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Anyone been to Cancun or Riviera Maya, Mexico lately? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter eoMMan
- Start date
El Floppo
Footballguy
I would think you'd be fine there too... especially if you're just going to go the lounging route and stay in the resort.
we were literally just last night looking at going to cozumel- thinking that original ferry explosion was an accident. the wife found an article after your post that said the second devices were found on a dry-docked or docked ferry that hadn't been in operation for a number of months.
dammit. who's doing this? terror or drug/gang related?
shadyridr
Footballguy
A drug cartel took credit for it.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-blast/u-s-issues-alert-after-tourist-ferry-explosion-in-mexico-idUSKCN1GE0AC
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El Floppo
Footballguy
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I've been going there for over a decade and have gone during these flareups before. I've seen the Mexican army doing random stops on highway 307.
So, I will say this again:
If you are staying on your resort, you will be fine.
That was a ferry that taxis from Playa to Cozumel (it's public transportation). Mexico is going to do whatever possible to keep folks coming to that area, as it's a cash cow for them.
I wouldn't recommend walking the back streets of Playa or Cancun in the best of times.
But, do what you're comfortable with for your vacation.
RUSF18
Footballguy
Makes sense why the cartel was targeting this business.
As long as I can determine that the owners of Karisma Resorts have no connection to organized crime, I'll be at one of their Riviera Maya resorts every year without even a second thought.
Brony
Footballguy
El Floppo
Footballguy
How was the trip? Where'd you end up!
We're going in a month... but haven't picked where yet: Cozumel or Isla Mujeres most likely. concerned about sea weed in the mainland if we stayed closer to Tulum. I want to go to Holbox, but wife not interested this time. How was the sea weed where you were?
Been traveling to area for 20 yrs. We're Travel Club members at Grand Palladium, going during Easter week and no real worries. Have read forums with ex-pats in PDC (Playa del Carmen) and aside from the ferry things they are confused by govt warning. Seemed to targets random PDC neighborhoods. Similar to Cancun, don't travel into the 'real' downtown Cancun. I live in Rochester, NY & our city has horrible criminal rates.
PDC consulate office now reopened but govt employees told to not use ferries. If going to PDC right now I would probably be inclined to avoid ferry. We are closer to Tulum/Akumal area. Wife nervous & would prefer to stay on resort but no way I'm not going to Akumal Bay.
Bottom line, as has been noted if on resorts or in Cancun tourist section there's nothing to worry about.
PDC consulate office now reopened but govt employees told to not use ferries. If going to PDC right now I would probably be inclined to avoid ferry. We are closer to Tulum/Akumal area. Wife nervous & would prefer to stay on resort but no way I'm not going to Akumal Bay.
Bottom line, as has been noted if on resorts or in Cancun tourist section there's nothing to worry about.
El Floppo
Footballguy
We bought our air, but haven't booked hotels.
Afaik, the ferries to Cozumel are still running frequently and aside from the two things in the news (which aren't insignificant) without incident. The wife's been going to Cozumel her entire life (Mexican dad) and although concerned, feels like if anything the ferries will be safer now than ever. We'll be finalizing where we stay very soon.
In that regard, she seems more concerned about the excessive sea weed along the mainland beaches and water than exploding ferries. Have you heard anything about seaweed lately?
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I've been there around a dozen times, though I'm not a TC member.
What section are you staying in? I was there in December right after they reopened the Royal section. It's much different now than it used to be.
RUSF18
Footballguy
It comes up pretty frequently as a discussion point for the area but from my understanding, it's just an offshoot of the weather pattern at any given time. When we were there in December I noticed it less than ever.
The good resorts will have their people raking it away and hauling it out early in the morning, and will make another run of it in the afternoon if necessary.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Definitely. My experiences have been seaweed every time I've been on the mainland over the last 15ish years. No issues on the islands.
But as you say, it varies per wind/weather/sea patterns, which is why I'm asking the people who are there now or just returning- to get a better idea of current conditions which will supercede my own experiences.
Been staying in Colonial section as it is short walk to pool & beach & 24 hr beach bar. Will miss not being able to go to salt water pool.
culdeus
Footballguy
You can usually figure this out by getting the wind forecasts. Where high wind and high tides hit at the same time will usually mean seaweed. This assumes there is any stuff out in the water to push on.
The worst case is basically a situation where high winds and high tide bring it in and there isn't quite enough to push it onto the beach so it can't get scraped off and you are forced to just look at it.
There are stretches of beach that are worse for that than others for trapping seaweed. It's most likely going to get worse before it gets better with global warming implications and things like that.
bshell27
Footballguy
Trip was great. BIL is a Travel Club member at Grand Palladium and everyone went out of their way to make our trip amazing. All of the activities were fun and the staff did their best to make sure everyone was having a great time.
We did a few excursions:
1) Tulum/Cenote (Trip arranged by resort), both were interesting.
2) Dolphin Excursion- I think it was Dolphin Discovery (Connected to Xcaret). Wife and kids loved it, getting in the water with dolphins isn't my thing.
3) Ferry from PDC to Cozumel- Jeep tour with a few stops. (Lighthouse, El Cielo beach, eco-park and tequila tasting). Fun, but if I did it again, I wouldn't go on a tour, ferry over and rent a vehicle so it didn't feel as rushed. Knew about the explosion, but not the travel warning, so that didn't affect us until after the fact.
Only complaint about the resort would be the lack of breakfast options. Two buffets located at the Colonial and Kantenah resorts, basically back to back with the same food options. Restaurants were not amazing, but not horrible.
I would definitely go back. We had a great time!
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Next time - even though it may not be as convenient if you're staying Col/Kan - you should try La Dahlia over on the White Sands side for breakfast. It's new and kind of an upscale buffet.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I understand that some levels of the Travel Club get Royal access, though I don't know which they are.
bshell27
Footballguy
We stayed at the White Sands and ate lunch at La Dahlia. Nobody in our group knew they did a breakfast so it was either Hacienda or Tikal every morning.
bshell27
Footballguy
Black and Gold. We were Teal, which is no longer allowed in TRS area (salt water pool), until BIL upgraded mid-trip, which was good for me because we went from a junior suite to a governor, which included a king size bed in a separate bedroom, which helped out with late night activities.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
Yeah, I imagine that could get kind of old after a while for some though there's enough variety for me.
Started with a 'trial membership'. Love the area and deal we finally negotiated down to (not as bad as old time share days but they start with crazy number. We did homework & had our numbers down) in order to extend & on trip we did extend they upgraded us to Royal for remainder of trip. Son was young teen so we left him at pool/beach area to play volleyball etc & we went to Royal adult pool. Very relaxing & top shelf.Uruk-Hai said:
No issues with breakfast as I try to workout in AM & then splurge on tostadas, bacon, omelettes & mozz stix.
Lagoon excursion mentioned earlier is very cool. Tulum is impressive but roped off now. Would suggest Coba instead for ruins. Akumal Bay also a must if you are down there. Changed a bit in that you have to 'hire' a guide to take you outside swimming area in order to snorkel for turtles but well worth it. Looking to hire local boat for fishing this year.
bshell27
Footballguy
Didn't notice anything in the morning, but when we got back there were officers with semi-automatic weapons all over the dock.
Did you notice anything particular about security for the ferry? We'd likely be staying in Cozumel.
How were the beaches and water in terms of sea weed? Notice any in Cozumel? How about on the mainland?
Beaches had a lot of seaweed and there was a lot floating in the ocean near Palladium. They did a good job of sweeping, but still a lot of seaweed. Cozumel was a lot better, hardly any seaweed on El Cielo.
El Floppo
Footballguy
where are you?
fwiw- that last trip we did (where I kept asking about seaweed), we ended up on Isla Mujeres at Mia Reef on the tip of the island. actually a small island off the tip of the island connected by bridge and amazing beach/lagoon. Mia Reef is an AI (not our favorite way of travelling as we're not big drinkers) with typically meh food- but the location was seriously fantastic. highly recommend just for that (including a natural pool in between the reef at the far tip of the mia reef island).
Ilov80s
Footballguy
El Floppo
Footballguy
Da Guru
Fair & Balanced
Went to Barcelo last year in Mayan Riveria….4th time there and the crowd seemed pretty much the same. Went into Playa to party for a day and it was the same as it always has been Cops in the street with maching guns just like in 2009 the first time I was there.
When we go into Playa we go around noon and return to the resort by 5 or so.
When we go into Playa we go around noon and return to the resort by 5 or so.
Shula-holic
Footballguy
Just saw this. We were at the Valentin in June. First time I've ever been to Mexico. I admit I was skeptical of how it would be but we had a blast. The water there is beautiful. We had people complaining about seaweed but to me it wasn't bad at all. They had crews that buried it during the day and also a tractor pulling a machine picking it up.
flapgreen
Footballguy
ffldrew
Footballguy
Was in Cancun for a business meeting back in October at Moon Palace - right after Hurricane Michael had disturbed the Gulf just off the coast.
First off - the place was big but really beat up IMO. You could just see things start to show their age and they hadn't been addressed.
The beach was non existent - and was covered in seaweed that smelled like a methane gas. Thought I was at a stockyard and to clean it up they had big scrapers and bulldozers and backhoes constantly working and beeping. All right next to their pool area. Not too relaxing.
Food was just OK - rather pedestrian for the most part with the occasional "what the hell do you think that is" that you always get in Mexico
I was also tired of wearing wrist band after a while.
People working there were fantastic
In general not my cup of tea at this type of mammoth resort - not sure I would pay big money to stay there. If I was looking to sleep/layout at pool and drink beer all day(hard liquor there was poison) and could get it for real cheap I might consider it.
First off - the place was big but really beat up IMO. You could just see things start to show their age and they hadn't been addressed.
The beach was non existent - and was covered in seaweed that smelled like a methane gas. Thought I was at a stockyard and to clean it up they had big scrapers and bulldozers and backhoes constantly working and beeping. All right next to their pool area. Not too relaxing.
Food was just OK - rather pedestrian for the most part with the occasional "what the hell do you think that is" that you always get in Mexico
I was also tired of wearing wrist band after a while.
People working there were fantastic
In general not my cup of tea at this type of mammoth resort - not sure I would pay big money to stay there. If I was looking to sleep/layout at pool and drink beer all day(hard liquor there was poison) and could get it for real cheap I might consider it.
El Floppo
Footballguy
Lehigh98
Footballguy
Where do you look for deals I see mentioned on the properties? I was thinking of looking into a quick (maybe 4 night) winter trip for the family (me, wife, boys are 12 and 10) in mid-February. We've got a bunch of points on Southwest that can get us down there but need to find a place to stay. Would like a nice all inclusive with good food and drinks and activities to keep us occupied but pretty much just want to get away for a while and relax and have a fun time.
My wife and I did an anniversary trip to Excellence Playa Mujeres about 5-6 years back (booked through a travel agent) and had a great time but that's adults only.
My wife and I did an anniversary trip to Excellence Playa Mujeres about 5-6 years back (booked through a travel agent) and had a great time but that's adults only.
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El Floppo
Footballguy
culdeus
Footballguy
They opened a kid resort next door. Actually, two of them. One is low frills, and one is basically a carbon copy of EPM with kids. I think the kids one is called The Finest and is same concept.
You can get the best deals IMO on AIs using TripAdvisor watchlists. Book refundable, and just buy every dip. As you get closer to the stay (15-30 days out) contact the resort concierge and tell them you have X rate and see if they will either A) beat it or B) offer the same rate to a higher class room.
Ilov80s
Footballguy
You definitely have to be careful, there are so many hotels/resorts here and some aren’t that great. One of our friends we always see this week stayed at the Hard Rock instead one year and hated it. I always avoid the all inclusive thing because it seems to invite lesser quality and lesser service.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I think I've posted it here before, or maybe it was in another thread, but I'd recommend Grand Palladium Riviera Maya.
It has four sections - Kantenah, Colonial, White Sands, and TRS. TRS is adults only, but the other three are open to you no matter which you happen to stay in. The place is massive (maybe 300 acres with 1.5 miles of beach; maybe a dozen different restaurants, several pools both large & small, and countless bars - here's a map) so, if you're looking for more active type of things, they have plenty of that. But, if you're looking for chill areas, plenty of that too. Tons of stuff for kids and/or adults.
It's about an hour ride south of Cancun's airport.
I've been here a dozen times (& am not affiliated with the resort; just like it). I think it's a great place for what you're looking for.
PM me or ask here if you have any questions.
toshiba
Footballguy
I have been looking at Cancun for a quick 5 day trip this spring. I am leaning towards all-inclusive, just for ease of planning. I am looking at Paradisus all-inclusive package. If I don't go all-inclusive, how much should I budget for 2 in meals and drink?
Ilov80s
Footballguy
That really depends on how you want your eat. There are great places with tacos and beer that you can do for $20. There’s also high end places where it will cost your over 100 a person. The good news is the exchange rate is great (use your credit card and alway charge in pesos). The meals I’ve had there would cost double here in Detroit and triple in Chicago.
toshiba
Footballguy
Thanks. I tend to eat a better places, but I don't really feel like all-inclusive will get me that anyway.
The price difference between the Paradisus (all-inclusive) and Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach is $400. Not that I would expect to eat for 5 days for $400, but I guess I need to do more research in a non-all inclusive food/drink budget.
culdeus
Footballguy
It's Cancun. Set expectations accordingly whether AI or not. If looking for a bit better experience think Cabo.
There are higher end places down near Tulum and PDC, but you are paying AI prices just to get in the door there. Usually at non-AI places the rule of thumb is expect the rack rate x2 per day for your final bill.
toshiba
Footballguy
Thanks. Honestly all the Significant other wants is white sand and warm clear blue water, beautiful scenery. I am probably giving this way too much though, because in the end if she has those two things we are golden.
I think the sea in Cabo might be too cold for her in March.
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Ilov80s
Footballguy
If you want nice food, I would recommend Tora (Japanese) right off the bat. The food is exceptional and the seating on the lagoon is gorgeous. The next restaurant I would recommend is Porfirios. It’s got great food but also a pretty lively atmosphere- reminds more of a Vegas style restaurant. There’s a DJ playing music and the mariachi band rolls though several times at night. I don’t like Neil Dismond but when the mariachi band plays it, everyone in the whole restaurant sings along. It’s pretty cool. All the restaurants on the lagoon side also have beautiful sunset views. Plus I can tell you about a great cigar bar with awesome sunset views and out of this world mojitos. The bartender is famous for them and was brought in from TJ to make them.
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