Questions about Aventura Spa Palace!

[ekarmoko]

Hi! I am traveling to the ASP in the beginning of April with my fiance, my best friend and her husband. I love, love, love getting advice from people and reading trip reports. So please if anyone can think of anything else to tell me please let me know! I have a few questions:

1. Room requests- should I make one? The resort seems pretty big.... I don't mind walking but it could be a pain if I forget something and have to go back to the room. I was thinking about being in the center of the resort (Arpa, Clarin, Citara, Corno Frances or Pandero), does it matter? We would rather be closer to the action then be in a quiet corner (we are looking to have fun together, not necessarily be super romantic.)

2. Restaurants- I love all food but I have an easily-upset stomach, especially when I am excited and on vacation. Is there anything to avoid? I have heard good and bad things about the quality of the food. Any restaurants better then the others?

3. Nightlife- Is there any on site or do we need to go into Playa? We don't need anything super crazy, but my best friend and I like to have some cocktails and dance and my fiance definitely likes striking up conversations with random people. We don't get out much at home so we like to socialize and party a little on vacation! Don't worry... we will not be the people puking in the pool like I read earlier!

4. Playa del Carmen- Any outstanding restaurants, bars, clubs to go to? Especially for authentic Mexican food? How are prices in town?

5. Money- do we need to exchange money or can we use dollars for everything? Do most of the places in town take credit cards or are there a lot of cash-only vendors?

Ok, I think that is it for now. Like I said, I have read some bad reviews but some good ones too and overall I am soooooo excited. I haven't been to a beach, not even the Jersey Shore, for over a year. Can't freakin wait. Thanks for any help anyone can give me!



4.

[Jdmoon1]

Originally Posted by ekarmoko

Hi! I am traveling to the ASP in the beginning of April with my fiance, my best friend and her husband. I love, love, love getting advice from people and reading trip reports. So please if anyone can think of anything else to tell me please let me know! I have a few questions:

1. Room requests- should I make one? The resort seems pretty big.... I don't mind walking but it could be a pain if I forget something and have to go back to the room. I was thinking about being in the center of the resort (Arpa, Clarin, Citara, Corno Frances or Pandero), does it matter? We would rather be closer to the action then be in a quiet corner (we are looking to have fun together, not necessarily be super romantic.)

2. Restaurants- I love all food but I have an easily-upset stomach, especially when I am excited and on vacation. Is there anything to avoid? I have heard good and bad things about the quality of the food. Any restaurants better then the others?

3. Nightlife- Is there any on site or do we need to go into Playa? We don't need anything super crazy, but my best friend and I like to have some cocktails and dance and my fiance definitely likes striking up conversations with random people. We don't get out much at home so we like to socialize and party a little on vacation! Don't worry... we will not be the people puking in the pool like I read earlier!

4. Playa del Carmen- Any outstanding restaurants, bars, clubs to go to? Especially for authentic Mexican food? How are prices in town?

5. Money- do we need to exchange money or can we use dollars for everything? Do most of the places in town take credit cards or are there a lot of cash-only vendors?

Ok, I think that is it for now. Like I said, I have read some bad reviews but some good ones too and overall I am soooooo excited. I haven't been to a beach, not even the Jersey Shore, for over a year. Can't freakin wait. Thanks for any help anyone can give me!



4.

Hi we are going as well 1st week of May Were there last yr -Have stayed at the Moon before there.

Can't answer all questions but will try some.
Room request you can try I usually email reservations a week before we go and ask for general location choice of buildings etc.
It has helped in the past for us to do that.
South side more lively-not much entertainment at night but Playa not that far by cab.
We don't exchange money -we bring $50 singles and smaller bills for tips .We always tip maid-bartender-beach & pool servers and waiters not alot a few dollars here and there they will remember you and service is good with or without tipping.
We liked all the food always fresh never had as problem.
I think the poster "sundowner" on this board{do a search}
has a map of property with names of buildings.
We like spa side better but ur younger so otherside might be better for u.
Towel game is played so expect to get up early to reserve a spot u might want.
There is a lagoon with plenty of chairs and palapas but not the nice sandy beach you might want -pools are great and spread out. Property and rooms kept very clean
This property suits our needs and we will be going there from now on. We are members of Palace hotels since 99 and have not missed a yr yet.
Reviews are good and bad -we all have differant tastes & expectations so go with an open mind and you will enjoy it.
Hope this helps

[nikko]

[quote=ekarmoko]Hi! I am traveling to the ASP in the beginning of April with my fiance, my best friend and her husband. I love, love, love getting advice from people and reading trip reports. So please if anyone can think of anything else to tell me please let me know! I have a few questions:

We're going to ASP the last week in April, this will be our 2nd visit, we can't wait.

To answer some questions....
Try to email them a week before. A building in the midlle of the resort is good, also try to get anything but a 1st floor. People walking by can see right into your room.

There is a disco there. It's hit and miss.

We plan on going to Playa at least one night. Places to go:
******... beach bar and nightclub
Tequila Barrel... bar on 5th Ave, great people watching
Beer Bucket.... another bar on 5th Ave.
We stay away from the some old Charols n Chariles and Senor Frogs.
Here's a link for a great list of places in Playa:
http://www.playa.info/playa-del-carm...club-list.html

There's a long standing debate here on paying for things with US$ or pesos. We are going to exchange some $ for pesos. When we're at Playa we'll hit an ATM to get more pesos if needed. Mostly we'll pay by credit card.

You're going to have a great time!!

[SunDowner]

Originally Posted by ekarmoko

Hi! I am traveling to the ASP in the beginning of April with my fiance, my best friend and her husband. I love, love, love getting advice from people and reading trip reports. So please if anyone can think of anything else to tell me please let me know! I have a few questions:

1. Room requests- should I make one? The resort seems pretty big.... I don't mind walking but it could be a pain if I forget something and have to go back to the room. I was thinking about being in the center of the resort (Arpa, Clarin, Citara, Corno Frances or Pandero), does it matter? We would rather be closer to the action then be in a quiet corner (we are looking to have fun together, not necessarily be super romantic.)

We've always made general room requests through the Palace website a week or two before arrival. 4 out of 5 times we got exactly what we requested. The other time we were able to move the following day. We prefer to be in Building 4 or 5, which places us in the middle of the resort.

2. Restaurants- I love all food but I have an easily-upset stomach, especially when I am excited and on vacation. Is there anything to avoid? I have heard good and bad things about the quality of the food. Any restaurants better then the others?

We've never had a problem with the food at ASP. We prefer El Greco for breakfast because of the service. Lunch, not really any preference, usually the closest place. Dinner Ventanas for Steak and pasta. Mo Mo No Hana for Japanese/Chinese cuisene. or El Greco.

3. Nightlife- Is there any on site or do we need to go into Playa? We don't need anything super crazy, but my best friend and I like to have some cocktails and dance and my fiance definitely likes striking up conversations with random people. We don't get out much at home so we like to socialize and party a little on vacation! Don't worry... we will not be the people puking in the pool like I read earlier!

Either Lobby bar is a good hang out spot during the evening. We preferred the service and atmosphere at the South (Aventura side) lobby bar. Also the disco is upstairs at the South lobby.

4. Playa del Carmen- Any outstanding restaurants, bars, clubs to go to? Especially for authentic Mexican food? How are prices in town?

Just read the forum here for the tons of details on places in PDC. Well worth the cost of a taxi rides

5. Money- do we need to exchange money or can we use dollars for everything? Do most of the places in town take credit cards or are there a lot of cash-only vendors?

At the resort there is a currency exchange in the Lobbies. There are also ATMs for exchange purposes. We normally used the ATMs with a specific debit card that we set up with our bank especially for Mexico travels.

Ok, I think that is it for now. Like I said, I have read some bad reviews but some good ones too and overall I am soooooo excited. I haven't been to a beach, not even the Jersey Shore, for over a year. Can't freakin wait. Thanks for any help anyone can give me!

We arrive back at the ASP for out 5th stay on April 1st. Like I mentioned earlier you can find us at the Lobby Bar in the South Lobby most evenings ....unless we went to Playa

[sunatty]

Try to stay in Clarin on the side away from the pool, towards the climbing wall and the obtacle course (quiet). It is close to El Greco and if open this will be the best place for breakfast. The pool on the south side is further away but has more partiers and activities. Northenders tend to be a bit more sedate and older (probably why they are more sedate)

Karen and I prefer the Italian Buffet, which does have a grill and pasta station for non prepared en masse food and the a la carte "California" restaurants, first is on the south side, latter on the north..just can't recall the names.

The acts in/on the south side open lobby are ok. Karaoke is popular when it occurs and invariably there are some really fine performers. The "honeymoon" contest is hysterical although it was not included our last visit in May 2005. The dancers are typical and are the same performers whether the dances are mayan, spanish, chinese, or south dakotan, better to go into playa on those nights and get to one of the many good clubs on 5th.

Hope you have a great time.

[Casey C.]

You guys are going to have a great time at ASP. My wife, some friends and I where there last year and loved it. I don't think you'll have a thing to worry about with whatever room you get - they are all beautiful and relatively close to the action. We have been going to the PDC area for about 8-9 years, always at 5* resorts, and this is one of the nicest resorts we have found in the area. It is almost identical in layout to the Moon Palace but about half the size.

The resort is generally pretty laid back so if you want to party you may want to head into PDC for a night or two. One thing I would definitely recommend is heading into Puerto Adventuras. It is only about a 10 -15 minute walk from the resort out by the tennis courts - you can take the complimentary bikes in during the day if you want. In Puerto Adventuras they have a really nice boardwalk with a few quaint little shops and bars. You can also see manatees and dolphins. It is sort of like what PDC used to be like before it became so commercial. If you go in at night check out "Jone's Sports bar " right on the boardwalk. We went in there a few nights during our stay to watch some NHL hockey playoff games. The guy who owns it is from Detriot or Chicago or something - he's a lot of fun and its just him and a couple of waiters - there is actually a budweiser banner in front of the bar that reads "snowmobilers welcome".

As for the food - the food is great and better than most of the other 5* in the area. There is a lot of variety and I don't think you will be disappointed. It may not be as fancy as the Ritz Carlton or a Four Seasons hotel but it is very good and well presented.

As for currency, we always bring about $150-$200 US mostly in smaller bills ($1,5,10's). The small stuff is great for tipping the waiters/bartenders on the resort. The hotels are generally not the best place to exchange money - they keep a bigger percentage then the banks in PDC. If you can,use your credit card for your store purchases - that way you miss paying any lending fees.

Now for the beach - it's man-made and although okay to lounge around and snorkel, there are no waves so no body-surfing. We stayed at the pool most of the week and enjoyed it - especially later in the day (i.e. 4:00pm or after) that's when the pool bar really heats up and gets fun.

Don't be concerned about anything else - you've picked a really good resort and you guys are going to have a great time.

enjoy!!