May 2004
Photos of resort and staff, beach, Cancun, Tulum, Xpu-Ha, Isla Mujeres, La Isla Shopping Village, Market 28, maps of areas and Tulum in black & white.
http://community.webshots.com/user/got2travel
This trip was a last minute decision. We were expecting to leave only in 2005 but with the great deal we got, we just couldn’t pass it up. Sunholidays had a great deal leaving from Bathurst and for us, it’s a big positive thing. It’s not a vacation anymore when you come back home more tired then when you left.
We are not the " high class" type but we like to be comfortable, eat well and have good service. We saw very good reviews regarding this resort and decided to give it a shot. I normally stick with the Iberostar chain but you wont regret your stay at this resort. If you are looking for a resort at a descent price, close to shopping and with easy access to downtown Cancun, you’re choosing the right one. We wanted to stay in the Akumal area but we decided that since we were there for two weeks and wanted to do a lot of sight seeing and take lots of pictures, the Cancun area was more for us. One down fall was trying to get information about internet and computer access at this resort. No matter how hard I tried or who I asked for help, I was getting different answers from different well known travel agencies. I even emailed the Barcelo reservation call center and no reply. I call directely 1-800-227-2356 and I got a negative answer but she gave me the an email address so I could get in contact directely with the resort. We never got a reply. Even if we had to go to an internet café nearby, we didn’t mind as long as we knew where to go. So, I tried with a web site called " Best Day". Now, wow!, this is what I call service. I got to chat with an agent online and she was the best. There was no computers with internet available at the Barcelo Club Las Perlas at the time BUT the Imperial Las Perlas nextdoor has computers with internet access that we could use. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a guest, you say that you stay nextdoor and you can use them. Your resort all inclusive bracelet will show for it anyway. The rate was 10 pesos for 20 minutes ( $1 american).
Let’s talk a bit about Cancun. Cancun means " Snake’s nest". It counts a population of about 700 000 people. This city is only 30 years old. The first resort was built in 1974. It is only 7 hours away from Guatemala and 22 hours away from Mexico City. Kuntana Roo was the last state to be added in 1974. A lawyer and politician, Senior Andres Kuntana Roo, was in charge of the independance papers signed on September 16, 1810. That’s were the state got it’s name. September 16 is the biggest celebrated holiday in Mexico. Like Independance Day in the USA.
Air Canada Flight to Montreal:
The flight itself, well, I call the Dash 1 " being in a washing machine" experience. Boy!, I love big planes… :o) We bought our trip with Sunholidays but it was an Air Canada Vacations package so we were able to get a " add on" and travel Bathurst-Cancun return at a very good price. The " add on" was cheaper then the train.
Holiday Inn Hotel in Dorval Montreal:
We had to stay overnight in Dorval. The Holilday Inn Cote de Liesse was a very nice place to stay. The price is lower if you show your Air Canada tickets. At the airport, you will see a courtesy phone with the hotel name on it. Just pick it up and the hotel reception will send you a shuttle to pick you up. This is included in the price of the room. Here is the phone number to reach Holiday Inn " directely": 514-739-3391. At the hotel, we had the opportunity to go train at the gym and the instructor was very nice, friendly and helpful. He showed me and my friend some excercises that we can do home without needing anything but your own body. They have everything to keep kids busy. Pool tables, ping pong tables a nice pool and the internet service is free. You just go in with your room key-card. The service at the restaurant and front desk was very good and very pleasant to the eyes…if you know what I mean…Got to like those men from Venezuella…
Air Canada Flight to Cancun:
We got to the airport with the hotel shuttle. Good service. They ask you to be there 3 hours before departure and you have to wait 1 hour for the Air Canada counter to open….dah!!! It would have been nice to sleep one more hour instead of waisting it waiting in a lineup. The service on the plane was very good. They kept serving us food, snacks and drink all the way throught the flight. Air Canada charter flights planes are way more comfortable then Air Transat. More room but smaller plane. No big screen to watch the movies but small ones all along the aisle. Plus, they do not charge you $5 for the headsets. The landing was very smooth. It didn’t take too long to go through customs. Plenty of open boots. It’s weird in Mexico, the customs has those lights that look like traffic lights, if it says pass…you pass and if it says stop, you get searched…Do not pass Go…do not collect $200….
Transportation to the resort:
Once out of the airport, we saw a sign with "Air Canada Vacations" and we headed that way. Along the way, the Air Canada Rep came to welcome us to Cancun. We didn’t wait too long to leave for the resort. The mini-bus was comfortable and I got to sit with the driver leaving my friend the chance to look out the window. He was trying very hard to have conversation with me. That is something you have to take under concideration. "The effort". I aked him about the weather for the day cause we arrived in very late afternoon. He said " Today, nice….tomorrow HURRICAN!!" ha ha ha…It’s then that I slapped him on the arm… The roads have bumps for controlling the speed of the traffic. Plenty to see along the way to the hotel. Barcelo Club Las Perlas is the second stop along the Hotel Zone.
Check in at the resort:
We got in the hotel and we greated with a smile. We didn’t wait for our room but we had to wait until the next day for our towel cards and our key for the safe deposit box. We didn’t mind because it was too late to go to the beach and we kept our important papers and cards with us. Romeo helped us carry our bags to our room. He was very nice. The next day, we got our towel cards no problem and we also got the key for our room’s safe deposit box. The safe deposit box is FREE for the entire stay BUT if you loose the key, you have to pay $100 american when you check out. It is the same for the remote control for the television and the room key. The towel cards will cost you $20 each if you lose it. Only one key per room is given…That, we didn’t like…We had to ask each other for the key all the time. We would like to thank Monica and Oscar for the great service given to us during our stay.
Our room:
Our room was very clean. We found that it was too narrow. The dresser was at the end of the 2 beds leaving us with not much place to walk by. The bathroom is ok, nothing fancy but very clean. Shower gel and shampoo dispenser in the shower. Shower only, no bath can be taken during your stay. The mini-fridge was full of pop cans, bottles of water and beer. We had to stop at the lobby to pick up the bottles of water or leave a note to the maid to get resupply. This should be done without asking …The balcony was nice and wide. But, we couldn’t see through. It was very private. The view was very nice, right over the theater stage and we could also see the bar, the dock and the sea. We didn’t mind being close to the stage cause every night, the shows end at about 10pm. Plus, we were downstairs enjoying ourselves until then anyway. The closet was nice and big but could use more hangers. We would have got more if we would have asked for but we used the closet side-shelves instead. Plenty of them and very deep. The safe deposit box is in the closet. You will also find a nice table with two chairs in front of the patio door. Our maid Leydi made sure that we had a nice clean room everyday. We brought gifts with us and left them under our pillows for her everyday. To thank us, we had swans and elephants made of towels on our beds. One important thing is if you want your towels changed everyday, you have to leave them on the bathroom floor. Any towels that are hung wont be changed. Also, DO NOT flush the toilet paper. It causes problems…We didn’t have any. One thing would be great is for them to install screened patio doors. Sometimes, at night, we had to close our patio door cause of the mosquitos. Our room number was 6401. A bit warm during that time of year. Top floor and the air conditionning didn’t bring us much cool air. Another thing is that no weather channel was available on the television. That would help customers to make visiting plans or to check the weather back home and have a good laugh. We felt like asking to change room but we already unpacked all our stuff and didn’t feel like changing. We didn’t spend much time in it anyway. Shower and sleep. Our valuable time was spent " away" from the room.
Cancun is very popular for Spring Breakers and they cause a lot of damages. A lot of hotels dont book any rooms for them anymore…Barcelo should do the same. Maybe a reason why no screen patio doors are found. They probably busted them all… When we were climbing the staircase, we could see the lagoon across the street. Nice view but I wouldn’t go there if I were you. Plenty of crocodiles, snakes and iguanas. While walking along the street, waiting for the light to change so we could cross, we saw lots of little and big crabs coming and going out of their holes.
Hotel in general:
The grounds are well kept and clean. A few bricks were missing along the beach pathway when we got there but we saw them get fixed not too long after. The trees and bushes were well groomed and plenty of trees had nice flowers. The building has a nice Mexican style that my friend enjoyed very much. The windows were kept clean and pathways were swept all the time during the day. In the lobby, you will find a nice souvenir shop, tour reps, pool table, sofa and chairs and a TV. When you enter the main lobby, you will see a staircase to the right, that is the stairs leading to the A la carte restaurant " The El Palomar".
You can exchange money at the lobby. I find that they didn’t have enough change most of the time, was a bit annoying because we can not use canadian calling cards in Mexico.
The day after a nice conversation at the bar with the hotel general manager, the computer in the lobby was fixed and it was possible to go online. But, it was cheaper at the Imperial Las Perlas. There is a number to use if you want to make a collect call to Canada. I prefered to pay right away and not get hit with a nice telephone bill when I return from vacation. But the operators voice was getting on my nerves:" Please deposit 10 pesos…please deposit 10 pesos…grrrrr". Taxis are very easy to get since they offer you one almost everytime you go out the door. Also, the bus stop is almost in front of the resort. Just walk a bit to the left of the resort entrance to catch one.
The beach:
The beach is very narrow. I prefer to lay down on the beach a bit far from others. Not enough shade when you really need it. Good spots were taken very early. A few more palapas wouldn’t hurt and repair for the existing ones wouldn’t hurt. But, it was nice to lay down under the palm trees. The water was clear and calm. I like to swim and not jump. I also like not to have my bathing suit full of sand when I swim. It was just perfect. One down side is the seaweed. It was picked up all day long…Nothing like the beach in Varadero or Punta Cana. The water warms up very fast. It is way warmer after noon. But dont get me wrong, it is always warm enough to swim at any time of day but just warmer after noon. I could see fishes all the time and one day, we saw a small ray. That was really great. There’s always a nice breeze touching your body to cool you down. Since the sand is made of corral, it is NEVER warm on your feet. People should be more earth friendly and pick up their empty cups and any other trash. Garbage cans are right there all along the pathway and some are too lazy to use them. The beach is cleaned up every morning.
There was way too many broken chairs on the beach. Most cushions really needed to be replaced. The cushionning was gone and way too many holes in them.
After leaving the " comments sheet" at the lobby, the same morning, 3/4 of the cushions were replaced. I guess they needed to order more chairs. There are chairs that can’t be broken easily on the beach but people prefer the other ones because you can turn on them and tan on both sides of your body and also lay down flat.
Again, leave it to the Spring Breakers to do wonders to the hotel proprety….
At the far right of the beach, you will find a small cabin. That is were you go to get your towels. If you want to return your towel, be sure to do it before 5pm because it will be closed. You will have to bring your towel with you to your room and get a clean one the next day. "Keeping your towel is not a bad thing after all since you can put it on a chair as you get to the beach in the morning to reserve your spot" then after, you can go for breakfast and relax.
At the same cabin, you can rent boats, go for snorkeling tours or rent a small catamaren. I’m sorry, but I can’t provide you with the prices for those since we didn’t use any of them. You have a choice of two bars to go get your drinks while you are enjoying the sun. The pool bar or the Palapas Restaurant bar. One bar for each extremity of the beach.
The pool:
Pool was very nice and clean. A bit small compared to the ones I saw in other resorts. Same thing as the beach water, it warms up later in the day. Not enough shade around the pool. Tables and chairs but the umbrellas weren’t there. You can see the pool the minute you exit the lobby. Sitting chairs only, no long chairs.
Food and drinks:
The food was just great. I find that there was plenty to choose from and we ate very well everytime. At the buffet restaurant " La Palapa", leave it to Laurentino, Manuel, Marcela, Santiago, Carmen and Jose to give you excellent service. I didn’t wait to get coffee, and it is excellent coffee by the way, and we didn’t wait to get our empty plates picked up either. For those of you who are a bit fussy, you will find french fries, hot dogs and hambergers available for lunch and dinner. My favorite was breakfast. The deserts were not that good for the first 4 days of our stay. They were put on a tray and then on ice, making the bottom of each desert feel like a wet sponge. They fixed the problem. Also, I showed them how to keep humidity from the salt shakers. Just had some rice to them. At breakfast, lunch and dinner, a chef is there at the end of the buffet line and he’s preparing all kinds of different food everyday. Dont be shy to ask for a cheeze omelet in the morning or a nice vegetable omelet. This is only a small resort, the buffet is way smaller then the ones you will see in big fancy resorts. After a nice dinner, you can step in the "Jardin Mistico" and enjoy the company of Dalia who will prepare nice drinks for you. Try the "caipirinha"hummmm…Or if you feel for something stronger, why not have a martini. You can’t eat in the Jardin Mistico. If you want a drink like a Margarita or a Pina Colada, Dalia will go get it for you at the Palapa Bar. After getting to know Dalia, she told us that she was 2 months pragnet. We told her about and old tradition we do here in the north part of New Brunswick. We take a niddle and tred and we do the " Is it a boy or a girl? trick". She was so amazed by it, she brough us a tred and then a niddle so we could do it for her. My friend Helene sat down with her in a nice non-windy corner and to our suprise, she expecting a girl…the niddle made a nice round circle on top of her hand. The futur husband is the hotel restaurant and bars manager. He’s walking around saying " it’s gonna be a boy…it’s gonna be a boy, you’ll see"… We hope for him that the niddle was out of wack. But, Dalia was very pleased to know the result, she kept on saying: " A girl! a girl…". We had great service and great drinks served to us at both bars. They find it very nice when we ask for tequilla. They say it’s good for the "family"… Thanks to Jorge, Philipo, Roger and Gilberto. Jorge was having a good time with the bell at the Palapa Bar. He would ring it when a pretty girl would walk by just for fun. When we got a nice quantity of tequilla in our systems, we would ring the bell to teeze him. People do not tip at all. That’s a shame. Some, are rude to them. " Give me a beer!"…like come on, may I have a beer please and thank you wouldn’t hurt. I told one customer off one night. She really pushed her luck. Those employees work very hard and the deserve for us to be polite with them. Repay people with the same kindeness that they give us please. Smile back, it’s free! If you want to go to the " A la Carte" restaurant the "El Palomar", you have to reserve at the buffet restaurant. You should really go. The food, service is excellent. You have to order the "mayan coffee". Two waiters will come to your table and perform a show of fire with the alcool. It’s like a cascade of flames. Just beautiful. And the coffee is very good too. Please leave a tip at the end of your meal, it is well deserved you’ll see. It is a 5 meal course. You start with salad then soup. Main course, desert and coffee. The restaurant opens at 6pm.
Services and facilities: If you like to train everyday, you can go to the gym. Nice machines and weights. Fully air conditionned. The souvenir shop offers all kinds of merchandise depending on your needs. Souvenirs ( the beach towels are worth it. They are tick and good quality for the price compared to the ones I saw in flea markets), food, cigars and cigarettes, post cards and stamps. Wait to buy your liquor, if you have a chance, go to Walmart. A 40 ounces of Kalua was just less then $9 american.
If you need laudry to be done, that service is available. Just use the laudry plastic bags in your room closet. After a conversation at the bar with the hotel general manager, the computer that was in the lobby got fixed the next day. Like I told him, since we can’t use our canadian calling cards, it is a nice and fast way to get in contact with our families. It’s not available and it should be fixed. Let me tell you, the general manager is a very nice man. He’s fast to get things done. He seems to be very good to his staff. He gives them pats on he back and shake their hands. English was spoken with effort from all the staff. Some were better at it then others but you have to respect that you are in their country and not the other way around. We always found a way to have a good communication and be understood. The staff at this resort will find a place in your heart forever. They are so nice and kind. They will do everything in their power to make sure you are well served and happy. They took pictures with us and they asked for a copy. We will mailed them to the hotel in their attention. It is the least we can do to thank them for such a wonderful vacation.
On the beach, you will see Veronica do braids. I got half my hair braided since I have short hair. It hurts like hell. I had to get up and take a break at times. She would tip my head from both sides to help me relax. Makes it fast to get ready in the morning and they last about 2 weeks. Don’t forget to apply gel on them during the day and dont forget to apply sunscreen between each of them or you could burn your scalp. I paid $25 american plus tip and it’s worth it.
Animation and animation team:
I’ve been to the DR and Cuba and the animation team at this resort is by far THE BEST one I have ever seen. The energy, it’s so motivating. Leave it to Angel "sweet" Angel and Alberto to make you move. On the beach or during the evening animation, they will keep you busy. We were both lazy so we played bingo on the beach and my friend Helene won a nice t-shirt. We also liked the spanish lessons on the beach every morning. You can also do water excercises, play volleyball and the crazy games ( you have to jump in the water if you goof up)…it’s funny. Beer drinking competition ( country against other country). You can take spanish cooking lessons and drink making lessons. During our second week of stay, 5 new animation employees arrived and they were very very nice. I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Cecilia who told me she was from Mexico city. Left her baby son with her mother so she could find work. Jobs are too hard to find in Mexico City. I really liked Daniela nail polish and the next day, she brought the bottle so I could put some on. That was so nice of her so I gave her one of mine that couldn’t be find in Cancun. She was very happy and repayed me with a bottle that I can’t find here in Canada "cute!".
Weather and water temperature:
It rained on time for about 3 hours when we were there. We spent that time shopping at Plaza Las Americas. Then, it would rain for 2 minutes and stop. People wouldn’t even move from their beach chair. That is really great. The water temperature was great too. You can swim at anytime of day. But like previousely said, it’s always warmer after noon.
Visiting and how to get there:
Our favorite visit was Tulum and Isla Mujeres. We "strongely" recommend both.
BUT, we took the XPU-Ha & Tulum combo. We should have taken the Xel-Ha and Tulum combo instead. I wasn’t very impressed with XPU-Ha. If you want to pronounce it right: "Shpoo-Ha". Before going to the Tulum ruines, we stopped at this mayan flea market. Pretty impressive. The owner wasn’t. Very sarcastic. But, I found benches like I purchased in Varadero and it’s something that I was looking for but couldn’t find in the shops around our resort. If you want to buy silver, they have a huge selection and everything is put on a scale to determine the price. Hernan, the tour guide was very nice and interesting. He’s the one who tought us a bit of history about Cancun and also said to go do number ones only in the bus bathroom and all number twos had to be done in a maya toilette mostely called "bush toilettes" and those we can find all along the way to Tulum. :o) Tulum ruines, well, it has to be one of the wonders of the world. Tulum wish means: stonewall or Wall City or Forteress is the only Mayan site on shore line. It is simply breath taking. When you book a tour, you get about 50 minutes spent at Tulum with an historian and let me tell you Xavier knew his history. He was so interesting. I took the time to shake his and and tell him how much I enjoyed listening to him and he told me: " Thank you and bless you". Then, about 1 hour of free time to take pictures or have a quick swim. At some point, my friend had shivers decause depending on where she was looking, it made her think of the Holy Land. When you get off the bus at the Tulum ruines, you will find a small flea market. Then, you walk to the ruines. On the way there, you will see men dressed up like mayans who are about to do sacrifices. You leave a small tip and you can take pictures with them. We took some. It’s a very nice souvenir. You can’t climb the ruines anymore. They are not as solid as they use to. Hurricaines always causes damages and weekens structures. On mayan tower is barried under the ground. When you stand next to a tree, you are actually on top of the ruine. It will be digged up and you will be able to look at it all nice and high in the futur.
XPU-Ha…well, I didn’t like the service at the snorkeling dock for one thing. Just because I was on the wrong side, not the side with the yellow canoes, he refused to give me gears. He was inside a cabine with equipment coming out of his ears… When we entered the restaurant, we were greeted with a drink. Then we went to the buffet line. The food is up to discution…not that impressive…The service was good. I would like to know why people have to " blow their nose" at the dinner table…Gross! Come on big guy, get up and use the restroom and wash your hands. Everything is too far. With the heat, we were just to tired. You can travel from one part of the resort to another using golfcarts driven by the resort employees but again, we were just so tired because of the heat. Plus, we saw one wild animal only, one crocodile and the birds are beind this big blue cage. When walking under the snake patway, we saw ants as big as my fist… ha ha ha…We finally arrived at the beach. Very nice, it reminded me of Punta Cana. But, we laid down for about 30 minutes and it was already time to get ready to head back to the bus. How much money did we pay to do this combo tour?….$0…yes, indead, nothing at all. The catch: We were shopping at La Isla Shopping Village and this nice man behind a boot offered it to us. In return, we had to go visit a 5 stars Palace complex. The Moon Palace. Taxi-return from our resort was paid by the Palace resorts. Then, we had to listen to him " trying very hard" to sell us a membership of 37 thousand dollars american. Ya right!!! Even if you didn’t buy the membership, we were still getting the tour for free. Like I told him: "Would you buy a car without taking it for a test drive?". Same thing for us. We would need to stay here for at least a week to see if we like it. Not walk around for 30 minutes. Plus, we did not like it at all. It’s just too busy for us…too noisy. The water at the beach is just plain terrible and dirty. You can’t see a thing. I wouldn’t swim in that. Plus, the day after we visited the place, we both got sick because of the food. We felt fine when we were eating our resort’s food.
While visiting the Moon Palace we booked a trip to Isla Mujeres all inclusive for only $24.50 each :o) Nice! We took a bus too Playa Longosta ( 6 pesos) and waited about 45 minutes to take the Dolphin Discorery Fairy. The crew working for the Palace Resorts were very very funny and full of energy. On the fairy, you can book all kinds of tours like swim with daulphins, a tour of the island, snorkeling and deep sea diving. We just wanted to walk around and see the site. When we got off the fairy, we spotted a wooden carved shark. We finally realized that a man was in a tank along a nice nurse shark. Her name…Monica Lewinsky… ha ha ha…I’ve always been impressed with sharks. We left a tip and went down the stairs and had the chance to pet Monica and we gave her a kiss. They take pictures and they sell them for $10 american a pop. The shark skin felt like very hard sanding paper. Very different then feeling a nice and friendly dolphin. We went had had a nice lunch at the buffet restaurant. The coconut ice cream is very very good. My friend got a mayan charm for her chain with her name written in mayan letters. Silver and 14k gold. The price depends of the amount of letters.
I lost my friend for about 30 minutes and I took that time to go swing in a nice hammock by the sea. We really enjoyed the time spent on the island. We took the fairy again and they took us to the flea market a bit further. There, you can cross the street and go use a bank machine if you need cash. The prices were high… Nice spots to take pictures. We wanted to use a bathroom so we walk in a restaurant. We opened the bathroom door and let me tell you it didn’t take long for us to close it again…not a pretty and clean site. On our way back to Playa Longosta, the crew were just amazing. They dances, they dressed up in costumes, the did games and they even went by with a big bottle of tequilla ( mixed) and were splurting shots directely into your mouth. What a party! Total value for the price we paid. I would do it again but this time, I would do the tour of the Island. Before you buy a tour, please, shop around. You can get different prices for the same tour.
Transportation:
Local Buses: Contrary to popular belief, getting around Cancun, the Riviera etc by bus is very easy and enjoyable. It is the primary method of transportation in Canun and the Riviera Maya and may be desirable if you want to save money instead of spending it on expensive tours. Do some reseach online or grab a good book at the librairy and you can learn as much as the tour guide will tell you. It is safe to take the bus dont worry. My friend also enjoyed it. Info Buses ( Cancun Hotel Zone and Downtown) You will find bus stops nearly everywhere with local buses running every few minutes and all night long. The fair is very cheap about $0.50 american. If you want to go to the Isla Shopping Center for exemple, it will cost you $0.50 ( that is if your hotel is on the Cancun hotel zone). 6 pesos. Info Buses ( Cancun to other places in the Riviera Maya) Start by going to Cancun from your hotel. Then, choose a class of bus you would prefer riding on depending where you’re going. There’s a posted schedule in the station. From a major point to another major point, I would recommend a first Class bus ( ex: Cancun to Tulum Ruines). The TRP Busline has the easiest mode of transportation between Cancun and Playa del Carmel. It’s every 15 minutes. Second class buses, vary in comfort and amenities like air conditioning. They are also very useful if you want to go to lesser points in the Riviera Maya. Those buses make a lot of stops along the way and the driver will stop where you ask him to. Again, depending on the class of bus, the fair will vary. Still, it is very economical and you will get where you want to go.
Taxis: There are no meters in the taxis. So, be sure to discuss the fair BEFORE you get in. All prices depends on how far you are going. To go to: From the Hotel Zone to Plaza Las Americas: Take R-27 6 pesos From the Hotel Zone to Walmart and Market 28: Take R-2 6 pesos
From the Hotel Zone to La Isla Shopping Village: Take R-1 6 pesos
Shopping for souvenirs:
Now, one thing is for sure….NEVER EVER buy jewelery from passing sellers on the beach. Most of the time, it is not silver at all!! Be carefull. If you want to buy clothing or blankets…they always give you a ridiculus price. Please bargain. We really liked the souvenir shops in the Palace Resorts. Prices were very very good. We also liked the choices at Market 28. Again, never pay the asking price. Bargain is a must. They always ask too much in a flea market. A very very expensive spot, unless you hit sales, is La Isla Shopping Village. If you want to go to Sears or JC Penny, you will find those two at Plaza Las Americas. Along with many other souvenir shops, sports shops and fashion shops.
Visitors in general:
At our resort, during our 2 week stay, a lot of customers were from England. Then, the USA, Canada, Columbia, Mexico, Scotland etc.
Leaving Cancun:
We left on time for the airport. Since we were one of the last resort for pickups, we had the chance to spend more time on the beach. Ounce at the airport, all our baggages were searched. Everybody, no exceptions. After checking our tickets, we went through security. Right after the security, there is a restaurant with bar and it’s the only place in the airport that you can have a cigarette. Plenty of souvenir shops and duty free. We took off on time for Montreal. When we were over New York City, the lightning was brightening up the sky on each side of the plane. I prayed… Nice landing and on time arrival.
Conclusion:
If you want to know if we would return to Barcelo Club Las Perlas it is a big yes. We miss our new friends. We had a good time there. They made us feel welcome and we had a blast. If you ask me if I would stay in Cancun or the Mayan Riviera I would say: If you are staying for 1 week, go to the Mayan Riviera if you want to relax only. If you want to party, go to Cancun. If you want to stay for 2 weeks, I would go to Cancun since it is so close to everything. I would buy an Air Canada Vacations package again. We had good service and excellent price.
Barcelo Club Las Perlas is a solide 3 stars. If they would stop renting room to the spring breakers, they would go to a 3+ very easy.
Hotel & Cancun usefull info: www.maps-of-mexico.com (Awsome site with Virtual tours of the most popular spots along the Cancun Hotel Zone ex: Shopping malls, markets, beaches and resorts) www.cancun.com ( Big list of Resort and info for each one) www.accuweather.com ( 15 days weather forcast for your destination)www.interlog.com/~john13/cancun ( the best one for tips and info) www.bestday.com ( live help chat about Cancun and the area)
Special Thanks: Helene: For sharing with me her first experience under the mexican sun. Deena: For watching over our homes and the drives to the airport Michel & Andé: Taking care of the house and our doberman Cindy Tara: Our travel agent at Sunholidays Debbie & Aaron: My good friends for understanding why this trip was important to me. Bobby: Watching over Hélène’s home. Donald: For doing banking for me.
P… B…….: Thanks to you, I’m going to get my health back at 100%. This was the best favor you could have ever done for me. Thanks for the trip. :o)
Questions:
Reach me by email to this address: sun33_98@yahoo.com Or leave a question or comment in my webshots guest book. Thank you and Have fun under the mexican sun.