April 7, 20187 yr New site, no stored info, so putting it out there again. Needs to be Cancun (or somewhere on the coast that uses Cancun's airport) because of how our plane fare works out. Looking for quality of offerings (not cheapass, nice accommodations, beach proximity, safe hotel zone, adults only possibly, etc.). This would be 'bout late Aug for me and the missus. I'm sure a buncha them are about the same, but anything you thought was a good time, and in particular a good value. Not interested in the dregs, but also not necessarily accommodations worthy of a Saudi Oil Emir (unless a good price). I'd even check back on Eskimo Scat, but don't wanna rifle through poop gifs. Thanks in advance.
April 7, 20187 yr Went to a wedding at Moon Palace all inclusive a few years ago. Damn nice resort and pools, lots of kid activities, but a little far from the clubs and restaurants.
April 7, 20187 yr Author 4 minutes ago, rage-a-holic said: Cancun blows AI's blow Heh, probably, but what's the alternative? (Personally I'm meh on going but I can be persuaded). Get a burlap tent and camp out on the beach?
April 7, 20187 yr Cancun itself isn't great. But I love Playa del Carmen, and lots of folks around here really like Isla Mujeres. You fly into Cancun for both of those. In Playa del Carmen proper, I really like The Royal as an AI. On the beach, right in town so there are tons of activities to do outside the hotel, food is very good, and drinks are real. Oh and it's adults-only. There are also many non-AI hotels in Playa, and VRBO type places as well. I don't know anything about Isla Mujeres but lots of shagsters (surlsters?) are big fans and you'll probably get plenty of recs from them. Edited April 7, 20187 yr by utee94
April 7, 20187 yr 2 hours ago, utee94 said: Cancun itself isn't great. But I love Playa del Carmen, and lots of folks around here really like Isla Mujeres. You fly into Cancun for both of those. In Playa del Carmen proper, I really like The Royal as an AI. On the beach, right in town so there are tons of activities to do outside the hotel, food is very good, and drinks are real. Oh and it's adults-only. There are also many non-AI hotels in Playa, and VRBO type places as well. I don't know anything about Isla Mujeres but lots of shagsters (surlsters?) are big fans and you'll probably get plenty of recs from them. I don’t know anything about Cancun AI, but we stayed at The Royal on our honeymoon and thought it was very nice. Playa del Carmen is much less busy than Cancun; it was a nice change of pace for a week with the wife as opposed to how crazy everything is in Cancun. Edited April 7, 20187 yr by Etexhorn13
April 8, 20187 yr Grand Velas in Riviera Maya. Amazing service and food for an AI. Stayed there for my honeymoon. Highly recommend
April 8, 20187 yr El Dorado Seaside Suites. Between Playa and Tulum. Only downside was it's an hour from the airport, but they picked us up in brand new Lincoln Navigators as part of the package. Best service and food we've had at an AI. We're not shaggy surly 1% and don't travel that much so take that into account. It was also during the time hurricane Harvey was hitting Texas and only about 1/2 full, so the staff was hustling for tips(I assume).
April 8, 20187 yr Just stayed at hotel ziva for a wedding , pretty nice place , good food, good location. They have a dolphin park inside it if you have kids.
April 8, 20187 yr I went to an AI in Cancun once so this hits close to home. But I was blackout drunk the whole time so I don't even remember the name of the place I stayed. But I sorta recall that it was nice.Use lots of sunscreen. I do remember that I got so sunburned that I required a cortisone shot upon my return to SATX.
April 8, 20187 yr 8 minutes ago, Hate said: Make sure you take a carbon monoxide sensor. And your own liquor....
April 8, 20187 yr Stayed at the Royal Haciendas in Playa last year. It is absolutely a picture perfect resort. However, the food was underwhelming. There was rarely Mexican food available. Italian, Chinese, and Tony Roma style bbq were there. It was a pasty Midwesterner’s dream I’m sure.
April 8, 20187 yr 1 hour ago, VABuckeye said: Get on the goddamn ferry and stay on Isla Mujeres. See, I told you the IM mafia would show up. VAB, how 'bout some recommendations on hotels, food, etc?
April 8, 20187 yr El Dorado Seaside Suites. Between Playa and Tulum. Only downside was it's an hour from the airport, but they picked us up in brand new Lincoln Navigators as part of the package. Best service and food we've had at an AI. We're not shaggy surly 1% and don't travel that much so take that into account. It was also during the time hurricane Harvey was hitting Texas and only about 1/2 full, so the staff was hustling for tips(I assume).Seconded. Headed down to seaside suites again in a month. El Dorado Royale is also a solid choice. All inclusive is the way to down there in my opinion. The Karisma properties all have great food, high end booze and immaculate properties.
April 9, 20187 yr Grand Velas RM is one of the best AAs in North America. Not cheap but the food and service are incredible. It’s a huge resort which site on almost 100acres so it can be 90%+ occupied and you can still go 20-30 mins at a time without seeing anyone.
April 9, 20187 yr we were at the grand fiesta americana coral beach for thanksgiving. it's right next to where the ferry takes off for isla mujeres. the place was awesome. they really do take care of you if you're grand club or higher.
April 9, 20187 yr Haven't done Secrets on that side of Mexico, but the Secrets in Cabo has been great. NO KIDS. Fairly high end booze. Good enough food and nice, high-end resort feel (dress codes in restaurants...the women dress up). Did I say that there are no kids? I know there are super luxury places to stay, but the no kids thing on this sort of vacation is important. Not a usual fan of AI, but I have enjoyed Secrets. Despite the name and the weird marketing campaign, it's not swingers spot. There are normal couples, groups and a fair number of singles of all ages. The main pool can be a good party scene, but the rest of the place is pretty elegant. I am sure the formula for the Cancun area locations is the same. The Marona Beach location has been recommended to me.
April 9, 20187 yr On 4/7/2018 at 10:23 AM, phdhorn said: Heh, probably, but what's the alternative? (Personally I'm meh on going but I can be persuaded). Get a burlap tent and camp out on the beach? Jesus Christ, did you not get the memo?
April 9, 20187 yr I went to one near Playa del Carmen a couple of summers ago...was expecting it to be like a cruise ship that doesn't move (full of Walmart trash) but it was actually not bad. Pro-tip, just because it's an all-inclusive don't be a cheap ass. In fact, the best thing to do is get to the pool early in the morning, say Hola Amigo to the bartender on duty, slap down a 20 and tell him you'll be there all day. After day 1 with some spotty service we started doing that each morning and it was a big success. It got to the point that they would just fucking ignore people who had been waiting and serve us first if we came back up to the bar.
April 10, 20187 yr Went to the Hyatt Zilara last summer with the wife. It is smaller than the Hyatt Ziva, but all of the rooms are ocean front and there are NO KIDS. We had a great time, especially considering that we stayed for free on Hyatt points. The entire 4-night trip cost about $200 out of pocket and that was all tips.
April 10, 20187 yr We did honeymoon at Secrets The Vine. The accommodations and food were excellent. We plan to go back for our 5 year anniversary.
April 16, 20187 yr On 4/8/2018 at 12:02 PM, Hate said: Make sure you take a carbon monoxide sensor. If you're going to the trouble, get a combo natural gas & CO detector, & you might as well use it in your own home as well. That family didn't die from CO poisoning. They died from asphyxiation due to a natural gas leak displacing the air, and both happen in the U.S. as well.
April 16, 20187 yr On 4/8/2018 at 6:30 PM, utee94 said: See, I told you the IM mafia would show up. VAB, how 'bout some recommendations on hotels, food, etc? We had an extensive thread at the other place with lots of great recs. Here's what we have so far here...
May 29, 20223 yr we stayed at Excellence Riviera Cancun as part of a wedding party a few years ago. we do not generally do AI resorts. that place was absolutely phenomenal. I don't anticipate we'll ever return to Cancun, but in case there's another winter apocalypse and we have to, i'd happily stay here again. it was outstanding.
June 1, 20223 yr Headed to Cancun next week. Can I tip in US dollars or do I need to locate some pesos?
June 1, 20223 yr Headed to Cancun next week. Can I tip in US dollars or do I need to locate some pesos?You can tip in USD, but you get hosed on conversion when paying in anything other than localSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
June 1, 20223 yr On 5/29/2022 at 3:08 PM, Armybrat said: Forgot to mention…. The above resort is called Excellence Playa Mujeres. we're headed there in july.
June 1, 20223 yr On 5/29/2022 at 3:08 PM, Armybrat said: Forgot to mention…. The above resort is called Excellence Playa Mujeres. i was expecting a bikini pic of mrs brat !
March 5, 20232 yr Despite my best effort, we are effectively doing this for a week next month. Any suggestions? We have a private house rented with a chef, etc. Not as bad as an all-inclusive but close to it. I think the house is 45 mins south of Cancun. Where can I escape to that is actually fun and not a tourist shit hole?
March 5, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, wackawacka said: Despite my best effort, we are effectively doing this for a week next month. Any suggestions? We have a private house rented with a chef, etc. Not as bad as an all-inclusive but close to it. I think the house is 45 mins south of Cancun. Where can I escape to that is actually fun and not a tourist shit hole? WTF? 45 minutes south of Cancun is not Cancun.
March 5, 20232 yr Friends have recommended this place to me …… https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g3198845-d774804-Reviews-Valentin_Imperial_Riviera_Maya-Playa_del_Secreto_Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html if you want fun, temptations was pretty good time
March 5, 20232 yr 3 hours ago, wackawacka said: Despite my best effort, we are effectively doing this for a week next month. Any suggestions? We have a private house rented with a chef, etc. Not as bad as an all-inclusive but close to it. I think the house is 45 mins south of Cancun. Where can I escape to that is actually fun and not a tourist shit hole? That should put you in the Akamai area which is pretty nice. The kids and I have rented there a few times. A house on the beach in that area with a private chef should mean you don’t need to escape anywhere.
March 5, 20232 yr 1 hour ago, NeverMarryAStripper said: That should put you in the Akamai area which is pretty nice. The kids and I have rented there a few times. A house on the beach in that area with a private chef should mean you don’t need to escape anywhere. I assume you mean Akumal; Akumai is a mail service. 45 minutes south of Cancun is not close to Akumal, it's maybe Playa del Carmen with no traffic.
March 6, 20232 yr On 5/29/2022 at 2:41 PM, Armybrat said: Son & DIL are back at this resort for the third time since Thankgiving… Excellence? I really enjoy their chain. Service is always phenomenal On 6/1/2022 at 9:18 AM, gsoda3 said: we're headed there in july. Did y’all get the Excellence package?
March 6, 20232 yr On 6/1/2022 at 2:20 PM, tx 3 putt said: i was expecting a bikini pic of mrs brat ! She’s old fashioned!
March 6, 20232 yr The best part of the excellence club is the private shuttle from the airport and back and then having a cooler of beer in the Escalade.
March 6, 20232 yr Excellence Playa Mujeres is great. But I enjoyed Secrets Maroma Beach better overall. Both are blown away by Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen. It just opened last year and it’s awesome. Great food, awesome pools (including a huge sand entry lagoon) and great staff. Beach is ok. If you want to level up, do Impressions Moxche. We are checking out Impressions Moxche for a birthday in July. All these places are adults only.
March 6, 20232 yr 19 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said: The best part of the excellence club is the private shuttle from the airport and back and then having a cooler of beer in the Escalade. We spend a couple weeks there during the pandemic and let the kids do zoom school from the beach. It was a great experience all the way around, but you're right that you feel pretty good getting in an Escalade at the airport while everyone else is getting into a shitty tour bus.
March 6, 20232 yr 2 hours ago, SydneyCarton said: Have you looked into any of the White Lotus properties?
March 7, 20232 yr I’ve done Secrets The Vine and Secrets Akumal - both were awesome - Akumal was (not surprisingly) more laid back and relaxing, while The Vine was a little more lively.
March 7, 20232 yr On 3/5/2023 at 6:24 PM, BurntOrange&White said: Did y’all get the Excellence package? we did. nice job on the room assignment also. building 9 is the best.
March 7, 20232 yr On 3/5/2023 at 6:24 PM, BurntOrange&White said: Did y’all get the Excellence package? I gave your mom an excellent package. Back on topic: Hotel Le Blanc. Edited March 7, 20232 yr by LonghornJones
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