Musty smell or MOLDS?

Jan & Jim · 12-23-2002

Hi from Vancouver Island.....We hope to go to the PDC area in the new year, Jan. or Feb. Some sites have mentioned a musty smell in rooms (mold), of which I am allergic to. If you know of hotels we should stay away from, could you please let me know.
Or if there are medium priced places that you would recommend, I would appreciate hearing from you. All-inclusive or not.

Are there any deals to be had there? We are hoping to get a better price by waiting for a last minute package or flight. Wise?? We need two units as we are going to travel with another couple.
Is it expensive to rent a car?

It's canadian dollars for us.....so once translated into US dollars, we usually find things quite expensive.
Any suggestions on anything down there would be appreciated.
Thankyou kindly...............jan

pun · 12-26-2002

I've stayed at a lot of places in Mexico and this is a common problem at the hotels. It's not because the rooms are not clean, it's just a result of the climate. Even the finest hotels can have a bit of musty smell in the rooms. We always bring scented candles, it usually takes care of the problem quite nicely.

I don't know how severe your allergy is, but it's going to be hard to find a hotel that doesn't have at least a bit of this problem.

Jan & Jim · 12-27-2002

Thankyou Pun

Not the best of news for me but I appreciate your feedback.

I guess I'm best to stick to brand new Hotels then $$$$$?!!!
I've been to Hawaii many times and never had this problem, except at one ground floor condo that didn't have a musty smell.....probably the molds just outside the door.

I had hoped that with air conditioners going, that would help with the air.
I really want to see the Mayan Riviera, from PDC and south. What to do now; your info is turning me off that area. Thanks again. jan

pun · 12-28-2002

It's not just this area. Hawaii has it's own microclimate and is different. Anytime you're in a rainforest or jungle environment, you are going to find this. It doesn't matter where you go, it's inescapable. Keep in mind that when a hotel room is unoccupied, the air conditioner is turned off.

I'd like to hear comments from some of the other PDCInfo regulars. Who knows about this and can comment?

Debra · 12-29-2002

I have noticed the smell at times in different hotels and even outside at hotels in the PDC area. I assume it is from the jungle climate. It has been our experience that the smell is stronger when you first get into a room but after having air on for a while it isn't a problem.
I too was worried the first time I stayed in a room and noticed the smell because I am very allergic to molds and mildews. But I have not had ANY problems with allergies while vacationing in Mexico. If I were you I wouldn't miss out on a chance to visit the area because of this. I think that you would be glad that you went.
As for places to stay, this site is full of info on all types of places -AI and non AI. From our home state, Funjet usually can beat any other package deals for AI's. James and Anna can tell you about good non AI deals.
I hope that you enjoy your vacation.

01-01-2003

Hi Jan and Jim. You will find mold at even the newest Hotels. We stayed at the Riu Tequila a few months after it was built and the black mold was everywhere. The Manager sympathised and called it "ecery manager's nightmare." Well it was so bad that we changed rooms twice. To their credit, they did re-paint a room with fingicidal paint just for us. The problem is compounded by the way we all use the air conditioning. It's so hot and humid there, that the re-fridgerated air condenses on the walls and ceilings and provides a great place for mold to accumulate. We checked out a couple of places in Playa that don't have A/C and they were perfect. Take your choice, I prefer the open air, overhead fans and open windows. :x

djcmo · 01-02-2003

Jan and Jim,

We stayed at the Aventura Spa Palace in November and I don't recall seeing or smelling any mold, mildew, etc. I am also allergic to mold and did not experience any problems the entire eight days we were there.

Good luck and have a great trip!

DJ

Verda · 01-07-2003

My husband and I stayed at the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort in August for our honeymoon. We had no problem at all with mold or mildew. The room was very clean and pleasant smelling. A very nice resort with a very beautiful and large beach with palm trees for shade. I am fair complected so the palm trees were awesome. They allowed me to stay out on the beach all day and read my book! :lol:

thecuz · 01-07-2003

Though I highly recommend the Barcelo Maya (we just held our wedding there in Dec.), we had the "musty" smell from our A/C unit too. It went away after we ran the unit for a bit though.

We also stayed at the Riviera del Sol, a smaller hotel in PDC, and their A/C units did not have the smell. If you are looking for a smaller, very nice affordable hotel, in town, then I would highly reccomend the Riv. We booked it through the www.cozyhotelsandvillas.com website which James did the webwork for, but don't hold that against them....

01-31-2003

HI Jan and Jim, where are you from on Vancouver Island, we are in Sidney and have been to the Playa area 4 times. We head there this Sat for Rui Yucatan. One place to definately avoid is the Carribean Village Playacar, we were there last year for one night and moved to the Allegro. The Village was disgusting, our bed mattresses were solid mold and our daughter is very allergic to mold too. The Allegro was fine, no mold in sight, it is only a 3 star, but we found it very clean and the food was excellent.( we took our kids last year too to the Allegro and they loved it ) The Barcello Maya would be my first choice, we also stayed there and would go back in a minute if we could get an excellent deal again. We always book the last minute thing. I just booked this past Tues for The RUI Yucatan and got a great deal.
Good luck, when are you going to go?
Janis

gcb2407 · 01-31-2003

I just recently stayed at the Riu Tequila

The rooms did not smell that musty, I brought an air freshener & I was fine. My husband did not notice the musty smell at all.

Gina

12-23-2002	#1 (permalink)
Jan & Jim sandflea Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada Posts: 3	Musty smell or MOLDS? Hi from Vancouver Island.....We hope to go to the PDC area in the new year, Jan. or Feb. Some sites have mentioned a musty smell in rooms (mold), of which I am allergic to. If you know of hotels we should stay away from, could you please let me know. Or if there are medium priced places that you would recommend, I would appreciate hearing from you. All-inclusive or not. Are there any deals to be had there? We are hoping to get a better price by waiting for a last minute package or flight. Wise?? We need two units as we are going to travel with another couple. Is it expensive to rent a car? It's canadian dollars for us.....so once translated into US dollars, we usually find things quite expensive. Any suggestions on anything down there would be appreciated. Thankyou kindly...............jan

12-27-2002	#3 (permalink)
Jan & Jim sandflea Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada Posts: 3	Mold?Musty smell Thankyou Pun Not the best of news for me but I appreciate your feedback. I guess I'm best to stick to brand new Hotels then $$$$$?!!! I've been to Hawaii many times and never had this problem, except at one ground floor condo that didn't have a musty smell.....probably the molds just outside the door. I had hoped that with air conditioners going, that would help with the air. I really want to see the Mayan Riviera, from PDC and south. What to do now; your info is turning me off that area. Thanks again. jan

01-01-2003	#6 (permalink)
Guest Guest Posts: n/a	Mold Hi Jan and Jim. You will find mold at even the newest Hotels. We stayed at the Riu Tequila a few months after it was built and the black mold was everywhere. The Manager sympathised and called it "ecery manager's nightmare." Well it was so bad that we changed rooms twice. To their credit, they did re-paint a room with fingicidal paint just for us. The problem is compounded by the way we all use the air conditioning. It's so hot and humid there, that the re-fridgerated air condenses on the walls and ceilings and provides a great place for mold to accumulate. We checked out a couple of places in Playa that don't have A/C and they were perfect. Take your choice, I prefer the open air, overhead fans and open windows. :x

01-07-2003	#8 (permalink)
Verda sandflea Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kentucky Posts: 7	Mold and Mildew My husband and I stayed at the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort in August for our honeymoon. We had no problem at all with mold or mildew. The room was very clean and pleasant smelling. A very nice resort with a very beautiful and large beach with palm trees for shade. I am fair complected so the palm trees were awesome. They allowed me to stay out on the beach all day and read my book! :lol:

01-31-2003	#10 (permalink)
Guest Guest Posts: n/a	re molds HI Jan and Jim, where are you from on Vancouver Island, we are in Sidney and have been to the Playa area 4 times. We head there this Sat for Rui Yucatan. One place to definately avoid is the Carribean Village Playacar, we were there last year for one night and moved to the Allegro. The Village was disgusting, our bed mattresses were solid mold and our daughter is very allergic to mold too. The Allegro was fine, no mold in sight, it is only a 3 star, but we found it very clean and the food was excellent.( we took our kids last year too to the Allegro and they loved it ) The Barcello Maya would be my first choice, we also stayed there and would go back in a minute if we could get an excellent deal again. We always book the last minute thing. I just booked this past Tues for The RUI Yucatan and got a great deal. Good luck, when are you going to go? Janis

12-26-2002	#2 (permalink)
pun way into it Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Chicago, IL USA Posts: 176	I've stayed at a lot of places in Mexico and this is a common problem at the hotels. It's not because the rooms are not clean, it's just a result of the climate. Even the finest hotels can have a bit of musty smell in the rooms. We always bring scented candles, it usually takes care of the problem quite nicely. I don't know how severe your allergy is, but it's going to be hard to find a hotel that doesn't have at least a bit of this problem.

12-28-2002	#4 (permalink)
pun way into it Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Chicago, IL USA Posts: 176	It's not just this area. Hawaii has it's own microclimate and is different. Anytime you're in a rainforest or jungle environment, you are going to find this. It doesn't matter where you go, it's inescapable. Keep in mind that when a hotel room is unoccupied, the air conditioner is turned off. I'd like to hear comments from some of the other PDCInfo regulars. Who knows about this and can comment?

12-29-2002	#5 (permalink)
Debra lost on fifth Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 17	I have noticed the smell at times in different hotels and even outside at hotels in the PDC area. I assume it is from the jungle climate. It has been our experience that the smell is stronger when you first get into a room but after having air on for a while it isn't a problem. I too was worried the first time I stayed in a room and noticed the smell because I am very allergic to molds and mildews. But I have not had ANY problems with allergies while vacationing in Mexico. If I were you I wouldn't miss out on a chance to visit the area because of this. I think that you would be glad that you went. As for places to stay, this site is full of info on all types of places -AI and non AI. From our home state, Funjet usually can beat any other package deals for AI's. James and Anna can tell you about good non AI deals. I hope that you enjoy your vacation.

01-02-2003	#7 (permalink)
djcmo way into it Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 226	Jan and Jim, We stayed at the Aventura Spa Palace in November and I don't recall seeing or smelling any mold, mildew, etc. I am also allergic to mold and did not experience any problems the entire eight days we were there. Good luck and have a great trip! DJ

01-07-2003	#9 (permalink)
thecuz beachaholic Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 433	Though I highly recommend the Barcelo Maya (we just held our wedding there in Dec.), we had the "musty" smell from our A/C unit too. It went away after we ran the unit for a bit though. We also stayed at the Riviera del Sol, a smaller hotel in PDC, and their A/C units did not have the smell. If you are looking for a smaller, very nice affordable hotel, in town, then I would highly reccomend the Riv. We booked it through the www.cozyhotelsandvillas.com website which James did the webwork for, but don't hold that against them....

01-31-2003	#11 (permalink)
gcb2407 sandflea Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 6	I just recently stayed at the Riu Tequila The rooms did not smell that musty, I brought an air freshener & I was fine. My husband did not notice the musty smell at all. Gina

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