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Just got back from the Mayan Palace last night. Stayed Jan 26-Feb 2. Had a great time...very relaxing.
There is still a lot of construction going on, mostly seemed to be around a big building right off the pool area. Except when they were jack-hammering, I didn't really notice the sounds at all. And even the jack-hammering was easy to tune out, partly because the music at the pool was kept very loud. I always sat at the north end of the pool area (near the activities/towel palapa and outside restaurant), so I don't know if the construction sounds were more prevalant at the south end, where the music wouldn't be so loud.
The pool area was really wonderful. There are three levels, which spill over into one another. Each level is actually several pools all tied together. But you can't walk straight through because there are ledges. My favorite was the second level. It had the jacuzzi area (cold water), which was very comfy to sit in to read a book. The big middle area of the top two levels have a large disc a couple inches under the water, where you can lay out. There are areas with islands; a water volleyball area; and children's pool area. The deepest the pool ever gets, though, is about 4 feet deep. Get down to the pool early to claim a palapa, though, because they go fast (usually before 9am).
There are lots of activities going on all day, mostly at the pool. Every night, they slip a piece of paper under your door telling the times. For example, water aerobics is every day from 1-2pm. Some others are: volleyball (beach and water); water balloon fights; jungle tours (there is an entrance into the jungle with a trail right behind the restaurant); salsa dancing lessons; etc etc. During the day, they play music at the pool, and in the afternoon, will have live music.
The beach is very pretty. And it's not at all crowded. It's always easy to find a palapa to sit under there. The rocks in the water are a big barrier formation. It's very hard to get to the deep water to swim because the barrier has holes that are very easy to slip in and twist an ankle. There is a tidal pool area that is nice to sit in. And you can see live sponges, anenomes, starfish, etc etc.
The hotel area consists of eight buildings in a row, each two connected by the elevator area. The elevator in my building worked just fine. (But when they let me use the hospitality suite the last day to clean up...check-out is at 10am and I didn't leave til 3pm....it was on the 3rd floor in a building with a nonfunctioning elevator. I cleaned up in the bathroom next to the reception desk). Try to get a room that ends with 1-26 (i.e. 3001-3026). Those are the two building closest to the pool. Even side rooms (I had 3018) look out over a big construction parking lot/the big building next to the pool (think it's going to be the new lobby)/and a part of the pool area (if you are in the first building....I was in the second....you can see the ocean beyond the pool). Odd-numbered rooms look out over a road running parallel to the hotel and the jungle. They told us there is a functioning laundry area for guests, but I never checked it out.
It was quite a walk from my building to the reception desk...about a quarter mile. From there they have a shuttle that will take you to the front gates, at any time and even if it just one person. At the gates, you have to run across 6 lanes of highway to catch the bus to Playa del Carmen. Don't stand in that last lane, because that is where the bus pulls over to pick you up. There is no streetlight there and the shoulder of the road is very soft and treacherous to stand on. Be careful in the dark. The Mayab bus costs 6 pesos each and the Playa Express costs 10 pesos each. The Riviera won't stop. You can also catch a cab as it returns to Playa. Don't let them charge you more than 20 pesos...they have to return anyway. A bunch of us took the Riviera back from Playa one night (for 12 pesos each) but, after that, they always said it was direct to Cancun only.
Well, I've gone on and on. If you have any questions, let me know.
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