• traveled 12 years ago
We arrived at the Occidental Grand Xcaret 5 * after completing a four-day excursion tour "Maya North Yucatan". Tired in the evening, we unloaded from the bus, at the entrance we were met by a pleasant girl with a welcome drink, for some reason this drink was presented in cloudy cracked glasses, which we were very surprised, expecting fabulous service in Mexico hotels according to friends and reviews on the Internet.
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We arrived at the Occidental Grand Xcaret 5 * after completing a four-day excursion tour "Maya North Yucatan". Tired in the evening, we unloaded from the bus, at the entrance we were met by a pleasant girl with a welcome drink, for some reason this drink was presented in cloudy cracked glasses, which we were very surprised, expecting fabulous service in Mexico hotels according to friends and reviews on the Internet. We refused the drink and proceeded to the reception. We were handed the keys to the room after a short wait, but that's where it all started... A welcome drink in a cloudy glass, which turned out to be just reusable plastic, is a trifle in this five-star hotel. So, we were handed the keys and a map, they circled the building in which our room is located on it with a pen and wished good night. We wandered for a long time before finding our building, despite the late evening and the large, confusing hotel area, no one considered it necessary to take us to the room. We opened the door and the first thing we felt was a deadly smell of chlorine and dampness. Chlorine in this hotel is used everywhere, they just spray the surfaces (floor, table, plumbing), and then just wipe it once with a damp cloth. In Russia, even public toilets do not smell like in the room of this five-star hotel, apparently they cannot afford a more expensive cleaning and disinfection product. The smell of rot and dampness only added to the impression of what he saw: the walls in the toilet room with smudges of unknown origin and tulle with fingerprints, reusable plastic cups with burn marks on the bottom from extinguished cigarettes. The audibility in the room is “amazing”, at first our neighbors were young American women, through the interior door we, not involuntarily, heard everything, and how good they were, and how bad, after drinking incredible amounts of cocktails. By the way, Americans come to Mexico on their short vacation lasting 7 days, and in these days, they have to take a whole year off. This is where they come off. Then a man was placed in our neighbors. We found out that we had a new neighbor on the very first night, I woke up from heavy snoring, turned to my husband to turn him over, but it turned out that it was not he who was snoring, but someone else and very close by. Horror! The number of rooms is worn out, apparently there was no repair for a long time, both in the rooms and in the main building. There is no free internet in the hotel even in the lobby, 26 USD per day, 11 USD per hour.
The food, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired. Everything sizzles, hisses and fries. For vegans in this hotel expanse! Fried carrots with onions, fried carrots with cabbage, fried potatoes in slices, slices, etc. , but with meat, poultry, fish, and even more so seafood, it’s tense. From fruits - watermelon, melon, bananas, apples, grapefruit, there were no exotic fruits at all. Complete lack of menu diets. In the main restaurant, we practically only had breakfast, for breakfast we were spoiled with a good omelet with various fillings and scrambled eggs. We ate at a la carte restaurants. We really liked the Mexican, fish, grill restaurants, but not the Italian one, we didn’t go to the Japanese-Chinese restaurant, having heard reviews about it from other vacationers.
The hotel has its own beach, but very, very small, sunbeds are located on several levels, but this is not enough, in order to take a sunbed you had to go out at 7 in the morning. The lagoon in which swimming is allowed is very small, almost like a swimming pool, and shallow. Having sailed 15 meters from the shore, under your feet there are waves made of stone, on which you can stand and the water will be up to your waist. Lazy fish, similar to herring, swim in the lagoon. My husband swam across the lagoon with a mask and fins, there are more fish there, but they don’t allow swimming there for a long time, the lifeguard kicks him out of the water with a whistle, scaring him with a barracuda, by the way, they really were there. Tipping is necessary, it is "necessary" to give everywhere. Bartenders, waiters, even the one who talks scrambled eggs for breakfast. Because if you don't, you'll get your drink, but much later. Separately, I want to note the SPA zone, by the way, it is paid here (a visit to the bathhouse and sauna costs 5 USD 25 minutes), to our complaint that it was cold in the sauna, the temperature there was 45 degrees, the administrator quite seriously stated that it was hot, after which she received an invitation to Russia with an excursion to our bathhouse and Finnish sauna.
I still want to add a spoonful of honey to a barrel of tar. The territory is large, well-groomed and green. An abundance of different living creatures, parrots, flamingos, deer, monkeys, raccoons, iguanas, who are absolutely not afraid of people and beg for tasty treats.
Animation at height: yoga, water aerobics. We saw that the miniclub is actively working, incendiary music all day, evening performances and a night disco.
Summary: the level of the Occidental Grand Xcaret 3 + *, the declared 5 * does not correspond to reality.
The food, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired. Everything sizzles, hisses and fries. For vegans in this hotel expanse! Fried carrots with onions, fried carrots with cabbage, fried potatoes in slices, slices, etc. , but with meat, poultry, fish, and even more so seafood, it’s tense. From fruits - watermelon, melon, bananas, apples, grapefruit, there were no exotic fruits at all. Complete lack of menu diets. In the main restaurant, we practically only had breakfast, for breakfast we were spoiled with a good omelet with various fillings and scrambled eggs. We ate at a la carte restaurants. We really liked the Mexican, fish, grill restaurants, but not the Italian one, we didn’t go to the Japanese-Chinese restaurant, having heard reviews about it from other vacationers.
The hotel has its own beach, but very, very small, sunbeds are located on several levels, but this is not enough, in order to take a sunbed you had to go out at 7 in the morning. The lagoon in which swimming is allowed is very small, almost like a swimming pool, and shallow. Having sailed 15 meters from the shore, under your feet there are waves made of stone, on which you can stand and the water will be up to your waist. Lazy fish, similar to herring, swim in the lagoon. My husband swam across the lagoon with a mask and fins, there are more fish there, but they don’t allow swimming there for a long time, the lifeguard kicks him out of the water with a whistle, scaring him with a barracuda, by the way, they really were there. Tipping is necessary, it is "necessary" to give everywhere. Bartenders, waiters, even the one who talks scrambled eggs for breakfast. Because if you don't, you'll get your drink, but much later. Separately, I want to note the SPA zone, by the way, it is paid here (a visit to the bathhouse and sauna costs 5 USD 25 minutes), to our complaint that it was cold in the sauna, the temperature there was 45 degrees, the administrator quite seriously stated that it was hot, after which she received an invitation to Russia with an excursion to our bathhouse and Finnish sauna.
I still want to add a spoonful of honey to a barrel of tar. The territory is large, well-groomed and green. An abundance of different living creatures, parrots, flamingos, deer, monkeys, raccoons, iguanas, who are absolutely not afraid of people and beg for tasty treats.
Animation at height: yoga, water aerobics. We saw that the miniclub is actively working, incendiary music all day, evening performances and a night disco.
Summary: the level of the Occidental Grand Xcaret 3 + *, the declared 5 * does not correspond to reality.
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Just returned from Mexico, I want to share my impressions, suddenly it will come in handy for someone... So. March, 1st to 10th. Weather - about 26-29 in the afternoon, in the morning and in the evening 23-25. Yes, and at this time of year it gets dark as early as 6.30pm! so life starts early in the morning.
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Just returned from Mexico, I want to share my impressions, suddenly it will come in handy for someone... So. March, 1st to 10th. Weather - about 26-29 in the afternoon, in the morning and in the evening 23-25. Yes, and at this time of year it gets dark as early as 6.30pm! so life starts early in the morning. . .
The hotel is excellent, although not without minuses (the minus is a tiny beach, but it is also a plus)
And now in order. We were flying from New York, so it didn't take long to get there - only a 3 hour flight, and OP-LA, we're in Mexico! I’ll make a reservation right away that we refused the transfer in advance and ordered a small car for rent, which was already waiting for us at the airport! paid only $220 for 8 days of renting a car (including insurance) and in the end we were very satisfied, because the roads turned out to be beyond praise, even free tracks, absolutely safe (around, literally on every corner, the police) and we were not tied to to any tourist schedules and expectations, at any second they could go wherever they wanted! very comfortably! There is a lot of space for car parking on the territory of the Hotel, no extras. You don’t need to pay for this, but in cities and towns, as well as all kinds of sightseeing places, such as Chichen Itza, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Coba - everywhere there is either free parking, or paid, but very inexpensive, from 2 to 5 Amer . dollars per day.
Hotel. Number. We lived in building 16, the windows did NOT overlook the pool, and the room was VERY, just VERY quiet, only the cries of birds were heard, and that's all. I couldn't hear my neighbors or people from the streets. We, in principle, are unpretentious people, our room was simple, but quite large for two - two large beds, a huge bathroom-toilet-shower, and VERY clean. cleaned every day, bedding and towels changed every day, a pack of fresh coffee was put every day (portion for two, a coffee maker, although weak, in the room), water was also added to the refrigerator all the time, a mini-bar is included in the price and you pay for it separately at the end, don't). . . I dragged shampoo, shower gel, paper napkins with me.... but, as it turned out, in vain - what was in the room was quite acceptable in quality. Insects were observed only at night on the street, BUT few (mosquitoes), for all the time without any means of protection, not a single bite. The only thing that was slightly unpleasant was that the room did not have a mosquito net on the balcony door, and I really wanted to open the door in the evening... after all, evenings and mornings in March are wonderful, not hot....but oh well. Yes, I forgot to say, they left the dollar on the bed, not even because they wanted everything to be better removed (somehow they forgot to leave it, but everything was changed and removed without it), but simply because it’s a pity for the Meks - they live very poorly, very, very....but they try, take care of the entire territory beyond praise.
Nutrition. If you are not exclusively attached to some super dishes and delicacies, then the food is very good in the Buffet. I will say more, we had enough of all the diversity that we safely missed our legal 4 trips to restaurants on the territory. fruit was (a lot) every day and bananas, pineapples, papaya tasted very different from what they sell in New York. All kinds of dishes from vegetables, beans... fish, meat - quite tasty and varied (shrimps, mussels, and other seafood - not super tasty, but nothing like that)....Next - coffee in the morning in Thermoses on the table in the buffet - DAMNING, BUT!! ! there is a huge coffee machine in the corner, and take as much coffee as you like from it (tasty, strong). Yes, the cocktails are mediocre, and I'm tired of ice in juices (no matter how you ask, they put it anyway) . . but this is not a big problem either.
The hotel itself is beautiful, quiet, comfortable and VERY CLEAN. wash everything and all the time. There are a lot of people, but somehow it does not interfere and does not irritate, perhaps because the hotel has a huge territory. I must say right away (I was surprised) - there are very, very many Russians. I got the impression that a third of Russians, a third of Americans (that's really noisy people), well, and a third of all the rest... Endless iguanas on the paths (just be careful not to step on or stumble). terribly noisy black birds, I don’t know their names, but they were constantly clamoring and noisy and indignant and were always present everywhere. pelicans, some herons and frigates flew to the beach to hunt, as the beach is a small natural lagoon, and there are MANY fish and fish in the water. BTW, the beach is both a plus of this hotel and a minus. For my husband there was a minus - the beach is TOO, just very small. But for me it was good due to the fact that there were almost no waves on it, although I am an excellent swimmer, I don’t like to swim in the waves. and on the open beaches the waves were decent. But, again, we had a car at hand, and we went to Akumal beach (15 minutes from the hotel by car) - that's where the expanse is! parking there is free, the beach is also public - i. e. free, and lots and lots of space. Snorkeling is excellent - you don’t even have to pay a guide to take you from the shore on a boat - it’s so shallow everywhere that it’s not a problem to sail yourself and look at the endless corrals, colorful fish, and, of course, turtles !! ! beauties are huge, sailing to this shore to lay eggs. Yes, it is best to watch the turtles early in the morning, while there are few people. Indescribably beautiful!
Next, a few words about the Eshkaret park, where the hotel is located. WE really regretted that we went there (advertising of the park made itself felt). we didn’t see anything new and interesting for ourselves after the nature of our hotel in the park itself. The only impression is the show, really colorful....Well, the descent along the underground river is also nothing. Everything else is NOT WORTH it to pay $78 per person to visit the park (by the way, we were given a $30 discount for agreeing to take a tour of the hotel and hear about the Royal Club program. We didn’t need it at all, but $30 a discount on the park - this is essential for us, and all the employees took turns getting it - let's go, we'll show (they have the right to show only once, they don't bother anymore) And the park... everything that is in the park - iguanas, nature , parrots, you can also see in our hotel. well, butterflies, dolphins and flamingos are nothing exotic, they have seen before, so is there any point in paying money? it’s better then to spend it on something else. Well, this is ONLY OUR OPINION with my husband probably to each his own.
Well, sort of, and everything about the hotel and its surroundings. Ask anyone who is interested. We were satisfied. Even more. And I want more and more. . .
The hotel is excellent, although not without minuses (the minus is a tiny beach, but it is also a plus)
And now in order. We were flying from New York, so it didn't take long to get there - only a 3 hour flight, and OP-LA, we're in Mexico! I’ll make a reservation right away that we refused the transfer in advance and ordered a small car for rent, which was already waiting for us at the airport! paid only $220 for 8 days of renting a car (including insurance) and in the end we were very satisfied, because the roads turned out to be beyond praise, even free tracks, absolutely safe (around, literally on every corner, the police) and we were not tied to to any tourist schedules and expectations, at any second they could go wherever they wanted! very comfortably! There is a lot of space for car parking on the territory of the Hotel, no extras. You don’t need to pay for this, but in cities and towns, as well as all kinds of sightseeing places, such as Chichen Itza, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Coba - everywhere there is either free parking, or paid, but very inexpensive, from 2 to 5 Amer . dollars per day.
Hotel. Number. We lived in building 16, the windows did NOT overlook the pool, and the room was VERY, just VERY quiet, only the cries of birds were heard, and that's all. I couldn't hear my neighbors or people from the streets. We, in principle, are unpretentious people, our room was simple, but quite large for two - two large beds, a huge bathroom-toilet-shower, and VERY clean. cleaned every day, bedding and towels changed every day, a pack of fresh coffee was put every day (portion for two, a coffee maker, although weak, in the room), water was also added to the refrigerator all the time, a mini-bar is included in the price and you pay for it separately at the end, don't). . . I dragged shampoo, shower gel, paper napkins with me.... but, as it turned out, in vain - what was in the room was quite acceptable in quality. Insects were observed only at night on the street, BUT few (mosquitoes), for all the time without any means of protection, not a single bite. The only thing that was slightly unpleasant was that the room did not have a mosquito net on the balcony door, and I really wanted to open the door in the evening... after all, evenings and mornings in March are wonderful, not hot....but oh well. Yes, I forgot to say, they left the dollar on the bed, not even because they wanted everything to be better removed (somehow they forgot to leave it, but everything was changed and removed without it), but simply because it’s a pity for the Meks - they live very poorly, very, very....but they try, take care of the entire territory beyond praise.
Nutrition. If you are not exclusively attached to some super dishes and delicacies, then the food is very good in the Buffet. I will say more, we had enough of all the diversity that we safely missed our legal 4 trips to restaurants on the territory. fruit was (a lot) every day and bananas, pineapples, papaya tasted very different from what they sell in New York. All kinds of dishes from vegetables, beans... fish, meat - quite tasty and varied (shrimps, mussels, and other seafood - not super tasty, but nothing like that)....Next - coffee in the morning in Thermoses on the table in the buffet - DAMNING, BUT!! ! there is a huge coffee machine in the corner, and take as much coffee as you like from it (tasty, strong). Yes, the cocktails are mediocre, and I'm tired of ice in juices (no matter how you ask, they put it anyway) . . but this is not a big problem either.
The hotel itself is beautiful, quiet, comfortable and VERY CLEAN. wash everything and all the time. There are a lot of people, but somehow it does not interfere and does not irritate, perhaps because the hotel has a huge territory. I must say right away (I was surprised) - there are very, very many Russians. I got the impression that a third of Russians, a third of Americans (that's really noisy people), well, and a third of all the rest... Endless iguanas on the paths (just be careful not to step on or stumble). terribly noisy black birds, I don’t know their names, but they were constantly clamoring and noisy and indignant and were always present everywhere. pelicans, some herons and frigates flew to the beach to hunt, as the beach is a small natural lagoon, and there are MANY fish and fish in the water. BTW, the beach is both a plus of this hotel and a minus. For my husband there was a minus - the beach is TOO, just very small. But for me it was good due to the fact that there were almost no waves on it, although I am an excellent swimmer, I don’t like to swim in the waves. and on the open beaches the waves were decent. But, again, we had a car at hand, and we went to Akumal beach (15 minutes from the hotel by car) - that's where the expanse is! parking there is free, the beach is also public - i. e. free, and lots and lots of space. Snorkeling is excellent - you don’t even have to pay a guide to take you from the shore on a boat - it’s so shallow everywhere that it’s not a problem to sail yourself and look at the endless corrals, colorful fish, and, of course, turtles !! ! beauties are huge, sailing to this shore to lay eggs. Yes, it is best to watch the turtles early in the morning, while there are few people. Indescribably beautiful!
Next, a few words about the Eshkaret park, where the hotel is located. WE really regretted that we went there (advertising of the park made itself felt). we didn’t see anything new and interesting for ourselves after the nature of our hotel in the park itself. The only impression is the show, really colorful....Well, the descent along the underground river is also nothing. Everything else is NOT WORTH it to pay $78 per person to visit the park (by the way, we were given a $30 discount for agreeing to take a tour of the hotel and hear about the Royal Club program. We didn’t need it at all, but $30 a discount on the park - this is essential for us, and all the employees took turns getting it - let's go, we'll show (they have the right to show only once, they don't bother anymore) And the park... everything that is in the park - iguanas, nature , parrots, you can also see in our hotel. well, butterflies, dolphins and flamingos are nothing exotic, they have seen before, so is there any point in paying money? it’s better then to spend it on something else. Well, this is ONLY OUR OPINION with my husband probably to each his own.
Well, sort of, and everything about the hotel and its surroundings. Ask anyone who is interested. We were satisfied. Even more. And I want more and more. . .
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The hotel is insanely beautiful, immersed in greenery, the service is excellent, there is nothing to complain about. Compared to Egypt or Turkey 6 *. And the country itself is very colorful and unforgettable! Cons - a small beach (not a problem for me) and unreasonably expensive excursions (due to the lack of competition, Russian speakers are rare).
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The hotel is insanely beautiful, immersed in greenery, the service is excellent, there is nothing to complain about. Compared to Egypt or Turkey 6 *. And the country itself is very colorful and unforgettable! Cons - a small beach (not a problem for me) and unreasonably expensive excursions (due to the lack of competition, Russian speakers are rare). The rooms are wonderful, but in the club sector, the usual ones are modest.
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I vacationed in Mexico from June 10.2010 to June 24.2010. The review is long, but true and contains useful information for Russians who are going to relax at the Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret or any other hotel in Mexico. Flight. The Transaero flight took 12 hours and 50 minutes; they flew to Mexico without delay.
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I vacationed in Mexico from June 10.2010 to June 24.2010. The review is long, but true and contains useful information for Russians who are going to relax at the Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret or any other hotel in Mexico.
Flight.
The Transaero flight took 12 hours and 50 minutes; they flew to Mexico without delay. I purchased a premium class ticket. True, it turned out that premium and economy class seats were absolutely no different, so I think that you should not overpay for premium, while you can buy economy and fly in the same seats. I flew on a special offer and a premium class ticket cost me approximately the same price as an economy class ticket, it was not so insulting when I flew in a “premium class” seat. During the flight, they were fed 2 times, they served drinks a couple of times, the rest of the time, if you want to drink, you had to approach the flight attendants, since they rarely appeared in the cabin during the flight. During the entire flight, the tooth did not fall on the tooth, it was very cold in the cabin, they asked the flight attendants for blankets. We arrived at the Cancun airport, almost simultaneously with our plane, and several more landed, so there was no place for an apple to fall at passport control. All this happened very slowly, and meanwhile people kept coming and coming.
Transfer from Cancun Airport to Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret took an hour. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were quickly placed in the rooms, which is very surprising, since the guide told us that the Mexicans are very slow and should not be demanded of them speed and hurry, it annoys them and they can even “turn around and leave”.
Vacationers.
For those who do not like to relax in those places where compatriots rest, I hasten to inform you that Mexico is not the right place, especially after they launched a direct flight from Moscow to Cancun. If you think that there will be few Russians in the hotel, then you are mistaken. As soon as they bring you in, you will be stewed in your own juice for 2 weeks by the whole Russian company. Moreover, far from the best representatives of the Russian nation come, who are in a hurry to make friends as soon as possible and then appear in restaurants, on the beach, in bars and at show programs organized by animation with all this drunken noisy crowd. There are a lot of Americans in the hotel, which is not surprising, for them Mexico, as for us the all-Union health resort of Turkey, then Canadians, they also have a short flight, and Spaniards, since occidental is a Spanish hotel chain. Mostly middle-class foreigners, many couples with or without children.
Territory.
I lived in the 22nd building, part of the Russians in 18.21 and 22. The hotel area is large, well-groomed, all planted with tropical plants and beautiful, there is one thing: the buildings in which the vacationers lived were so unsuccessfully located around the territory that for now you will reach from the 22nd building you get lost before the lobby, in this case, at the reception, along with the keys and cards for towels, they issued a hotel card. On the territory there were pens with flamingos, deer, a cage with monkeys, in addition to this, there were animals similar to capybaras (or maybe they were themselves) and quiet animals (animals with a body like a monkey, a long tail and a rat muzzle). A huge number of insects that began to chirp, buzz in the evening from 8-9 o'clock and calmed down by morning. All the tourists walked with bitten legs, midges, incomprehensible to us, bit mercilessly, and the bite was terribly itchy and passed within a few days. By evening, all living creatures became more active, especially cockroaches, they were not afraid to crawl along the walls, stairs and railings in the lobby and in the bars on the street. A "shuttle" was walking around the hotel, as it was called, but we called it a "fucking minibus" or "autoline", and it was one for the whole hotel. The waiting period could stretch from 10 to 20 minutes. Due to the fact that the “shuttle” was in a single copy for the entire hotel, it went along an intricate route so that you could get into all parts of the territory and separate all the vacationers. It even got to the point that you are going to go to the beach on the sea from your 22nd house, you wait for a “minibus” for about 15 minutes, it goes to the lobby, turns around, goes back to the 22nd and further to the beach, that is, all the way along with waiting and the trip could be 30 min.
Restaurants, bars, food.
On the website of travel companies you will find information that the hotel has 10 bars and 11 restaurants. There are restaurants, but only 2 of them could be freely visited, the rest were a la carte restaurants and worked only on certain days and it was necessary to reserve them. The Le Buffet restaurant worked daily, there was a buffet and usually all vacationers came there for breakfast and dinner, it was closed for lunch. Breakfast from 7 am to 11 am, dinner from 6 am to 10 pm. Due to the fact that the time for breakfast and dinner was extended, it was always possible to find a place. The food is monotonous, day after day for breakfast, lunch and dinner they gave the same thing! For the second week of stay, this "range" was pretty tired. You can have lunch at a restaurant on the beach. He worked from 12 to 16. There is also the so-called Snack bar, where you could have a bite of food, the one served at McDonald's, that is, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, potatoes, etc. As for 10 bars, we didn’t find them, that is, only two bars worked hard: the Snack bar and the beach bar. They prepared cocktails terribly, not only did they pour a lot of ice into a glass (almost the entire glass), but also when preparing cocktails, a lot of pieces of ice were also poured into the mixer, as a result, cooked, it was difficult to call an alcoholic cocktail, it was even difficult to drink from - for ice. It often happened like this: when some alcoholic drinks ran out, they didn’t even think to replenish them! The same Irish cream could appear three days after it ended. The lobby bar is open from 17 to 23. Seafood is a problem, except for shrimp, mussels and shells, which were cooked infrequently anyway, you will not find other seafood anymore.
Service.
Dear vacationers, I want to warn you that if you come to Mexico in an all-inclusive hotel, do not think that you will not have to spend your money. Namely, the Americans and Canadians spoiled the Mexicans terribly by constantly tipping them for being served in a restaurant or bar. Of course, as for food, there is a buffet, eat as much as you want and take what you want, but there is a problem with drinks. If you want waiters to come up to you and bring drinks in a restaurant, and not have to call them or look for these drinks yourself, then leave a tip! It sounds strange, in a hotel where everything is included and everything is paid for, you still have to pay extra for bartenders and waiters for what is already part of their duties. We left tips at the bar several times, but then stopped, if you leave a tip all the time in restaurants and bars, you can spend a considerable amount. If you do not leave a tip, then you will be looked at as an enemy of the people or ignored. As for cleaning the room, I want to inform you that if you want towels to be changed every day, put them on the floor in the shower, otherwise they will be changed after 3 days, similar with bed linen, there is a piece of paper on the bedside table, where it says that leaving her on the bed, they will change your linen, otherwise they will not change it soon. The mini bar is replenished every other day, so if you have stopped replenishing it, contact your guide or reception. Calls from the hotel to Moscow 1 min 8 US dollars. At the hotel at the reception you can change dollars for local tugriks, there you also pay for a ticket to Shkaret Park, which borders the hotel. The ticket price is 49 USD, you can pay in advance.
Tours.
Excursions offer different. Prices for excursions are too high, the same excursions on the fifth avenida are cheaper. All prices in US dollars! First tour of Chichen Itza and Cenote. The cost is 110 USD. per person. Starts at 7:30 am and arrives at 8:00 pm. The price includes food, but drinks, as in Egypt, at your own expense, naturally at inflated prices. Impressions are ambiguous. Guide Tatyana, who has been working in Mexico for many years, told interesting stories not only all the way to Chichen Itza (3-4 hours drive), but also on the spot, however, in order to have time to take photos, we often had to sacrifice the opportunity to listen to her. I advise you to buy souvenirs here, they are cheaper than in Cancun and on Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen. We stayed there for 3 hours, then we were taken to Cenote. The cenote is a lake in a cave, reminiscent of the color of the water, a dirty puddle, and this is not surprising, given how many tourists swim there every day. When asked about sanitation in this water, the guide answered us that they launched fish there, which are engaged in water purification. Judging by the color of the water and how actively the crowds of tourists swam and jumped from the tower, the fish could not cope with the situation.
An excursion to ek balam costs 115 usd, they offer a look at the pyramid and salt lakes in the caves. I haven't been there, but I think it's overpriced.
Mexico City for the whole day 190 usd, not including the ticket, that is, for a round trip ticket, you still have to pay about 400 usd.
The pirate ship is brought to Cancun by 7 o'clock and you are on the ship having dinner.
Coco bongo - disco in Cancun Mon-Thu 50 usd and Fri-Sun 60 usd.
Temazcal - shaman cleansing of the soul and body 99 usd. According to the participants of the tour, complete nonsense.
Swimming with whale sharks on a boat 550 usd.
Cozumel Island, similar to Saona Island in the Dominican Republic.
Koba and Shian Kaan 110 usd. Complete waste of money. Let's go to Koba, this is a place with Mayan architectural buildings, something similar to that in Chichen Itza. Unfortunately, the guide did not tell the story as it was during the trip to Chichen Itza. After Koba, they took us to a restaurant, and drinks and a buffet were all for their own money! The second part - a trip to Shian Kaan liked more. True, we still had to pay 5 usd for a boat so that we were taken to the mango jungle. It is very strange that you pay 110 usd for an excursion, but you still have to pay extra for drinks, food, and boat trips to the jungle! Moreover, the guide at the hotel did not warn about additional costs. The boat brought us to the canal in the thickets, we put on vests and into the water. The current quickly carried along the water channel, surprisingly the water was fresh and clean.
Excursions can be purchased inexpensively in Playa del Carmen, but they are only in English, but at the hotel, excursions are approximately the same prices as from the tour operator, with a difference of a few dollars, for example, the Coba + Temascal tour is $ 119, that is, you can’t save succeed.
Souvenirs.
Prices for souvenirs in hotels are too high, if you have not been to Chichen Itza or bought souvenirs there, I advise you to go to the fifth avenue (avenida), taxi 100 local money one way. Buy magnets for 3 usd, you can buy 3 for 8 dollars, ponchos are also sold there, but real original ones made of wool will cost no less than 50 usd, there are souvenir ponchos, they are usually of different colors and the fabric is rough, Mayan calendars can be negotiated for 5 usd, hammocks 15-30 usd.
In principle, if you do not take into account the cost of a round-trip ticket, then rest in a hotel at a reasonable price, and worth the money that was paid for it.
Flight.
The Transaero flight took 12 hours and 50 minutes; they flew to Mexico without delay. I purchased a premium class ticket. True, it turned out that premium and economy class seats were absolutely no different, so I think that you should not overpay for premium, while you can buy economy and fly in the same seats. I flew on a special offer and a premium class ticket cost me approximately the same price as an economy class ticket, it was not so insulting when I flew in a “premium class” seat. During the flight, they were fed 2 times, they served drinks a couple of times, the rest of the time, if you want to drink, you had to approach the flight attendants, since they rarely appeared in the cabin during the flight. During the entire flight, the tooth did not fall on the tooth, it was very cold in the cabin, they asked the flight attendants for blankets. We arrived at the Cancun airport, almost simultaneously with our plane, and several more landed, so there was no place for an apple to fall at passport control. All this happened very slowly, and meanwhile people kept coming and coming.
Transfer from Cancun Airport to Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret took an hour. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were quickly placed in the rooms, which is very surprising, since the guide told us that the Mexicans are very slow and should not be demanded of them speed and hurry, it annoys them and they can even “turn around and leave”.
Vacationers.
For those who do not like to relax in those places where compatriots rest, I hasten to inform you that Mexico is not the right place, especially after they launched a direct flight from Moscow to Cancun. If you think that there will be few Russians in the hotel, then you are mistaken. As soon as they bring you in, you will be stewed in your own juice for 2 weeks by the whole Russian company. Moreover, far from the best representatives of the Russian nation come, who are in a hurry to make friends as soon as possible and then appear in restaurants, on the beach, in bars and at show programs organized by animation with all this drunken noisy crowd. There are a lot of Americans in the hotel, which is not surprising, for them Mexico, as for us the all-Union health resort of Turkey, then Canadians, they also have a short flight, and Spaniards, since occidental is a Spanish hotel chain. Mostly middle-class foreigners, many couples with or without children.
Territory.
I lived in the 22nd building, part of the Russians in 18.21 and 22. The hotel area is large, well-groomed, all planted with tropical plants and beautiful, there is one thing: the buildings in which the vacationers lived were so unsuccessfully located around the territory that for now you will reach from the 22nd building you get lost before the lobby, in this case, at the reception, along with the keys and cards for towels, they issued a hotel card. On the territory there were pens with flamingos, deer, a cage with monkeys, in addition to this, there were animals similar to capybaras (or maybe they were themselves) and quiet animals (animals with a body like a monkey, a long tail and a rat muzzle). A huge number of insects that began to chirp, buzz in the evening from 8-9 o'clock and calmed down by morning. All the tourists walked with bitten legs, midges, incomprehensible to us, bit mercilessly, and the bite was terribly itchy and passed within a few days. By evening, all living creatures became more active, especially cockroaches, they were not afraid to crawl along the walls, stairs and railings in the lobby and in the bars on the street. A "shuttle" was walking around the hotel, as it was called, but we called it a "fucking minibus" or "autoline", and it was one for the whole hotel. The waiting period could stretch from 10 to 20 minutes. Due to the fact that the “shuttle” was in a single copy for the entire hotel, it went along an intricate route so that you could get into all parts of the territory and separate all the vacationers. It even got to the point that you are going to go to the beach on the sea from your 22nd house, you wait for a “minibus” for about 15 minutes, it goes to the lobby, turns around, goes back to the 22nd and further to the beach, that is, all the way along with waiting and the trip could be 30 min.
Restaurants, bars, food.
On the website of travel companies you will find information that the hotel has 10 bars and 11 restaurants. There are restaurants, but only 2 of them could be freely visited, the rest were a la carte restaurants and worked only on certain days and it was necessary to reserve them. The Le Buffet restaurant worked daily, there was a buffet and usually all vacationers came there for breakfast and dinner, it was closed for lunch. Breakfast from 7 am to 11 am, dinner from 6 am to 10 pm. Due to the fact that the time for breakfast and dinner was extended, it was always possible to find a place. The food is monotonous, day after day for breakfast, lunch and dinner they gave the same thing! For the second week of stay, this "range" was pretty tired. You can have lunch at a restaurant on the beach. He worked from 12 to 16. There is also the so-called Snack bar, where you could have a bite of food, the one served at McDonald's, that is, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, potatoes, etc. As for 10 bars, we didn’t find them, that is, only two bars worked hard: the Snack bar and the beach bar. They prepared cocktails terribly, not only did they pour a lot of ice into a glass (almost the entire glass), but also when preparing cocktails, a lot of pieces of ice were also poured into the mixer, as a result, cooked, it was difficult to call an alcoholic cocktail, it was even difficult to drink from - for ice. It often happened like this: when some alcoholic drinks ran out, they didn’t even think to replenish them! The same Irish cream could appear three days after it ended. The lobby bar is open from 17 to 23. Seafood is a problem, except for shrimp, mussels and shells, which were cooked infrequently anyway, you will not find other seafood anymore.
Service.
Dear vacationers, I want to warn you that if you come to Mexico in an all-inclusive hotel, do not think that you will not have to spend your money. Namely, the Americans and Canadians spoiled the Mexicans terribly by constantly tipping them for being served in a restaurant or bar. Of course, as for food, there is a buffet, eat as much as you want and take what you want, but there is a problem with drinks. If you want waiters to come up to you and bring drinks in a restaurant, and not have to call them or look for these drinks yourself, then leave a tip! It sounds strange, in a hotel where everything is included and everything is paid for, you still have to pay extra for bartenders and waiters for what is already part of their duties. We left tips at the bar several times, but then stopped, if you leave a tip all the time in restaurants and bars, you can spend a considerable amount. If you do not leave a tip, then you will be looked at as an enemy of the people or ignored. As for cleaning the room, I want to inform you that if you want towels to be changed every day, put them on the floor in the shower, otherwise they will be changed after 3 days, similar with bed linen, there is a piece of paper on the bedside table, where it says that leaving her on the bed, they will change your linen, otherwise they will not change it soon. The mini bar is replenished every other day, so if you have stopped replenishing it, contact your guide or reception. Calls from the hotel to Moscow 1 min 8 US dollars. At the hotel at the reception you can change dollars for local tugriks, there you also pay for a ticket to Shkaret Park, which borders the hotel. The ticket price is 49 USD, you can pay in advance.
Tours.
Excursions offer different. Prices for excursions are too high, the same excursions on the fifth avenida are cheaper. All prices in US dollars! First tour of Chichen Itza and Cenote. The cost is 110 USD. per person. Starts at 7:30 am and arrives at 8:00 pm. The price includes food, but drinks, as in Egypt, at your own expense, naturally at inflated prices. Impressions are ambiguous. Guide Tatyana, who has been working in Mexico for many years, told interesting stories not only all the way to Chichen Itza (3-4 hours drive), but also on the spot, however, in order to have time to take photos, we often had to sacrifice the opportunity to listen to her. I advise you to buy souvenirs here, they are cheaper than in Cancun and on Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen. We stayed there for 3 hours, then we were taken to Cenote. The cenote is a lake in a cave, reminiscent of the color of the water, a dirty puddle, and this is not surprising, given how many tourists swim there every day. When asked about sanitation in this water, the guide answered us that they launched fish there, which are engaged in water purification. Judging by the color of the water and how actively the crowds of tourists swam and jumped from the tower, the fish could not cope with the situation.
An excursion to ek balam costs 115 usd, they offer a look at the pyramid and salt lakes in the caves. I haven't been there, but I think it's overpriced.
Mexico City for the whole day 190 usd, not including the ticket, that is, for a round trip ticket, you still have to pay about 400 usd.
The pirate ship is brought to Cancun by 7 o'clock and you are on the ship having dinner.
Coco bongo - disco in Cancun Mon-Thu 50 usd and Fri-Sun 60 usd.
Temazcal - shaman cleansing of the soul and body 99 usd. According to the participants of the tour, complete nonsense.
Swimming with whale sharks on a boat 550 usd.
Cozumel Island, similar to Saona Island in the Dominican Republic.
Koba and Shian Kaan 110 usd. Complete waste of money. Let's go to Koba, this is a place with Mayan architectural buildings, something similar to that in Chichen Itza. Unfortunately, the guide did not tell the story as it was during the trip to Chichen Itza. After Koba, they took us to a restaurant, and drinks and a buffet were all for their own money! The second part - a trip to Shian Kaan liked more. True, we still had to pay 5 usd for a boat so that we were taken to the mango jungle. It is very strange that you pay 110 usd for an excursion, but you still have to pay extra for drinks, food, and boat trips to the jungle! Moreover, the guide at the hotel did not warn about additional costs. The boat brought us to the canal in the thickets, we put on vests and into the water. The current quickly carried along the water channel, surprisingly the water was fresh and clean.
Excursions can be purchased inexpensively in Playa del Carmen, but they are only in English, but at the hotel, excursions are approximately the same prices as from the tour operator, with a difference of a few dollars, for example, the Coba + Temascal tour is $ 119, that is, you can’t save succeed.
Souvenirs.
Prices for souvenirs in hotels are too high, if you have not been to Chichen Itza or bought souvenirs there, I advise you to go to the fifth avenue (avenida), taxi 100 local money one way. Buy magnets for 3 usd, you can buy 3 for 8 dollars, ponchos are also sold there, but real original ones made of wool will cost no less than 50 usd, there are souvenir ponchos, they are usually of different colors and the fabric is rough, Mayan calendars can be negotiated for 5 usd, hammocks 15-30 usd.
In principle, if you do not take into account the cost of a round-trip ticket, then rest in a hotel at a reasonable price, and worth the money that was paid for it.
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