a writing desk. Power is 110v. We also had a balcony with a hammock and it looked as if every room had a balcony and I would guess that 98% of them had hammocks as well. The grounds of the hotel were lovely and well maintained. The pools were crystal clear and very refreshing. In addition to the swim up bars, one nice feature about the pools is that many of them have ledges where that the lounge chairs rest on just above the level of the water. It is nice to lie in the hot sun reading your book and just reach down and sprinkle cool water on yourself. Finding a pool chair was not a problem while were there. I would guess that the hotel was maybe at 50% occupancy so there were plenty of rooms by the pool and under the thatch umbrellas if you wanted to sit in the shade. We liked to go to the pools over on the Adventura side as they had a fun staff and had daily activities program with such things as water volleyball, water jazzercise, and wide variety of other games that were fun to watch. The restaurants - there are a variety of restaurants and we had a mixed results. Our favorite was the Mexican place on the Adventura side. It is not Mexican as one would typically think of here in the U.S. The food was beautifully prepared and I thought was more Continental than Mexican although there were some Mexican specialties like Chicken breast in a Mole sauce. A few highlights for me that I still remember were an excellent tortilla soup and a fantastic rack of lamb. El Greco is the “Mediterranean” restaurant on the Spa side. They had regular and interesting fare such as Ostrich but what I remember most was that the service was extremely slow. In fact one night I had to speak privately with a waiter and ask if he had a problem with our table as we were just being ignored. The place was mostly empty and yet he just did not seem to have time for our table. After I spoke with him things definitely improved but when I spoke with others later they seemed to have the same issue at this restaurant. The Italian place on the Adventura side was just ok – A buffet style restaurant, it seemed to provide for every taste including grilled meats, pasta, pizza and extensive salads but everything I tasted just seemed a bit plain. I know it is hard to cook for such a large variety of people but I would have preferred for an a la carte menu. Room service was excellent. Almost every night I had a shrimp cocktail and smoked salmon in my room with drinks before heading out to dinner. They make their own shrimp sauce and it is outstanding! They also make a nice club sandwich and people spoke highly about the filet mignon and chicken. We never ate at the Vegetarian restaurant, I looked at the menu outside its entrance and it just did not seem too appealing to me. Others that I spoke with did try it out and did not have very good things to say about it so we just avoided it and choose to eat at the other places. On other topics. I did have the opportunity to go diving in Cozumel the week we were there. I went from Puerto Adventuras, which is about a 10-minute walk from the hotel complex via a side gate by the tennis courts. I don’t know why the hotel does not really promote or tell the guests but Puerto Adventuras is really very close by and is a nice, if small, little village where you can swim with the dolphins (or watch people doing it). There are a number of small restaurants and stores. It is clearly geared towards tourists (with prices to match) but it is still nice to get away from the complex and wander a bit. There are bikes you can check out for free from a little building next to the tennis courts and it is just a short ride away. The route is a straightforward road out the side gate but there are no signs in the hotel complex to show you the way. If you have any doubts about where to go, just ask the guy in the bike/tennis place and he will show you. Trips – we took a trip to Xpu-Ha Palace and Tulum one day. Xpu-Ha is really out I the jungle and once again I am glad we stayed at the Spa Palace. Xpu-Ha Palace guests stay in little cabanas. We did not go into one so I cannot say how nice they are but I did talk with one couple staying there and they liked it except for one visiting tarantula that was in their bathroom sink one night. Xpu-Ha has a fantastic beach that was great cause there really is no beach at Adventura Spa Palace. The beach at Xpu-Ha is everything you want in a beach, warm, clear, turquoise waters, floating mats that you can check out, sea kayaks that you can check out and people to bring you drinks (for free, of course) while you sit and enjoy the place. You can also snorkel in a lagoon at Xpu-Ha Palace for free so that was a nice change from lying out in the sun as well. Tulum was interesting and given that it is only 30 minute or so away from the Adventura Spa Palace it is well worth the visit. My only problem with the trip was the mandatory 30-minute “rest” stop at a tourist trap outside of Xpu-Ha so that we could go to the bathroom and look at and have the opportunity to purchase local tourist items…. That’s about all right now – one of these days I will get to uploading some of the digital pics I took – when I do I will add the link. To summarize. This hotel is a nice place to get away from it all and sit around the pool and read a book or two. If you want more city life, a true beach or activities then head up towards Cancun. We enjoyed our time, but I think if we go back we will stay at a Palace resort closer to the main hotel area. Hope this helps some of you with your travel plans. Posted by Roger, RIU Palace, October 6th, 2002 DAY 1 Arrived at Cancun Airport after 10 ½ hour flight from UK. I don’t know if it was just British tourists or not, but all suitcases and hand luggage were opened and searched. They were particularly looking for items of food, and I can understand this after our foot and mouth problem last year. It took approx. 1 ½ hours to clear airport. We flew with Airtours on their Prestige service and were taken to Riu Palace by mini bus. Arrived at Palace approx. 45mins later, and it was all we had read on this board. Reception was outstanding, and whilst we checked in (5mins), we were given a welcome drink. Wristband attached and room allocated, we marched off down the corridor to see what the room was like. (I did e-mail previously and asked for inside room on top floor-facing fountain). I didn’t receive the room I requested and am glad I didn’t. We had room 1137, which is almost opposite central fountain, and was one of the rooms with a large balcony (10ft x 8ft), almost totally private. Only a couple of rooms above can see you and then only if you sit at front of balcony. There was a slight musty smell, but this soon disappeared and it is indicative of this type of climate. Had only been in room for 5 mines when reception called to ask if room was ok along with everything else (nice touch) – it was. I duly jumped up to change ceiling fan to slow speed (takes a bit of practice as I am only 5ft 7”) but you only need do it once. Had a beer from fridge, and then went for a walk around. Fantastic! Had shower and went down to Don Julian for evening dinner. We were given a table and booked for rest of holiday at 6.45pm at same table each evening. Food was absolutely fantastic. Couldn’t believe how much choice there was! – also didn’t realise that as we arrived on Thursday, this was Chef’s Gala Night. As well as the ‘Gala Dinner’ in La Bodega on Thursday (which needs to be booked), there is also this Chef’s dinner in Don Julian (which doesn’t need booking). There were numerous salads, whole salmon (delicious), soups, carvery, beef, chicken, fish and wide variety of vegetables. Other choices included pasta, pizza, Mexican (can’t remember everything – there was so much. They also serve a better class of wine at this dinner. TIP - I preferred the Portuguese red wine over the normal, so I asked for and received this every day afterwards). What a way to start a holiday! After dinner, we went up to lobby bar to listen to piano player, but more importantly to try the cocktails. I tried the chocolate monkey and Miami Vice (as reported on this site) – very nice (waiter seemed impressed as they are not shown on cocktail menu). Also try Mayan Riviera – scrumptious! After a couple of drinks we retired to our room, as we were tired. Looked at optics in bar which were Gin, Brandy, Vodka and Tequila (all local brands). Brandy and Coke, Vodka and Orange, Tequila and Lemonade were all acceptable throughout our holiday. TIP - During the day numerous people need access to your room as follows: - Room cleaner, bar restocker, optic restocker, chambermaid (to turn bed down), and occasionally supervisor to check room has been cleaned properly. I mention this, because on first night, wife was in the bathroom and I was in my underwear, when there was a knock on the door. Luckily we had put lock on door, otherwise the chambermaid would have entered and embarrassed us. Put lock on door and hang ‘do not disturb’ sign outside. Woke during night to go to loo and thought I would see what fountains looked like at night. BEWARE – It is pitch black in dark and due to tiredness/strangeness, I forgot about the step down to lounge area. I was very lucky not to have lost my footing completely, but managed to stay on my feet at the expense of a very large bruise to my arm. DAY 2 Woke early and went down to Don Julian for breakfast. Plenty of choice for everyone, and although we did not think the cooked breakfast was brilliant. The juices were wonderful. Overall, we felt breakfast was the weakest part of the food chain. Went down to see the beach which was lovely (we are not beach people, but this was perfect. Could not believe the turquoise/blue colour of water. There was a bikini fashion parade on beach which was very pleasant (for me and all the other men there). Plenty of sunloungers on beach and by pool. Spent couple of hours by pool before preparing for another onslaught on food, this time at La Traviata. Again, plenty of salad choices (hot food was mainly pastas, pizzas etc). –mushroom soup to die for. Sat on balcony in afternoon before more food at Don Julian (normal night tonight) and yet more cocktails in lobby bar. DAY 3 Hurricane Isadore arrived. It became very windy and showery. We went to look at local shopping Plaza approx. 400metres down street. It is very pleasant, although most of the shops only sell ‘touristy’ type goods. There are 1 or 2 nicer type shops (silver, surf gear). Had booked evening meal at La Bodega. This is a ‘meat only’ restaurant, so veggies beware! It was strange to us, as a platter of vegetables was brought to the table, followed at 5-10 minute intervals by a waiter carrying a skewer of meat, seven times! Italian Sausage, beef, chicken, sweetbread, beef, turkey, pork. We were not too impressed and didn’t eat there again (it wasn’t full on the night we went, if that signifies anything). Each to their own. DAY 4 Hurricane Isadore. Still windy and wet. Took taxi to Playa del Carmen and saw ferry terminal to Cozumel. Water too rough for ferry-cancelled. Walked down 5th Avenue to tirade of people trying to entice us into their shops. Wasn’t what I expected, many of the shops were like ‘shacks’ – I expected it to be a bit more modern. We heard Cancun airport had been closed due to Isadore. DAY 5 Hurricane Isadore. Not much to do, as we didn’t want to risk going on any trips in these conditions, and too wet and windy to sit by pool or beach. No real entertainment during day, although activities include dance lessons, rifle shooting, water aerobics, bingo. BEWARE – when it rains, the floor tiles outside become very slippery. Went to Plaza down street again, got locked in a silver shop when wind became very, very strong, and shops put up shutters. Heard banging during night and thought we had noisy neighbours. When I got up next morning, found a couple of roof tiles had been blown off, they had landed on our balcony and shattered (good job it wasn’t previous afternoon when we were sat there) DAY 6 Sun at last! We could sit by pool, although still showery. DAY 7 Hurricane Isadore has now moved away and days are much better. DAY 9 Xcaret. This is a full day trip. We booked through the Airtours rep, this included being brought back to hotel for lunch, and then taken back to Xcaret (nice touch and kept expense down). We went at 8:00am to avoid crowds and go swimming before water became cloudy. TIP If you have valuables (cameras, wallets etc) I would suggest you rent a locker when you get to main entrance area. This will cost 700 pesos (but you get 500 back when you return key). This is yours for the day. When you go swimming/snorkelling, you do get a large lockable bag (enough for 3 people), but you should only put clothes and towels in these bags as they can get thrown around. They are safe, however, and are padlocked in your sight, and security numbers are checked at other end before they are unlocked. We went on the overground river and were the first people in. You should not go into any of these rivers if you suffer from heart problems or high blood pressure (water is quite cool). There are divers in the water watching in case people run into difficulties. We set of down river, but I found I had not fastened lifejacket tight enough and when I tried to do breaststroke, my head was being pushed down. Consequently, I swam on my back. There are exit points along the way, I would guess at approx. 400 metre intervals. Got out of water at first exit and tightened lifejacket. Still didn’t help that much on second leg, which started by going through a waterfall and into a dark tunnel. As I was on my back most of the time, I couldn’t really see where I was going or if I was heading towards tunnel walls. It was at this time that I realised I had a phobia for swimming in water where I couldn’t see where I was going or what was in the water. Although the water is clear, there were lots of leaves etc deposited by the hurricane. I left at next exit and walked rest of the way to the river exit. Got changed and started to explore rest of park. There are numerous things to see and do, and we didn’t see everything available. Highlights for us were Papantla Flyers, Mayan Village display, Panoramic Tower. At 7:00pm, the evening show commences (until approx. 9:15pm). Spectacular and very enjoyable. BEWARE It is very hot and humid. We were attacked by mosquitoes. My wife always gets bitten – I never do. She had 28 bites, I had 21! We even sprayed with 50% deet but it seemed to have no effect. DAY 12 Chichen Itza. Went on organised trip by coach. Stop on way at village where you can barter for souvenirs. Cheaper than elsewhere. Very hot and humid, but thankfully cloudy as well as sunny. Take plenty of water, sunscreen and mozzie spray! Lots of walking involved. Saw plenty of sights and guides were very informative about Mayan culture. Also visited a cenote on way back for a swim (if you wanted to). GENERAL COMMENTS Riu Palace is spotless throughout. Constantly being cleaned both inside and out. Please use door handles as cleaners seem to spend hours polishing glass panels on doors. Rooms are very clean and spacious. Like a lot of other people, however, we found beds a bit too hard for our liking. Middle of beds seemed a little softer, so we slept in separate beds for more comfort. Towels changed when you require. Mini bar re-stocked daily or every other day. Optics re-filled when empty. It seems strange to start with, that you do not need to take your wallet/purse with you in the resort. Unlimited food and drink – no wonder I’ve put on ½ stone! I thought I had taken it steady. Met lots on nice people. British and American. Loved resort, but a bit disappointed that not much to do in near vicinity ( without spending money on trips, which are relatively expensive). Found cost of goods to be on a par with UK. Spirits didn’t seem much cheaper than Asda (Walmart) in UK. Couldn’t believe cost of ‘best’ Tequila - was approx. £35 per 70ml bottle! Any questions, please ask and I will answer if I can Roger Photos from the trip Posted by Glass, Oasis Cancun, October 7th, 2002 I read the terrible reviews of the Oasis Cancun AFTER I paid for my non-refundable trip, so I was terrified. When I arrived, all my fears were put to rest. The place is gorgeous. It is enormous and takes several days to explore. The beach and pools are incredible. I, personally, did not do the all-inclusive deal. To be honest, I'm glad I didn't because I'm not one who goes for group activities and group dining and, well, group anything! But it's probably a smarter option if you plan on staying on the resort the whole time (and it's hard to leave the resort, it's so beautiful and fun!) The people who complain about this hotel are either 1) people who vacationed during spring break and should have known better if they were looking for a relaxing vacation, or 2) nit-picking freaks with nothing better to do than complain. I am absolutely shocked at the audacity of some people. Don't listen to the bitterness! Just go - but if you want a relaxing, quiet vacation, take a chance on the weather (which, by the way, was beautiful while I was there, October 3-6) and go in the off-season. There's still partying going on, but it's MUCH more mellow than spring break, I'm sure. One thing to remember: everything moves slower in Mexico. If you ask for assistance, expect to wait. That's the way it works. Other than that, go, get rid of all your troubles, and enjoy! Author: Bill Smith AventuraSpa Palace May 16-23, 2002 We first stayed at Aventura Palace (adults only resort) Nov. 2000 for four days and loved this wonderful, beautiful resort....so we decided to return and stay for seven days. I am not going to bore you with the travel to Mexico, customs and airport security. During the time we were there in 2000, they had built another Palace resort directly next door to Aventura, called the Spa Palace. During construction there were a lot of negative reports coming from guest, but this did not change our plans of revisiting this wonderful resort. Prior to May these were two separate Palace resorts, of which you still had full privileges to use the pool, facilities and restaurants....we had learned that when you checked in at Aventura you were given (2) $50 coupons to be used at the Spa Palace for the spa treatments, we were excited for this comp. Well let me explain later about this.After arrival to Cancun, found got our luggage, went thru customs and met our Royale Tours shuttle, loaded up, paid a local $3 apiece for two Corona Beers while we waited on other folks to board the shuttle. We had learned the on May 1st, they merged both resorts, it is now called AventuraSpaPalace Resort. The shuttle pulls into the AventuraSpa Resort, which is the Spa Palace front entrance. We disembark, and proceed to the front desk of the Spa Palace. Earlier in the month I had e-mailed Alberto, stating we were returning guest of Aventura and requested a room in Building 0 or 1, on thesecond or third floors, with a low room number (better view of the ocean). Well....when we checked in the clerk gave us our room keys, #3331, I told him that I had requested thru Alberto, building 0 or 1. He told me that they were full and this was the closest room. I was upset at first but really didn't care, as it was 6 p.m. and we were tired. I knew that according to our room number, we were in building 3, third floor and room 31......at least we were on Aventura side. Aventura Palace part consist of buildings 0,1, 2 and 3. Spa Palace consist of buildings 4, 5, 6 and 7. At check in you are given two room keys (plastic cards), a room safe key and lock, and two towel cards....what ever you do don't loose any of these....they charge you for the loss. We were escorted via a golf cart to our room and our luggage followed, I gave the bellboy a tip for carrying our luggage up three flights of stairs to our room. The room had a average view, king size bed, refrigerator (stocked with Dos XX, Tecate (light Mexican beer), water and soda, there was two person Jacuzzi next to the patio doors, also there was a two person walk-in shower with glass doors, coffee pot and hair dryer. Next to the Jacuzzi were two nice robes. In the closet is a safe for valuables, and camera space, along with ample closet and drawer space. There is a TV with numerous channels, great Mexican Music Video Stations along with American Stations, there is a phone, but no CD player. Some rooms have liquor dispensers on the walls while others do not, ours did not have one. Room Service is available with an extensive menu available. Maid service was very good each day. Upon check-in, they arranged a time to meet with guest relations about a VIP tour, I will explain this later..... Well the next day I meet with Royal Tours to set up return transportation to the airport and then proceeded to guest relations for information concerning the VIP tour. The VIP tour was of the Spa Palace, which would only take 90 minutes, and you would get the (2) $50 coupons for spa treatments $100 in Palace money to be used at gift shops and some other stuff.......I realized it was a time share or they refer to it as a RCI travel membership (which it will waste about 4 hours of your time and high pressure time share selling). I had enough of this crap, two years ago, read my first trip report concerning SHARKS... so I nicely declined the offer and but them off each day of our stay, cause they hound you each day to take the VIP tour. So folks, you do not get two free $50 coupons for spa treatments at check in, since they have merged both resorts as one. If I were you, decline this offer, unless you want to waste valuable time of your vacation and get pressured with high pressure sales techniques.This resort includes several off site tours free. If you stay 3-4 nights you receive one tour, if you stay 5 + nights you receive two tours which consist of Chichen Itza, Chichen Itza Light & Sound, Tulum, Isla Mujeres, Coba, and Ek-Balam. Currently they are offering unlimited off site tours. Something else has changed from when we where there before, there is a free shuttle thattakes the guest to Playa del Carmen, Moon Palace and Cancun daily now, compared to scheduled dates two years ago. The shuttle leaves each morning at 7:50 a.m. Let me describe the resort since it has been merged into one resort. Everyone checks in at the Spa Palace side, regardless of which side you booked. The front desk of Spa Palace was beautiful, open aired, stained glass in the ceiling, Mexican tile all around, palm trees and flowers every where. Around the corner from the front desk is the Main Lobby Bar, looking out into the Patio Courtyard, with tables and chairs. Around the courtyard you will find the gift shop, jewelry shop and two of the restaurants ( La Huerta - vegetarian dining with an up scale a la carte service and Mo Mo No Hana- oriental style in a exquisite private setting), on this side of the resort. Out side of this area, you will find an indoor pool with 3 hot tubs and a fully furnished exercise room, next you will find the main pool for the Spa side, with swim-up bar. Behind the main pool is El Greco Restaurant- Mediterranean cuisine in a casual atmosphere, which serves buffet breakfast, lunch buffet and a la carte at night, facing the ocean. There is aman made lagoon and beach area on this side too. Other things you will find on this side, is a cross current pool, walking trail, rock climbing wall, and spa massage huts. The Spa side of the resort is for relaxing and calmness for those who wish to be tranquil. The room buildings on this side consist of building 4, 5, 6 and 7.If you are walking from the Spa side to the Aventura side, you will not know when you cross into the next, every thing looks the same, building numbers will be the only identification and that will only be recognized by returnees.Aventura side has not changed since our last visit except that you do not check in on this side of the resort. The former lobby is still open aired, with stained glass ceilings. Refer to my other trip report for details. On this side, you have Aventura Main Lobby Bar, overlooking into the open aired courtyard, around this area you will find a gift shop, Q-bar which consist of big screen TV, pool tables along with hors d'oeuvre tables, and a night time bar. There are two restaurants: Ventanas - exquisite Italian buffet for dinner and La Hacienda - very upscale Mexican restaurant- a la carte for dinner only. At night they have shows with local talent or staff performing, either in the open-aired courtyard or upstairs in the convention room, depending on the weather.All activities, such as shows, local bands, wandering Mexican Quartets...take place on Aventura side. This is where all the action or entertainment is, not stating that is noisy or wild on this side. The Spa side is especially for relaxation.Outside of the main area of Aventura, you will find the huge magnificent pool, stretching from one end of the resort to the other, with plenty of lounge chairs and walk-overs to get you from one side of pool to next, shade huts, and a swim-up bar with grill, plus there is the Mundaca Restaurant which serves international food, breakfast buffet, lunch buffet and dinner a la carte. Also you will find the man made lagoons with man made beach, it has numerous shade huts, water is blue with plenty of fish swimming around, nice snorkeling in calm waters. Plenty of lounge chairs were found around the pool and lagoon areas. Summary of Restaurants: North Lobby (Spa side) La Huerta: Fine Vegetarian Dining with an upscale a la carte service. Open from Sunday to Friday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.Dress code: Elegant casual attire is required (long pants for men) Mo Mo No Hana: Delicious Oriental Food in a exquisite and private setting. Open from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Dress shorts) El Greco: Mediterranean cuisine in a casual atmosphere. (Dress shorts) Breakfast-buffet: 7 am till 11 am Lunch buffet: International buffet from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.Dinner: Mediterranean A la Carte from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. South Lobby ( Aventura side) Ventanas: Exquisite Italian Buffet, open from 6 p.m. till 11 p.m. (Dress shorts) Mundaca: International Food. (Dress shorts) Breakfast-buffet: 7 a.m. till 10 a.m.Lunch buffet: 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner: A La Carte 6 p.m. till 11 p.m. La Hacienda: Simply the best of Mexico for you, Open 6 p.m. till 11 p.m.Dress code: Elegant casual attire is required ( long pants for men) No restaurants require reservations, at La Hacienda you did have to put your name of a waiting list. While you are waiting for your table, you can get a drink at the main bar, but just keep checking back on your table. COCKTAILS AND BARS: Pool Bars: Located at both main pools, open from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. Lobby Bars: Located at each lobby on both sides, on Aventura side there is an additional Bar set up in the Q-Bar section. Open from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m. Snack Bar: Great snacks located behind the swim-up bars either side, and in Q-Bar of Aventura and next to the main lobby bar of Spa side, open 11 a.m to 6 p.m.. Juice Bar: Healthy choice, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They do offer currency exchange at both lobby's of the resort, you can exchange U.S. money for Pecos, but not really needed, cause most merchants accept U.S. money for purchases. You can not exchange Pecos for U.S. money at the resort. I have basically given you an quick over view of AventuraSpa Palace, you might want to compare a more detailed layout of Aventura in my 2000 trip report. Ok, let's get to the actual report of our opinions of the resort. Yes we were in Room # 3331, not a great view but a very good location for walking between both resorts. Just make sure you do not get placed on ground level, if it rains, you might have a river flowing in front your door, drainage is not too good on ground level. Once I thought a great view of the ocean was important, but if you think about it, you are in the room for a short period of time, you get in late at night and get up early the next day and leave for the pool or an excursion. The room had a decent view, king size bed, refrigerator (stocked with Dos XX, Tecate (light Mexican beer), water and soda. There was two person Jacuzzi next to the patio doors, with two fluffy white terrycloth robes next to Jacuzzi, also there was a two person walk-in shower with glass doors, coffee pot and hair dryer. In the closet is a safe for valuables, and ample closet and drawer space. There is a TV with numerous channels, great Mexican MTV station and a phone, but no CD player. On the second day, we returned to our room, to find a bottle of red wine and cheese tray. Room Service is available with an extensive menu available from 11 am till 6 a.m.. Maid service was very good each day We did not take any of the free off site excursions, this was a relaxation vacation. We did go to Playa del Carmen and Cancun for a day of shopping. We ate at two local restaurants in Playa Del Carmen, had very good food, included a seafood salad with lettuce , draft beer and a local Mexican entree......we did not get sick and very tasteful.The merchants in Playa liked to barter on the prices, it was fun for a few hours but later got boring, so we took a cab back to AventuraSpa for $12.00. We also went to Cancun one day on the shuttle for a day, they dropped you off at Beach Palace around 9:30 a.m.,we had breakfast there (free), went shopping at KuKulCan Mall for gifts, very good prices. In fact better prices than in Playa del Carmen. We laid around the pool at Beach Palace, had lunch there, and plenty of beverages free while we waited for the shuttle to pick us up at 6 p.m. We went to Puertos Aventuras, taxi was $6 each way, to watch the dolphin interaction shows, which was entertaining and to shop.. The pool at Aventura side was lively, plenty of lounge chairs to accommodate guest. Certain areas of the pool, you can pull your lounge chair into the pool. There are 3 or 4 Jacuzzi's located in the pool. Most guest stayed around this pool due to everyone having fun vs the Spa pools where most folks relaxed and read books. The staff played volley ball and other games with the guest at the pool. The waiters or waitresses continuoasly walked by taking drink orders and returning with your drinks, if you were in a hurry, just swim up to the pool bar. The pool was only 4 foot deep at any point. The lagoon area was very nice, sand and plenty of lounge chairs and shade huts. The water in the lagoon was clear and calm, you could see fish swimming around. This is a good place to snorkel. Also the waiters would take and bring drink orders to you at the lagoon. Behind the swim-up bar, is a snack area for lunch. They had numerous items to eat, plus they had a grill where you can order hamburgers, grilled chicken, or grilled steaks. If none of this was to your liking, put on a cover up and wander over to Mundaca restaurant.Swimsuits ranged from women wearing one piece suits, bikini's, string bikini's, rio cut bikini's and thongs. Men wore everything from the standard boxer style suits, to speedo's and bikini's. We noticed that more and more people, men and women, had real tattoos. By the way if you want a Henna tattoo, they do them at the pool for a small charge. Around the pool and in the pool, numerous woman were topless and others had on thongs, this was also common around the lagoon area. Toplessness was fine as long as it was contained around & in the pool or lagoon area, walking to your room you have to have your top on. The ages of the guest, ranged from twenties, and on up. A very good mix of guest.To utilize all aspects of both resorts, there is a lot of walking involved. I did not go into details of the Spa side but they did have walking & running trails, rock climbing wall, cross current pool, along with the main pool, very nice gym and spa treatments.. Each night, on the Aventura side, there was a show, put on by the staff. The shows were average to cheesy. The also had a local band play in the patio area after the show, for about an hour. This local band was pretty good. Prior to arriving at AventuraSpa, I had met several couples on the Playa message board. They were from Texas, New Jersey and Connecticut ( andwe were from Mississippi).We all had fun together, ate several meals together and enjoyed each others company. So hi guys, we really enjoyed meeting yall. I have pictures posted at http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bismith39056 To answer another question, YES we enjoyed the resort just like we did two years ago and YES we will return, the ADULTS ONLY concept is wonderful, the service and food was very good, very little complaints with either one. I compliment the staff of the resort. Bill and Deborah Smith bills52@bellsouth.net Posted by Ken 07-21-02 THE MAYAN PALACE Date of stay: June 26-30, 2002 We have recently returned from a four night stay at the Mayan Palace Mayan Riviera. Before leaving I'll have to admit being a little apprehensive concerning our stay at this resort. Heck, we had visited there twice before and had a pretty good idea of what to expect. But actually living there for a few days gives you way more of the true experience. And if you read the chat boards and bulletin boards, you know that Mayan Palace has taken some heat concerning their sales practices. We even had our own little run in with these vultures last February. Plus there's been all the comments on how remote the place is, how it's so isolated and it's hard to get anywhere. Then there's the lousy beach. Not to forget the fact that there is still much ongoing construction and many amenities are unfinished or not even started yet. So we came prepared to find much fault, but still curiosity got the better of us. I only scheduled us to be there for four days. In fact we could bug out after three days if we really hated it, as our Royal Caribbean Cancun week started on Saturday. We checked in on a Wednesday for an RCI exchange week that actually started on Sunday. Even though I called MP on Sunday and informed them that we would not be there until Wednesday, the desk clerks were totally surprised at our appearance. We were already written off as no-shows and not even in their computer anymore. After a bit of lip biting, they did assign us our room, and of course it was the absolute worst room in the whole joint. Our room was 3098, third floor, as close to the lobby as you could get, which also meant as far away from the restaurants and swimming pools as you could be. So was this going to be the predicted disaster? Heck NO! I have to admit that we really enjoyed our stay there. Even my wife, who absolutely was convinced she would hate the place was converted. I would say my one and only complaint would be the room location. But the room itself was very nice. Everything was in excellent condition, spacious and comfortable. Nice and well equipped bathrooms, good strong showers, a mini-kitchen with microwave, coffee maker and mini-fridge. There were ceiling fans in every room and the air conditioning worked well. There is a small outside terrace but not big enough to sit out on and we never used it. There really is nothing to see from the terrace anyway as none of the rooms are ocean view. To get to the swimming pools from our room, it is a long walk as the buildings are aligned perpendicular to the beach. It was a shorter walk to the lobby where you could have a golf cart ride you down to the restaurants or pools. The swimming pools are spectacular. They are comprised of three terraced tiers with cascades flowing from one level down to the next. Each level seemed about a block long and were situated parallel to the ocean. I believe there is room in this pool for the entire Mexican army. You never felt crowded. I will have to rate this swimming pool as the number one pool I have ever encountered anywhere. It appeared to us that the pool water was heated, something not really needed on a late June day with temps in the 90’s. However, on a cooler January day with little solar heating, this might be a very comfy pool indeed. There are 2 pool bars, one on each end and waiter service. Also, rest rooms located on each end, a nice touch as it’s a long walk from one side to the other. Plenty of lounges and palapas for shade. What about the isolation of the resort? Well we rented a car so that we could come and go as we pleased. Guess what? After we parked the first day the car never moved for the next four until we left. There simply was no need to go anywhere. Mayan Palace has excellent restaurants and great food. Our needs are simple. Sleep late, catch breakfast buffet, swim for hours, have a few drinks by the pool, shower and change, catch the dinner buffet, go back to the room and watch a movie on TV. Breakfast buffet was great and cost about $12. It was served every morning in the open air poolside restaurant. We appreciated that breakfast was served until 12:00 Noon. The dinner buffets started at 6:30 and were truly excellent. These meals were the best we had in the entire 10 days in Cancun. They have a German born chef whom we spoke with and complimented his skills. One night was Italian buffet ($18), the next night was Tex-Mex ($15), the third was Asian buffet which featured huge barbecued prawns and crispy Peking duck ($18), the last night was Surf and Turf ($34), all you could eat Caribbean lobster tails and melt in your mouth Prime rib cooked just perfect. We really enjoyed the food. Every meal featured a great trio of Mariachi singers which IMO were very good. We added up our entire cost for food and drinks for the 4 days and it was about $480, which is about $120 per day. This compares very favorably with the close by all-inclusive resorts. There were three of us, 2 adults and one child. We ate as much and drank as much as we cared to yet the total cost still worked out to about the same as a cheaper all-inclusive, and much less than the costlier ones such as the Palace Resorts. However, the important point is that I would rate the quality of the food much better than any all-inclusive I have ever ate at. I have never seen all you could eat lobster, prime rib, Peking duck, huge shrimp, etc. at any all-inclusive. The construction continues. They have started building a new section of condo buildings which will parallel and face the existing ones. Construction noise was never a problem during our stay. Work continues on the large center building which faces the pools and will house the permanent lobby. It appears there will be a huge 3 story glass windowed atrium in the middle of this building. It is going to be very impressive when completed, with a view over the three levels of pools and out to the beach and Caribbean. Unfortunately there have been no improvements to the beach. I walked the entire length looking for an entry point that wasn’t covered in sharp rocks and never found one. It may be all right for snorkeling and I did see some brave souls out there. Of course, still no golf course, tennis courts or any of the other planned amenities. These will come with time. I would have no fear of staying here again and in fact look forward to my next visit. Posted by Steve May 2002 - Barcelo Maya Beach Resort First a little background, were in our very late 30's! and this is our 4 A.I. We've been to Barcelo Bavaro Punta Cana, Superclubs Brezzes JIbacoa and Brisa del Caribe in Cuba,just so you know what were comparing it to.But Barcelo Maya was the BEST!!!! We were very impressed with the resort and all the attractions Mexico had to offer.There was so many things to do, we've got enough left for another 2 week trip! But back to the resort: BEACH: White sand, palm trees no palpas, huge lots of chairs, very clean, warmest water we've ever had. Definetly as nice as Punta Cana, also the beach is all Barcelo's no one else there. Peir at one end for great snorkeling and never a need for reserving chairs. Bars, grills and washrooms on both ends, though line ups for the ladies some times. Great chairs too, blue mesh not the white plastic ones. Self serve beer!!!! ***** FOOD; Gained 8 lbs!!We never had really good beef in Cuba or D.R. lots here! Prime rib, filet migon, grilled ribeyes, NY strip and great hamburgers too! We love food and were always happy, buffet or at one of 3 á la cartes or lunch grills. Buffet service was excellent, carafe of coffee at your table, waiters carrying your plate back to your table (ok only happened twice!) friendly staff. Lots of variety, you know how you feel after eating X-mas dinner? felt like that a lot! ***** ROOMS: Very nice, 27" tv,firm beds,stocked fridge, safe, air and big ceiling fan. Huge tub, rooms not very soundproof you could hear people in next room sometimes. GROUNDS: Beautiful, huge place great for after supper walks. Walked the beach every night, very safe. ENTERTAINMENT: Some stuff at the pool and a couple of things on the beach. But the night time theater was a amazing room! HUGE! Quality of shows was very proffesional, 11 piece band, always entertaining. Don't miss Micheal Jackson or the Miss Barcelo shows. All in all we were very impressed, and theres so much to do in Mexico compared to say Punta Cana. But it is a little more exspensive, though we definetly fell we got our moneys worth. Feel free to email me with any questions - stevebruce02@aol.com Posted by Jean, Akumal Beach Resort Jan. 25th 2002 - Just got back from Akumal Beach Resort (aka Riviera Maya Beach) The Beach - Gorgeous, soft sand, palm trees, lovely water - BUT note - water socks are a very good idea - lots of broken coral bits and some other stuff in the water and while we were there one guy stepped on a sea urchin. I loved it - but if you demand a perfect sandy ocean bottom - you may not like it. Snorkeled a bit but the wind was stirring the water up so visibility was not great - I did see some fish though. The Weather - Pretty good, a little windy (which I like - cools things off) Days were usually a mixture of sun and cloud. The Hotel: Location: excellent - right on the beach, less than a 5 minute walk from the little town of Akumal Beach, Food - OK - nothing special but we always found something to eat. We are not gourmet diners so we were satisfied. The Grounds - attractive and well kept. The staff - friendly. The Rooms - we got a very good package deal with flight from Toronto for this hotel - so we knew we would not be getting the best rooms (about $600 U.S. including air fare and all taxes). Our room was adequate - clean, beds hard, a bit of an ocean view from the balcony, no T.V., 2 sinks, very little storage space. It was in the older part of the hotel and when we first arrived, the water did not work - this was quickly fixed (within an hour). The older buildings have the best part of the beach in front of them and you are literally steps from the beach. The newer buildings look much nicer but have rocky beach in front of them. Getting Around: This hotel is close to the highway, yet right on the beach - a MAJOR advantage - we took collectivos to Playa Del Carmen and Tulum - what a bargain - so much cheaper than taxis. Tours: Only took one tour - to Coba and Pac Chen ( Mayan village) - it was expensive but the guide was excellent and we really enjoyed ourselves. Links posted by Ellyn many different reports Escapades at the Royal Solaris Caribe in 2002 Crazy Times at the Royal Solaris Caribe in 2000 Adventures at the Royal Solaris Caribe in 1999 Wild Times at the Crown Paradise Club in 1998 Online Photos from many Cancun Trips. Posted by Tommy, RIU Palace on 6-29-01 Well this will actually be my last trip report to the area as I will be moving to Playa del Carmen on July 13th. My last trip was spent at the Riu Palace from April 29th thru May 5th. I will give you some of the highlights from my trip. First the resort. This place is simply awesome. The decor, the food, the service, the rooms are all top notch. The first night we where there we had what we called the Riu Palace Extravaganza. 30 people or more from the Playa Board met in the lobby for drinks. It was so much fun to finally put faces with names from the board. May 1st was my birthday and we decided to go to Yal-Ku lagoon in Akumal. This was the best Tour that I have been on. I highly recommend it because of all the marine life we saw including, turtles, stingrays, parrotfish and some of the prettiest coral I have ever seen. I also had a wonderful time going into Playa it is a wonderful town and you have to go and enjoy 5th Ave and see what it's like. I would like to say thanks to all the people I met, Mr.Cancun and wendy, Maggie B and Mike, Frank and Gina(who had a beautiful wedding at the Palace), Cindy and Steve, Ed, Sandy and Dan and many more that I met while I was there. Posted by Stacey, Flamingo Resort Cancun, 5-29-01 Hey Tommy, First of all, I want to thank you and all of your readers for the great information and tips that you gave me before I left. They were priceless. I just wish I would have followed your advice on the 2 for 1 card.....didn't think we would need it since we were AI, but wished we had it several times out on the town! Once a year my sister and I get away from it all, leave our husbands and children behind, and go to a tropical getaway. We aren't big clubber's, but we do like to have a good time. For the last three years we have been to Cabo. Even though I loved it, Shelley insisted that I see the crystal clear waters of Cancun. So we booked an Adventure Tours USA trip for the end of April. Coincidentally, we had chosen to stay at your favorite resort, the Flamingo, and upgraded to all-inclusive. Shelley had purchased some Texas t-shirts before we left Dallas, and offered one to the front desk guy......he immediately upgraded our room to oceanview (postcard view) room. The service there was phenomenal! We felt like queens. Since we had gotten in so late, we just hung out by the pool, drank a few cervesa frias, and made some friends who thought our Texas accent was as strange as we thought their Minnesota accent was. We had dinner, which was pretty good...some kind of Tex-Mex. We were pretty tired from the trip so we just went back to our room got into out p.j.'s and turned in pretty early. The next morning I woke up pretty early, 5:30, you have to understand that my body clock is set to get up and have two kids ready for school. But it gave me a chance to see a spectacular sunrise drinking coffee at the "quiet pool" right outside our room. I literally was in awe! Later Shelley and I had breakfast there in the dining room. The head waiter, Eduardo I think, takes by the hand and escorts you to a table. He even came back by and gave us a kiss. I felt so special for a 30 something housewife. I think the breakfast there was my favorite of all food. They had the best omelets and French toast I have ever had! Once again we decided to stay close to the resort for the day, hanging out by the pool, swimming up to the bar, strolling on the beach, and yes, making some more new friends. It's really great how it's as if everyone already knows everyone. Make sense? That night we did venture out, went up town and had dinner at the Shrimp Bucket. They had great waiters, dancing, all kinds of fun. We took a cab back to the resort, the cab drivers there are very friendly and have tons of information. Earlier that day Lomas Travel was in the lobby, so we booked an Isla Mujeres snorkel trip for the next day.............. I was so impressed Wed. morning when William, our cab driver from the night before, was standing outside the Flamingo waiting to take us to our boat.Talk about customer service! We boarded the Dolphin Express about 9:30 where they immediately tried to keep a Bloody Mary or Tequila Sunrise in your hand. I held off until I saw how I would do snorkeling. (I was a little nervous since my only snorkeling experience in Cabo had been a little choppy and unsettling) It was a fun ride over there..we were on the upper deck. Our Captain was a hoot. I was practically hanging over the boat looking at the crystal clear water and the beautiful coral reef resting beneath it. I know, I'm getting a little mushy! Sorry, but it is almost indescribable until you have seen it for yourself. Am I right, Tommy? We docked at Isla Mujeres where us snorkelers got our equipment and got on a smaller boat. Even though we went out to what seemed like the middle of the ocean, the water was calm and as smooth as glass! I asked Shelley if she would be disappointed if I only stayed out for a few minutes. She told me to "just do whatever I thought I could." Oh yeah, have I mentioned that I have MS? I'm not in a wheelchair yet, but just a little weak and walk like I have had a few too many margaritas! HA HA (A sense of humor is crucial) Well....a few minutes, my foot! I am happy to report that I was the last one back on the boat! How did God make so many fish with so many different colors? And the reef is so beautiful and tranquil, as if to say "look, but don't touch." OK, I know, I'm getting mushy again. Needless to say, I am hooked on snorkeling. We went back to the island for lunch then walked over to the Turtle Farm. Shelley is a turtle fanatic so she was in turtle heaven. Then it was time to head back to the mainland. Back on the upper deck they had some drinking games. We had a lot of fun with our TEXAS BUBBA TEETH. That night we were exhausted. We hung out in the lobby lounge where they had some fun and games. Shelley made fun of me when I had to head for the sack, but I gave it right back to her when she followed 30 minutes behind me! Thursday morning (our last full day) we headed over to the Black Market for souvenirs. That was a blast haggling with the locals. Shelley said I was going to get killed, but I am proud to say that I got a nice beach towel anda swimsuit cover-up for $20.00. Started out at$45.00. I probably still got taken, but I thought that was pretty good........ We went back to the Flamingo and started out by the pool. The activities director was giving snorkeling lessons. Since we were already pro's (HA HA) he took us down to the beach. Shelley got bored with it and found a chairand a drink. I spent the rest of the day going out as far as I could then "snorkeling" back in until I scraped the shore sand. By that time Shelley would have me a fresh drink to sip on. Then I would turn around and head back out. There wasn't a lot to see there on the ocean floor, a few shells and tiny fish, but just watching the current sweeping the white sand across the bottom was so relaxing. And floating on the water made me feel so weightless, like nothing was even remotely wrong with me. (I SWEAR, NO MORE MUSH)That night we went over to Pat O'Brien's. Couldn't leave Cancun without having a Hurricane. We had the cutest waiter! And after that Jamaican rum had set in I asked him if I could take him home as my souvenir. We went back over to the resort for dinner, steak night. Tommy was right, it was delicious! We went in to the lobby lounge and after all of the "youngsters" had loaded up on the bus and headed off to the "club of the night", us old people played the craziest 70's and 80's Name That Tune Trivia game. Friday was back to reality. I thought they were going to have to drag me on to the plane! But all good things must come to an end, and I secretly was missing my hubby and kids. One big difference I did notice between Cabo and Cancun was that there weren't a lot of beach vendors here. That was nice. You could actually go to the beach without having to worry about being bugged to death. And for anyone going all-inclusive, the best advice I could give you is this: All-inclusive doesn't have to mean all the beer you can possibly ingest in 4 days. I felt really bad for the people that got totally wastedthe first night there, then were so hung over for the rest of the trip that they couldn't enjoy themselves. We found that alternating between a drink then a bottled water kept us alert and hydrated. OK Tommy, as an inspired housewife, I wanted to express to my sister how much I appreciate her and our Cancun trip. As a fellow Cancun lover, I though I would share it with you: Can-coo-hoo-hoon Will we ever get there? The waiting goes by so slow. Are we really here? Beauty all around us..... How does God know? Was it just a blissful dream? A dream come true for sure. Will I ever see it again? Just wait until next year. But if God decides that my last days I have seen, Strap a snorkel mask on my face.......... and throw me out to sea! Cancun 2001 Thanks again Tommy, for all of your help! I think next year we are going to Playa or Akumal. Stacey Posted by Leslie, Costa Real 11-4-00. Returned from Costal Real the middle of Oct. and would rate it close to a 10.Upon arrival our rooms were ready which has never happened in previous visits at the other hotels.The exchange rate at the hotel was 10 pesos to $1. US which was better than I got at the Airport. We had studio rooms with a full kitchen including microwave. We were all-inclusive and quickly discovered that the beer was served in bottles and that mixed drinks were not limited to "domestic only". Two restaurants: one ala carte,the other a buffet. Outstanding food and service. We ate at the ala carte restaurant. Never ordered off the menu. Told our waiter what we wanted and it was served us. Lots & lots of shrimp were consumed. Also could use room service once per day at no charge so breakfast in bed was a treat we took advantage of.The waiter at the la carte restaurant was Arturio and suggest you ask for his table-super waiter! In the buffet restaurant we found Hillirio to be an excellent waiter as well. Everyone told us the best liquor prices were at Walmart and it was true, even cheaper than the duty-free shops. Best shopping buys were found at a store on Tulum Ave, downtown. The store advertises 3 t-shirts for 10.US , and is accross Tulum Ave from the Kiwi Flea Mkt. just down the street from the Super Mkt. We purchased Cancun shot glasses for 1.US that were 4. in the Flea Mkt. Shopping the Flea Mkt. is like "swimming with the sharks". The vendors surround you trying to feed on your money- a great experience... Found the Hotel Zone buses to be the best way to travel. Took the busus to the Public Ferry and went to the Island with the "locals". The #1 reason for returning to Cancun are the people living there. They are the most gracious people I have found in my travels. Many of them are very poor, but they are all very proud people. We are also a service- oriented country, but we will never perfect the "service" to the high standards of the spanish citizens of the Cancun area. Enough, will close by saying we will all return to the Costa Real next Oct., and that no matter what hotel you choose, you will have the best vacation ever in Cancun. Posted by Mr. Cancun RIU Palace 11-6-00. Wendy and I stayed at the Riu Palace the last week in August and really enjoyed this resort. We got there on a Thursday night, checked in, and were led to our room. The room was huge with a sunk in living area with couch and TV. Fully stocked refridge with ice cold dos equis and Pepsi products. Each room also has 4 liquor bottles on the wall to help yourself. The hotel itself is unbelievable. There are 400 + rooms and a very helpful staff. This is the only resort in Playa that is fully air conditioned in the lobby. After checking in, we decided to walk across the street to visit the Riu Tequila's disco. Place was packed with some party people. We then went back to our hotel for some late night munchies and a few more drinks. If you stay at the RP you can visit the other Riu hotels and eat and drink. The hotel has plenty of class and is totally beautiful to look at. I could not believe the price we got for one full week. We did not sign up for the fancy restaurants but opted to eat the buffets each night. Yes, you do have to wear long pants (Dockers are fine)but well worth it. This place was almost as nice as the Royal Hideaway in which we visited in June of this year. The hotel has an indoor(air-cond.)theatre for nightly entertainment. Yes, they serve premium liquors here with no hidden cost.(Tommy, they wanted $5 more or a premium drink at the Flamingo, just to let you know). The pool was adequate and the food at the pool area was the second best I have ever had in Mexico.We have been 28 times now and really love going to Playa del Carmen. The only thing I miss in Cancun is the LARGER WAVES for body surfing. I will keep this short so if you have any ?'s you can email me. www.riuhotels.com microbill@yahoo.com Posted by George, Carmeleon Marival, 1-7-01 I just returned from a 2 weeks vacation from Cameleon Marival. There are many conflicting reviews on this hotel and some of them are very damaging and others I totally agree with. I am going to try clearing things out the best way I know how, keeping in mind that my values are bound to be different from yours. First of all let me say that I have been going back to this part of Mexico for 8 consecutive years and I seem to discover something new every time. If this is your first trip to the Riviera Maya (used to be called Cancun - Tulum corridor) you are going to love it no matter what, regardless which hotel you stay in (as you go back, you start comparing and become more difficult to please). The Cancun Tulum corridor has the most beautiful beaches I have even seen. And most visitors having discovered this area of Mexico will agree that this is paradise on earth (It might have something to do with tequila, who knows!!).. I always take two weeks holiday giving myself time to unwind before starting my adventures. However, most tourists visiting this region come for one week which is really unfortunate, since they just have enough time to relax and possibly visit one or two landmarks before heading back. Every year I select a different hotel to stay in. The Cameleon Marival site is to my knowledge one of the worst real estate found anywhere along this stretch. The crazy owners must of purchased it for a very low price and are trying to turn it into a gold mine. I stayed in next door Oasis Puerto Aventuras few years ago and the Cameleon site was actually a solid volcanic type rock bordering an unattractive sandy beach filled with more rocks than sand. Well, they blasted most of the solid rocks are removed some of the rocks from the shoreline. As I mentioned to the hotel manager they have done a monumental job clearing and beautifying the beach but they still need to perform some other miracles. So if you are looking for a palm filled endless sandy beach to jump up the waves you are going to be deeply disappointed. Since I do snorkle, I found the place somewhat more interesting. However, to be able to see those reefs and tropical fish, you have to go past the very long stretch of rocks that lie 30 feet from the shore. You will scratch yourself silly attempting to reach the other side on a wavy day and there are very few options to find your way past these obstacles. But once you get there (some 300 feet from the shore) you are going to be rewarded. Mind you the water is really shallow and not deep for scuba diving (about 6 fe |
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