02-26-2005
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 #1 (permalink)
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big sexy speedo guy
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Top of the Chesapeake Bay, Md
Posts: 9,320
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Our Trip report finally
As told by The Banzoomba's Gal:
Our first trip to Playa was one we will not forget. After months of waiting our adventure was about to begin. Up at 3am and off to BWI. Our travel was a direct flight from Baltimore to Cancun Three hours and we were in paradise. Even got the green light at the airport. We had no luggage checked, just our backpacks. A bathing suit, a few shorts and t-shirts. Through the time share gauntlet and then out to the Apple van in less then 15 min. and on our way to Barcelo Maya Beach Resort. One hour and our vacation had begun. <O:p</O:p A week before we left I had sent an e-mail requesting a third floor room, either room 1 or 12 and also mentioned we were celebrating our 15<SUP>th</SUP> anniversary. I sent it both in English and Spanish. I received the usual reply. Much to our surprise when we checked in our room had been reserved for us. We had room 3301. The extra large balcony and hammock were too cool. We loved sitting out on it late at night and listening to the music from Captain Morgan’s disco. <O:p</O:p Our room was not ready upon arrival. But who needs a room when the sun is out. So we quickly changed into our bathing suits and headed for the beach. Filled our 22 oz mugs with cold Corona and found a chair. Wow the beach was beautiful. And very private. The sea breeze soon brought us to realize that we had finally arrived. Around 4 pm we were able to get into our room. We found a bottle of champagne and a fruit basket in our room. We had a king size bed and a great view of the pool and through the trees you could see the Caribbean Sea. <O:p</O:p That night we ate dinner at the buffet. It was Italian night. Needless to say loving Italian food like we do we found plenty to fill our plates with, again and again. I wanted a glass of red wine but unfortunately when I got it I couldn’t drink it. It tasted watered down. I quickly switched to rum and coke. Although the older couple next to us seemed to have no trouble downing several glasses. We were very spoiled on this trip. When we returned to our room after dinner we had received turn down service with chocolates on our pillows. A nice touch. <O:p</O:p The next morning we got out of bed and put on our fluffy Barcelo robes and headed for the balcony to watch the sunrise. We made mimosas with our champagne and cardboard OJ boxes and ate breakfast on the balcony to begin our first day in paradise. Then a quick change and we headed for the beach. We found our favorite spot on the hill by Captain Morgan’s. A more remote and private part of the beach basked with palm trees. It was away from all the daily activities and games. Plus it was closest to the bar. Corona on tap. Filled our mugs and we were content to chill. In the evenings on several nights they would set-up for weddings here. Its fun to watch, they were very meticulous about it and how each bow was perfectly straight. The weddings took place at sunset. <O:p</O:p Being away from the crowd I soon realized now was the time to go topless. Michael had been eagerly waiting to see if I would get the nerve to do it. There is a first time for everything and this was it. So off came the top and now Michael had a permanent smile on his face, he did not leave my side the rest of the trip. The sun felt great. I already had a good bronze color as we both had been tanning before our trip. No burnt boobs here! Going to the beach in Maryland will never be the same. Normally Michael likes to wander the beach but not today! He was enjoying the view from where he sat. <O:p</O:p One of our favorite parts of the trip was parasailing for the first time. We did it tandem and what a thrill to be so high up and enjoy the natural beauty of the Mayan coast. Breathtaking. I would highly recommend this to anyone. Sharing it with Michael was something I will never forget. Now we know how birds feel flying free in the sky. It was a picture perfect clear day. The water looked so blue from so high up. I swear we could see Cozumel in the distance. Awesome! <O:p</O:p The funny thing is we were on the boat with one other couple. A young girl and guy from Italy. He could speak only Italian and a little Spanish. She spoke English and Italian. They were fighting before they got on the boat and she was scared to death to do it. When they were up in the air the captain was talking to the instructor and they didn’t know we could understand what they were saying about the couple. They said “no propina” and then dipped them in the water. Propina means tip. We didn’t get dipped. Our landing was smooth. <O:p</O:p Friday night’s dinner was Gala night. We were greeted with champagne at the buffet when we arrived. The food was delicious and quite a variety. After dinner we headed to the theatre bar for a few drinks before the show. The show was a Michael Jackson impersonator. He really danced just like the real MJ. Pretty impressive. But after awhile it got boring. So we headed to the room to drink some Modelo that was in our mini fridge and chill in the hammock on the balcony. With two small children at home a quiet time like this is priceless. Our first full day in paradise was incredible. Now our night was shaping up damn good too. <O:p</O:p Saturday was an all beach day. We explored the beach from one end to the other. Picked some coconuts and walked out in the water on the northside of the resort that was completely deserted. There was some new construction but it didn’t seem to upset the character of the resort. As crowded as the resort was you never felt that way or saw many people at all. We never had a problem getting a lounge chair. You could walk so far out into the water and the water would still only be up to your waste. And it was so clear. Schools of fish would often swim by us. That was pretty cool. But of course we never had the underwater camera on us when this happened. <O:p</O:p Saturday night we had dinner at Don Quiote’s. Delicious. We were greeted by the matride when we arrived and he said “ I understand we are celebrating something special.” Next thing we know we are having champagne poured for us with dinner. After dinner, the lights dimmed and the entire wait staff comes over to our table carrying a dessert with candles and singing an anniversary song to us in Spanish. This really got to me. How they went out of their way to make us feel special. The staff was very attentive to us the entire vacation. And of course dinner would not be complete without the Spanish coffee. Very cool! Once again we felt sooo spoiled. <O:p</O:p Another note about dinner, I am a picky eater and never had trouble finding something I liked. And the bread, oh my gosh, the bread was so fresh. I did find it strange you had to ask for butter, but wow fresh baked bread with every meal was awesome. Love the theme nights too. <O:p</O:p Sunday we ventured into Playa del Carmen. We got a collectivo immediately. Went into town in the morning. We did some souvenier shopping for our children. The shop keepers were not as aggressive as those we have encountered in other places and many had a good joke to get your attention. We just loved the different architecture and cool hotels we encountered. Many places had been recommended to us by friends. The one that stands out is El Oasis. We were told they make the best shrimp tacos. Well we were not disappointed 6 for Michael and 3 for me . We are still craving them now that we are home. We then headed over to the Blue Parrott for Sol on the beach. A cool place too. The beds on the beach were filled with some interesting sites. Wish we could have seen the fire show, but we were not there at night. Save that for next time. We also went to Deseo and the Tequila Barrel. Two places we had anticipated going to and were glad we didn’t miss. We watched a soccer game on the beach and walked along Playa beach from the ferry terminal all the way down to the Shangri La and the web cam. Found out after we got home the cam had been down. Oh well. We took our own photos in front of it anyway. <O:p</O:p It was a little tricky catching the collectivo to get back to Barcelo. 500 hundred Mexicans and 2 gringos all going for 12 seats on a van. The first one stopped and we were not prepared swormed by a mob and not a chance. But when the second van arrived we understood the rules. You just have to be aggressive. But for $3.00 it can’t be beat. <O:p</O:p Back home to Barcelo and our last night. We watched the sun set on the beach and then took one last night swim in the pool. Pretty cool swimming with the lights and under the moonlight. And we had the swim up bar all to ourselves. The bartenders were very friendly and seemed just as eager to learn about us as we did them. Several of the bartenders asked what our home town was like and what sports teams we had back home. Proudly sporting our 22 oz Ravens Super Bowl Champs mugs there was no doubt who we were happy to talk about. We drank Corona all day and I tried the Miami Vice, Banana Republic and of course we enjoyed the Margaritas. A few last minute pictures and off to dinner. <O:p</O:p After dinner our usual spot at the bar in the theatre and then the Ms. Barcelo show. A very funny pageant with crazy games and a lot of singing and dancing. We laughed so hard and almost fell off our barstools. Quite entertaining. After the show we headed to Captain Morgan’s disco. A few more rum and cokes and we were dancing fools. Even if the bar was crowded the bartender always picked us out of the crowd and just handed us a refill. We didn’t even have to ask, he knew what we were drinking. Around 1 am we stumbled back to our room. Tomorrow we go home. <O:p</O:p Why did we drink so much knowing we had a plane ride ahead of us? One last breakfast and then it was time to wave bye bye and cry all the way to the airport. The Apple bus stopped at several hotels on the way to the airport. It took 2 hours to get to Cancun. Once at the airport everything with customs again went smoothly. But our flight home was delayed because of bad weather. So we sat for 3 hours. Cancun airport should be renamed Chaos airport. So many people were lost and couldn’t find their gates. I have never seen more people yelling and freaking out in my life. We just sat there and ate our lunch and just waited patiently. We were in no hurry to go home. And true to form our luck had finally run out. As we were about to board we were picked out of the crowd to have our bags searched. Off came the shoes and our bags were searched. I just kept hoping Michael didn’t decide to hide his Cubans in my bag again this time. We finally boarded our plane. Pretty cool walking up the tarmac. And then homeward bound. We arrived at BWI at 7pm. A quick 2 ½ hour flight but a long day considering we left Barcelo around 10 am. A lost day lost to travel. <O:p</O:p A few notes about Barcelo, we did tip the maids daily. $3-$4 a day. It did make a difference. Our fridge was always stocked full of beer and soda. And we did get towel art too. How cute! We did not tip anywhere else except for our dinner at Don Quiote’s. It didn’t seem necessary at the bars. Barcelo’s staff goes above and beyond to make you feel special. Everyone was very friendly and language barrier was never a problem. And we never had a problem with using American dollars. We took all $5 and $1 bills with us. We never exchanged our money or used a credit card. They gladly take your American dollars. No problem. We actually brought money home. Always good to come home with money in your pocket. <O:p</O:p Barcelo has so much to offer with the variety of food, watersports and friendly staff. The property was absolutely gorgeous. It went above and beyond our expectations. As you can tell from the smiles on our faces in our pics, we had the time of our lives. Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences with us. We are happy to share our’s with you. <O:p</O:p Reality has hit hard now that we are home. It snowed 7 inches last night. Hard to believe that last week this time I was sipping Pina Coladas in Mexico. Until next time we will relive our trip in our pics. I can see why this site is so popular. It’s the best way like-minded people can relive their adventures. Adios! <O:p</O:p Monica Last edited by Banzoomba; 02-26-2005 at 04:06 PM.. |
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02-26-2005
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#6 (permalink) |
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way into it
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Southwestern Ontario
Posts: 176
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Monica: nice pictures. Isn't it so nice that we can escape reality for a while, nobody crying for you, no cold arenas at 630am, and no decisions to make. Then of course we are refreshed and ready to answer all the calls. I love vacations. Tracie
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02-27-2005
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#10 (permalink) | |
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big sexy speedo guy
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Top of the Chesapeake Bay, Md
Posts: 9,320
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02-27-2005
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#11 (permalink) | |
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big sexy speedo guy
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Top of the Chesapeake Bay, Md
Posts: 9,320
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Quote:
 Monica |
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02-27-2005
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#12 (permalink) |
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añejo
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Spring Texas
Posts: 2,447
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 Thanks sooo much Monica!! Great report and pics Glad you had a great 1st time You have now officially been bitten by the Playa bug, and can understand why we are all so in love with this amazing place!!Thanks again for sharing!!
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02-27-2005
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#13 (permalink) | |
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big sexy speedo guy
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Top of the Chesapeake Bay, Md
Posts: 9,320
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Quote:
Monica |
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| Monica and Michael - Ms Rubio and Banzoomba | This thread | Refback | 06-02-2007 07:07 AM | |
