Trip Report Sandos Playacar Mar 2008

[130taKen120]

Originally Posted by TeeZet

Great "lights out!" pic!

Keep it coming, Ken!

TeeZit: Um...yeah - we had that lights out "problem" happen quite a bit.... Must've been that card thingie?

[130taKen120]

Originally Posted by playadreaming

Great start

Thanks Playadraming - enjoyed reading yours as well!!!!!

[130taKen120]

Originally Posted by mandkalexander

Ken...more please...we are headed to the Sandos next week and I can't leave without your complete report! I've been following your posting since you began...my husband and I are a blended family as well and are going on a belated honeymoon (we were married this August)....so the experience(s) and expectations that you and your wife had will be highly relevant to us! PLEASE post more.....so far.....awesome job!
THANK YOU

I'm trying not to disappoint as the info and help from all of your TR's helped make our honeymoon absolutely great! Day two on deck:

[130taKen120]

Friday 3-21-08

As the telephone rang unexpectedly to wake us at 5:30 a.m., I thought “Can’t remember placing that wake-up call – did you honey…?”

I picked up the phone and the conversation went like this:

Me: “Hello?”
Caller: “You up?”
Me “Uh… yeah, I’m up!”
Caller: “Ok.”
Click.

We imagined what the conversation might be like for the caller and his callee that went on later as the caller knocked on the door of the callee: Caller: "Let's get going, bud! I called and you said you were up!”
Callee: "Zzzzzzzzzzzzz"

A blessing in disguise, headed out through the courtyard:

Courtyard:



...to the beach with my spare $2.00 Wal Mart flip-flops as reservation markers to place on some chairs for later that day. The sunrise was spectacular, as there were about 15-20 people milling about on the beach.

Sunrise 1



Sunrise 2




You know how you see a fellow vacationer early on in your trip, then see them everywhere for the rest of your stay? I saw mine that morning. A mom and her kids whose accent suggested they were from New York were on the beach reserving their chairs too. Shortly after that I went on walkabout to familiarize myself with my surroundings – great resort, spacious walkways, beautiful landscaping, pools and fountains, daily schedule posted by the pool:



...and, hey, we’re on vacation so ANYPLACE would have been outstanding at this point! So nice to experience the peace of the morning – we did this again a few days later and I highly recommend a Sunrise Saunter as well as a Midnight Mosey. Some early morning pics:

Lobby 1



Lobby 2



Map



Lobby towards pool



Pool back towards lobby & fountain: Buffet on left, La Bamba on right:



Pool looking over our building at the sunrise:



By 6:30 we began to get ready for breakfast at the buffet.

Buffet (beware of swooping birds...)



My bride tried the pancakes, fruit, bacon and add ons, and I tried the eggs over easy, Mexican sausage (recommended), bacon, mixed cooked vegetables (recommended) and chipotle sauce (Hot!) and coffee. If you are a coffecianado, this will not thrill you. But if you are a work-a-day coffee drinker, this brew was great! I hated to leave breakfast because I knew it was the last coffee I’d see all day! Food Pics:

Hers:



His:



Both, afterwards:



My bride and I (mostly I) thought it might be good to exercise. We’d tread-milled, weight lifted, done our abs and generally watched our diets leading up to this anticipated time of gluttony, so why stop exercising now? Ha!

We walked west/south through the newest part of the Sandos. First to the west you encounter the Haciendas – multiple housing units designed for groups and some with private pools, hammocks, etc… These were threaded with stone-brick paths (watch out for the really rough stone brick by the entrance – lift your feet when you walk over it or you may be face first on the rock!). The Haciendas all had a name/theme on a placard in front of the main entrance, and all sliding doors for the units faced the common area/pool. They were two story and from the outside, looked nice. Check TA for info from people who stayed there.

Hacienda:



Farther on are the new buildings. They have at least tripled the resort capacity with these two humongous new additions and a very large conference/dining area. These are the 8000 and 9000 buildings, the 8000 being closer than the 9000. They seemed mostly vacant at this time, but there were people out sunbathing already. Sandos runs their “Club Cars” (4 row, 10 passenger golf carts) from these buildings through the Haciendas to the main entrance constantly. That’s a plus. The minus is, if you forget anything back in your room in the 8000 or 9000 building, it’s a long ways back to get it, Club Car or not.

8000 Building:



9000 Building:



Fountain pool area in 9000 building:



Very end of the 9000 building. On the outside of the iron fence is Xaman Ha boulevard - south as you exit the Sandos entrance:



On the other hand, those considering the Riu Tequilla, for example, have to walk across Xaman Ha boulevard and down a long path to the beach…

After the internal tour of the Sandos, we returned to the main entrance an d then jogged out the main driveway and to the south (away from PDC).

Entrance to Sandos:



Here the new buildings of the Sandos resort run right along Xaman Ha for a long ways on the east (seaside) part of the road, with numerous private and rental condos and homes along the west side.

Very cool condos:



The Sandos finally gives way to a condo complex under construction – 1 BRs are selling for $110,000 U.S. We returned to the main entrance from our jog and got the bicycle attendant to set us up with some bikes to ride, free for guests. Make sure you ask him to adjust your seats or your ride will be very short ;-)

Bike racks off to the left along the driveway as you enter the Sandos:



Biked to PDC – about 2.5 km from the Sandos to the circle by the Playacar gate. Saw many people walking this route day and night, a safe walk with no worries. Evidently, as Playacar is a gated community, no unauthorized vehicles are allowed inside the gates and we saw security at the Xaman Ha gate every time we went through. Just before the circle is a neat area with Mayan ruins on the east/sea side of the road that’s really cool – check out the placards and if you drive by at night, it is lit up & spectacular!

Once we biked into town, we walked the bikes through the Paseo del Carmen Plaza (get the Map Chicks maps) and saw few bargains here.

Looking from Paseo del Carmen towards the ferry dock:



Policia:



One of us who shall remain nameless mistakenly began speaking to a sidewalk “businessman” who engaged us in a 20-minute conversation about renting a car. The sign said “$19.95 per day”, and upon asking if that was for real, the game was on! At first, it was $19.95 per day but we had to walk 5 minuted to pick out any car we wanted. Then as the conversation went along, the “special deal” included free gas. The offer quickly went from there to include to two days for $30.00, then to free breakfast included, then to breakfast plus 2 days for FREE, then to breakfast plus two days for FREE and a free bottle of tequila. We had to go with the businessman to get the deal to…a nearby condo…

Next…

Down the street was Senior Frogs. Great location right alongside the ferry pier! Parked the bikes (PS: Get a lock from the bike attendant at the Sandos!) and sat down on the swings to have a refreshment. Very cool – great views, swings were great, cool breezes, lots of ferrygoers and activity, engaging bartender and then we got the bill: $24.00 U.S. for two (2 – dos – zwei – deuce) refreshments. Those were some sweet swings!

Senior Frogs Swings:



Back to the Sandos where we’ve already paid for our refreshments ;-)

1:00 p.m. Got to beach and found some gals with Australian accents sitting on our chairs. “Oh, did you want to sit here?” They looked comfortable so I grabbed my flip-flops (I was secretly glad no one had tossed them in the ocean) and we headed a few rows back to some empty chairs under a palapa near the hamburger stand.

View from the 3rd row:



After a bit we ventured into the snack bar between the pools – their noontime snack buffet is quite good – we enjoyed the pico, salads, pizza, hamburgers, jalapenos, guacamole and tortilla chips. You can walk in and get plastic plates and silverware from the bar and load up or eat light – just be polite and wear flips and a shirt. Other guests do a sit down to eat there and you wouldn’t want to send them to the bathroom prematurely…

Towels: the Sandos issues you one towel card per guest upon arrival. The towel shack is labeled “Information” and is immediately next to the poolside restaurant described above (between the restaurant and towel stand is the bathroom).

Snack bar (left), bathroom door (middle) and towel window (right):



You can get fresh towels as they become available – I recommend getting fresh ones as soon as you arrive, then at the end of your beach or pool day and before you head back to your room, stop by there again and exchange your wet towels for dry ones for the next day (if they are available). This should save you some time the next day you head to the water and keep the wetness out of your room. Our room had some minor issues dehumidifying – make sure the AC is set to 20 – 21c to keep the dehulidifyer working properly, and I recommend keeping the ceiling fan on to circulate air as much as you can tolerate.

Time for a siesta. After all, it’s vacation, right? We slept LATE! Awoke at @ 9 p.m. and got ready to go see the World Famous Fire Dancers at the ******! Taxi into town and paid $15.00 per in cover. The interesting thing about these clubs is that to sit in the premium seating, you are asked to buy a bottle of some type of alcohol for around $125.00 per bottle! Yikes! We found no available beach seating but as we were standing around looking lost, a nice young couple, Jessie and Xavier from Miami invited us to sit with them.

Jessie & Xavier:



We had a great conversation prior to the fire dance. That’s one great thing about Playa del Carmen – the people are genuinely so friendly and welcoming and eager to please. This was the best feature about our entire vacation – the gregariousness of the people of PDC!

We sat until the Fire Dance and then everyone gathered round the dance area on the beach. The 7 dancers were truly amazing during the 20-30 minute show. They had a tip gal circulating the crowd and we gave as the entertainment was worth it.

Fire Dance:



After the show we went up to the 2nd floor on the tower at the Parrot. I highly recommend this as a romantic pit stop – there are couches and chairs and we got lucky to get one facing Cozumel. The lights at night were spectacular over the ocean and the music was great. The open air windows and cool breezes are honeymooners delights!

Upstairs at the ******:



A Pose:



Later we came back down and sat on the swings at the bar – great fun as waitresses bring special refreshments to you for a small fee, pour them into your mouth and shake your head, making your experience literally effortless and without unnecessary expenditure of elbow-bending energy ;-)



Club dancing til 3 was extremely fun! Caught cab back to the Sandos at that time

Streets at 3:



...and, since we’re on vacation, proceeded to sleep quite peacefully ;-)

[playadreaming]

Great pictures! Thanks for taking the time to post such a good trip report.

[Buggirl]

What a great report Congratulations on your wedding

[Eileencc]

Could have sworn I posted this before, but I must have canceled instead of posting...anyhow...great trip report...love your narration and the great photos. You are a lovely couple! And, yes, I like your new avatar too.

[mandkalexander]

I feel so fortunate that you two went on vacation before me!!! I feel like I am getting a premier tour of the resort as well as some much needed tips from some pros! Thank you so much. I can't wait for more. I am a teacher, so I am entertaining an entire faculty with your review. You should probably ask Sandos for a "kick back", as they might be booking half the faculty next year....the pictures are incrediable! How did you kids survive without you. What did you bring them home??? We have five together, all unique and special.....where's the good shopping. Did merchants come to Sandos? Were the prices much different than in Playa? Did you guys take the ferry to Cozumel? Geeezzzz....I'm a high maintenance poster

[mandkalexander]

Hey....you mentioned a swim up bar. I didn't think that Sandos had one, and that was my single con about the place. You mentioned that they do have one in the new part of the resort.....Just wondering do you have any pictures??????

[130taKen120]

No special anonymous wake up calls this morning. Upon returning to our room the night before, we were greeted by the Sandos Honeymoon gift package: a delicious fruit basket, bottle of Chilean Vina Mape and a pair of challis’ from which to enjoy it. We decided to bring the wine home and have it on our anniversary.



Off to a lazy breakfast with our companion birds, who made a habit of swiftly swooping in on abandoned leftovers before the overworked, polite and equally swift wait staff was able to make it to tables to clear the plates. Usually the wait staff won these races ;-)



Taxis to 5th avenue and vicinity cost about $5.00. The rides are as good as any amusement park coaster, and the drivers are swift to exploit the thinnest crease between the giant tour busses and the trees along Xaman Ha Boulevard, which is a quaint cobblestone road generously, granted a full 1 & ½ lanes in width:



A taxi to any other destination off 5th may cost you more – remember to ask the driver beforehand how much to your destination, and if you don’t like the price, either counter the offer (with a reasonable, not insulting counter offer) or walk out to Xaman Ha and flag down another taxi and ask him the price. The taxis will honk at you if they think you may want a ride, and the international symbol for hailing one is the same in PDC as anywhere else: a raised hand.

In town there are any interesting sights to see along the way. There are no “lanes” in these streets, with taxis, semis, scooters and people all jockeying for space between some brightly painted walls and shops. You may be lucky to get a taxi like this Formula 1 equipped model. Is that a Nitrus Oxide injector or fire extinguisher on the dash?



Once we arrived at our destination, we were charged $8.00 (not $5.00) for the additional 6 blocks from 5th to that Mecca of western Hemisphere shopping bliss: Wal Mart:



Parking below and an escalator up top – with shopping carts complete with funky wheels that dropped down between the escalator’s metal floor slats and held fast to keep the cart from sliding backwards. Once inside, the prices were easy to calculate (move the decimal one to the left) and flip-flops, the Chicka-hat, some souvenirs and other miscellaneous things were procured:



Aisle signs are in Spanish and English and the staff is helpful as any other Wal Mart around the world:



We decided to skip the expensive cab ride and hoofed it back along Calle 8 towards the ocean in search of Coco Maya along the beach. On the way we came across the beautiful town square with archways and monoliths commemorating the towns along the Mayan Rivera. A bit further we encountered the Sahara hotel, the Hotel Maya Turquesa and Yaxche, all places we’d read about. Another cool looking two-story restaurant appeared just before the last stretch to the beach:

Square:



Sahara:



Maya Turquesa:



Yaxche:



Two story restaurant:



Thought about buying shoes at this store but the name scared me off. Conjured up thoughts of a science fiction story where shoes are hand-sewed in a sweatshop built on a plutonium dumpsite:



Began walking the beach between the ferry dock and the abandoned pier. Beautiful, warm day with cool ocean breezes, colorful buildings, sights and people and a general ultra-relaxed feeling began to wash over us ;-)







We checked out where we had been the night before – you can see the upstairs, or balcony, in this picture:



Here is the Gran Porto real with the giant Flag of Mexico flying high atop:



Playa Palms:





And a few boats lazily roiling in the ocean:





Stopped at Coco Maya for the best guacamole we’d had so far on the trip, and they’ve got those covered beach loungers with good service for all:









Mamasita and I were done walking at this point so we hitched a cab back to the Sandos. We chatted with the tour rep about some ATV and other tours. Felt they were asking too much, since with a little research, the maps and some basic geographic knowledge, we could travel anywhere for less cost and less time sitting on busses stopping at other resorts picking up other touristas.

Finally some beach time. Para-sailers, whale riders and, of course, the customary on-the-beach-of-the-toes-aren’t-you-wishing-you-were-here-too pic:










Siesta til 8:30, then ready for a night out with some friends from back home. They were at the Riu Playacar and so we arranged to pick them up there on the way into town. Once again, ask the driver how much. Twice as many people = twice the price, even for a short ride that we could have easily and safely walked at that time of night. Oh well.

We’d convinced our friends that the fire dance was good entertainment, and thought that maybe trying Coco Maya rather than the parrot might be a good change. At first when we approached their bouncer, the cover was $15.00 (US) for the guys, girls get in free. OK, so we went to the parrot to check their prices and it was a bit more gender-blind there: $15.00 per warm body, whether you wore a skirt or jeans.

Back to the Coco, where a new female bouncer suddenly informed us that to get in now, it’d be $15.00 per, but thanks to our gals, they reminded all bouncers involved of the previous deal and we were able to pay the original cover.

After this bit of stressful negotiations, we headed for some comfortable beach chairs and had refreshments and chatted for a while. At this location the seating was “free” but that would change as we moved in. Anyway, soon the fire dance started next door and we were able to wander out onto the “public” part of the beach and watch it from behind a rope fence. It was as entertaining as the night before.



We walked back inside under their large palapa to find mostly deserted couches and cocktail tables. When we tried to sit down we were approached by a truly friendly waiter who informed us that in order to sit there, we’d have to buy a liter bottle of something to drink first (and not beer). How about tequila? “Si, senor - $125.00 US per bottle”. Off to the bar, where the high stools were much more affordable.

I must say that the music was good, especially when their saxophone player came out and hopped up on the Hummer and belted out pounding dance rhythms. The sand dance floor and atmosphere were fantastic.



We danced a bit and then left Coco Maya for the last time on this trip.



Out on 5th, looking for a taxi. This time I asked first, but taxis to the resort had suddenly doubled to $20.00! Hmmm… not sure why that happened. First thought was that the taxi drivers may have had some past success coaxing that type of fare out of people recently spotted exiting a bustling downtown club. Walk a block or two to the taxi station on Juarez and 5th and the price deflates quickly.

Taxi ride home was a hoot as well.



Room Service was enlisted to bring up croissants and chips, and they were great at that time of night. It took 1 hour to deliver but we tipped these fellow as it was late .

Fun night for all and what better, more charming item to greet you upon your return other than…..

Toilet Roll Art!



More tomorrow! It's like a soap, isn't it?

[missixty]

Originally Posted by 130taKen120

Taxis to 5th avenue and vicinity cost about $5.00. The rides are as good as any amusement park coaster, and the drivers are swift to exploit the thinnest crease between the giant tour busses and the trees along Xaman Ha Boulevard, which is a quaint cobblestone road generously, granted a full 1 & ½ lanes in width:

: joker:

There's nothing quite like not fully knowing/expecting to get out of your cab ride alive to add a little excitement to your day is there

Mexican taxi rides have been some of the most exciting, and petrifiying moments of my life...and that's saying something; after all I'm used to MY driving, and that itself is somewhat scary

Absolutely loving the trip report

More more more!!

Oh I notice you mentioned getting another sun bed at 1pm? Does this squash the - no beds free past 7am rumour??

[mandkalexander]

:c lap::cla p:
I believe that I would qualify as being completly addicted to your review! So much in common with my husband and I, it is the perfect gift prior to our departure! I will return the favor upon arrival back home, but won't be bold enough to believe that my review will even come close to this!!!
It is just WONDERFUL! So much insight! Thank for blazing the trail for us. Your pointers are priceless, and the timing of your review PERFECT!
MORE PLEASE>
About the swim up bar....any pictures? I need to provide proof to some friends who want to go with us next year....kids this time....afterall, they deserve a vacation too....just not this year! WHOOPIE!~

[ellesmere]

Thank you, thank you, thank you
Great report. Was already looking forward to the 23rd June when we depart for Sandos but now I can't wait. - I'm going to drive my family demented!!!!

[Playadicta]

Haha, I remember having that lights out problem too. Sometimes the lights would go out even when the card was in the slot. That was aggravating if you happened to be in the bathroom!
Can you tell me what the orangish fruit is on the left in your honeymoon fruit basket? I became addicted to those while I was there but have never seen them before or since. I asked at the hotel and they told me it was a pomegranite, but it's not like the pomegranite I'm familiar with.

[Tommygurl]

Awesome report! Love it!
Is there a kids club there?

Oh & great avatar!