Stayed: Feb 8 – Feb 15. Had a great time at the Tucan. We’ve been to other Iberostar’s and liked them, and really liked this one, with it’s "jungle" setting. Great atmosphere, facilities, food, and drinks. Our weather was comfortable, with temp topping out at around 79F but the evenings went down to the 60’s. Had a variety of days from sunny to partly sunny to cloudy and a little rain.
Your Arrival:
We used Apple Vacations and flew direct from Chicago O’Hare to Cancun on USA 3000. Went with 2 other couples. Flight was on time and went well. Air conditioned bus took us to the Tucan, part of the Apple package. They are doing roadwork on the main highway close to Playa Del Carmen, so we lost some time due to construction and traffic at the lights. They are putting in an overpass or two at intersections so that the thru traffic won’t have to stop for lights. When the roadwork is done (don’t know when) travel will be much faster. Check in – we had to wait until 3pm, but one couple had to wait until 4pm, I think because we asked for our rooms to be near each other, which they were. Otherwise no other problems. All of us were in fact placed in building 17, which was a fine location.
Rooms:
Room was very clean and typical of a usual Iberostar room. The bed was very firm, perhaps our only small gripe. Would have liked a slightly softer bed. Not a deal breaker though. Bathroom had a nice tiled walk in shower. Each day, different towel art was left on the bed, always fun to see. Had to call one day for more bottled water, and received it with no problems.
Restaurants and Bars:
Buffet was good with lots of choices. It is true that the Buffet offerings were about the same every day. However, the variety was immense. No one had trouble finding plenty of choices to like. The buffet on the Quetzel side had a more scenic entrance with a walkway over a grotto with waterfalls. The specialty restaurants we went to were very good. We ate at the steak, Mexican, Tropical, and Japanese restaurants. The Japanese was the most fun, as they essentially put on a Benny Hanna type cooking show. Good premium Tequila to be found at the lobby and show bars. Also surprised to find they had premium Caribbean rum brands as well.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: The beach is back at Iberostar Tucan, and the other resorts on that stretch as well. It is now very wide with lots of room. Apparently our trip timing was good – we were told that the big project to lengthen the beach has just been completed through the entire area. No more sand bags. The pools were also spacious and well maintained. The pool bar is in its own separate adults only pool you entered down a stairway. It was nicely shaded but the water was a little cold, not unusual for this time of year. Should be a great bar location in hotter weather.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Worth mentioning: Along this stretch of beach, the Tucan and several other resorts are located in a gated community containing private homes, condos, etc. It was easy and very safe to go outside the resort for a walk or jog, even bike-ride, and lots of people from the various resorts were doing just that. You could also walk all the way to Playa although we took a taxi for $5. Playa certainly worth a morning or afternoon visit. Best Tequila prices we found were at Walmart!
Other Comments:
The “jungle” landscaping really is different. This gave the Tucan a different feel from other resorts we’ve been to, very unique and enjoyable. Although the jungle path is hilly you can also walk around on flat wide paths that are on the outside of the buildings. Overall, very easily to get around. The Tucan is not as large as some of the other Iberostars. We saw that as a plus. Thumbs up for the IB Tucan!