Mayan Palace Rivera Maya. They need to work on it.

The resort is not even close to being completed. The main pool is done. It is huge and is one of the largest in Mexico, but the service by the pool was the worst. We waited at times an hour for a drink. They are under-staffed and do not speak English well.

We were at the Grand Mayan and the rooms were great but far from everything else. We had a 2 bedroom that slept 8, IMO it can sleep 14. There are no Ocean views because of the way they are built. This is to prevent hurricane damage.

Some things about the Italian Restaurant were amazing. The Italian Restaurant has an unbelieveable atmosphere. The view of the pool from above, all lit up at night, was amazing. There is also a cigar bar in the rear. But because of a forgetful waiter, our night here was ruined. He forgot one entree and never brought the vegetables that came with the meals.

Right now they have 700 rooms. When finished they will have 4000 rooms. The Spa is almost up and should be done shortly. Where ever you walk you see and hear the construction. In a few months all of the Grand Mayan units will be done as well as the mini rivers on the resort, but I do not think the other half of the resort will be completed too soon. Whatever is done already has made it a huge resort. But poor transportaion to get around. Parking is very far away. You may need a cab after parking if you're lucky enough to get a spot. The resort sprays for bugs nightly and does not notify you, so you may get a mist of insect spray at any time.

For the kids they did have a a lot of pretty good activites by the pool.

If you want location then there are 2 sides to how you look at this resort. If you want a party place with lots of restaurants and great beachs, then stick to the Cancun Area. But if you want to relax The Mayan Palace is the place.

One further note.

Even if it seems the Mayan Palace is in the middle of nowhere it is close to Tulum, Xcaret, X-Ha and it is by Playa del Carmin, which has a ferry that will bring you into Cozamel. It is also close to Puerto Moralas which is a small fishermans village. It would be cheaper to rent a car and use it from the MP and go to these areas from the MP, rather than using a tour from Cancun.

As far as a tip goes, get UP REALY EARLY LIKE 6AM. Go to the pool area and get one of the large king beds that are under the palapas. It was so comfortable that you will feel like a king.

Now if you want a real adventure go to Carlos and Charlies. They have moved to the Forum area right in the center of it all next to the Hardrock. Get there around 7pm.

There is a standing bike that you peddle as soon as you go in. If you reach a certain area you get a free dinner. Don't try this as the chain is off.

When you first sit down the waiters come over and only speak Mexican. The only two words they know are "Tequila" and "Faihtas." Sure enough they keep on bringing you bags of Faihtas and a few shots of Tequila.

As for the atmosphere, it is like a show there. First they had a wrestling match with Batman and Superman. Then a fire extigusher went off. Free shots of Tequila and then came the barbers chair. You sat in this and they put an Ice filled funnel in your mouth and poured flaming hot Kaluha and Tequila mix in it. It looked cool as it went down since it was with a blue flame. It also looked hot but was quickly cooled from the ice. The audience cheers you on to try to finsh all that is in the metal container. Some did it some could not.

The waiters are all in sinc with each other as they get a long stick and touch a woman's leg and the turn their heads and point as they throw a fake rat across the floor.

Next came a glass Flask that had a blue mixed drink. It poured out a fine stream. There was about a quart of whatever was in there. Once again I was put to the test. I finished it in one shot and received a standing ovation.

I became so friendly with the staff that I was givin a napkin from the Mgr that allowed me to drink at the bar for free. I could not really take full advantage of his offer since by this time I was already singing. But I tried.

All of the Funnel and Flask drinks were free. I had a ball here and recommend it to all.

They have every breakfast dish and juice you can think of. The food was good and fast since it is buffet style. The service here was better than by the pool area. Some dishs at the breakfast buffet were, Pancakes, French toast, Waffles (2 types), Omelets, Tacos, Tosdias, eggs any style, Rice and beans, steak, bacon, Pork, Sausage and much, much more.

Some of the Juices were Watermelon, Melon, Guava, OJ, Hibiscus and many others. There is a nice lake view over looking the Grand Mayan units.

This was well worth the money and I recommend it very much, The food was very good.

This area is about an hour from the Rivera Maya, 2 hours from Cancun. It is an old burial ground with some old ruins. There is a very nice beach there that is small but is very crowded. Still, you can cool off here. You can also swim to some caves that are below the ruins.

It is very hot here and the walk from the parking lot is far. Try to take the tram as it will be worth the 10 minute wait. We got there late and the tram was not available so we walked it. In fact we got there so late that they let us in for free. It closes at 5pm and we got there about 5:30.

Bring a camera and extra film. You will want to take a picture at each ruin. Not to mention the pictures of the ocean from above. Other than it being a tourist area there realy is nothing else here to do.

You'll see the signs advertising Xcaret all over. So you go. If you drive, you pay the $50 per person price. If you take a tour, you pay about $80 pp. So now you are in there and find out that if you want to swim with the dolphins that it is an additonal $115 pp. Scuba walk is $40 pp, Snorkel rental is $10 PP and so on.

For your admission fee you can visit a small zoo with Pumas and Tigers, a butterfly exhibit with a waterfall, and a very large sea water river filled with some fish. If you go, bring or rent the snorkel gear. The water was cold at first but it was refreshing. This is one of the main attractions.

There is a buffet style restaurant that has a music show and parrots all around. The food was just ok but the atmosphere was nice with the birds singing a long.

I did not think this was worth the price we paid to get in, I would not recomend this place simply because they did not give you enough for the money.