Your Arrival: Arrival: We had pleasant flight with Canjet. Typical boxed sandwich for breakfast. I was amazed at how quick and efficient going through customs/immigration at the airport was. On the bus was a cooler of cold beer, pop and water – the bus filled quickly and we were off. They also provided a little box of snacks for the long ride to the resort. It was a very nice touch to have our room assignment package ready on the bus and didn’t need to stand at the desk waiting to check in, as happens at most resorts. It was long drive but a great opportunity to see the countryside. At the resort there were dancers directing us to the proper check-in building, which again, was quick as we received our bracelets and then shuttled off to our room. Luggage arrived no more than 10 minutes later !!! Amazing how fast and organized this all was.
Rooms: Rooms: We had the good fortune to have a room in building three on the fourth floor. The view of the ocean was spectacular! The room had a huge balcony and it was wonderful to sit and enjoy the sunset. Although this room was terrific for us, if someone wanted shade on the balcony there is none here…it’s open to the skies and no relief. The view, morning or night – amazing. Our room was cleaned thoroughly everyday, always fresh towels and 2 bottles of water.
Restaurants and Bars:
Resturants: We only went to the steak house and didn’t try all the a la cartes. The steak house was delicious and boy, do they know how to cook their beef. Was so great that we booked it twice and enjoyed it immensely. A little heavy on the salt, but I requested no salt and was even better than the first time. The buffets were plentiful and many, many varieties of meat, vegetables and pasta. So many dishes to choose from and each one we tried was great. A huge selection of fresh fruit at every meal. Service was top notch at every restaurant. Our glasses were constantly being filled and empty plates didn’t linger for too long on the tables. 5 star service, without a doubt
Beach/Pools/Grounds:
Beach/pools: The beach was interesting. Certainly not the white, powdery sand but it was great just the same. Playing in the water during high tide or even low tide was fun and the water was very warm – took no coaxing to get in and get wet. What they say about the sand being hot…watch out as it’s no exaggeration. The beaches all along the resort had many palapalas and plenty of chairs for all. There were no chair reserving games and even around the pool(s) there were always plenty of chairs available, no matter what time of day. The grounds around the resort are always being manicured and it shows. The whole place is full of shrubbery with flowers in bloom, lush grass and many, many trees all throughout the resort. They’ve also added many decorative statues all over which add to the mayan ambiance of the resort.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: Activities: We walked along the beach one day and came across a large statue of Jesus out in the water. We returned during low tide and were able to walk along the lava rock out to the statue. Made for some great pictures as some of the rocks have unique formations. Was extremely hot walking, so if you plan on walking this far, make sure to bring plenty of water with you. You can always jump in the water along the way to cool off as there didn’t appear to be alot of rocks in the water and quite a nice stretch of beach. We only did one tour the Cultural Tour on Sunday. Although I was hesitant to go, I must admit it was great. So informative and fun to shop in the little villages and there are plenty of bargains to be had. This was the shorter tour and great to mingle with the locals and check out their food stands and we even ate at the fair grounds. The smells and sounds were terrific. They provided a little box of snacks on the bus as well as water and pop – nice touch. Well guarded by the police and we could leave our purchases on the bus without worrying about theft Hubby did go out on the crater dive tour for a full day. He was rather disappointed by the experience in that it was dark in the water and he felt, quite unsafe if anyone lost track of their dive buddy. He wouldn’t recommend this tour as there wasn’t much to see – but, it was informative and he learned alot. It was an opportunity to crater dive but not worth the long 2 hrs to get there and back again. Just to mention, the first dive was cancelled due to not enough people – so there’s always a chance of missing out completely. His suggestion is to book your dive early enough in the week to allow for rebooking on another date should this happen. I did the hot stone massage and oh my !! for $45 for one hour it was well worth it and a wonderful experience.
Other Comments: On the day of leaving, again everything was well organized. We left our luggage outside the door to be picked up and the bus left promptly at 9:00. Airport was quick and no problems at all. Do watch your luggage weight, as people next to us got nailed $70 for being overweight. Our lighters got confiscated at the security entrance, so don’t be surprised if they find yours. Everything at this resort was exceptional here. It exceeded our expectations and we would definitely return next year if the price remained the same. We would like to try Panama next, but who knows. This Royal Decameron truly was outstanding and I hope they realize that the staff are hard working people that do their job with pride and it shows, whether it be quick service from the bartenders or the cleanliness of the rooms – outstanding in all areas. In my mind it’s a 5 star resort however I think the beach would drop it down to a 4 star – in that it’s not white sand and turquoise water – I’m not really sure why this isn’t rated a 5 star except for that reason….Pat & Diane, North Bay Ontario (selectivedi@yahoo.ca)