We enjoyed this resort except the beds. Considering we upgraded to the Golden Club the beds were like laying on a floor. Fine if you have a bad back but for anyone else it was torture. We could never have done a second week at this resort knowing we would have to sleep on these beds for 7 more nights. And just so you don’t think we’re the type that complain about everything, we weren’t the only ones who found the beds hard as a floor. Several people we talked to over the week stated the same complaint.
Your Arrival: When you come out of customs and hand in your final paperwork you’ll be quickly hustled to your immediate right to a number of people in cubicles. You’ll be told you need to go over there to get information about your resort. WARNING! These are the time share sales people you hear about. We were expecting them outside the airport but they are actually right in the building before you exit to find your bus. Do not go over to that counter or you may miss your bus.
Check in at this resort for the Golden Club was very quick but note if you arrive before 3:00pm in the afternoon, expect to wander around until that time before you get your key. For those coming out of Toronto you could be sitting around for a couple of hours before you get your room key. Also be prepared they will not put your bags into your room. We were stunned to find our luggage waiting outside of the room for anyone to see or take.
Rooms:
The rooms were nice but as previously stated the beds were rock hard. You can ask for additional mattress pads (we got 3 put on our bed) but trust me it won’t make much difference. Pillows were also very small in comparison to other resorts we’ve stayed at. Room also had a very musty smell and we were told all the rooms are like that. The alarm clock was also screwed up and according to other people we talked to they had the same problem. Our alarm kept going off at odd hours of the morning. We finally unplugged it. Note: if your fridge isn’t keeping your beer cold, try moving the cans to the lower part of the fridge. If their up top they stop the fridge from working correctly.
Restaurants and Bars: The buffet restaurants had tons of food to choose from but because this resort is catering to so many people if you don’t go when the food is first put out you can guarantee it will be cold when you eat it. Selection was fabulous but if its cold it really doesn’t matter. We found if you went as soon as the buffet opened then the food was fine. Bars were great and drinks were plentiful as well as tasty.
Al a Carte’s were fabulous, really can’t say much more than that. Had absolutely no complaints about any of them. We went to the Mediterranean, one of the Seafood restaurants, the Mexican and the Japanese and again they were all fantastic. In fact this is probably the first resort we’ve been to in the Caribbean that actually was able to cook beef correctly.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: I would suggest if you’re going into the Caribbean waters at this resort you have on water shoes. The sand is very course and there are several large and small pieces of coral rock in the water. Otherwise the beaches were fine but as anywhere else you need to find your spot early and put something down to keep your spot. The resort discourages this but everyone does it anyway so you have to, if want anywhere to sit at the beach or at the pools. We’re not really pool people but they seemed nice enough although they were pretty cold. The Caribbean waters were warmer than the pool was.
One nice surprise was the numerous Iguana’s that were on the grounds. They come out to bath in the sunshine through out the day.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: We did one tour to the Coba ruins and the Mayan village. If you’re into history and ruins then I would recommend this tour but if you are expecting a number of Mayan statues then go to Chichen Itcha. You can’t climb that one anymore but for now you can still climb the temple ruin at Coba. The Mayan village was not quite what we expected. These homes are apparently where these people actually live and many on this tour were apprehensive about touring through someones home. It was different. If you’re not a walker then you could be in trouble. The Coba ruins is a very long walk although you can have a biker shuttle you around the ruins for $6 USD. Also you are in the jungle so it can be very hot.
We also did our own day trip to Playa del Carmen. Take the bus van’s at the very front of the resort. The buses fill quickly so you shouldn’t have to wait long. They are only about $3 USD per person or 30 peso’s. F.Y.I. I found in many cases it was more worth your while to use the USD. When converting the peso’s back to CDN $’s it seemed in many cases we would have been better off to pay in USD (especially with the CDN $ being almost par to purchase USD in Canada). If you are going to Cozumel on your own it will cost you $22USD per person for the ferry.
Other Comments:
This resort was very nice and would do well to fix the bed issue. If they can do that then I would seriously think about going back but only if they change the mattresses. It was also nice to be able utilize all 3 areas, Coba, Tulum and Akumal beaches, pools and restaurants.