This morning we wished a fond farewell to our travel partners and friends Tobi and Claudia. They left the Mayan Palace after staying with us only two nights before heading back to Germany this morning. It was the end of their 5 week stint in Mexico and we were happy to have been able to spend so much time with them along the way.
Alright, lets see. Where do I begin about the Mayan Palace? The Mayan Palace - Riviera Maya is located about 25 kms north of Playa del Carmen, on what I can only assume is the main corridor up and down the coast. Shuttling down this road, paralleling the coast in a collectivo that runs between towns, there is resort after resort after resort along the coastal side, each with massive mansion like entries with sentries.
The Mayan Palace Riviera resort is one of 7 Mayan Palace resort locations dotting the ocean fronts of Mexico. From what I can tell, they are all quite massive and gorgeous. The Riviera Maya location is exquisite. Mari and I are staying in a one bedroom apt with a large bathroom, full living room and mini kitchen. Its a great change from the crappy cold water showers and mosquito breeding grounds we have normally been habitating. The resort boasts the second largest swimming pool in Mexico, and is beaten only by another Mayan Palace location on the Pacific Coast.
That said, the Mayan Palace is a different world than I am used to. Because of its massive, massive property size, I believe most people probably never leave the property to head into town. With this tactic, the inhabitants are trapped within the resort to pay the exhorbinant fees within. From what I have perused, everything purchasable in the stores and boutiques are slightly higher than double what one would normally pay in a store outside the resort. A single bottle of beer is an astounding 30 pesos, where the frugal supermarket visit yields a 6 pack for 50 pesos. The most outrageous slap in the face is the internet. The internet costs 70 pesos per hour, which is about $6 USD. Per hour! Thats incredible. As for now, I am sitting in an internet cafe in Downtown Cancun paying a measly 10 pesos per hour. Basically, a dollar per hour. Way way way way better for our budget.
Luckily, Mari and I have been traveling the country and know the costs that can be found elsewhere. With this knowledge, we are able to skirt the resort system. Heading to the supermarket on our first night, we stocked up on groceries and are able to cook meals at home. We also purchased beer and tequila ahead of time in order to curb our need for expensive, pool side cocktails. Although, I must say, they have two or three pool bars... you know that ones that are actually within the pool so that one stand in the water and sips their beverages at the bar within the water..... and I really want to partake in one of those before we go.
Our first morning in the Mayan Palace we attended the Time Share proposal. The proposal is intended to have us forking over our money to spend the next 100 years vacationing in the Mayan Palace locations in Mexico, but instead really afforded us a free, all you can eat morning buffet breakfast and 500 pesos credit to our room. It was an interesting endeavor, sometimes fun, sometimes gruelling - but mostly pleasant and leaves me wondering what timeshares actually are. Do they actually save money in the long run for vacations? Are they an investment for the future? Is it a crock a shit that sounds good on paper but is actually worthless? I am still unsure. But with this new info, I cant wait to actually speak to timeshare owners and compare prices, thoughts, tactics and info about vacations within the timesharing community.
Congratulations to us!!!! Today we purchased tickets to Cuba. Up until today I had virtually thrown the idea of visting Cuba into the recycle bin due to increasing ticket costs. What we didnt know when initially planning our trip is that the month of December is the peak vacation and travel time for Mexicans, as well as resorts, hostels and hotels here in Mexico. Due to that fact, the flights from Cancun to Cuba are mostly booked up - leaving the limited seats skyrocketing in price. Mari had the great idea today to head into Cancun and hit up travel agencies in a last ditch effort to get our asses to Cuba ...... and it totally paid off. Researching flight costs 4 or 5 months ago we found flights to Cuba typically cost between 300-350 dollars roundtrip. Once we arrived in the Yucatan and started looking at actual ticket costs, we found most of the prices were more in the 475 - 525 dollar range. A bit more than we were hoping or expecting to pay. But today, after our first quote of $508 each, we dicided to hit one more shop before blowing the idea off for good. Good luck must have guided our feet because we found tickets for $320 dollars each and quickly swooped in to purchase. We are heading to Cuba from Dec. 5th through Dec. 25th.
Take care, and talk to you soon. Travis
Wow! What a great deal! Have fun.
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