Pre-Christmas Break on the Mayan Riviera

Best Things Nearby:
There is very little near the resort, but everything you could want to do is right there, along with three different shuttle buses to move guests from one area to the next because it is so large. The complex is enormous, and if you had a car, you had to park it a fair distance from your unit, a bit of a nuisance if you were carrying packages or were traveling with no-so-fit people.

Best Things About the Resort:
The older Mayan palace buildings and the newer units of the Grand Mayan are all within the walls of a huge Mayan Palace resort complex.

All buildings surround a large lagoon inhabited by a crocodile. He is fed daily by the staff. There are lots of paths connecting one area to another, but there is a lot of walking and my mother’s friend found it challenging.

The pool is the largest I have ever seen; it was never crowded and there were always chairs available. Harder to find were spots under the palapas and even more elusive were the "beds" under the palapas. Although there were signs forbidding the "saving" of chairs, it was quite obvious that these rules were not enforced.

There were two pool bars and happy hour came along at least twice daily, where you could order one drink and get two of the same kind.

In the Del Lago restaurant, there was nightly entertainment beginning at 9pm. Thursday was Mexican Fiesta night, when dinner was included (for the price of $44).

Otherwise, entertainment was free and you could order drinks but were not pushed to do so. The shows lasted just over 1 hour each night and then audience participation was encouraged and enjoyed by those who had been ordering the drinks--a great opportunity to dance with some of the nimble dancers and/or make a fool of oneself.

Resort Experience:
My husband and I were traveling with my mother and her friend, and we had a two-bedroom lockout unit. There was a central living area with plenty of seating, a television, a dining table, and a kitchen area with bar stools. On either side of that were the bedrooms with a king-size bed and sleep sofa, as well as a two-person tub, shower, toilet, and television. From each room, one could access the fenced balcony or patio, which had long and short garden furniture and a small soaker pool.

If you only booked the studio part, there was absolutely nothing to enable you to eat anything in the unit—no coffeemaker, no fridge, no microwave, and no dishes. The kitchen of the one-bedroom side had a full-size fridge and a small freezer, a microwave, a coffeemaker, a toaster, and a four-burner stove, but no oven. There were plenty of plates and cups and bowls, but no wineglasses. Also missing was a kettle—it was a real nuisance to boil water in a saucepan for tea. There was no dishwasher, nor were there a washer and dryer. (You could arrange to have your clothes cleaned for a fee, or you could buy tokens for a hefty price and then use the appliances located somewhere in your building.)

The beach was lovely, with lounge chairs set up, but one could not really swim because of the rocks in the water. There was a hut that advertised water sports, and one could take out kayaks and other watercrafts for a fee, but we never saw anyone doing that. If you walked about 10 to 15 minutes to the south, you could swim in the sea at the next resort along that stretch of the coast. As you walk along the shore, there is garbage and rocks and seaweed and you pass some abandoned buildings and resorts in the process of construction or destruction.

There were daily activities organized by the staff: volleyball, kayak racing, Mexican bingo, arts and crafts for the kids, bicycle tours of the complex, and dance lessons to name but a few. The staff spoke good English and was a lot of fun.

There was a general store where you could buy anything, from milk to suntan lotion to bathing suits, at a much greater price than you would pay in town. If you were unfortunate enough to not have cooking facilities, or just wanted to eat out, there was a choice of five or six very nice eating establishments to choose from.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

We had gone to the wonderful shopping complex of La Isla, and at one point, the older people we were traveling with said that they had had enough and just walked into the closest eating establishment.

From the outside, one could not tell that around the corner was an absolutely amazing indoor courtyard decorated very much like a typical Mexican plaza, with brilliantly colored tapestries and blankets, textured walls that had freeform foliage painted on them, bright cloth table coverings, and lovely china and lace.

We were seated promptly and our waiter brought us some tortilla chips and delicious salsa. My husband had the chicken with three sauces; my mother had shrimp fajitas; her friend had mixed fajitas; and I had the tortilla soup, which came with so many extras that you practically did not need the soup. Each of our meals was delicious and filling. There was no room for dessert, which was offered from a tray for us to choose from.

Our wait staff was dressed in authentic Mexican costumes and were unfailing friendly, helpful, and exceedingly tolerant of our attempts to speak Spanish, although they were all quite willing and able to speak English. Entertainment was in the form of two older Mexican gentlemen playing what I can only describe as a huge xylophone, although I am sure there is a more accurate name.

All four of us were totally impressed by this restaurant, although we would never have expected such a great meal in a shopping center.

The Mayan Palace has about 30 bikes, but they are mostly all the same size and not in very good condition. Bicycle tours are on the activities list twice daily, and you meet at the activities centre near the pool. We were given helmets—one size fits all, whether you like it or not. There are straps you could try to adjust if you like.

Guadeloupe showed us to the bikes. Our group had five people in it, and the other couple around our age quickly grabbed the best bikes. Guadeloupe gave me one whose seat was way too high. When I complained, she gave me another with a seat that was way too low. With a wrench, one could easily have adjusted the height of the seat or the handlebars, but she was not at all interested in pursuing that avenue of thought, so I settled on the bike with the too-high seat. There also did not seem to be very much air in the tire, and the seat was dusty from not having been used. The bikes are all chained up with this one long chain, so in order to get to each bike, all the ones next to it had to be unchained, and again Guadeloupe was not interested in doing anything but getting on her bike as quickly as possible so she could finish the tour and get rid of us.

The tour was underway. We rode single file around the whole of the complex, going along the small roadways that the shuttle traveled along—nothing was pointed out as a site of interest, and there was no information given out about future expansion, although we did pass several areas where there was obviously construction going on.

The two older ladies we were traveling had wanted to go to a genuine Mexican flea market, so we battled the traffic into downtown Cancun and were fortunate enough to find parking right in front of the market.

No sooner had we crossed the street than were we accosted by one Mexican after another to come and see their wares. There were stalls after stalls of silver, blankets, lace, pottery, carvings, and T-shirts. Each vendor claimed his or her merchandise was unique and offered at the "best price." If they did not have your size, somehow it would be produced from the back of the store or perhaps a relative’s booth.

This would not be a place I would go to at night, and I felt like I should be hanging tightly onto my purse and wallet, although the people were not unfriendly. If you have a hard time walking away, then don’t go here, but if you know what you want, this is the place to bargain and get it at the best price.

It was relatively easy to find the ruins at Tulum; however, we did have to make one U-turn, but then we had no difficulty finding the parking lot, where we actually had to pay to park in the potholed lot. "Guide" and "timeshare-selling" booths were setup to confuse visitors, who would naturally assume these were the places to purchase entry tickets. Eventually we figured out that we really did not need or want a guide or to see a timeshare presentation and that to purchase tickets, one had to walk about a half kilometer down a hot, dusty road. Prior to making that trek, we followed the signs through a mostly empty, rundown "shopping centre" to use the public washroom, where we paid 20 pesos for a couple of squares of toilet paper. As we walked the road to the ruins, a little trolley passed us by—one could pay to sit in the relative comfort of the covered train. It must have cost a fair number of pesos because there were more people traveling by foot along the road than sitting in the train. At last we arrived at the entrance where we could pay for entrance at 320 pesos. There was also a washroom, which was somewhat cleaner than the one at the parking lot/shopping centre.

A guide actually would have been a good investment because there were no maps or guides given out. You gave your money and followed the crowd through the narrow entryway into the historic area. The whole excavation covered several acres, and some of the buildings are remarkably well-preserved. As we walked along the grounds, we sometimes did a little eavesdropping by standing next to a group who had a guide. The stories told by the guides gave the listeners a better understanding of the way people lived in the times when the structures were built.

The ruins are mostly on a high ground overlooking the ocean, but at one spot is a gentle sandy slope right into the sea. There were, however, no changing room facilities or washrooms. There was also no place to purchase water or drinks or food close enough to the beach to be useful. Nevertheless, there were numerous visitors enjoying the beautiful turquoise waters.

My husband wandered around for a while, taking pictures of the buildings at various angles, enjoying the spectacular views of the coastline, and observing all the other visitors. It is obviously a popular destination for cruise ships visiting the area and seems to be combined with a visit to Xelha. It would not likely be very interesting for children, nor a great place to bring those who have difficulty walking long distances under the hot sun.

Xcaret is a huge eco-archeological park that has something for everyone. Although there are markers, signs, and maps at each intersection of paths into the lush jungle, we found ourselves confused as to which direction to go in, much like the different parks in Disney World—which attraction to see first before the crowds hit and how to negotiate the park without a lot of backtracking—especially important if you are traveling with children or the less agile.

Throughout the park, during the day, there are shows and demonstrations and feedings of the wildlife and sea animals, but you must check the board at the entrance for the times and endeavor to be at those stations for that time. We arrived at the tail end of a horseback riding show that looked as if it would have been quite spectacular.

When you tire of walking around, you can find yourself a comfortable lounge chair alongside the lagoon and bask in the sun and watch the youngsters play in the warm, calm waters. In the distance you can see the dolphins and those customers who chose to pay extra to "swim with the dolphins."

The evening show at Xcaret is not to be missed. It does make for a long day, but since the entertainment is included with the entrance fee, you may as well enjoy it. One end of the large auditorium is reserved for those who would like to dine (for an additional fee, of course) while watching the show. The rest of the auditorium was filling up rapidly long before the show was scheduled to begin. Having been to other events such as these, we knew to get our seats and then find something to eat. Just behind the seats were several places where one could get chips, ice cream, hot dogs, and the like.

As we went through the entry gate, we were all given a candle in a paper holder. Shortly before the show was to start, one of the hosts lit the candle of each person closest to the aisle. It was truly an experience of sharing as the flame progressed along each row, and it was also one of wonderment and beauty as the sparks of light pierced the night sky.

The show began with the demonstration of two games played by the people of the area long ago. One was played by hitting a soccer-type ball with one’s hip; the other involved a ball on fire and a lacrosse-type of stick. Following that there was a history of Mexico set to dance and song, and it was absolutely spectacular—not to be missed.

I had heard about swimming in the underground river and was very anxious to do so. Lifejackets were arranged by size, and there were plenty of personnel to help you—they were mandatory. It was optional to rent fins, snorkels, and masks ($10). We had our own snorkeling equipment and skipped the flippers. We deposited our belongings in a large numbered pink bag that was locked in front of us, and we were given a key with the matching number to hang around our neck.

At the entrance to the underground river, you could spin the dial to help you decide whether to go along the left or right path. We went left and never did end up at the opening in the stained-glass plaza. The water felt somewhat chilly when you first got in, but would be welcoming if you had been wandering around the park in the heat. Because there was a current, you could drift slowly along, but most people chose to swim. At the entryway and at several points along the river, there were markers indicating how far it was until the next debarkation point and how many meters until the end. If you actually got out of the water before the end, you had to walk barefoot to the bag pickup point, so it made sense to keep on going. The whole trip took about 45 minutes.

Some parts were kind of spooky, as you were pretty much swimming in a dark tunnel, whereas most of it was only partly underground and the rest open to the sky. If you were using your snorkel gear, you could see that some parts were very, very deep and that others went very far underneath the rocks you were swimming under. At several points there was an employee in a wetsuit ostensibly ensuring you did not go in a wrong direction, though I did not see at that point that there was a wrong direction to go in. There was also a shivering employee with a camera so you could pick up a photo as you left the park. We were pretty happy to get to the end and emerge into the sunlight.

All along there was the possibility of seeing fish because you were swimming in a river, but basically the highlight was swimming underground. It is definitely not a good choice for those who are claustrophobic.

The Paradise River Ride is a peaceful 20-minute ride on a tropical river through the lush vegetation of the Jungle Trail Tour. You cannot access the ride unless you follow the Tropical Jungle Tour, which is a very interesting walk, with stops at greenhouses, botanical gardens, and the flamingos and the fish and shrimp farms. This is quite a hike through the tropical vegetation and not for those with mobility issues.

Once you reach the embarkation point, you must wait your turn. Then you are loaded on in a precise order, so that the river raft does not capsize. Once everyone is on, we were told it is meant to be a relaxing ride, so silence is encouraged. After that, everyone spoke only in whispers, if at all.

It truly was a lovely break in the hot day, but once I got on, I was anxious to get off and on to the next adventure at Xcaret. At the river’s edge, one could see waterfalls, artifacts, lizards, flowers, trees, and a whole lot more for those who were very observant. At the ride’s end, we were told to remain seated and had to disembark again in precise order to avoid capsizing the raft.

We had read some reviews of Aquaworld and decided to check them out before committing. As we got out of our parked car on the lagoon side along the Kukulcan Boulevard, we were met by the most congenial man, Jose. He was funny and patient with us as we asked questions about what was offered and what it would cost. Eventually we decided that my husband and I would do the Jungle Cruise, my mother and her friend would do the underwater submarine, and my mother’s friend and I would go parasailing. There are all sorts of packages available, and the more you take, the more you are discounted. Since we were technically four people taking three tours in groups of two, the most we got was a 10% discount, but that was still appreciated. Jose and I both had our calculators out, finding the best way to achieve the lowest price.

Once we had chosen our excursions, we left for the day, only to return the following day, when we were warmly welcomed by Jose. My husband and I were given life jackets and a brief orientation on our watercraft. (We had our own snorkeling gear, so we opted to use just Aquaworld’s fins—there are no discounts available for using your own gear.) It did not seem to be a busy time of year, as there was only another father and son in our group. We went single file across the lagoon and then along a path through the mangroves to head out into the ocean and then towards the reef. At the destination we connected all our watercraft, hooking up with another group, and jumped into the ocean where we were free to snorkel. This was well-done, with ropes cordoning off the coral so that we could not damage it and it could not damage us. There were lots of pretty, colorful fish, some surprisingly large, and coral, and the water was calm and warm. After about 45 minutes, we were back on our watercraft and heading toward Cancun along a different path.

At Aquaworld there were changing rooms, showers, and bathrooms, but I just find it hard to get used to putting that toilet paper in the garbage can. There are a variety of places to eat and drink and a kind of shopping center with fish swimming around in an aquarium. One can buy life jackets, snorkel and scuba equipment, T shirts, swim gear, etc.

Aquaworld is a huge operation, with a great variety of packages to choose from. There are hundreds of watercraft and lots of helpful personnel. When we were booking our activities, it was more or less akin to planning a party with friends, fun but slow. Jose was such a special kind of guy; I would recommend Aquaworld and their activities to anyone looking for a good time on the water in Cancun. Jus plan on not being in any kind of a hurry.

Since we had a stove, fridge, and microwave, we opted to prepare some of our meals rather than going out to eat. For this we needed groceries, so we headed into Playa Del Carmen, where we were told we could buy groceries at both Sam’s Club and a local grocer.

We stopped first at Sam’s Club and were turned back at the entrance to get our free daily membership card at the booth right around the corner. With that in hand, we were allowed in to shop. Just like in the States and Canada, most items were available in bulk portions only, so it was not ideal for a week’s holiday. Ever on the lookout for bargains, I found these really cute little skirts for $8. Liquor was also being sold for a good price (liquor is not sold in these kinds of establishments in Canada). We bought a liter bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream for $17.

One time we even had lunch at the outdoor patio at Sam’s, and although the food certainly was pretty much what one would expect, the best one could say was that it was cheap!

Our next stop was at Chedraui, where most of the locals seem to shop. It is a huge complex, selling not only food, but clothes, house wares, liquor, electronics, shoes, jewelry, and just about everything else. By the time we got there, our older folk were exhausted and elected to sit on benches, waiting for us at the front of the store.

It took us a terribly long time to buy food. We had prepared a grocery list based on items we normally purchase, but everything was labeled in Spanish. There were also things I have never seen, and many things I was expecting to find were not available.

Milk is sold in cartons and is not refrigerated. Eggs, too, are not refrigerated. There was a section that had pieces of large smelly fish hanging up—gross. We met a variety of other shoppers who were obviously enjoying their shopping experience more than we were. One lady couldn’t say enough good things about wandering around with a large tray upon which she placed the different selection of breads and buns she was planning to purchase. After about 2 hours, we managed to leave with a large cart full of food, with which we prepared breakfasts, spaghetti, chili, and salad and chicken with vegetables. It was definitely an adventure—and cheaper than eating every meal in a restaurant. We were delighted that we didn’t succumb to any kind of intestinal ailments.

Our traveling companion said that the one thing she absolutely had to do in Cancun was go parasailing—this from a woman approaching 70 years of age who had not left her home province of Quebec since she landed there from England as a child. We had both done some research prior to our trip, and I was somewhat concerned that safety standards were not as stringent in Mexico as one would expect in Canada or the United States. We decided to book our experience with Aquaworld, which has you seated in a double chair—quite different than the excursion offered along the beach, where you go up alone wearing a harness.

Our host, José, took care of all the particulars, and we were soon boarding a 25-foot boat. My friend and I were the only two who signed up for parasailing at the time, and I was surprised we did not have to wait for others to join us. We inquired about safety precautions and were told not to worry—we would be quite safe. Indeed, once we were seated, we felt quite secure.

We were shown some basic hand signals to communicate with, and once we gave the okay, we were high up in the sky. What an amazing experience—we could see for miles and miles: the entire lagoon and the long spit of land that is home to the Hotel Zone of Cancun, with all its magnificent hotels and beaches; the city of Cancun; and the lush green carpet of the surrounding jungle—all was beneath us. We could have stayed up there for hours trying to identify all the landmarks, but after about 20 or 30 minutes, we were slowly hauled back in until we rested right back on the stern of the boat. We got out of the seat and the two fellows quickly brought the parachute back in without it even touching water.

On our way back to the Aquaworld Marina, we chatted as best we could with the three Mexicans, and I asked if I could drive the boat. The driver said, "Sure," and there I was driving the boat right back to where we started, even guiding it through the relatively narrower channel of the marina’s harbour area. The captain was even going to let me back the boat into its docking spot, but I was afraid I would be purchasing a boat and pier if I missed, so I handed the wheel back to him.

I imagine that at other times of the year it must be busier and that one would spend much more time waiting for others to have their turn in the sky. As we debarked, we were encouraged to put some money in the tip jar, which we gladly did, as we truly felt these fellows did a great job at giving us a once-in-a-lifetime experience.