Cindyrella's Barcelo Maya Trip Report Part 1

Cindyrella · 06-09-2004

Barcelo Trip Report May 23-30, 2004

First off let me say the Riviera Maya area is breathtakingly beautiful. I love the mix of history, culture, gorgeous beaches, nightlife, good food, and of course shopping. This was our first trip but we definitely go back. This was also our first experience with an AI. We usually prefer to spend our time in town. Well now that I’ve been spoiled at an AI, it’s the only way to go baby! You can still get a feel for the town and the local people by going into Playa a few days or nights. Weather was perfect, hot and sunny not one drop of rain. The last two days were a little more humid, good excuse for more water time!

Flight: Normally I wouldn’t bore you with the flight details but what a flight! It was Frontier airlines first flight from our city. Our flight left at 6:50 am. Started boarding 6:15, they had a big cake there to celebrate but I thought “who can eat that much sugar this early in the morning?” grabbed a bottle of water and we’re off. Okay, this flight lasted from 6:50-9:55 with no breakfast! Not even so much as a peanut! They did offer free alcoholic drinks –at 7:00 am?? Got to Denver found our next flight and we’re off. Okay by this time it’s around 11:00 and I’m getting hungry—we left our house at 4:00 am. We took off from Denver and it was the worst ride of my life! I got to know the person next to me very well—it was up and down, side-to-side, bumpy, bumpy and more bumpy. This lasted about 30-40 minutes. The first time in my life I ever needed a barf bag and there were none in the entire row

By this time I realize that God must be punishing me for the evil thoughts I had when that fat lady ate 3 pieces of that cake at 6:00 am

Now I wish I would have taken her lead! I literally had to sit with my head between my knees for the first hour. My husband asked the flight attendant for some peanuts or pretzels and she said they didn’t have anything but that ice might help my stomach. Now the last time I checked, ice was FROZEN WATER and when has that ever cured a stomach ache

He kept asking until she came up with—chips! Duh! Some time after I ate the chips they brought the “snack”. Mind you this was a 4 hr. flight and we only get a snack? It was a turkey wrap, sounded good. Okay am I weird or has anyone ever heard of a turkey wrap with BBQ sauce? Ranch, Caesar, even cream cheese, but BBQ sauce? Yuck! I ate it just to settle my stomach. Thankfully the rest of the flight was uneventful.

Okay, now for the good stuff:

Barcelo Rooms: I had requested building 1 or 2 and a king bed. We got building 1-Tulum, room 1228. This was perfect for us because the pool and beach were steps away. It was a bit far from the lobby, buffet and theater but we enjoyed walking and this was the only exercise we got! Our room faced the courtyard so it was a nice view off the patio. I thought the rooms were well appointed and nicely decorated. I don’t know that I would pay for a Jr. Suite because there is plenty of room in a standard. We tipped the maid $2/day and got towel animals every day. I felt like I had won the lottery! I took pictures of every one. Our maid was Juan Carlos and we always had fresh towels, coffee, everything was perfect. A/C worked great we even had to turn it down a few times. It was very quiet except for the night before we left when a Spanish woman above us was having a VERY good time. I don’t speak Spanish but I could understand those sounds and a few SI, SI, SI’s

She was so loud she actually woke us up from a dead sleep. My husband said it was so good HE had to have a cigarette

Buffets: For one thing, my husband is vegan, no that doesn’t mean from another planet (although I sometimes think so), it means--no meat, fish, or dairy of any kind so that always limits our food choices. The buffets were good for him because he could pick and choose and mix weird combinations. I thought the buffets were good, but must admit I did get sick of them towards the end of the week. I would have liked a little more variety. They had the same breads, salads, desserts every day. I suppose this is true at every buffet, I have nothing to compare it to as far as another AI. We also found the service on the Caribe side to be much better than the Beach side. We could not get a cup of coffee at breakfast on the Beach side to save our lives. One day we asked 3 times. Finally we just kept going to the coffee bar and ordering. I got to talking to a very sweet boy with a beautiful smile named Victor at dinner one night. He told me he lives at the resort and he gets 2 days off per month. He works breakfast and dinner everyday, has a 6 hr. break and gets paid $4 per day! On his days off he visits his family 5 hrs. away. We tipped him every night and a big tip before we left. I also tipped the poor people that were doing the grilling at the buffets. They worked so hard and it looked like a hot, hot miserable job. The buffets never seemed busy or crowded so that was nice. A few things that I especially liked were the french toast, one night they had chicken cordon blue which was excellent and once I discovered the freshly made doughnuts, I had some very morning.
We ate lunch every day at the Rancho Grande grill. I loved the atmosphere, the view was to die for and we always sat by the windows to catch a breeze. I could have stayed there all day watching the ocean and feeling the breeze. One day one of the managers had some of his employees lined up talking to them and he was kissing all the girls on the cheek so when I walked by I said “hey what about me?” and he came and gave me a kiss on the cheek. The girls got a real kick out of that and were all laughing.

Spanish restaurant: Not good. The atmosphere was great, service great, food not great. I had the grouper, which was very boring. The grouper at the buffet was better. It came with a few shrimp that were overcooked and rubbery. Hubby had a vegetarian thing, which was down right gross. It was cold and came in slabs. The sangria was good. We hurried and went to the buffet. It could have been our choices of entrees, but we were very disappointed.

Captain Morgan’s: Excellent. I had the beef tenderloin and it was perfect. It comes with a twice-baked potato and a few veggies. My husband had the potato and they grilled him some vegetables and he hit the salad bar. We knew ahead of time there wouldn’t be much selection for him and planned accordingly so it was fine. I had the brownie and ice cream for dessert and it was more a big piece chocolate cake and a cup of ice cream. Very good. They had luminaries lit along the stairs and on the tables so it was very pretty and romantic--until hubby accidentally kicked one over and it started on fire! We had to do a Mexican hat dance to put it out—good thing he wasn’t wearing flip-flops

Grounds: Beautiful. There are always people trimming, etc. Walking on the side paths you feel like you’re in the jungle. We saw iguanas and lots of birds, always singing in the trees. The paths are very pretty at night with the lights too. There are lots of palm trees on the beach and at the pool to provide plenty of shade. The Mayan statues are really cool too, all of this just adds to the great feel of the place. I would have never thought this was an important feature but now I think if the grounds were lacking it just wouldn’t have the same ambiance.

Nerak936 · 06-09-2004

**Clap!!** **Clap!!** **Clap!!**

More!! I want more!!!! More trip report!!!

Sounds beautiful, Cindy!!

cuffedlinks · 06-09-2004

Good stuff!

That's a bit of alright, that is....

These trip reports just keep getting better all around....

Class...these reports, as a whole, are very encouraging...

Rainman · 06-14-2004

Cindyrella:

Great trip report. I am glad to see you two made it home okay.

Sorry to hear you were starving on the way there, we always take snacks with us. It sounds like the place was wonderful and beautiful. After the hot foot incident you may want to consider carrying fire retardant shoes on your next trip.

Seeking trip report knowledge!!
Rainman & Mo.

06-09-2004	#1 (permalink)
Cindyrella toe in water Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: North Idaho Posts: 47	Cindyrella's Barcelo Maya Trip Report Part 1 Barcelo Trip Report May 23-30, 2004 First off let me say the Riviera Maya area is breathtakingly beautiful. I love the mix of history, culture, gorgeous beaches, nightlife, good food, and of course shopping. This was our first trip but we definitely go back. This was also our first experience with an AI. We usually prefer to spend our time in town. Well now that I’ve been spoiled at an AI, it’s the only way to go baby! You can still get a feel for the town and the local people by going into Playa a few days or nights. Weather was perfect, hot and sunny not one drop of rain. The last two days were a little more humid, good excuse for more water time! Flight: Normally I wouldn’t bore you with the flight details but what a flight! It was Frontier airlines first flight from our city. Our flight left at 6:50 am. Started boarding 6:15, they had a big cake there to celebrate but I thought “who can eat that much sugar this early in the morning?” grabbed a bottle of water and we’re off. Okay, this flight lasted from 6:50-9:55 with no breakfast! Not even so much as a peanut! They did offer free alcoholic drinks –at 7:00 am?? Got to Denver found our next flight and we’re off. Okay by this time it’s around 11:00 and I’m getting hungry—we left our house at 4:00 am. We took off from Denver and it was the worst ride of my life! I got to know the person next to me very well—it was up and down, side-to-side, bumpy, bumpy and more bumpy. This lasted about 30-40 minutes. The first time in my life I ever needed a barf bag and there were none in the entire row By this time I realize that God must be punishing me for the evil thoughts I had when that fat lady ate 3 pieces of that cake at 6:00 am Now I wish I would have taken her lead! I literally had to sit with my head between my knees for the first hour. My husband asked the flight attendant for some peanuts or pretzels and she said they didn’t have anything but that ice might help my stomach. Now the last time I checked, ice was FROZEN WATER and when has that ever cured a stomach ache He kept asking until she came up with—chips! Duh! Some time after I ate the chips they brought the “snack”. Mind you this was a 4 hr. flight and we only get a snack? It was a turkey wrap, sounded good. Okay am I weird or has anyone ever heard of a turkey wrap with BBQ sauce? Ranch, Caesar, even cream cheese, but BBQ sauce? Yuck! I ate it just to settle my stomach. Thankfully the rest of the flight was uneventful. Okay, now for the good stuff: Barcelo Rooms: I had requested building 1 or 2 and a king bed. We got building 1-Tulum, room 1228. This was perfect for us because the pool and beach were steps away. It was a bit far from the lobby, buffet and theater but we enjoyed walking and this was the only exercise we got! Our room faced the courtyard so it was a nice view off the patio. I thought the rooms were well appointed and nicely decorated. I don’t know that I would pay for a Jr. Suite because there is plenty of room in a standard. We tipped the maid $2/day and got towel animals every day. I felt like I had won the lottery! I took pictures of every one. Our maid was Juan Carlos and we always had fresh towels, coffee, everything was perfect. A/C worked great we even had to turn it down a few times. It was very quiet except for the night before we left when a Spanish woman above us was having a VERY good time. I don’t speak Spanish but I could understand those sounds and a few SI, SI, SI’s She was so loud she actually woke us up from a dead sleep. My husband said it was so good HE had to have a cigarette Buffets: For one thing, my husband is vegan, no that doesn’t mean from another planet (although I sometimes think so), it means--no meat, fish, or dairy of any kind so that always limits our food choices. The buffets were good for him because he could pick and choose and mix weird combinations. I thought the buffets were good, but must admit I did get sick of them towards the end of the week. I would have liked a little more variety. They had the same breads, salads, desserts every day. I suppose this is true at every buffet, I have nothing to compare it to as far as another AI. We also found the service on the Caribe side to be much better than the Beach side. We could not get a cup of coffee at breakfast on the Beach side to save our lives. One day we asked 3 times. Finally we just kept going to the coffee bar and ordering. I got to talking to a very sweet boy with a beautiful smile named Victor at dinner one night. He told me he lives at the resort and he gets 2 days off per month. He works breakfast and dinner everyday, has a 6 hr. break and gets paid $4 per day! On his days off he visits his family 5 hrs. away. We tipped him every night and a big tip before we left. I also tipped the poor people that were doing the grilling at the buffets. They worked so hard and it looked like a hot, hot miserable job. The buffets never seemed busy or crowded so that was nice. A few things that I especially liked were the french toast, one night they had chicken cordon blue which was excellent and once I discovered the freshly made doughnuts, I had some very morning. We ate lunch every day at the Rancho Grande grill. I loved the atmosphere, the view was to die for and we always sat by the windows to catch a breeze. I could have stayed there all day watching the ocean and feeling the breeze. One day one of the managers had some of his employees lined up talking to them and he was kissing all the girls on the cheek so when I walked by I said “hey what about me?” and he came and gave me a kiss on the cheek. The girls got a real kick out of that and were all laughing. Spanish restaurant: Not good. The atmosphere was great, service great, food not great. I had the grouper, which was very boring. The grouper at the buffet was better. It came with a few shrimp that were overcooked and rubbery. Hubby had a vegetarian thing, which was down right gross. It was cold and came in slabs. The sangria was good. We hurried and went to the buffet. It could have been our choices of entrees, but we were very disappointed. Captain Morgan’s: Excellent. I had the beef tenderloin and it was perfect. It comes with a twice-baked potato and a few veggies. My husband had the potato and they grilled him some vegetables and he hit the salad bar. We knew ahead of time there wouldn’t be much selection for him and planned accordingly so it was fine. I had the brownie and ice cream for dessert and it was more a big piece chocolate cake and a cup of ice cream. Very good. They had luminaries lit along the stairs and on the tables so it was very pretty and romantic--until hubby accidentally kicked one over and it started on fire! We had to do a Mexican hat dance to put it out—good thing he wasn’t wearing flip-flops Grounds: Beautiful. There are always people trimming, etc. Walking on the side paths you feel like you’re in the jungle. We saw iguanas and lots of birds, always singing in the trees. The paths are very pretty at night with the lights too. There are lots of palm trees on the beach and at the pool to provide plenty of shade. The Mayan statues are really cool too, all of this just adds to the great feel of the place. I would have never thought this was an important feature but now I think if the grounds were lacking it just wouldn’t have the same ambiance.

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06-09-2004	#2 (permalink)
Nerak936 Cat-Lovin Nerak Bead Lady Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 18,638	Clap!! Clap!! Clap!! More!! I want more!!!! More trip report!!! Sounds beautiful, Cindy!!

06-09-2004	#3 (permalink)
cuffedlinks añejo Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The City of Presidents Posts: 16,003	Good stuff! That's a bit of alright, that is.... These trip reports just keep getting better all around.... Class...these reports, as a whole, are very encouraging...

06-14-2004	#4 (permalink)
Rainman life=playa Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Cincinnati;OH Posts: 538	Cindyrella: Great trip report. I am glad to see you two made it home okay. Sorry to hear you were starving on the way there, we always take snacks with us. It sounds like the place was wonderful and beautiful. After the hot foot incident you may want to consider carrying fire retardant shoes on your next trip. Seeking trip report knowledge!! Rainman & Mo.

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