New to all of this and need some help for my trip.

temptsboy · 08-01-2003

First of all I would like to say hello to everyone. My girlfriend and I will be in Playa from August 5th till the 13th. We are staying at the Iberostar Tucan. We are both 28 and I have a few questions for some of the veterans of Playa.
#1. Does the Tucan make you wear those dopey bracelets, if so can I wear them on my ankle? I hate bracelets.

#2. Can I get away with wearing some khakis a nice black v-neck t shirts and some sneakers at the a la carte joints at the Tucan?

#3. What type of gym can I expect at the Tucan? I am an avid weighlifter and even though I will not be going full bore at the gym I do want to stay in som sort of shape while out there.

#4. I ask any of you to give me some advise that you find very important.
One last thing I have been looking for stuff on Playa for the the last six months and now with less then a week I find this great site. You want to know how. I searched under Mexico diahrea. I know thats not the right spelling but thats what I searched under.

Thank you in advance

KKIL · 08-01-2003

Temptsboy,
We are going back to Tucan in Sept. We were there two years ago and yes we did have to wear a plastic bracelet (not sure if you can put it on your ankle. I plan on putting mine on loose and then I can slip it off for excursions outside of the resort.. You can wear shorts to the buffet but you have to wear pants to the restaurants you make reservations ex. steakhouse. The "gym" was OK some free weights and some machines. It was not air conditioned last time I was there so it was Hot. You may want to go early in the morning to avoid the prime time heat.
I would suggest packing some beach towels. The towels they give you at the pool are not that big and you get charged if you lose it. Try not losing a white towel when there are a thousand some people using the exact same one. Have fun, make sure to go downtown and eat. The food is great, we like Blue Lobster but there are tons of restaurants to choose from.

temptsboy · 08-01-2003

I was wondering not that it matters too much but what are the prices outside of the resort. I am sure that I will venture out some. Are the prices avg., or below or are they jacked up for tourism. Note that I am from Jersey and I believe that our prices(N.Y./N.J.) to be some of the highest in the country. This in regards to food. By the way I hope I can get a decent workout without scaring anyone.

BMK1951 · 08-03-2003

Some of the places on 5th avenue can get very competitive. Three years ago there was a Lobster Dinner price war. Two places were competing for business by shouting there wares and price. It eventually got down to $8.50 usd for 1 lb. 1/2 lobster tale, soup, salad, and home baked loaf of bread.

Now, things have toned down and prices of specials are displayed on easy to read signs along 5th Avenue.

As for the shops, the will look at your bracelet and modify their bargaining accordingly. I have a wrist wallet that's water proof. I just put it on over my bracelet when I go into town to shop. When the shop keeper asks where I am from, I tell them Elizabeth, NJ (big latin community there). For hotel I say Don Emilione or one of the other inexpensive hotels in town.

Your girlfriend will love the silver jewelry in town. Tell her that if she spots something she likes, that it's like poker. Never let on that you absolutely must have it. Be very casual, friendly and low key. Cash talks you get a better discount than with credit cards at the shops.

You can get your cardio in just walking around Playa, plus there are several hot night spots for dancing. True they aren't the massive laser light dance palaces of Cancun, but the music is good and the vibe is too.

As for the a la cart places at your resort. Think "Casual Friday" at the office or golf clothes. I have a pair of cotton chino slacks that zip off at the knee to become shorts. They were acceptable a 2 out of 3 resorts I stayed at. That way they were pants at the fancy restaurant, and when I left I just ziped the bottoms off and had shorts. They're really handy when you fly from someplace cold to someplace warm or vice versa. 8)

08-01-2003	#1 (permalink)
temptsboy lost on fifth Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 24	New to all of this and need some help for my trip. First of all I would like to say hello to everyone. My girlfriend and I will be in Playa from August 5th till the 13th. We are staying at the Iberostar Tucan. We are both 28 and I have a few questions for some of the veterans of Playa. #1. Does the Tucan make you wear those dopey bracelets, if so can I wear them on my ankle? I hate bracelets. #2. Can I get away with wearing some khakis a nice black v-neck t shirts and some sneakers at the a la carte joints at the Tucan? #3. What type of gym can I expect at the Tucan? I am an avid weighlifter and even though I will not be going full bore at the gym I do want to stay in som sort of shape while out there. #4. I ask any of you to give me some advise that you find very important. One last thing I have been looking for stuff on Playa for the the last six months and now with less then a week I find this great site. You want to know how. I searched under Mexico diahrea. I know thats not the right spelling but thats what I searched under. Thank you in advance

08-01-2003	#2 (permalink)
KKIL lost on fifth Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 22	Tucan Info Temptsboy, We are going back to Tucan in Sept. We were there two years ago and yes we did have to wear a plastic bracelet (not sure if you can put it on your ankle. I plan on putting mine on loose and then I can slip it off for excursions outside of the resort.. You can wear shorts to the buffet but you have to wear pants to the restaurants you make reservations ex. steakhouse. The "gym" was OK some free weights and some machines. It was not air conditioned last time I was there so it was Hot. You may want to go early in the morning to avoid the prime time heat. I would suggest packing some beach towels. The towels they give you at the pool are not that big and you get charged if you lose it. Try not losing a white towel when there are a thousand some people using the exact same one. Have fun, make sure to go downtown and eat. The food is great, we like Blue Lobster but there are tons of restaurants to choose from.

08-01-2003	#3 (permalink)
temptsboy lost on fifth Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 24	Thanks for the info. I was wondering not that it matters too much but what are the prices outside of the resort. I am sure that I will venture out some. Are the prices avg., or below or are they jacked up for tourism. Note that I am from Jersey and I believe that our prices(N.Y./N.J.) to be some of the highest in the country. This in regards to food. By the way I hope I can get a decent workout without scaring anyone.

08-03-2003	#4 (permalink)
BMK1951 way into it Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: New Jersey, USA Posts: 173	Some of the places on 5th avenue can get very competitive. Three years ago there was a Lobster Dinner price war. Two places were competing for business by shouting there wares and price. It eventually got down to $8.50 usd for 1 lb. 1/2 lobster tale, soup, salad, and home baked loaf of bread. Now, things have toned down and prices of specials are displayed on easy to read signs along 5th Avenue. As for the shops, the will look at your bracelet and modify their bargaining accordingly. I have a wrist wallet that's water proof. I just put it on over my bracelet when I go into town to shop. When the shop keeper asks where I am from, I tell them Elizabeth, NJ (big latin community there). For hotel I say Don Emilione or one of the other inexpensive hotels in town. Your girlfriend will love the silver jewelry in town. Tell her that if she spots something she likes, that it's like poker. Never let on that you absolutely must have it. Be very casual, friendly and low key. Cash talks you get a better discount than with credit cards at the shops. You can get your cardio in just walking around Playa, plus there are several hot night spots for dancing. True they aren't the massive laser light dance palaces of Cancun, but the music is good and the vibe is too. As for the a la cart places at your resort. Think "Casual Friday" at the office or golf clothes. I have a pair of cotton chino slacks that zip off at the knee to become shorts. They were acceptable a 2 out of 3 resorts I stayed at. That way they were pants at the fancy restaurant, and when I left I just ziped the bottoms off and had shorts. They're really handy when you fly from someplace cold to someplace warm or vice versa. 8)

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