Our trip June 9th-14th (Luna Encantada)

[mherb]

We just arrived home yesterday after our very first trip to Playa. We had a great time and look forward to returning their in the future. We stayed at the Luna Encantada condos which are right on the beach. The condo (B3) was beautifully decorated and very clean. There was a beautiful view of the ocean and the infinity pool from our balcony and rooftop deck. We used the balcony quite often but didn't use the rooftop deck at all. If we stay here again we will go for the 1st floor units in the front. They have a porch that wraps around the whole front and direct access to the beach and pool. We had to go down three flights of stairs or the elevator which could be bothersome after several trips to go to the bathroom. There was an outdoor shower and the condo has a gate with access code to get on the beach. Most of the time kids left the gate hanging opened. The beach was easy to access. There were comfy beach chairs available. You did have to walk a few yards to get in the water but we didn't have a problem with that. Our only gripe was that there were a few families that were not watching their kids. I am an elementary school teacher so kids don't typically bother me, but this group took over the entire pool area. The pool was so nice as it looked right over the ocean. I loved to just hang out at the edge and watch the people go by. Unfortunately after our first two days those families arrived and the pool turned into a neon raft infested nightmare The parents allowed their kids to run all over and scream at the top of their lungs while they lounged on the balcony or inside. Also, one night a rather fiesty group of people decided it was appropriate to run and yell around the pool area at about 1:30 am Funny because there wasn't any Spring Break type of people in the condo so I guess somebody was just getting a little wild. Other than that we had no complaints about Luna. The condo had everything we needed. There were ample amounts of towels for the beach and bathroom, a washer and dryer, filtered water, a spring water cooler, and pretty much everything except a phone. Please make sure to bring a cell phone or money for the pay phone. The condos do not have phones for local calls. Here are some photos of the condo:
Our living room:

Our bathroom:

The view from our front door:

The view from our balcony:

[mherb]

The people I am referring to are me (35), my husband (35), my coworker (25) and her husband (25). I didn't take a whole lot of pics so there are no food photos, sorry.

Day 1: Saturday- We had a 6 am flight so we were up and out the door by 2:30 We had a smooth check-in and flight. Our arrival time at the airport was 8:20. We breezed through customs and went to go find the bus. Unfortunately the first bus only leaves at 10:30 despite what I was told by a few people. We just wanted to get to the hotel so we chipped in and got a van. The trip to the condo took about 40 minutes. I must admit when we first go to town I wasn't sure that this was going to be the place for me. Our condo was very accomodating and told us we could get in our condo early. There was a group staying in it but were moving to a different condo for the rest of the week. Our real estate woman accidently booked us in the same place at the same time. The other group wanted to be closer the pool as they had a few real small children with them. They were very gracious and ended up taking us to the Wal-Mart in their van.
We ended up going down 5th avenue and eating at Palapas Hemingways. I don't know if we were all just tired and cranky but that was by far the worst experience we had in Playa. Our waiter seriously had no clue what he was doing. We even pointed to the menu for him and he still got my husband's order wrong. He order the mollete and ended up with two eggs? My friend and I ordered the verde chilaquiles. They were ok but very cold. Her husband ordered an omelette with sausage and peppers. He didn't realize it was going to be hot and had real stomach issues after this meal. It took our waiter over 30 minutes to figure out our check. All and all not a good experience.

After the meal we went back to check on the condo situation. They let us put our bags inside and sit on the balcony. We then got changed and were ready to head to the beach. The family we had met early knocked on the door and asked if we wanted a lift to Wal-Mart. Of course we went along to stock up on cerveza and snacks. I loved the Wal-Mart. I am not a fan of the store but this place was fun. We bought a bunch of pasteries, warm tortillas, salsa, avocado, queso, mangos, lots of beer for the guys (Tecate, Modelo, Corona, Dos XXX), coconut rum, oj, peanut butter, bread, Coke, and tortilla chips. We headed home and somehow ended up losing the bread and tortilla chips. We made tortillas with avocado, cheese, and salsa. They were heavenly! Then we headed out to the beach. We stayed there until about 4 and went back to the room for naps. We got up at around 8:30 ish, showered, and headed to Babe's for dinner. We started off with shrimp rolls and crab rolls. Us girls got mango margaritas (by far the best all trip!) that were huge! I had the thai salad with tofu which was pretty good. My friend had some type of chicken sandwich which she enjoyed. The guys had chicken and noodles in peanut sauce. Both of them thought it was ok but a bit overly sauced up. The power went out as someone blew a fuse. It was up and running in a few minutes. Our high point at dinner was when the guy making our drinks spit on the floor in the kitchen. The girls had a mojito which were very good. After dinner we headed onto 5th avenue to look at the shops. We were beat by this point so we headed back to the room. Our king size bed was heaven! It had a door that lead out to the balcony. The sound of the waves crashing lulled me to sleep.

Babe's:

[Doggiemom]

Very nice pictures....!

[Sweet]

We were very dissappointed in Palapas Hemingways. We had been there several times in the past and it was awesome. Most of us ( group of 8) had been there and had been making a fuss about how good it was to those who had not. Needless they were not impressed. And it seem like it cost more.

[mherb]

Day 2: Sunday- My husband is an early riser so we headed out early and ate breakfast at 100% Natural. I had the Nirvana (eggs with veggies, hot peppers, and goat cheese) and he had the molletes. They brought a huge basket of pastries to our table. I was full after a few bites of bread! My husband got a large Oasis juice and I had a pineapple/orange combo. They were both fabulous. I liked his better though We were both very happy with our meals. We got to watch the guys throwing fruit in the air to add to the fountain. It was a meal with entertainment. We went back to the condo to get changed and headed to the beach for the day.

This is the great pool view I was referring to earlier:

We ate lunch at Playa Maya. This was one of my favorite meals. Hubs and I split guacamole and shrimp tacos. Both were yummy! My friend had chicken nachos and her husband had fish tacos. Everything was great. They had cervezas but we just had water. The stretch of beach at PM is beautiful. I could have hung out in that nice breeze all day. We headed back to the beach until about 4 then went back and napped again. Dinner that night was at Mandarina's. I had a fresh limeade and my friend had the lemonade. They brought us some type of crackers with a green aioli and some thin slices of white pizza. We all had pizza (Margherita for the girls) except my husband who had the lasagna. It had half alfredo sauce and half tomato sauce. We all really loved our food. The atmosphere there is beautiful and our waitress was so cute and sweet! We headed over to the Tequila Barrel for drinks. The music was great but the drinks were overpriced and not that great. I had a coconut margarita and I couldn't finish it. It tasted like pure tequila. My friend had a mango margarita which she thought was ok. Babe's margaritas were so much better! There was a group of obnoxious people hanging by the bathroom area so we headed out when our drinks were finished. We moved on to the Yellow Sub. We were all lured in by the music (Ramones, Clash, etc). We sat there for a while and had a few margaritas. After that we headed back to the condo. The guys decided to take a dip in the pool so we just hung out on the balcony and chatted until it was time for bed.

[mherb]

Day 3: Monday- Of course my husband was up bright and early again (he typically has to get up at 4:30 for work). We headed to Java Joe's so he could get a coffee. We took a cab down to Mamitas because we wanted to check out the section of beach there. It is very nice but looks like it would get very crowded. We prefer not sitting on someone else's lap while at the beach We decided we would stay down at our area of the beach. We realized that we didn't want to walk back down the street to get a cab so we headed through the Royal hotel and got a cab there. The Royal grounds are gorgeous! We aren't much for AI but that place could make me change my mind Our cab driver was apparently a newbie and got ribbed for having to take us just a few blocks away (we were tired!) He took us on the fastest and scariest cab ride ever. I think he views a stop sign as just a suggestion. Our friends were up by this point and we contemplated heading to Xel-ha. We decided it was a go and headed to the bus terminal. The wait for the bus was about 15 minutes so hubby and I grabbed two pollo tacos from the cart outside. I love how everyone warns you about the green sauce. I like hot stuff and I think I amused the guys by putting a big blob on my taco. We headed off to Xel-ha. I am not much for parks and big tourist attractions but our friends wanted to go there. The bus ride made my tummy a bit queasy. I get car sick easily and I hadn't had breakfast. We decided to go with the AI package for the park. I am glad we did because we definitely would have paid that and more for our food, drinks, and snorkel equiptment. I have never snorkeled before (unless you count middle school swim class) so I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. Turns out I absolutely love snorkelling and spent most of the day in the water! I am so glad we went to Xel-ha! We also did the lazy river and let me tell you there is nothing lazy about it. The current was really strong and we had to keep our innertubes from going in the mangroves. My husband and my friend's husband jumped off of both Cliffs of Courage! No way was I jumping off that cliff We had lunch at the Mexican buffet. They had fish, chicken, beef, tortillas, salsa, salad, fried tortillas with cinnamon and sugar, and great fresh fruit. It wasn't the best food but it wasn't horrible either. We each had a few drinks from the bar. My friend and I had the Xel-ha which was waaay too sweet. The guys had their usual cervezas! Then we headed back in the water for more snorkeling.
Here are some pics from Xel-ha:
A lizard (we saw tons of these)

The snorkeling lagoon

A pretty little stream

We took the 6 pm bus back to Playa. At first we got a bit worried as there were no other people waiting for the bus but it arrived at about 6:05! We were all so tired from snorkeling and swimming all day. We showered and by that point it was pouring rain outside. Hotel Fusion is right next door to the condo and was looking very inviting by that point. The rain had stopped so we got a table out on the beach. I had an awesome pina colada and my friend had an ok margarita. We split guacamole, fried calamari, and bean nachos. My husband and I each got shrimp tacos, my friend had a tuna sandwich, and her husband had fish tacos. We loved our meals except for my friend's husband. He thought Playa Maya's fish taco was much better. We were all exhausted so we headed back to the condo and went to bed.

[Tesla 573]

Nice report!....keep going

[mherb]

Day 4: Tuesday- Today was a very relaxing day. We spent most of the time just hanging out on the beach. We were all feeling a bit achy from all the swimming at Xel-ha the day before. We all went to breakfast at 100% Natural. Three of us had the Oasis juice and one had the Congo juice. My husband and I split some veggie and cheese quesadillas and a fresh fruit plate. I don't know what most of the fruit was but it was delish! My friend's husband had the molletos and I think she had some type of sandwich. We all loved our breakfast. My husband and I had lunch at Playa Maya again. We shared guacamole and shrimp tacos. I think I might have spotted Steve talking with some guests. I really wasn't sure of what he looked like so I didn't say anything to him. We sat and enjoyed the view for a while then headed back to our section of the beach. It was pretty overcast this day but it helped give some relief from the sun. The rain came down pretty heavy at night. It stopped and we headed to Limone's for dinner. The people there were by far the nicest and most accomodating of all the restaurants that we went to. He even brought us a "Mexican air conditioner". I had grouper which I did not love. It wasn't the restaurants fault so much as it was my fault for ordering a fish I never tried before. The veggies and bread were yummy. My husband and friend each got chicken dishes (cordon blue and scallopini) which they both liked a lot. I forget what her husband had. My friend really wanted to see the fire show at the Blue Parrot so we headed there at about 10:30. The BP is not my scene at all. We saw tons of adorable and unique bars the whole way there. I loved walking the back streets near the Acanto hotel. The Acanto is really cute btw. The BP had pulsating music coming from two different sections. There were not a lot of people there. My friend and I had the Blue Parrot drink which was too sweet and too expensive! We waited for the show to begin. A waiter wiped off some chairs for our front row performance. Of course a bunch of rude guys came up and plopped down chairs right in front of us. They then proceeded to tell the fire girls to "take it off baby" The show was very neat and well worth hanging out a bit. After the show we walked back to the condo and hung out on the balcony until bed time. At about 1:00 am group of people staying in another penthouse decided to start partying and grilling on their deck I looked up to see some totally drunk guy singing and cooking on the grill. Eventually I tuned them out and went back to sleep.
Pics of the fire show:

[Tequillagal]

Keep it coming.....your doing a good job. Love the pictures.

[LeedsTyke]

Great report and some excellent pictures from Xel-Ha ...

[mherb]

Day 5- Wednesday: This was our last full day I was getting sad already. We woke up and went for breakfast at Cafe y Pan (under the Aqua something restaurant). We all had o.j. The guys each had a baguette with Mexican sausage. They both really enjoyed it. I had some breakfast combo that included an aqua fresca. I asked for watermelon but got cantaloupe which is about the only fruit I don't like. My friend's husband drank it and I got a mango one which was great. My combo also included whole grain toast, lowfat yogurt, sliced apples, and fresh mozzarella grilled with tomatoes. It was great! My friend had a BLT baguette. We all really liked this breakfast and it only cost 160 pesos for all of us. After breakfast we headed out to the beach. It was overcast again and started to rain so we headed out to buy souvenirs. I got some Talavera and t-shirts for people that watched our cats. I got myself two wraps and a bracelet from the cute shop in Calle Corazon. We grabbed some slices from Pizza Pazza. We had margherita and our friends had blue cheese and Hawaiaan. We all liked the pizza a lot. My husband was still hungry so he grabbed 2 pollo tacos from the place by Ah! Cacao. After shopping we headed back to chill out on the condo balcony. We showered and headed out for dinner. Our friends wanted to eat at the Blue Lobster. My husband and I split fried calamari (not so good) and coconut shrimp (yummy). My friend had lobster bisque and a caesar salad which she liked a lot. Her husband got some seafood pasta combo. He thought it was ok. We headed down to the churro cart for dessert and finished up some shopping. We went back to the condo and relaxed on the balcony before bedtime. Our van was picking us up at 6:30 am the next morning.

[mherb]

Day 6- Thursday: Today was just a travel day. We woke up at 7:00. I had set my alarm for 6:30 but was too tired. We were woken up again at 1:30 am by a bunch of grown men running around and yelling at the pool area. They were speaking Spanish but I did make out a lot of four letter words. I am sure it was the group that was partying on the deck a few nights before. My husband and I ran to Java Joe's and got some iced mochas and coffee for all of us. Our van arrived 15 minutes late because they couldn't find our place. The ride to the airport was fine but the line was insane We waited 2 hours in line and just made it in time for the final boarding. While in line I had a iced coffee (that was supposed to be an iced chai) and my husband and I split a pan chocolate and crossaint. They were awesome! Our flight took 3 hours and was pretty smooth. It was 60 degrees in Philly and very dreary out. Our customs officer was a bit agressive but we made it through ok. We waited in another line to hand in our declaration forms. It took us over 2 hours to get home because we got stuck in traffic by the King of Prussia mall. We got home at about 6:30 and got sandwiches. Of course my email was overflowing. I am a teacher and got an email from my principal. Apparently I had accidently put the wrong report card in one of my student's envelopes. Her dad has been nothing but trouble for me the last two years and of all people it was his. Needless to say my stomach felt sick from returning home from Playa and then from that email. Back to reality!

[mherb]

OK, that is the end of my report. We spent about $720 per couple for the condo. It was a three bedroom and had the penthouse deck. We all agreed that we would only need a 2 bedroom for next time and that we definitely don't need to pay extra for a deck. My husband and I took out $700 total for all 6 days. That included our food, souvenirs, drinks, trip to Xel-ha (over $125 by itself), and cab fare. We figured that we spent less than $100 a day on food and drinks. We ate a lot of food and most of the places were sit down meals with tips. I thought the prices were reasonable for what we got. We originally had reservations for the Riu Mexico. That place would have been $1500 per couple. We figured we saved about $200 by not doing all inclusive and were much happier being able to pick out our own places to eat, drink, and hang out. I also liked that we had to figure out the money system and a bit of the language. It was a bit more of an authentic experience in my opinion. I definitely need to brush up on my Spanish before my next trip though!

[ami]

Great report and pictures! So you'd stay at Luna Encantada again?

[monte]

Great job on the TR I'm glad you decided not to do the AI. Playa has so many wonderful restaurants it would have been ashame to missed them.