The Reef - 2011

[SharonD]

So sorry she lost her rings . I would be so depressed that it would have ruined the entire trip for me. It's not the monetary value but the sentimental value that would upset me.

[shivors]

[quote=SharonD;1833736]

Originally Posted by sharkbait

No passport 5 days out??? Checking in for your flight under a different name???? Good thing you headed to Tulum to pay homage to the Mayan Gods.

And let's not forget taking a picture in Immigrations! Living on the edge, huh?! LOL!

For a large man I have ninja skills. Flash was turned off and I acted like I was just moving my camera from my pocket to my bag. NEEENJA

[shivors]

Originally Posted by SharonD

So sorry she lost her rings . I would be so depressed that it would have ruined the entire trip for me. It's not the monetary value but the sentimental value that would upset me.

Yeah she still gets emotional when she thinks about it. I am very practical minded usually and while I understand the sentimental value...and the financial value, to me they are just rings. Metal and rocks. I have her and our son so the rest is replaceable.

[Katie8]

The result is quite funny....I will share this but know that I will catch hell when she reads this.

Yes...yes you will

[Katie8]

Originally Posted by SharonD

So sorry she lost her rings . I would be so depressed that it would have ruined the entire trip for me. It's not the monetary value but the sentimental value that would upset me.

Thank you Sharon. It was really hard to not let it ruin the trip. I had a moment where I had to make a conscious decision to put it aside and cry about it later because we had come too far to let the trip win (again).

It's still difficult for me when I look at the pictures of the trip. In some of the pictures that's all I can see. But as he said we have eachother and our son. We are healthy and safe so that is all that matters.

[tdiaz]

Going forward I will not be so hard on my hubby who insists I put my rings in the in the safe, before we leave home!

[shivors]

Originally Posted by Katie8

Yes...yes you will

Ummm...hi honey.

[T&L]

Originally Posted by shivors

Yeah she still gets emotional when she thinks about it. I am very practical minded usually and while I understand the sentimental value...and the financial value, to me they are just rings. Metal and rocks. I have her and our son so the rest is replaceable.

Bravo!!!!

Right!!! .... then the thief not only would have taken the rings ... but they would have successfully stolen your vacation also. Its unfortunate and sad ...but by no means the end!

[shivors]

So I just realized months later that this TR is not complete...I will work on this today.

[shivors]

Day 4

So day four was about getting into Playa, finding MEGA, getting Katie a replacement ring, and letting Katie get her free 90min message in. We had our buffet breakfast and headed out into the drizzle and overcast skies. A quick taxi ride into PDC to try and find the fresh fruit carts but they weren’t out when we went through...maybe too late in the morning?

On the way to MEGA.


Reverse mule request for Lilolme.


Purty ya’ll



After 6-7 stores we found a winner. Guy gave a us nice deal on a ring wifey wanted.


With the ring replaced, cookies purchased and the day rainy we headed back to the resort so Katie can get her massage. The next bunch of pics were from me walking around the property and getting lunch. (more for those interested in the Reef)

Rain doesn’t impact the swimup.


Place makes me relaxed even with a little rain.


So the grounds crew was working through the entire time it was raining. They would squeegee the concrete over and over as well as clean anything that fell from the trees.


Lunch buffet





All of this was very good


Grounds

[shivors]

Day 4 (cont.)


When Katie was done with her massage we chilled out in the room and enjoyed each other’s company for a few hours. We had met a great couple and made fast friends. Connie and Rick are truly great people and a lot of fun to hang out with. We made plans to meet up for dinner and then an excursion to Manne’s Biergarten to get a few drinks.

So with the evening planned we met up at the lobby bar per our now well established routine. Meet Connie and Rick. Rick is a veteran who faced some rough times in Vietnam. He is the epitome of those that deserve our thanks and appreciation for their service to our country.



Fruity wonder drink…I am not a fruity drink kinda guy but these were fantastic and had the appropriate kick.



Don’t let the haters fool you. The onsite dining at the Reef is no joke.




This vegetable lasagna was AMAZING and the steaks were fantastic.






Once dinner was taken care of it was a quick ride into PDC. First Katie wanted to pick up some flip-mouth shirts for our son (he loves them). For those that don’t know these are t-shirts with animals on them with flaps so you can open their mouths.



From there it was off to Manne’s



The man himself





Welcome to Playa tequila shots from Manne. We got to meet a few other peeps as weel. Hope to get much more of that next trip.




After a few hours it was time to head back to the resort. We hung out upstairs, had some more drinks and solved the world’s problems. Rick is a sneaky man…he had the rest of us working on full glasses most of the time while he sat back and enjoyed the free style inebriation.





Since drinking works up an appetite we all moved down to the snack bar. We had a very friendly raccon join us for a bit.






This one makes it look like we were holding hands but I never touched her officer. This was a mother raccoon so I broke a personal rule about feeding animals like this.





The next day is was travel home day for the four of us so we fought turning in for the night. Had a great time to be sure.

[Mark711]

Shivers, I really don't know why people diss the Reef so much.
We are going back.
Got airfare/hotel for the two of us for $1430.00 U.S. 8 nights
I want to see some one stay in a comparable quality boutique hotel,
on the beach, buy all ther own drinks and food cheaper.
Really a great value
X4 now
Lobster it is!!
And diving with the great staff
Nice trip report
Mark

[shivors]

Originally Posted by Mark711

Shivers, I really don't know why people diss the Reef so much.
We are going back.
Got airfare/hotel for the two of us for $1430.00 U.S. 8 nights
I want to see some one stay in a comparable quality boutique hotel,
on the beach, buy all ther own drinks and food cheaper.
Really a great value
X4 now
Lobster it is!!
And diving with the great staff
Nice trip report
Mark

I think maybe the resort went through a slump but it has been stellar (not perfect) everytime we have visited. Our next trip will be in town but that is only because we wanted to go for the off AI experience. (different restaurants each meal, more people, more nightlife) If we do an AI in PDC it will be the Reef for sure...no beating the price/quality.

[Emily83g]

From your report, I'm considering recommending this resort for an inexpensive AI option. How were the rooms? And how much was the cab ride into town?

I love these smaller resorts over the BIG MEGA AI's.

Anyone else love the Reef and recommend it?

[Katie8]

Originally Posted by Emily83g

From your report, I'm considering recommending this resort for an inexpensive AI option. How were the rooms? And how much was the cab ride into town?

I love these smaller resorts over the BIG MEGA AI's.

Anyone else love the Reef and recommend it?

That is one of the reasons we love it so much. Its economical and it feels more personal...you aren't one of thousands of people. We had no problem getting into any restaurant on property or getting served at the bars. It was 50 peso (usually flat rate) for taxi from Playacar to 5th but you can walk the beach for abt 15-20 mins to get there too. The rooms were OK. We aren't picky and didn't spend much time in the room so that didn't matter too much to us. Shivors put pics up in the first Reef TR of the room. It was simple and clean with AC.

The only thing I would warn them abt is the on property sales pitch. They'll get hit up to do the tour for the vacation club no question...don't bother...it's a huge rip off...take our word for it