Day 8 - Homeward Bound

All things come to an end and after packing up our gear we did the usual brunch then placed our bags with the hotel staff. We still had full access to all the amenities and enjoyed numerous cool drinks as we counted down to our departure time.

We went for a full walk around to see the size of the resort and enjoyed the remaining hours.

A quick change of clothes before the van to the airport, easy check in and through customs. Duty free was also on the agenda and then it was a stop at Fridays for a snack and one last margarita!

Flight was 6:20 home with a different Enerjet B737. Very little leg room on this one so hope I never fly as a passenger in that one again. Brutal! It was the only real negative of the trip.

We would recommend this resort to anyone looking for a easy comfortable place to stay with a huge beach and lots of room to spread out! 

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Until next time

Dave & Kelly

Day 7

Our last full day on the beach as we tried several different sunning spots throughout the day. We managed to finally get snorkeling and really enjoyed the schools of bright tropical fish near the point.  It was very relaxing floating around.

Dinner was at the Santa Fe Steak House and then it was off to shop for a few last minute souvenirs for some folks back home.

Day 6

Today we slept in and enjoyed fresh room coffee :-0 (that's code for dishwater coffee, I had the Via's packed but took them out at the last minute, they are back in the travel bag now!)  then it was off to the Palmeras Grill for our morning brunch. This routine has become a bit of a tradition now :-) Not to mention they make an awesome Kahlua cappuccino!

We enjoyed the beach for a while then headed off to prepare for our adventure to Rio Secreto. This is a continuation of the cave system that stretched across the peninsula. We caught our van and after a quick stop down the road at another resort we were soon in the parking lot. After an orientation video we reloaded into vans for the twenty minute drive along some winding rough roads to the actual site of the Secret River. We got set up with our gear & helmets and after showering up, we headed to the cave entrance. Kelly does not normally do caves as she has some deep rooted claustrophobia issues. We slowly entered and she did great. Once into the water she calmed nicely and was a trooper throughout the experience. It was very unique and I highly recommend this excursion.  

We worked our way through one of the five different routes that make up the cave system here.  Lara our guide gave us a running commentary on the cave and the geological makeup of the area. It was interesting to see how the stalactites & stalagmites are formed. We stopped for numerous photos and then emerged unscathed from our journey. Another lunch was provided and we picked out one picture from the batch as a keep sake. The cost of the total "photo package" was $89 US (we said no) and was the only real detractor from the experience.

We returned to our hotel and prepped for our dinner at Marenostrum the sea food restaurant within the resort. It was quite good, then a little walk through the resort before an early night.  


 

Day 5

Up early for our first excursion to Cenote Maya and then the Mayan ruins at Ek Balam. The van picked us up right at the hotel then it was off on a two hour drive to the middle of the Yucatan Peninsula here

When we arrived we were treated to a blessing from a Shaman before going underground. In the Mayan culture the underworld is where the dead go so this is to protect you on your journey below the surface.  The Cenote Maya is a huge 80 meter wide cavern with a huge freshwater pool. There is access to it via stairs but an even more interesting way in is to rappel from the opening above. It was fantastic and just a lot of fun to swim around within the cave enjoying the sunlight beaming through the openings. We could have stayed all day!

No unofficial pictures allowed so this is off the internet.

Kelly and I on our way down.

More info at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenote

We enjoyed a local buffet lunch and then loaded up the van and toured the local area. Our guide Carlos Espinosa was excellent and gave us lots of insight into the local people and their housing & living conditions. It is definitely not a touristy area and this was more raw that most people get to see.

Next up was the Mayan Ruins at Ek Balam. This is a relatively new discovery that was only opened up in the late 1980's and is in very good condition. You have full access to the site and can climb it's steps and snoop around inside the buildings. 

More details at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ek'_Balam

We climbed up and enjoyed the unlimited view.

We headed back to the resort but due to the unknown return time, we did not book a dinner and instead had the buffet.  A walk around the pool & beach area before retiring for the evening.

Day 4

Tuesday was another beach day.. see a trend here :-)... with drinks by the pool and swimming in the ocean. We read books and enjoyed the laid back atmosphere

Dinner was in the Italian Restaurant in the Maya Mall and it was very good. More walking about with Kelly looking through the many shops and stalls that made up the retail section of the resort(s).

We stopped and watched a bit of the entertainment that was going on in the main stage area... song & dance etc. 

Day 3

Another lazy day with a stop at the Mariachi Buffet before heading to the beach. We had rain showers today so that limited our sun worshiping somewhat. It eventually cleared up and we lazed away the day. We also took another walk through the Maya Mall and it's shops.
 Dinner was at the Japanese Restaurant called Kyoto.

Day 2

We woke up to the sound of various birds and headed out to see the resort in the daylight. . We walked around and got the lay of the land. We found the Dolphin show in full swing and enjoyed the performance. They did a show and then had one on one "meetings" with people who got into the water with them.

We came back to meet the Air Transat Representatives to get info on available excursions as well as the do's & don'ts and the trip home. (Dep time etc.) We picked a couple of excursions that sounded interesting and then headed for brunch at the Mariachi Grill (each resort had it's own pool bar/buffet but you could eat/drink at any one (except the Maya Palace)) and then out to the beach for some vitamin D!! We quickly found the huge beach and some chairs to set up our base camp for the day.
A lazy day with reading and people watching under the mixed skies. As it was Valentine's day we decided to splurge and go for a Caribbean dinner at the Palace, we sat outside among the wildlife and enjoyed spectacular views and a great dinner.

Dolphin show!

A local :-)

Day 1 - Off we go!

We packed up one suitcase and a couple carry on bags and headed to the airport. We had been told to check in 3 hours prior to get our seats and check bags but we are a bit more in the loop with travel :-) We checked in on-line through the Air Transat web site and had 2 E & F already assigned. Jazz just happens to do the ground handling :-)

Dropped the bag and had a bite in White Spot then through the Nexus line with one hour to departure... early in fact:-)

The Enerjet B737 departed only a few minutes late but it was  a quick 5 hour flight down with tailwinds. Good leg room and the service was fine.

On arrival in Cancun we deplaned quickly as we were right at the front of the plane. Picked up our bag and proceeded through Customs & Immigration along with the throng of arrivals. Outside we found our first Air Transat rep who quickly pointed us in the direction of our ground transportation to the resort. Unfortunately our flight was an hour early and the Montreal Air Transat flight also arrived with it's groups seeking out the ground transport as well. This created some confusion as the transport company had limited space to get vans/buses in to pick everyone up. We got some conflicting info on bus location but after a trip across the parking area and back we returned to the original departure point and where advised to wait.

This all  eventually got sorted out but there was a few frayed nerves as excitement built for everyone.  We finally loaded up and away we went. Although dark, we traveled about 50 minutes to our resort which is located about 10 minutes south west of Playa Del Carmen.

The lobby was incredible and it was very welcoming to us. We checked in with a glass of champagne and with only 15 minutes left before the buffet closed we left our bags with the concierge and high tailed it to the Tropical Buffet.

After dinner we walked around the facility and got a bit more familiar with the huge resort. It is actually 5 resorts in one.... The Maya Colonial is just one section with the Maya Palace, Maya Tropical Beach, Maya Caribe and the Maya Beach properties all sharing the huge space.

The huge Maya Mall featured a sports bar with ten pin bowling, shopping, restaurants and a Casino $$.  We had a drink and then decided to call it a night. 

Planning

Kelly and I do these blogs for a couple reasons...  firstly we enjoy sharing our travels with family and friends and second, we also like to have a history of our travels that we can look back on whenever we want to.

Our winter getaway this year was a quick one week trip to the Mayan Riviera. We had hoped to go with fellow members of Kelly's pipe band (several have been down previously) but it just didn't work out as planned.

We have never been to this part of Mexico before but wanted to try it. With the time off booked and several resort options available, we watched for the best prices after picking a few resorts to "monitor". (There are a lot to choose from in the area!) With just over a week till departure we pulled the trigger and booked a last minute (for us!) Red Tag special to the Barcelo Maya Colonial Resort. This resort had been recommended by fellow band members. It was through Air Transat with Enerjet supplying the lift direct out of YYJ (Victoria, BC) to CUN (Cancun, MX).