Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal w/ photos

welheh · 10-30-2005

Can anybody tell me the condition of the Iberostar Quetzal resort
in Playa Del Carmen. We are booked for Feb. 06. If you have any photos
we would appreciate have a look.
thanks

**Shammy** · 10-30-2005

The Tucan/Quetzal will be open LONG before you get there! In a week or so actually! By Feb...this will all be just an unpleasant memory.

Post Wilma photos:

**Shammy** · 10-30-2005

Also, I edited the title of this thread because I have NO idea what "weldon" means, or why anyone would ever look here to find info about the Tucan?Quetzal with a title like that.

SW · 10-30-2005

Must...get...there...NOW!!! argh!

Deep breath. Only 22 more sleeps.

It's just amazing how there can be so much devastation, and yet minutes away, you'd never know anything happened (unless you talk to the poor souls who experienced it!). My family has no idea why I'm so thrilled to be taking them to Playa. They will soon!

rosebud555 · 10-30-2005

These pics were take by Apple Tours. They did not post any pics of the most severely damages areas of this resort. I've read on several other boards posts from people who "just" got back from this resort. They have stated that these pics by Apple are NOT reflective of the damages to Tucan/Quetzal.
Basically, the jungle area (which really makes this resort special) was destroyed and several restaurants were destroyed.
Of course, Apple only posted the pics of the areas that do not show hardly any damage.

Michael · 10-30-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosebud555

.
Basically, the jungle area (which really makes this resort special) was destroyed

Destroyed? Really? Not temporarily defoliated but actually destroyed? (the foliage around our Playacar beach home started to return in a week after Emily and was back to full on Jungle after 3, but then it was not destroyed).

And this is the resort that sits not in a jungle per say but between the Riu and the Gala?

**TeeZet** · 10-30-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosebud555

...
Basically, the jungle area (which really makes this resort special) was destroyed and several restaurants were destroyed.
Of course, Apple only posted the pics of the areas that do not show hardly any damage.

Typo?

Any pics available of the "destroyed" (or is it "severely damaged"?) areas?

If the Tucan/Quetzal is as destroyed as Playa is supposed to be (according to media coverage), then I guess they're gonna be up and running in no time. As of November 14th...

rosebud555 · 10-30-2005

At least "half" of the trees in the jungle are down. The majority of the jungle area has but a few leaves on its branches. So, yes... let's call it at minimum, "Severely damaged".
One person stated that you could see the ocean from the top of the jungle area. Being that I am a regular visitor of this resort, I cannot imagine being able to see the ocean from this point of the resort.
Several restaurants were "severely damaged".
The point is that the pics that Apple posted of this resort do not accurately portray the damages this resort suffered, nor do they portray the current condition of this resort.

rosebud555 · 10-30-2005

Here are a few posts from recently returned IB Tucan/Quetzal guests:

From tripadvisor:

Oh my gosh.... Please let me figure how to post pics,,, Do not believe the pics on the apple site ! I just flew home last night an an evacuation flight from the Tucan... Yes there were people on the beach a couple days after the storm and in the pools Thurs & Fri.. But those don't look post hurricaine. I was there from the 15th until last night. Lots of damage. They are working so hard to put it together again, It is far from done.
__________________________________________________ ___________________
My husband and I just got back from the Tucan - 6 days late. What a nightmare! I could write a book at this point. The resort itself will be up and running in no time. It is true that the beach and pool are near perfect. In fact I think the beach is better, once they clean the broken palapas an debris. The Hurricane made the ocean much more shallow that before. The jungle atmosphere however, is destroyed. For me, that was one of the best things about the resort. I will try to post some pictures soon once I figure out how. I have nothing but good things to say about the resort. They took VERY good care of us during and after the hurricane.
__________________________________________________ _________________

From Iberostar-board:

Just arrived back from Iberostar Quetzal. Tucan and Quetzal are functioning at a high level. Both lobby roofs are being replaced, disco is fine after being used for approx 50 hours for guests who were near the swimming pool and the ocean. Gym was back open on thursday. Spa lost most of its roof. The repairs are concentrating on the Tucan side as there was less damage here.

The only glass that was broken was the Italian and Steak House restaurants, both absolutely destroyed. Not one window went in on any hotel room. Major clean up started on sunday morning and continued until wednesday afternoon when we left. By this time the beach had been cleared completely, the pool was probably 24 hours away from being open. All the sun loungers were back out. One of the A la carte restaurants was working, the Tucan bar and restaurant were open. The Spa were performing pool-side treatments.

We only had 2 days of our honeymoon here before we had to move into a higher room with 2 americans. We could not fault any of the staff before the hurricane but during it and afterwards the staff and volunteers were magnificent. Bringing us food parcels when the eye of the storm was only 80 miles away amongst many other things.

No lasting damage to the rooms our room had 1 inch or water, swept it out myself on sunday morning, went back to room on monday and room had been completely disinfected and cleaned.

Power and water was available up to and during most of the hurricane. When we left there was full power and water but it wasn't warm.
__________________________________________________ _________________

George, I definitely agree, when I went outside on the saturday afternoon it looked obliterated. Both receptions were under a foot of water. But as soon as they cleared the water and began clearing up the debris it started looking normal again. The main point that made it look worse than it was, was the branches and leaves from trees everywhere, but the workers were making their way round each block, methodically clearing up.

MikeOKC , sorry I dont have any info re ppc

ccurtis3 & etizen101, as far as I'm concerned the hotel could stay open for guests and they could work around us. The main job that needs doing is the replacing or both lobby roofs(which is straw) they had stripped both back and were making a start om this when we left on wednesday @ 4pm. The jungle took a pretty big hit, there is no longer any canopy so you can see down to the ocean form the top of the jungle. I am sure the swimming pool will be open now. Random bits of thatch need replacing on most roofs. The lovely water feature around the quetzal buffet is being cleared up as well. I think they could do it in a month if the hotel was empty.

there was no seaweed on the beach, we picked a few stray sun loungers out of the ocean on the monday morning.
__________________________________________________ ______________

We also returned yesterday. I'm posting on tripadvisor.com (PDC forum) as well. Hope I can help.

The Tucan pool/beach restaurant opened for limited service on Tuesday. There was a hole in the top of the roof, but they were working on that. They actually used in Weds evening as the Steakhouse.

The evening entertainment area never reopened after Emily. It was flooded over the weekend, with additional roof damage. They have been using the convention center for evening entertainment, and it appears as though they will continue with the same for the near future.

The temporary beach bar was completely destroyed. However, it wasn't much of a structure before Wilma anyway. They could easily put a new one in.

No erosion of the beach. If fact, Wilma deposited much more sand in the area. On Mon-Weds, one could easily walk out 20-30 yards and stand. This was not true pre-Wilma.

Yeah, all vegetaion took a very hard hit. Almost no leaves left, and about 1/2 of the trees are down or have broken limbs. The monkeys took refuge on the roof of Building #13. Lots of chains saws, machetes and more large trash bags full of garbage than I have ever seen. Remember, most if not all of the roofing is thatched-grass. While for the most part those roofs remained intact, the straw was everywhere after Wilma.
__________________________________________________ _______________

**TeeZet** · 10-30-2005

Thanks for the update, rosebud555.

rosebud555 · 10-30-2005

We've decided to go ahead and go in a few weeks and I'll post pics when we return. We just understand that it is not going to look anywhere close to what it did when we were there last year. I'll probably cry when I see the jungle area, our favorite bartender, as well as other staff members that we have grown to know and love over the years. A lot of people get married in the jungle area rather than on the beach. My point is that people need to know what to expect when they go there for the next few months. The pics by Apple are a bit deceptive as to the overall condition of the resort.

**denisea** · 10-30-2005

Tripadvisor is not a very reliable resource. I'd be very leery of relying too heavily on any info that is posted on the forums there for whatever destination you are planning on visiting.

shanol · 10-30-2005

so, 2 questions after reading this thread (btw - this site has been a godsend, we are taking out first "couple trip" to Playa - departing Dec 3 - and have been VERY concerned about how things will be)

1. As first time visitors, are we likely to notice much damage in a months time - forgive me if that sounds naive, but if the only substantial damage to the resort was was to the jungle, and we didn't see the jungle at it's prime, I wonder if we will notice much ...
2. We have been using tripadvisor for a couple of months, can someone tell me why it is that we shouldn't rely on the information posted there (see, there are those nerves again!!!)

tia

**denisea** · 10-30-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanol

so, 2 questions after reading this thread (btw - this site has been a godsend, we are taking out first "couple trip" to Playa - departing Dec 3 - and have been VERY concerned about how things will be)

1. As first time visitors, are we likely to notice much damage in a months time - forgive me if that sounds naive, but if the only substantial damage to the resort was was to the jungle, and we didn't see the jungle at it's prime, I wonder if we will notice much ...
2. We have been using tripadvisor for a couple of months, can someone tell me why it is that we shouldn't rely on the information posted there (see, there are those nerves again!!!)

tia

We were in Playa 2 weeks after Hurricane Emily hit and you'd be hard put to notice that a category 3 hurricane had come ashore there unless you were really searching. The biggest difference that one would notice is in the vegetation... however, the jungle grows quickly and even in a month's time you'll begin to see new growth.
TripAdvisor doesn't provide any type of monitoring of the reviews that are posted by users. There have been known cases of trolls and spammers skewing the ratings of establishments in both directions. We've even seen rave reviews for a hotel in Playa months and months before it was ever even open for business. That said, their review/rating system is not exactly 100% objective.

racsanone · 10-30-2005

Will be there in December. Hopefully the cleanup will be done and I'll let ya know.......

10-30-2005	#1 (permalink)
welheh sandflea Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: canada Posts: 1	Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal w/ photos Can anybody tell me the condition of the Iberostar Quetzal resort in Playa Del Carmen. We are booked for Feb. 06. If you have any photos we would appreciate have a look. thanks

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10-30-2005	#2 (permalink)
Shammy Travel Insurance Tester Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Joisey Shore Posts: 12,302	The Tucan/Quetzal will be open LONG before you get there! In a week or so actually! By Feb...this will all be just an unpleasant memory. Post Wilma photos:

10-30-2005	#3 (permalink)
Shammy Travel Insurance Tester Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: The Joisey Shore Posts: 12,302	Also, I edited the title of this thread because I have NO idea what "weldon" means, or why anyone would ever look here to find info about the Tucan?Quetzal with a title like that.

10-30-2005	#4 (permalink)
SW toe in water Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: los angeles, ca Posts: 41	Must...get...there...NOW!!! argh! Deep breath. Only 22 more sleeps. It's just amazing how there can be so much devastation, and yet minutes away, you'd never know anything happened (unless you talk to the poor souls who experienced it!). My family has no idea why I'm so thrilled to be taking them to Playa. They will soon!

10-30-2005	#5 (permalink)
rosebud555 sandflea Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 7	These pics were take by Apple Tours. They did not post any pics of the most severely damages areas of this resort. I've read on several other boards posts from people who "just" got back from this resort. They have stated that these pics by Apple are NOT reflective of the damages to Tucan/Quetzal. Basically, the jungle area (which really makes this resort special) was destroyed and several restaurants were destroyed. Of course, Apple only posted the pics of the areas that do not show hardly any damage.

10-30-2005	#8 (permalink)
rosebud555 sandflea Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 7	At least "half" of the trees in the jungle are down. The majority of the jungle area has but a few leaves on its branches. So, yes... let's call it at minimum, "Severely damaged". One person stated that you could see the ocean from the top of the jungle area. Being that I am a regular visitor of this resort, I cannot imagine being able to see the ocean from this point of the resort. Several restaurants were "severely damaged". The point is that the pics that Apple posted of this resort do not accurately portray the damages this resort suffered, nor do they portray the current condition of this resort.

10-30-2005	#9 (permalink)
rosebud555 sandflea Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 7	Here are a few posts from recently returned IB Tucan/Quetzal guests: From tripadvisor: Oh my gosh.... Please let me figure how to post pics,,, Do not believe the pics on the apple site ! I just flew home last night an an evacuation flight from the Tucan... Yes there were people on the beach a couple days after the storm and in the pools Thurs & Fri.. But those don't look post hurricaine. I was there from the 15th until last night. Lots of damage. They are working so hard to put it together again, It is far from done. __________________________________________________ ___________________ My husband and I just got back from the Tucan - 6 days late. What a nightmare! I could write a book at this point. The resort itself will be up and running in no time. It is true that the beach and pool are near perfect. In fact I think the beach is better, once they clean the broken palapas an debris. The Hurricane made the ocean much more shallow that before. The jungle atmosphere however, is destroyed. For me, that was one of the best things about the resort. I will try to post some pictures soon once I figure out how. I have nothing but good things to say about the resort. They took VERY good care of us during and after the hurricane. __________________________________________________ _________________ From Iberostar-board: Just arrived back from Iberostar Quetzal. Tucan and Quetzal are functioning at a high level. Both lobby roofs are being replaced, disco is fine after being used for approx 50 hours for guests who were near the swimming pool and the ocean. Gym was back open on thursday. Spa lost most of its roof. The repairs are concentrating on the Tucan side as there was less damage here. The only glass that was broken was the Italian and Steak House restaurants, both absolutely destroyed. Not one window went in on any hotel room. Major clean up started on sunday morning and continued until wednesday afternoon when we left. By this time the beach had been cleared completely, the pool was probably 24 hours away from being open. All the sun loungers were back out. One of the A la carte restaurants was working, the Tucan bar and restaurant were open. The Spa were performing pool-side treatments. We only had 2 days of our honeymoon here before we had to move into a higher room with 2 americans. We could not fault any of the staff before the hurricane but during it and afterwards the staff and volunteers were magnificent. Bringing us food parcels when the eye of the storm was only 80 miles away amongst many other things. No lasting damage to the rooms our room had 1 inch or water, swept it out myself on sunday morning, went back to room on monday and room had been completely disinfected and cleaned. Power and water was available up to and during most of the hurricane. When we left there was full power and water but it wasn't warm. __________________________________________________ _________________ George, I definitely agree, when I went outside on the saturday afternoon it looked obliterated. Both receptions were under a foot of water. But as soon as they cleared the water and began clearing up the debris it started looking normal again. The main point that made it look worse than it was, was the branches and leaves from trees everywhere, but the workers were making their way round each block, methodically clearing up. MikeOKC , sorry I dont have any info re ppc ccurtis3 & etizen101, as far as I'm concerned the hotel could stay open for guests and they could work around us. The main job that needs doing is the replacing or both lobby roofs(which is straw) they had stripped both back and were making a start om this when we left on wednesday @ 4pm. The jungle took a pretty big hit, there is no longer any canopy so you can see down to the ocean form the top of the jungle. I am sure the swimming pool will be open now. Random bits of thatch need replacing on most roofs. The lovely water feature around the quetzal buffet is being cleared up as well. I think they could do it in a month if the hotel was empty. there was no seaweed on the beach, we picked a few stray sun loungers out of the ocean on the monday morning. __________________________________________________ ______________ We also returned yesterday. I'm posting on tripadvisor.com (PDC forum) as well. Hope I can help. The Tucan pool/beach restaurant opened for limited service on Tuesday. There was a hole in the top of the roof, but they were working on that. They actually used in Weds evening as the Steakhouse. The evening entertainment area never reopened after Emily. It was flooded over the weekend, with additional roof damage. They have been using the convention center for evening entertainment, and it appears as though they will continue with the same for the near future. The temporary beach bar was completely destroyed. However, it wasn't much of a structure before Wilma anyway. They could easily put a new one in. No erosion of the beach. If fact, Wilma deposited much more sand in the area. On Mon-Weds, one could easily walk out 20-30 yards and stand. This was not true pre-Wilma. Yeah, all vegetaion took a very hard hit. Almost no leaves left, and about 1/2 of the trees are down or have broken limbs. The monkeys took refuge on the roof of Building #13. Lots of chains saws, machetes and more large trash bags full of garbage than I have ever seen. Remember, most if not all of the roofing is thatched-grass. While for the most part those roofs remained intact, the straw was everywhere after Wilma. __________________________________________________ _______________

10-30-2005	#10 (permalink)
TeeZet Non-aggressive Dutch dude Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Posts: 7,854	Thanks for the update, rosebud555.

10-30-2005	#11 (permalink)
rosebud555 sandflea Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 7	We've decided to go ahead and go in a few weeks and I'll post pics when we return. We just understand that it is not going to look anywhere close to what it did when we were there last year. I'll probably cry when I see the jungle area, our favorite bartender, as well as other staff members that we have grown to know and love over the years. A lot of people get married in the jungle area rather than on the beach. My point is that people need to know what to expect when they go there for the next few months. The pics by Apple are a bit deceptive as to the overall condition of the resort.

10-30-2005	#12 (permalink)
denisea Forum Goddess Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: On the road to ruins... Posts: 7,025	Tripadvisor is not a very reliable resource. I'd be very leery of relying too heavily on any info that is posted on the forums there for whatever destination you are planning on visiting.

10-30-2005	#13 (permalink)
shanol sandflea Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 1	so, 2 questions after reading this thread (btw - this site has been a godsend, we are taking out first "couple trip" to Playa - departing Dec 3 - and have been VERY concerned about how things will be) 1. As first time visitors, are we likely to notice much damage in a months time - forgive me if that sounds naive, but if the only substantial damage to the resort was was to the jungle, and we didn't see the jungle at it's prime, I wonder if we will notice much ... 2. We have been using tripadvisor for a couple of months, can someone tell me why it is that we shouldn't rely on the information posted there (see, there are those nerves again!!!) tia

10-30-2005	#15 (permalink)
racsanone way into it Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: wash d.c. Posts: 215	Will be there in December. Hopefully the cleanup will be done and I'll let ya know.......