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I was never there, the girlfriend was though...I'll see what I can gather from her
Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
Has anyone been there?
I am spending a week there in early December and have no idea what to expect. Any insider information on this place would be appreciated.
The Heart Throb
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I was never there, the girlfriend was though...I'll see what I can gather from her
2009 NLS II Dynasty Champ
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I take a vacation there every year, its awesome. While shopping, always bargain, never give what they are asking. Avoid "american" places like McDonalds or Walmart. Best place to shop is 7th avenue. Make sure you carry Pesos and US Dollar, sometimes vendors like one currency more. Don't buy anything at airport, ridiculously overpriced. Coco Bongo is the best club to go for dancing and drinking.
If u have specific questions, let me know.
Originally Posted by HybridTheory
Nice HT, good looking out. I do plan on doing a lot of shopping so that tip will help. Im staying at the Riviera Maya, any idea where thats at in relation to this club you speak of? Any must sees or must do's?
2009 NLS II Dynasty Champ
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I absolutely love going to Cancun/Playa for vacations. I've stayed in and recommend the following All-Inclusive hotels:
Gran Porto
Copacabana
Occidental Royal Hideaway
The Royal
Gran Caribe
Riu Playacar
Royal Hideaway
Playa Maya
If you go, you need to go to an All-Inclusive resort. All you can eat and drink, and you pay for nothing. You don't have to tip, but if you do (even $1 dollar) give it to the waitresses. They remember, and they will just start bringing you drinks whenever they see you....very nice. If you are nice to the staff, your room will always be kept awesome and you can pretty much get anything you ask for, a smile goes a long way. after the first night, I had the staff filling my fridge with Beer and any other drink I asked for.
You can also get many things free if you don't mind a few sales pitches. This is an excellent way to get free meals and trips, but only if you know how to say NO at the end of the pitch. I just went in September and got a free Zip Line Jungle tour, a speed boat tour, lunch and transportation that should have been $119 a person, for free. We just had to sit through a half hour sales pitch for timeshare. Said no thanks, and went back to partying at the hotel. I absolutely love the free stuff, but some people get annoyed too easily with sales pitches, not me, I like the free stuff.
Also, when checking into the hotel, make sure and tell them "I am so glad to be back, we had an excellent time when we came to this resort 2 years ago" Since you are a returning guest, you will get a free upgrade to VIP Status. Not many extras, but when the staff sees the special colored band you have on, you get waited on 1st, and usually don't need reservations at the restaurants.
If you go to take a tour that costs money, bargain on that too, never pay full price for anything. We wanted to do para-sailing, but they wanted like $125 for two of us for 15 minutes. I talked to the guy for like half an hour while Missy kept saying she thought she would be too scared, and didn't want to pay that much if she thought she might not like it. He finally gave in and gave it to us for $60 and we got 20 minutes. Play it up, everything is negotiable!
2009 NLS II Dynasty Champ
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What's the full name of the hotel? There's Riu Riviera Maya, Tides Riviera Maya....etc.
If you can give me the full name, that would be great.
Riu Riviera Maya
Thanks again HT !!
2009 NLS II Dynasty Champ
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Ah, excellent hotel. The Krystal restaurant is my favorite there. Just a little advice about resort food...don't expect big lavish gourmet meals. They have to make a LOT of food, so sometimes it is a little bland and repetitive, but you need to try different things to keep it fresh. The restaurants that you have to make reservations at are usually the BEST ones to eat. The buffet restaurants are great for breakfast and lunch, and the barside grill...Chili's (I think) has great snacks and drinks for you to have throughout the day. The only thing you should ever have to pay for is if you order Lobster, everything else should be included.
You aren't very far at all from "Quinta Avenida" (5th Avenue). I think I said 7th avenue up above, but I was sleepy last night, lol. 5th avenue is about a block off the beach and it goes on for a long time with shops galore, trust me, you will get tired and the day will be gone before you run out of shops. Coco Bongo is right around the corner from 5th avenue, and there is also a bar called Senor Frogs which is very nice. You can also catch a Ferry to Cozumel which is about $20 a person, that's also right down from 5th Avenue as well. Your hotel will offer buses back and forth from 5th avenue....do NOT take a cab. They will overcharge you and they drive crazy. Just ask your front office people, and they will arrange it all for you, and it's usually free or very cheap. Depending on how many days you are spending, I would see if you could spend a day at a "Sister resort". These are resorts that are under the same management as Riu and they usually will let you spend the day at the other resort FREE hoping that you may go to that one in the future. It's nice to get see another resort, try some different restaurants and see a different beach.
The drinks in the morning will be stronger than the drinks at night. They do this because they know that as the day goes on more people have already drank a lot and won't notice. Not a big deal, just be nice and talkative with the bartenders/waitresses and you will be kept in good condition the whole time.
When you get to the airport in Cancun, go directly to get your bags, and once you are through customs go directly outside to meet your travel company. Do not stop at any of the vendors inside or anyone asking to "Help" you. You should have travel already arranged and they will be waiting outside. If you go to one of these other people, they overcharge you and you will be out a lot more money than you should.
If you have any problem with your room, A/C, hard mattress, etc. Go to the front desk and tell them about the problem and let them know that last time it was much better and you hope they can take care of this problem for you. Be nice, and it will get fixed promptly, if you be mean, they really don't give a crap and will take forever to fix it. I can't tell you far a good attitude goes in these places. These people make very little money at their jobs, so a smile and a $1 tip will get you miles further than yelling.
Have fun man, you are going to love it. I've never once been disappointed with going there. If you take an excursion, going to the Tulum ruins was very fun. You get to visit all the archealogical ruins, and it has the most amazing beach that I have ever been at in my life. Beautiful white sand and awesome water.
sounds like Rosarito..... or Ensenada..... or Cabo..... or Mazatlan... or Puerto Nuevo
damn i think mexico is pulling a fast one on us
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