First trip to Mexico, and so successful that we didn't even expect it. The hotel is chic, it has its drawbacks, but all its advantages more than cover them. it's a long flight, but the fairy tale that awaits at the hotel is definitely worth it. The first is the meeting and excellent service. Please note that the hotel does not have Russian speaking staff, but our minimal English and translator on the phone were easily dealt with.
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First trip to Mexico, and so successful that we didn't even expect it. The hotel is chic, it has its drawbacks, but all its advantages more than cover them. it's a long flight, but the fairy tale that awaits at the hotel is definitely worth it. The first is the meeting and excellent service. Please note that the hotel does not have Russian speaking staff, but our minimal English and translator on the phone were easily dealt with. The first thing I want to write about is a unique territory, this is a small country in the country, with its cenotes with crystal water, all kinds of conceivable and unthinkable animals, from deer to funny monkeys. All living creatures are practically tame, but the monkeys were simply amazed, begging for bananas on their hind legs, they jumped right onto the balcony in our room, the children were simply delighted. Another moment that made us happy. There are no straws for cocktails and plastic utensils, but this is only a fat plus, the territory simply shines with cleanliness, there are no motes anywhere, they really follow their nature, and so that animals do not harm themselves from household human waste, just great. The territory is huge, everything is green, you live in the middle of the jungle, there are paths for cycling, you can take it at the hotel, free of charge, great, if available, and ride almost the entire territory, beauty. For all the time we did not bypass it all, we went on only one excursion, and then in order to see the Mexican pyramids, and the rest was enough in the hotel. And we also really liked our room, a large, separate double sofa for children, there is a large Jacuzzi in the middle of the room. There is a separate shower room and a toilet outside the door. There is a cooler with water in the room at the entrance, the mini-bar is constantly replenished with beer, drinks, tea, coffee, everything is in full set every day. The only thing is that the smell of dampness was always present, but the cleaning and everything else is just gorgeous. Bed linen changed daily, towels and everything else is crystal clean. Entertainment is just a lot, especially for children. A healthy water park, slides for every taste and age. Even though there is no animation in Russian, the children participated in all competitions and entertainment with great pleasure. . Evening performances and shows are just a delight, for children there is a great kids club, even for kids under 4 years old, which we have not seen in any hotel before. There is a large playground in the form of a jungle with climbing frames and springboards, game consoles, and most importantly, chic staff who work with children and make crafts. Children are constantly busy, they are very fun and interesting. Lots of stuff for adults too. Night discos, table tennis, darts, tennis courts, football field, beach volleyball, water polo, good snorkeling. Water activities, canoes, excellent fishing, my husband is delighted. Steam room, hammam, outdoor jacuzzi. The food is amazing, there is no other word for it. The hotel has 8 restaurants, of which 6 a la carte restaurants can be visited all for free. I don’t even know what to recommend more, they are all excellent. Meat and fish are prepared incomparably, a huge selection of seafood, you can only live on them. Sweets sea, delicious ice cream, incomparable cocktails, both non-alcoholic and not. In addition, 10 bars are also for every taste. The food itself is amazing, the service is great. . And for children, the choice is great, it’s simply impossible not to gain extra pounds. In general, go boldly, if you don’t really find fault with the numbers, otherwise everything is mega-cool!
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You can't name this place otherwise than a city lost in the rainforests. The hotel is spread over a vast territory with its cenotes, ancient Mayan sites, rivers and a huge number of tame animals from ordinary cats to huge deer. Monkeys ate from hands jumping to our balcony, the cutest coatis, strict monitor lizards walking right there along the roads, and raccoons, which can only be seen at night, but they are a bit wild, although a very tame raccoon came up to our body, we left him on the ground food, and retreated a couple of meters, and he ate with great pleasure, without even running away.
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You can't name this place otherwise than a city lost in the rainforests. The hotel is spread over a vast territory with its cenotes, ancient Mayan sites, rivers and a huge number of tame animals from ordinary cats to huge deer. Monkeys ate from hands jumping to our balcony, the cutest coatis, strict monitor lizards walking right there along the roads, and raccoons, which can only be seen at night, but they are a bit wild, although a very tame raccoon came up to our body, we left him on the ground food, and retreated a couple of meters, and he ate with great pleasure, without even running away. Turtles live in the river and on land, and even interesting birds. In the morning, some of them are released from their cages, and they fly all day, wherever they want, and go back to sleep at night! Such a courteous and meticulous in the good sense of the word, the staff we have not met before in any hotel. During registration, they settled us right away, immediately put on bracelets and offered to go to a restaurant. When we returned, the girl who made us, almost crying, gave me my phone, which I am!! ! inadvertently forgot at the counter, apologized a thousand times for my mistake. Any minimal issue was resolved in a few minutes, and really any. In our room, the faucet in the bathroom leaked, the rooms themselves were a little tired, but they came to us to do the faucet after 5! minutes after the call and they fixed it in 15. So even after that they brought us a bottle of champagne and fruit to the room. And that's just a couple of things. Each of the staff in this hotel is exactly in the right place. Bartenders and waiters buzz like bees, there is not a single queue in restaurants, every detail is thought out. We know English at the school level, often saved by a translator downloaded to the phone. We armed ourselves right away, knowing that the hotel did not have Russian-speaking staff, but at the same time, for the most part, they calmly managed without him. Immediately from us there is a bridge across the river to the water park, my child and I “lived” there almost half of the rest))). Far from the beach, but walking no more than 5-7 minutes. You can take bicycles at the hotel and ride around the territory, by the way, it’s very interesting, you can’t get around everything with your feet. The beach, which is not very related to the hotel, can only swim in shoes, but if you walk 200-300 meters towards the neighboring hotel, you can swim on the excellent sandy beach, no one will say a word. But for snorkeling, my husband is very fond of, great place. Although there are not so many fish and corals, he said that there is something to see here. Entertainment for every taste and color. Children's shows with superheroes, amazing themed evening shows every night, we especially liked the show about the Mayan culture. Although the daughter did not understand the language, she looked spellbound, especially the Disney performances. Be sure to book a free boat trip down the river with strawberries and champagne, it's great. Restaurants can not be bypassed, food for every taste, and at the same time around the clock. I'm not going to describe everything, it's just not real. A Brazilian restaurant with any meat, this is the place where we had dinner almost every evening, my husband is a predator, and you will lick your fingers in meat. Juices, fruits and ice cream are generally unlimited. Also, do not forget to bring adapters to American-type sockets from home, others will not work. Sunscreens, the sun is merciless, all this in hotel shops is very expensive, it's not worth it. You don’t have to worry about the Internet either, it is free throughout the territory. Moreover, transport does not go around the territory, only on foot or on bikes. But the basic infrastructure is thought out very well, everything is nearby. The impressions from the hotel were only enthusiastic, it was a wonderful experience, and so I did not want to return home (((.
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Mexico is my favorite country, and the hotel is just super, I would go again with pleasure, if not for the ruble!!! I dream of returning, everything is cool, and alone, and with my family, and with small children, everything is on top, PROSPERITY TO YOU
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Mexico is my favorite country, and the hotel is just super, I would go again with pleasure, if not for the ruble!!!
I dream of returning, everything is cool, and alone, and with my family, and with small children, everything is on top, PROSPERITY TO YOU
I dream of returning, everything is cool, and alone, and with my family, and with small children, everything is on top, PROSPERITY TO YOU
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The hotel is a forest fairy tale, you feel like a Mexican baron! The whole hotel is a huge territory with its own ecosystem. Their rivers with turtles, trees with monkeys and parrots, peacocks, deer and noses, as well as more familiar to us, donkeys and sheep, walk around under the trees. Everything around is buried in the raging greenery of the jungle.
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The hotel is a forest fairy tale, you feel like a Mexican baron! The whole hotel is a huge territory with its own ecosystem. Their rivers with turtles, trees with monkeys and parrots, peacocks, deer and noses, as well as more familiar to us, donkeys and sheep, walk around under the trees. Everything around is buried in the raging greenery of the jungle. There are also Mayan antiquities and magical caves. It feels like a dream come true. Our children will never forget this story! It's like living in a zoo among animals, only with its own water park and ice cream. Every day there was a sea of delight and joy, our child of 8 years old practically lived on the slides, and simply fed the monkeys with bananas, and even named one of them Joe. In the hotel, every day they arranged entertainment for children, which turned into a continuous holiday. The hotel staff is very good-natured, all requests were fulfilled, especially if you address with a smile, everyone is very nice and friendly, they try to answer in your language. Clean, comfortable room with bath and shower. Funny faces and animals made of towels were twisted for the child. We left a small tip, and our mini bar and shampoos with gels were replenished constantly. The view from the room is absolutely magical. You go out onto the balcony and find yourself in the forest. Morning slightly damp air, saturated with the smell of the jungle, the sounds of the forest and the singing of birds - just amazing! The food in restaurants is always varied, but we liked the Mexican cuisine. Huge selection of various meat and fish dishes. Fruits, vegetables, salads, sauces, pastries, sweets and delicious ice cream for children, you can't count them all. You can also have a bite by the pool and drink a couple of cocktails. Bartenders and waiters always fulfilled our requests. What made me especially happy was the really fresh fresh juices. We never once worried about our stomachs. The beach is also clean. With white sand and always with a sufficient number of sun loungers. The entrance to the sea is rocky, so it is better to swim in slippers, but the bottom itself is sandy. The beach is more intended for adults, and the water park was enough for the child, and he was not so interested in swimming in the sea. But my husband and I enjoyed the purest water and gentle surf. The impressions were so magical that sometimes, when watching a video taken on vacation, one can not believe that it was with us!
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The time of visiting the hotel is August. The weather is +30 +38, the water is warm, the rains are very rare and short. Check-in time at the hotel at 18.00 arrived from the Southern Cross by a company of 6 people, asked to be settled near and not far from the sea, received the keys to 3 rooms in 21 bungalows.
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The time of visiting the hotel is August. The weather is +30 +38, the water is warm, the rains are very rare and short.
Check-in time at the hotel at 18.00 arrived from the Southern Cross by a company of 6 people, asked to be settled near and not far from the sea, received the keys to 3 rooms in 21 bungalows. The room was delivered by electric car, a house of three floors 2 from the sea. The balconies of the first floors overlook the impenetrable jungle.
The hotel area itself is large, there is where to walk, the beach is large, sunbeds are always available. Walked around and traveled on bicycles for 15 days the entire territory
For children in general, a paradise - there is a water park (only for children), a good mini club, children's animation, there are also a lot of animals in the hotel! From the balcony we saw a nosukha and a spider monkey on the branches of a tree. Iguanas go out to bask on the lawn between the houses, noses beg for a snack near the round-the-clock bar during the day and raccoons rule there at night. Animals scurry between the tables begging for rolls and french fries.
The food is very good, there is always a large selection of several types of meat, fish, chicken, occasionally duck, for dinner there was a whole baked turkey. I really liked the small kupaty sausages that were around the clock in all restaurants. Mexico is a meat eater's paradise. Local cheeses are also very edible. The choice of seafood is very large in squid, fish, large mussels and shrimp in various forms, crabs were occasionally but not tasty. Almost always there were 3 types of rolls with sauces and wasabi in a separate corner of the restaurant. About standard pastries, desserts, omelettes, I think it’s not worth mentioning. Fruit is a separate issue. There is a separate table with chopped, there is a separate counter at which the Mexican woman will make juice from what is in the cut behind her counter with a blender, although you can bring her your own version of the chopped mix.
The assortment of fruits varies, but there are probably about 15 types in total, including strawberries and Jack fruit (dragon tree) fruits, as it was called in Thailand. Our ladies in the morning went to an Italian restaurant located near the entrance to the Laguna and drank fresh carrot juice there, and then went to breakfast. You can take 2-4 types of ice cream with balls yourself from a bucket in refrigerators, or you can take a waffle cone and press from a machine on the wall that looks like water dispensers. Near the pool on the beach, a waitress occasionally passed and handed out popsicle ice cream similar to our popsicles to those who wished.
Drinks - in the minibar in the room with a daily replenishment of 2 mirinda, 2 sevenapas, 2 cools light and 2 regular. 4 beers of 2 types in cans of 0.33 ml. The room itself is simple but we were quite satisfied. Please note that this hotel does not have a set of jars of creams, shampoos, razors and hair caps in the bathrooms.
Flying to the Caribbean 5, we did not take toothpaste and toothbrushes, etc. , in order not to overload our suitcases, we had to look for it on the spot.
In the bars, there is a cocktail menu for 22 cocktails, from Absolut, Smirnov, Red Label, 3 types of martini, my favorite Bacardi rum, 2 types, and this is not counting local drinks. Of these, I liked Don Pedro and Fundador cognac, Canadian whiskey is fragrant but is drunk harshly. There are many liqueurs of various types, including Baileys, Balantiez, Bluesky, beloved by women. I really liked Spanish-made champagne, we drank it at meals in large quantities, in order not to drive the waiters, we were not lazy and asked to put the bottle on the table ourselves. After that, we received a stand near the table, in which a bucket of ice was placed and the next bottle of champagne was always replenished in it when it was empty.
In the restaurant we sat at the same table, the waiters serving were permanent, who after the received dollar at the end of the day were always attentive to us. From examples: one evening, our ladies wanted stronger drinks and they hit on tequila infused with mango after 1 bottle of 0.5 ended, the waitress ordered (by hanging on everyone’s belt) a radio station from a neighboring bar, this continued three more times and drinks were brought from other bars and restaurants. Here is the service. At the entrance to the Laguna restaurant, there are a stand with bottles of tequila infused with various goodies, there are only about 10 types, I liked the most on mango, strawberries, tamarin nuts, about 20-25 degrees. The food and drinks are beyond praise.
ANIMATION
There are animation shows in the evenings, but they are repeated every week! In general, the animation is very worthy, their boss Jorge Gonzalez is just super. Animators plow in the truest sense of the word. AT 9.
30 they are at a general meeting in a theater specially built for them. At 10.30 they start water polo, aerobics, bochu and volleyball on the beach near the pools, entertaining guests all day long. At 20.30 evening animation for children. This is a show and musicals in which the children themselves take part, who before that in the children's club rehearse all this during the day. The costume dedication to Maya and based on Disney cartoons were especially memorable. At 21.30, shows for adults and Latin American dances, from the Rock concert you liked, fire shows, costumed Indian shows in the cenote and in the jungle near a large fire where the bike path runs.
It must be said that 22 Russians came to our race only from the Southern Cross and a week later another 24, so we communicated with Jorge using an electronic translator installed on a tablet computer, we quickly found a common language and he began to spend the evenings and as he announced into the microphone “Russian dance for my friends from distant Russia. At 23 and until 2.00 there was a disco in a restaurant on the beach behind the dive center. And all day the animators danced and entertained with the guests of the hotel. There are usually not many Russians in the hotel, 5-10 people, our big check-in, I think, is connected with my call on forums and websites to join and the excellent price compared to the quality in the hotel. By the way, the review of the guides of the Southern Cross and Transaerotour: the vaunted network BAHIA - mud and a transit point for local visitors for a 3-day vacation, BARCELO - a lot of people, tourists complain about food and service, IBEROSTAR - worthy but not commensurately expensive.
Alcohol was the cheapest in the shopping center "CENTRO MAYA" like our OSHAN, not high prices in "VOLMART"
Tequila in Mexico is not customary to drink with salt and lime. Here they drink it with sangrita. Sangrita is a mixture of tomato juice with hot and spicy sauce, grenadine and salt in a blender. In bars, cocktails with sangrita in the form of shots interfere or they serve it separately (a glass of tequila, a glass of sangrita) as you ask. Although in bars and at the tequila factory for tasting we were given llamas sprinkled with salt. By the way, they are brought to the factory after visiting Chichen Itza, it is worth tasting there, taking pictures, but tequila and souvenirs are expensive. Coffee liqueur "Kahlua" was the cheapest at WalMart, they took 13 ye. You can try it in the bars of the hotel. In the lobby, in the snack bar, in restaurants, by the pool, in the sports bar and near the beach - bars with amazing cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic!
Try everything, if you have enough health and time - you will not regret it!
CHICHEN ITCA
Chichen Itza is the ancient capital of the Maya, located 180 km from Cancun (2 hours by car), 140 km from Merida. Date of construction: 430-1400 AD e. Chichen Itza is one of the largest and most magnificent ceremonial centers of the Maya culture, which was intended for the most important religious ceremonies, including human sacrifices. Pyramid of Kukulkan is the most important pyramid of this ancient city. The pyramid consists of 9 platforms on which the temple is located and is surrounded by four stairs that point to the four cardinal points. At the base of the north staircase are two large snake heads. The facade of the temple is decorated with two columns in the form of snakes. Each of the stairs has 91 steps, which gives a total of 364 days of the Mayan solar year. There is also a sacred well here. This is a pillar-shaped failure with a diameter of 60 m. From the surface of the water to the ground is about 20 meters.
The Maya believed that the rain god Chak lives in the depths of the waters, so during a drought people were sacrificed to him, throwing them into a cenote (well). The victims were warriors, children and girls, along with rich jewelry and expensive offerings.
Excursion Chichen Itza cost 145 ye. Three hours of travel from the hotel to Chichen Itza flew by unnoticed. Strongly annoying lost 3 hours to collect and return tourists to other hotels. In Chichen Itza itself, of course, we spent little time, examined only the main pyramids. In general, the tour was held according to the principle of ticking that there was. A large grassy field with pyramids and other buildings scattered across it, on the edge of the jungle and on the paths moving away to the side, crowds of tourists huddle near the annoying Mayan descendants with souvenirs. A calendar drawn on the skin (F4 format) was bought for 25ue, initially they asked for 65ue, they bought 30 pieces of magnets for 60ue, they asked for 150ue.
We stopped at Cenote Ik-Kil.
Charming place but very crowded. The water in all the cenotes is very soft, almost distilled in taste, it is quite difficult to stay on the water. Check in the so-called stone museum. In fact, this is an ordinary souvenir shop, with which apparently there is an agreement. But even there, something interesting was found: Mexican hairless dogs of the Xolotzcuintli breed showed raw stones and a film from agave leaves. There are many beautiful but expensive souvenirs made of obsidian and silver, prices up to 5000. It’s not worth it to buy cheap silver items from world-famous Mexican gold, this is not Turkey and Egypt, small things from merchants are fake, but normal items in stores at the price of our gold in Russia. By the way, Chichen Itza has cheap souvenirs. There are magnets for a dollar but ugly, everything else is not much cheaper than in other places. But there are too many merchants. It's annoying.
If you go to Chichen Itza yourself, then you need to leave as early as possible, since the pyramids are open until 5-6 pm. In principle, on this tour the guide is not very good and you can find everything on your own with a map.
TULUM-KOBA.
Tulum is one of the most beautiful ancient Mayan cities, surrounded by a fortified wall. It is located on the Caribbean coast opposite the island of Cozumel. The length of the fortress wall is one kilometer, the height is from three to five meters, the width in some places reaches six meters. There are five passages in the wall that provide access to the city. The aisles are very narrow and only one person can go through each aisle. Tulum refers to 560 - 1521 AD. e. It used to be a Mayan trading city. In bad weather and at night, the main pyramid of the city served as a beacon for sailors.
Among the buildings of the city, there are also the Temple of Frescoes, which was used as an astronomical observatory, the Temple of the Descending God and the House of Chultun, which received its name from a cistern (chultun) for storing fresh water.
Koba is a very beautiful archaeological area. Here you will see the highest pyramid of the Yucatan Peninsula. A distinctive feature of this zone is much less traffic. A walk in Kobe turns into a walk through the untouched jungle, which hides ancient temples of the classical period of Maya culture and steles with original hieroglyphs. At one time, Coba was an exceptionally important cultural and religious center of the Yucatan.
We traveled to these cities on our own. Even earlier in Russia on the site tourist. ru were found Russian guides working on their own.
And it was also planned to go to Chichen Itza through them, but our ladies, seeing the price of the tour operator, did not want to take risks and it was a common decision to go on the first tour in the general crowd. Having lost 3 hours to collect the hotels, we decided to take an individual tour. Skype called Boris and told what we want. The next day, Masha came to our hotel and charged us 600 euros for the minibus, driver and guide. We bought entrance tickets to the arch zone ourselves. At 8.00 a well Russian-speaking Armenian Charlie was waiting for us and we left for Koba. Upon arrival, we bought tickets and took a cycle rickshaw for 70 pesos (1ue - 21.7 pesos) Entrance to the Koba pyramids - 57 pesos per person. Koba is just adorable! The pyramids there are scattered right through the jungle! You feel like a pioneer! A few stops near the observatory, a field of pok-sneakers, the governor's house with Charlie's comments and we are near the main pyramid.
The territory is huge, it will be long and hard to walk on foot, there is no point before climbing the pyramid and the rickshaw was useful to us. Therefore, take water with you, inside it is possible to buy it in only one shop. It is worth climbing the Nohoch-Mul tower. It only looks scary, you need to overcome all its 120 steps. From the top there is a stunning view of the forest and the lake. The cold beer I took with me came in very handy at the top. If you are afraid of heights, then think before climbing, it is not very difficult, but when descending, look at the steps, then the steepness of the slope will not be so noticeable and not so scary. TULUM ruins of a beautiful port city on the seashore. The photo is just great. If you are going to go down to the beach and swim swimming trunks, there is nowhere to put on the beach, there are no equipped places, the excitement raises a strong sand suspension and there is a lot of sand in swimming trunks, take a bottle of fresh water to wash.
Xcaret Park
Shkaret is an eco-archaeological park that impresses with its monuments of ancient culture and tropical nature. Here you can swim along the underground river, visit the aquarium museum, turtle farm, butterfly park, orchid park, jaguar island, and for an additional fee - play with dolphins, go horseback riding, swim with a snorkel and a mask. Here are relics and a Mayan museum, a Mayan village, a Spanish church, many ruins of platforms and temples. You can wander through the magnificent botanical garden, which is home to over 30 species of birds, including flamingos. In the evening - a horse show, a ball game, the ancient rites of the Mayan Indians, as well as a national folklore program.
Xcaret Park is the second most popular excursion in the Riviera Maya after Chichen Itza.
All the guides and the ubiquitous bright, colorful advertisements do their job and past this park, being in Mexico, you can’t get past it, even if you don’t like excursions in principle.
Along with the bracelet, you will receive coupons for: 1) Towels 2) Mask, snorkel (disposable), fins, vest 3) Safe box 4.1 buffet restaurant 5.2 water coupons (0.5) or 1 for beer - 0.33 6) Discount on additional services or a discount on a photo. All coupons, signs, descriptions, places to obtain these details and signs are ALL in English and Spanish, so for "non-English" tourists there may be some difficulties. But at the entrance they give out a map in Russian, you can figure it out, it is only informational in nature and it will not work to estimate the distance with its help. Therefore, in search of your turn around the territory, see the numbers of the columns.
Perhaps, underwater rivers are really remembered in Shkaret as something new, especially since this excursion was before EXPLOR. There are two rivers - open and closed - at the entrance to the rivers there is a park employee and says closed river and opened river. Just in case - to the right - a closed river, to the left - open.
Of course, we decided to sail along the open line, because it was something interesting, but we didn’t have the strength to go to two rivers, and also the desire. The water in the river is cool, I would say refreshing, but nevertheless there were many people even with small children in their arms. If you are unlucky, and you are sailing with a number of people like 30 people, you will swim the whole distance not alone, enjoying an unusual phenomenon, a river underground with gaps. Tip: try to go down into the river when there are no queues for vests, masks, snorkels and fins - this is a sure sign that the bulk has already left. Your final point will be on the outskirts of Shkaret, near the sea.
There you open your bag (they were already moved there while you were sailing) and take your dry things. To be honest, I would still leave the camera and the camera in the safe, because it is not known how these bags are overloaded and thrown to the ground or not - something can break. The distance in the underwater river is from the beginning of the Shkaret to the sea (400 meters), in order to swim through it all (in some places you just relax and the light current carries you by itself) it will take about 45 minutes. In some places there are exits to the shore earlier (4 stops), so at any time you can get out and walk on the ground on foot
Keep in mind that if in the process of sailing along the river you decide to leave before the end point and go on foot, finding the place for issuing your things sealed in sports bags by yourself is quite difficult (there are no signs), so I will tell you how to find it: go along Shkaret to the sea and then sharply turn right to the end - there is a fence and you will see vests that are returned and the issuance of your things.
The photo will be ready in 2.5 hours and will be in the souvenir shop at the entrance and exit of Shkaret (do not forget to look there when you return to the hotel). Therefore, if you are going to complete your journey through the park right after the river (as we did), you run the risk of not waiting for your photos or just sitting in a cafe and waiting for them to appear in the photo store. . Price 1 piece = 16 $. , (i. e. if you want to buy all your photos, for 4 pieces you will give about 1920 rubles - be prepared for such prices).
Photos from the OPEN river are better than those taken in a closed river. In a closed river, all 4 landscapes in which you are photographed are almost the SAME (you are underground, and all the landscapes are the same), so you can buy only 1 photo and that will be enough. In an open river, you are photographed against the backdrop of a waterfall, with a tribal resident (painted artist), in flowers, in a lagoon. In general, we were not lucky, but I advise you to swim in an open river if you are not going to swim both there and there.
The garden of orchids, bromeliads and mushrooms did not impress us (maybe not the season), these are two large greenhouses that were looking for them on the map without a guide, it was a long walk and not interesting. After rafting on the rivers, we had a bite to eat, bought on the beach and went to the observation deck. This is a high mast on which a glass cabin rises, which, spinning in a circle, makes it possible to see the park from above, after which it is more clear where to go next.
We were so passionate about the park that we didn’t waste time on a full meal, we had a bite to eat with what we took with us. Everywhere in the reports they write that you need to come later. It seems to me that it is better to arrive early, the park is huge, even a whole day will not be enough to get around everything. You don’t have to worry about fatigue either, there are a lot of places in the park where you can just relax, lie down, take a nap, and gain strength. Study the theme of the park in advance and choose what else you want to see for yourself besides what was shown by the guide. Without a guide, if you go, I think we would not have seen half of it ourselves. The trip from the tour operator is justified with a receiver around the neck and an earpiece, we went through a lot and saw.
One of Xcaret's main features is the main evening bright and colorful show, which employs 300 artists in costumes, and which tells about the life of Mexico since the Maya, during the period of the Spanish colony and to this day.
The earlier you come to it, the better place you will take, there are no tickets with seats. We left the horse show 20 minutes early, better even earlier, there are no special exotics there. Then you can take a picture with the actors in costumes at the entrance to the theater, it's worth it. The guide suggested the place to us and we did not regret it. We settled down on the left tribune if you go from the horse show, the middle of the first row behind the rows on which guests with dinner will sit. With this arrangement, the entire space of the stage is clearly visible, and next to you we will then jump the stairs in costume Montezuma during the fight with Cortez.
The show sunk into the soul and really liked it, it is worth watching even considering the good costumed animation in the hotel. The first part of the show is a costumed history of Mexico before the Spanish invasion.
At first there was a game of pok-slippers (butt ball-ball), when the players had to hammer a rubber ball into the ring with the upper part of the thigh. This ancient religious sports game was called pelota. I was impressed by the game with clubs with a fireball. After a costume show about the times of the Conquista. The second branch is more musical and dance. Drums, mariachis, voladores, equestrian performances...Beautiful! The dance of the old men in ugly masks receives the most applause. Watch the show - you'll see why.
I will give a description of the park found in one of the sites, it is useful and I agree with it, this is plagiarism, but I think the owner will forgive.
What can be seen:
1. Small zoo. Animals are in small enclosures, the interior is close to natural conditions. There are antelopes, goats, tapirs, peccaries, jaguars, including black ones, caimans. Iguanas freely hang out in the park and, oddly enough, snakes, including poisonous ones.
I myself have seen several tree snakes in the branches of trees.
2. Dolphinarium. For additional For a fee, you can swim with dolphins, which, at the command of trainers, jump, including synchronously, ride on their backs. There are also manatees, but no one bothers them.
3. Aquarium. For those who have been to such establishments in London, Barcelona, Singapore, Sydney, etc. , this will not impress. But I love any aquariums. You can also go swimming for an extra charge. board with sand sharks, scratch their belly. Sharks up to 3 m long.
4. Butterfly park. The number of species is small. Comparing, for example, with the Butterfly Park in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, not impressive, but nice. In addition, the park is large and there are almost no people there.
5. Orchid park. Small.
6. Mushroom Park. Mushrooms are bred for food - champignons and oyster mushrooms.
7. Fish nursery. Bred mainly tilapia in open round pools. You can touch the fish, there are so many of them.
8. The main attraction is an underground river.
In the accessible area, its length is about 1.5 km. You can swim to the seashore. In some places, it either has a backlight, or natural and artificial holes on the surface. Swimming is pleasant - a cave, dark, closed space, warm slightly salty water. For rent they give a towel, a locker for things, a life jacket, fins and a mask for 15 USD. You return barefoot to the place of departure. The river ends with a bay with a lot of coral fish.
9. Several ethnic dance shows on schedule (as in Disneyland or Port Aventura).
10. Several decent restaurants at reasonable prices.
11. The final theatrical show on the ball court in 2 parts on the theme of the ancient Maya and old Mexico.
12. Beach. The water there is sea and fresh at the same time, which almost do not mix. The water is clear, lots of fish and coral outcrops.
13. Stylized Mexican cemetery (not real).
14. Models of the ruins of ancient Mayan cities.
EXPLORE Park
- Air adventures 3.8 km long on 13 zip-lines through the Explorer Park, Xplor from 45m above ground to 8m underground, through suspension bridges and with water landings in underground lakes.
- Ride about 10 km on all-terrain vehicles (capacity for 2 adults and 2 children) through the jungle along trails, through caves, ravines and water barriers.
- Rafting: on 2 routes (550 meters each), you will be able to admire the spectacular cliffs and the breathtaking nature of the jungle.
-Swimming in the Explorer Park, Xplor on the river with stalactites, route 400m: a life jacket is required for swimming. Here you can see stalagmites and stalactites located in the numerous caves of the Explorer Park, Xplor.
A big heart with a rhythmic sound is the main place of the park, paths lead to it from all corners of the trials.
The degree of safety for visitors to the Explorer Park, Xplor is very high, the Explorer Park, Xplor is equipped at the highest technical level.
We went through all the entertainment on two lines of difficulty, except for rafting, there was not enough time. . I advise you to prepare comfortable clothes that will not constrain you when riding ropes when putting on a safety harness and comfortable shoes. I bought coral slippers for 25 ye (prices are not Egyptian, not 3 ye) and take clothes for changing. 80% of the time you will be wet, and without shoes you can get hurt. You can not take a towel, but it’s worth changing clothes! Or maybe in a bathing suit and shorts! Do not be afraid to burn - you will spend a lot of time in the caves. The park is incredible! ! ! Recomend for everybody! Some effort will be needed to pass all the routes! It's worth it! The park is organized in such a way that EVERY route has unique amazing moments! ! ! Do not deprive yourself of pleasure - go through EVERYTHING! Everything is very good! Prepare $100 to buy souvenirs and photos!
On all routes there are automatic cameras that, using a chip built into the helmet, will allow you to find a photo at the exit. If you are going to buy them, you can try to enter their zone together then you will get more group photos. The people here came up with the idea to exchange helmets in order to pay for only one! I think it's too inconvenient. I have been accompanied by a waterproof camera on all trips for 4 years and took pictures myself! I hope you have enough time to go through the entire park in the allotted time!
The tour was bought at the hotel reception from the representatives of the park for 116 ye. The price includes a decent lunch without alcohol and a round trip transfer. According to our calculations, it came out cheaper than a taxi and buying tickets in the park. For all excursions, we took drinks from the hotel refrigerator, water and cold beer were not superfluous. At the entrance to the park, we were met by a Russian-speaking guide and told where and how to walk and swim.
It all starts from the center and here you will return when you go to the next entertainment. Russian-speaking staff is available throughout the territory. A guide is not needed for constant escort
ABOUT SAFETY.
Don't believe anyone who says that Mexico is not safe. It is safe, at least in the Yucatan resort area, there is nothing to fear. On the roads of Yucatan, patrol cars with 5 military men in the back of a jeep are not uncommon, one of which, with a machine gun on the roof, watches the surroundings. We saw a road blocked by police cars near a passenger car and people lying on the ground with their hands on their heads. In general, there are many police-federal, police-municipal and police-tourist in the mooring area, according to Charlie, everyone takes bribes, but the price is different. The federal (our FSB) will let you go from a drunk driver without Russian international rights (only ordinary Russian ones) for 500ue, you can negotiate with a tourist for 200ue.
In the rest of Mexico, outside of the Yucatan, the situation is really not calm, and is reminiscent of our 90s, kidnapping, hostage ransom, and dismemberment in garbage bags on the side of the road.
PRO MAYA.
In fact, almost all the staff in hotels, restaurants and historical areas are descendants of the Maya Indians. They are very easy to recognize, they are short, plump and a bit square. They have almond-shaped eyes, round faces, and dark skin. They speak Spanish, but from childhood they also know the Mayan language. Not everyone knows English, so get ready to explain yourself with gestures if something happens. They are very nice, kind and helpful people, they will definitely help you even if you get lost. None of us knew Spanish, we managed with gestures and fifty English words.
The restaurant taught the waiters 5 phrases given for dinner 1-3 dollars, as 3 people were spinning around us, they saw sincere smiles during the service during the day and courtesy in actions.
RESTAURANTS
The hotel has 7 restaurants and a snack bar. Even if you are somehow miraculously late for lunch or dinner, you can fully eat at the snack bar. There you can make yourself a hamburger, take chips, rolls, salads and other things. 3 buffet restaurants are always open to visitors (Laguna, Mexican and Italian), the rest must be booked in advance. The number of visits depends on the number of days in the hotel. For our 15 days, we signed up for each one once in the first week for every evening, an appointment at the reception and it's better to do it on Monday, after that we went again to the Italian, Mediterranean and steakhouse. But after all the restaurants vseravno returned to LAGOON.
When to eat fruit with ice cream or drink juice, and when to have a full snack. Portions in restaurants by appointment are small but beautifully served, and we did not always like what was offered on the menu. It was like leaving hungry.
BEACH
At first, breakwaters on the beach scare, but then you realize all their charm and necessity. They protect not only from waves, but also from algae. Walk along the beaches of neighboring hotels, you will understand the difference. Standing on the breakwaters and jumping in the waves is interesting. Just be careful when choosing a breakwater - these are large PVC bags filled with sand, which are already petrified. Those breakwaters that are older (dark) were chosen by sea urchins. It's the size of a tennis ball and you might not even notice it. In the area of the bags you can also swim with a mask.
This is not the Red Sea, but you can see 10 species of fish, I added 3 to my collection of underwater photos that I had not seen before and a pretty electric stingray found in shallow water near the stones. Good entry into the sea opposite the lifeguard tower. Further to the sides there are stones at the entrance. Opposite the dive center there is rocky-coral shallow water. Having swum on it, I decided to get to the beach and had to crawl, clinging my stomach to the very shore, the waves did not allow me to swim to the depth. We were placed on sunbeds next to the bar on the territory of the pool, the entrance from the lifeguard tower and the volleyball court. Of the pluses nearby and a good entry into the sea, a bar, a swimming pool. When you lie on the beach, fine sand always stretches with your feet on a sunbed and a towel, and so you wash your feet in the shower at the exit to the pool area and there is a clean concrete platform under your feet.
If you go left along the beach beyond the select club zone, there is the only crooked palm tree on the beach for photos in the style of a bounty. By the end of the rest, her trunk was wrapped with barbed wire from those who wanted to climb on top of her head. There you will also see beaches without breakwaters and compare the waves. On an excursion to EXPLOR, 3 guys from Cancun were met, who during 10 days of rest went to the sea only 2 times, the rest of the time they did not give a wave. Their friend tried to jump on the waves but was washed ashore with a complex shoulder dislocation and remained in a cast in a hotel.
The hotel has its own cenote where you can snorkel. It has turtle fish, 2 eels. Large pond (or river) with turtles and several pools
I agree with what was written earlier in Mexico, it is very stuffy and humid. In the first minutes after the plane, it was simply impossible to breathe; it was hot, stuffy and smelled of dampness everywhere.
This feeling disappeared after an hour. The clothes get wet all the time, the one that was washed is problematic to dry without the sun. Even on cloudy days, the sun was so hot that you would have time to tan, by the way, about the statements in the previous ones about burning in the sun. I did not see a single burnt and peeling tourist. Even very white-skinned people went red from the sun, but I did not see burns on any of them. We all arrived with a beautiful even tan. With all this street heat, the rooms are always cool, and sometimes quite cold.
For children there is a water park and a huge children's room, for adults - a spa area and a gym. In the evenings, Indians in national coloring show a show, there is a special area with Mayan buildings for the temazcal ceremony, an orchid garden, and even something similar to a dolmen. We were on the beach until 11 o'clock, then we went for an hour to the spa center where you can use 3 saunas and pools with hydromassage for free.
Massages in the center are very expensive from 100 euros per session.
You can play mini-hockey, billiards or board games in the sports bar, rent a bicycle or go boating for free. You can play tennis. Wi-Fi is free. The best fishing is in the lobby, in the restaurant "Laguna" and on the beach. In other places, if there are few people, you can also connect, I took a tablet computer and looked through mail and news on the beach. I installed Skype and communicated with relatives and friends via video communication for free, my MTS asks for 150 rubles for roaming, for comparison. There are no Russian TV channels in the hotel, so we watched MTV, we managed to watch news via the Internet several times.
The reviews say that the hotel staff steals valuables from the safe. Nothing was stolen from us.
And about a taxi from the hotel. In order not to overpay, do not order a taxi from the reception.
Walk 200 meters to the first gate of the hotel, there are taxi drivers who will take you to the city cheaper from there. But the first time we tried to bargain at the reception and did not agree on their price went to the gate. They already met us there and said that they wouldn’t call them cheaper, they already passed us on the radio station as not accommodating Mexicans from the hotel, we had to go for 15 euros, then we took a minibus for 250-280 pesos.
For souvenirs twice in the afternoon and in the evening we went to 5th Avenue and shopping centers. Prices along the street do not differ much, but there are shops with beautiful magnets and souvenirs that are not found in any others. I liked the rest very much, I think that if you go to the Caribbean, you need to go to Mexico, it is more expensive than the Dominican Republic and Cuba, but there is something to see. Vouchers cost us 145 thousand for 15 days, another 50 was spent in the process of rest.
Check-in time at the hotel at 18.00 arrived from the Southern Cross by a company of 6 people, asked to be settled near and not far from the sea, received the keys to 3 rooms in 21 bungalows. The room was delivered by electric car, a house of three floors 2 from the sea. The balconies of the first floors overlook the impenetrable jungle.
The hotel area itself is large, there is where to walk, the beach is large, sunbeds are always available. Walked around and traveled on bicycles for 15 days the entire territory
For children in general, a paradise - there is a water park (only for children), a good mini club, children's animation, there are also a lot of animals in the hotel! From the balcony we saw a nosukha and a spider monkey on the branches of a tree. Iguanas go out to bask on the lawn between the houses, noses beg for a snack near the round-the-clock bar during the day and raccoons rule there at night. Animals scurry between the tables begging for rolls and french fries.
The food is very good, there is always a large selection of several types of meat, fish, chicken, occasionally duck, for dinner there was a whole baked turkey. I really liked the small kupaty sausages that were around the clock in all restaurants. Mexico is a meat eater's paradise. Local cheeses are also very edible. The choice of seafood is very large in squid, fish, large mussels and shrimp in various forms, crabs were occasionally but not tasty. Almost always there were 3 types of rolls with sauces and wasabi in a separate corner of the restaurant. About standard pastries, desserts, omelettes, I think it’s not worth mentioning. Fruit is a separate issue. There is a separate table with chopped, there is a separate counter at which the Mexican woman will make juice from what is in the cut behind her counter with a blender, although you can bring her your own version of the chopped mix.
The assortment of fruits varies, but there are probably about 15 types in total, including strawberries and Jack fruit (dragon tree) fruits, as it was called in Thailand. Our ladies in the morning went to an Italian restaurant located near the entrance to the Laguna and drank fresh carrot juice there, and then went to breakfast. You can take 2-4 types of ice cream with balls yourself from a bucket in refrigerators, or you can take a waffle cone and press from a machine on the wall that looks like water dispensers. Near the pool on the beach, a waitress occasionally passed and handed out popsicle ice cream similar to our popsicles to those who wished.
Drinks - in the minibar in the room with a daily replenishment of 2 mirinda, 2 sevenapas, 2 cools light and 2 regular. 4 beers of 2 types in cans of 0.33 ml. The room itself is simple but we were quite satisfied. Please note that this hotel does not have a set of jars of creams, shampoos, razors and hair caps in the bathrooms.
Flying to the Caribbean 5, we did not take toothpaste and toothbrushes, etc. , in order not to overload our suitcases, we had to look for it on the spot.
In the bars, there is a cocktail menu for 22 cocktails, from Absolut, Smirnov, Red Label, 3 types of martini, my favorite Bacardi rum, 2 types, and this is not counting local drinks. Of these, I liked Don Pedro and Fundador cognac, Canadian whiskey is fragrant but is drunk harshly. There are many liqueurs of various types, including Baileys, Balantiez, Bluesky, beloved by women. I really liked Spanish-made champagne, we drank it at meals in large quantities, in order not to drive the waiters, we were not lazy and asked to put the bottle on the table ourselves. After that, we received a stand near the table, in which a bucket of ice was placed and the next bottle of champagne was always replenished in it when it was empty.
In the restaurant we sat at the same table, the waiters serving were permanent, who after the received dollar at the end of the day were always attentive to us. From examples: one evening, our ladies wanted stronger drinks and they hit on tequila infused with mango after 1 bottle of 0.5 ended, the waitress ordered (by hanging on everyone’s belt) a radio station from a neighboring bar, this continued three more times and drinks were brought from other bars and restaurants. Here is the service. At the entrance to the Laguna restaurant, there are a stand with bottles of tequila infused with various goodies, there are only about 10 types, I liked the most on mango, strawberries, tamarin nuts, about 20-25 degrees. The food and drinks are beyond praise.
ANIMATION
There are animation shows in the evenings, but they are repeated every week! In general, the animation is very worthy, their boss Jorge Gonzalez is just super. Animators plow in the truest sense of the word. AT 9.
30 they are at a general meeting in a theater specially built for them. At 10.30 they start water polo, aerobics, bochu and volleyball on the beach near the pools, entertaining guests all day long. At 20.30 evening animation for children. This is a show and musicals in which the children themselves take part, who before that in the children's club rehearse all this during the day. The costume dedication to Maya and based on Disney cartoons were especially memorable. At 21.30, shows for adults and Latin American dances, from the Rock concert you liked, fire shows, costumed Indian shows in the cenote and in the jungle near a large fire where the bike path runs.
It must be said that 22 Russians came to our race only from the Southern Cross and a week later another 24, so we communicated with Jorge using an electronic translator installed on a tablet computer, we quickly found a common language and he began to spend the evenings and as he announced into the microphone “Russian dance for my friends from distant Russia. At 23 and until 2.00 there was a disco in a restaurant on the beach behind the dive center. And all day the animators danced and entertained with the guests of the hotel. There are usually not many Russians in the hotel, 5-10 people, our big check-in, I think, is connected with my call on forums and websites to join and the excellent price compared to the quality in the hotel. By the way, the review of the guides of the Southern Cross and Transaerotour: the vaunted network BAHIA - mud and a transit point for local visitors for a 3-day vacation, BARCELO - a lot of people, tourists complain about food and service, IBEROSTAR - worthy but not commensurately expensive.
Alcohol was the cheapest in the shopping center "CENTRO MAYA" like our OSHAN, not high prices in "VOLMART"
Tequila in Mexico is not customary to drink with salt and lime. Here they drink it with sangrita. Sangrita is a mixture of tomato juice with hot and spicy sauce, grenadine and salt in a blender. In bars, cocktails with sangrita in the form of shots interfere or they serve it separately (a glass of tequila, a glass of sangrita) as you ask. Although in bars and at the tequila factory for tasting we were given llamas sprinkled with salt. By the way, they are brought to the factory after visiting Chichen Itza, it is worth tasting there, taking pictures, but tequila and souvenirs are expensive. Coffee liqueur "Kahlua" was the cheapest at WalMart, they took 13 ye. You can try it in the bars of the hotel. In the lobby, in the snack bar, in restaurants, by the pool, in the sports bar and near the beach - bars with amazing cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic!
Try everything, if you have enough health and time - you will not regret it!
CHICHEN ITCA
Chichen Itza is the ancient capital of the Maya, located 180 km from Cancun (2 hours by car), 140 km from Merida. Date of construction: 430-1400 AD e. Chichen Itza is one of the largest and most magnificent ceremonial centers of the Maya culture, which was intended for the most important religious ceremonies, including human sacrifices. Pyramid of Kukulkan is the most important pyramid of this ancient city. The pyramid consists of 9 platforms on which the temple is located and is surrounded by four stairs that point to the four cardinal points. At the base of the north staircase are two large snake heads. The facade of the temple is decorated with two columns in the form of snakes. Each of the stairs has 91 steps, which gives a total of 364 days of the Mayan solar year. There is also a sacred well here. This is a pillar-shaped failure with a diameter of 60 m. From the surface of the water to the ground is about 20 meters.
The Maya believed that the rain god Chak lives in the depths of the waters, so during a drought people were sacrificed to him, throwing them into a cenote (well). The victims were warriors, children and girls, along with rich jewelry and expensive offerings.
Excursion Chichen Itza cost 145 ye. Three hours of travel from the hotel to Chichen Itza flew by unnoticed. Strongly annoying lost 3 hours to collect and return tourists to other hotels. In Chichen Itza itself, of course, we spent little time, examined only the main pyramids. In general, the tour was held according to the principle of ticking that there was. A large grassy field with pyramids and other buildings scattered across it, on the edge of the jungle and on the paths moving away to the side, crowds of tourists huddle near the annoying Mayan descendants with souvenirs. A calendar drawn on the skin (F4 format) was bought for 25ue, initially they asked for 65ue, they bought 30 pieces of magnets for 60ue, they asked for 150ue.
We stopped at Cenote Ik-Kil.
Charming place but very crowded. The water in all the cenotes is very soft, almost distilled in taste, it is quite difficult to stay on the water. Check in the so-called stone museum. In fact, this is an ordinary souvenir shop, with which apparently there is an agreement. But even there, something interesting was found: Mexican hairless dogs of the Xolotzcuintli breed showed raw stones and a film from agave leaves. There are many beautiful but expensive souvenirs made of obsidian and silver, prices up to 5000. It’s not worth it to buy cheap silver items from world-famous Mexican gold, this is not Turkey and Egypt, small things from merchants are fake, but normal items in stores at the price of our gold in Russia. By the way, Chichen Itza has cheap souvenirs. There are magnets for a dollar but ugly, everything else is not much cheaper than in other places. But there are too many merchants. It's annoying.
If you go to Chichen Itza yourself, then you need to leave as early as possible, since the pyramids are open until 5-6 pm. In principle, on this tour the guide is not very good and you can find everything on your own with a map.
TULUM-KOBA.
Tulum is one of the most beautiful ancient Mayan cities, surrounded by a fortified wall. It is located on the Caribbean coast opposite the island of Cozumel. The length of the fortress wall is one kilometer, the height is from three to five meters, the width in some places reaches six meters. There are five passages in the wall that provide access to the city. The aisles are very narrow and only one person can go through each aisle. Tulum refers to 560 - 1521 AD. e. It used to be a Mayan trading city. In bad weather and at night, the main pyramid of the city served as a beacon for sailors.
Among the buildings of the city, there are also the Temple of Frescoes, which was used as an astronomical observatory, the Temple of the Descending God and the House of Chultun, which received its name from a cistern (chultun) for storing fresh water.
Koba is a very beautiful archaeological area. Here you will see the highest pyramid of the Yucatan Peninsula. A distinctive feature of this zone is much less traffic. A walk in Kobe turns into a walk through the untouched jungle, which hides ancient temples of the classical period of Maya culture and steles with original hieroglyphs. At one time, Coba was an exceptionally important cultural and religious center of the Yucatan.
We traveled to these cities on our own. Even earlier in Russia on the site tourist. ru were found Russian guides working on their own.
And it was also planned to go to Chichen Itza through them, but our ladies, seeing the price of the tour operator, did not want to take risks and it was a common decision to go on the first tour in the general crowd. Having lost 3 hours to collect the hotels, we decided to take an individual tour. Skype called Boris and told what we want. The next day, Masha came to our hotel and charged us 600 euros for the minibus, driver and guide. We bought entrance tickets to the arch zone ourselves. At 8.00 a well Russian-speaking Armenian Charlie was waiting for us and we left for Koba. Upon arrival, we bought tickets and took a cycle rickshaw for 70 pesos (1ue - 21.7 pesos) Entrance to the Koba pyramids - 57 pesos per person. Koba is just adorable! The pyramids there are scattered right through the jungle! You feel like a pioneer! A few stops near the observatory, a field of pok-sneakers, the governor's house with Charlie's comments and we are near the main pyramid.
The territory is huge, it will be long and hard to walk on foot, there is no point before climbing the pyramid and the rickshaw was useful to us. Therefore, take water with you, inside it is possible to buy it in only one shop. It is worth climbing the Nohoch-Mul tower. It only looks scary, you need to overcome all its 120 steps. From the top there is a stunning view of the forest and the lake. The cold beer I took with me came in very handy at the top. If you are afraid of heights, then think before climbing, it is not very difficult, but when descending, look at the steps, then the steepness of the slope will not be so noticeable and not so scary. TULUM ruins of a beautiful port city on the seashore. The photo is just great. If you are going to go down to the beach and swim swimming trunks, there is nowhere to put on the beach, there are no equipped places, the excitement raises a strong sand suspension and there is a lot of sand in swimming trunks, take a bottle of fresh water to wash.
Xcaret Park
Shkaret is an eco-archaeological park that impresses with its monuments of ancient culture and tropical nature. Here you can swim along the underground river, visit the aquarium museum, turtle farm, butterfly park, orchid park, jaguar island, and for an additional fee - play with dolphins, go horseback riding, swim with a snorkel and a mask. Here are relics and a Mayan museum, a Mayan village, a Spanish church, many ruins of platforms and temples. You can wander through the magnificent botanical garden, which is home to over 30 species of birds, including flamingos. In the evening - a horse show, a ball game, the ancient rites of the Mayan Indians, as well as a national folklore program.
Xcaret Park is the second most popular excursion in the Riviera Maya after Chichen Itza.
All the guides and the ubiquitous bright, colorful advertisements do their job and past this park, being in Mexico, you can’t get past it, even if you don’t like excursions in principle.
Along with the bracelet, you will receive coupons for: 1) Towels 2) Mask, snorkel (disposable), fins, vest 3) Safe box 4.1 buffet restaurant 5.2 water coupons (0.5) or 1 for beer - 0.33 6) Discount on additional services or a discount on a photo. All coupons, signs, descriptions, places to obtain these details and signs are ALL in English and Spanish, so for "non-English" tourists there may be some difficulties. But at the entrance they give out a map in Russian, you can figure it out, it is only informational in nature and it will not work to estimate the distance with its help. Therefore, in search of your turn around the territory, see the numbers of the columns.
Perhaps, underwater rivers are really remembered in Shkaret as something new, especially since this excursion was before EXPLOR. There are two rivers - open and closed - at the entrance to the rivers there is a park employee and says closed river and opened river. Just in case - to the right - a closed river, to the left - open.
Of course, we decided to sail along the open line, because it was something interesting, but we didn’t have the strength to go to two rivers, and also the desire. The water in the river is cool, I would say refreshing, but nevertheless there were many people even with small children in their arms. If you are unlucky, and you are sailing with a number of people like 30 people, you will swim the whole distance not alone, enjoying an unusual phenomenon, a river underground with gaps. Tip: try to go down into the river when there are no queues for vests, masks, snorkels and fins - this is a sure sign that the bulk has already left. Your final point will be on the outskirts of Shkaret, near the sea.
There you open your bag (they were already moved there while you were sailing) and take your dry things. To be honest, I would still leave the camera and the camera in the safe, because it is not known how these bags are overloaded and thrown to the ground or not - something can break. The distance in the underwater river is from the beginning of the Shkaret to the sea (400 meters), in order to swim through it all (in some places you just relax and the light current carries you by itself) it will take about 45 minutes. In some places there are exits to the shore earlier (4 stops), so at any time you can get out and walk on the ground on foot
Keep in mind that if in the process of sailing along the river you decide to leave before the end point and go on foot, finding the place for issuing your things sealed in sports bags by yourself is quite difficult (there are no signs), so I will tell you how to find it: go along Shkaret to the sea and then sharply turn right to the end - there is a fence and you will see vests that are returned and the issuance of your things.
The photo will be ready in 2.5 hours and will be in the souvenir shop at the entrance and exit of Shkaret (do not forget to look there when you return to the hotel). Therefore, if you are going to complete your journey through the park right after the river (as we did), you run the risk of not waiting for your photos or just sitting in a cafe and waiting for them to appear in the photo store. . Price 1 piece = 16 $. , (i. e. if you want to buy all your photos, for 4 pieces you will give about 1920 rubles - be prepared for such prices).
Photos from the OPEN river are better than those taken in a closed river. In a closed river, all 4 landscapes in which you are photographed are almost the SAME (you are underground, and all the landscapes are the same), so you can buy only 1 photo and that will be enough. In an open river, you are photographed against the backdrop of a waterfall, with a tribal resident (painted artist), in flowers, in a lagoon. In general, we were not lucky, but I advise you to swim in an open river if you are not going to swim both there and there.
The garden of orchids, bromeliads and mushrooms did not impress us (maybe not the season), these are two large greenhouses that were looking for them on the map without a guide, it was a long walk and not interesting. After rafting on the rivers, we had a bite to eat, bought on the beach and went to the observation deck. This is a high mast on which a glass cabin rises, which, spinning in a circle, makes it possible to see the park from above, after which it is more clear where to go next.
We were so passionate about the park that we didn’t waste time on a full meal, we had a bite to eat with what we took with us. Everywhere in the reports they write that you need to come later. It seems to me that it is better to arrive early, the park is huge, even a whole day will not be enough to get around everything. You don’t have to worry about fatigue either, there are a lot of places in the park where you can just relax, lie down, take a nap, and gain strength. Study the theme of the park in advance and choose what else you want to see for yourself besides what was shown by the guide. Without a guide, if you go, I think we would not have seen half of it ourselves. The trip from the tour operator is justified with a receiver around the neck and an earpiece, we went through a lot and saw.
One of Xcaret's main features is the main evening bright and colorful show, which employs 300 artists in costumes, and which tells about the life of Mexico since the Maya, during the period of the Spanish colony and to this day.
The earlier you come to it, the better place you will take, there are no tickets with seats. We left the horse show 20 minutes early, better even earlier, there are no special exotics there. Then you can take a picture with the actors in costumes at the entrance to the theater, it's worth it. The guide suggested the place to us and we did not regret it. We settled down on the left tribune if you go from the horse show, the middle of the first row behind the rows on which guests with dinner will sit. With this arrangement, the entire space of the stage is clearly visible, and next to you we will then jump the stairs in costume Montezuma during the fight with Cortez.
The show sunk into the soul and really liked it, it is worth watching even considering the good costumed animation in the hotel. The first part of the show is a costumed history of Mexico before the Spanish invasion.
At first there was a game of pok-slippers (butt ball-ball), when the players had to hammer a rubber ball into the ring with the upper part of the thigh. This ancient religious sports game was called pelota. I was impressed by the game with clubs with a fireball. After a costume show about the times of the Conquista. The second branch is more musical and dance. Drums, mariachis, voladores, equestrian performances...Beautiful! The dance of the old men in ugly masks receives the most applause. Watch the show - you'll see why.
I will give a description of the park found in one of the sites, it is useful and I agree with it, this is plagiarism, but I think the owner will forgive.
What can be seen:
1. Small zoo. Animals are in small enclosures, the interior is close to natural conditions. There are antelopes, goats, tapirs, peccaries, jaguars, including black ones, caimans. Iguanas freely hang out in the park and, oddly enough, snakes, including poisonous ones.
I myself have seen several tree snakes in the branches of trees.
2. Dolphinarium. For additional For a fee, you can swim with dolphins, which, at the command of trainers, jump, including synchronously, ride on their backs. There are also manatees, but no one bothers them.
3. Aquarium. For those who have been to such establishments in London, Barcelona, Singapore, Sydney, etc. , this will not impress. But I love any aquariums. You can also go swimming for an extra charge. board with sand sharks, scratch their belly. Sharks up to 3 m long.
4. Butterfly park. The number of species is small. Comparing, for example, with the Butterfly Park in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, not impressive, but nice. In addition, the park is large and there are almost no people there.
5. Orchid park. Small.
6. Mushroom Park. Mushrooms are bred for food - champignons and oyster mushrooms.
7. Fish nursery. Bred mainly tilapia in open round pools. You can touch the fish, there are so many of them.
8. The main attraction is an underground river.
In the accessible area, its length is about 1.5 km. You can swim to the seashore. In some places, it either has a backlight, or natural and artificial holes on the surface. Swimming is pleasant - a cave, dark, closed space, warm slightly salty water. For rent they give a towel, a locker for things, a life jacket, fins and a mask for 15 USD. You return barefoot to the place of departure. The river ends with a bay with a lot of coral fish.
9. Several ethnic dance shows on schedule (as in Disneyland or Port Aventura).
10. Several decent restaurants at reasonable prices.
11. The final theatrical show on the ball court in 2 parts on the theme of the ancient Maya and old Mexico.
12. Beach. The water there is sea and fresh at the same time, which almost do not mix. The water is clear, lots of fish and coral outcrops.
13. Stylized Mexican cemetery (not real).
14. Models of the ruins of ancient Mayan cities.
EXPLORE Park
- Air adventures 3.8 km long on 13 zip-lines through the Explorer Park, Xplor from 45m above ground to 8m underground, through suspension bridges and with water landings in underground lakes.
- Ride about 10 km on all-terrain vehicles (capacity for 2 adults and 2 children) through the jungle along trails, through caves, ravines and water barriers.
- Rafting: on 2 routes (550 meters each), you will be able to admire the spectacular cliffs and the breathtaking nature of the jungle.
-Swimming in the Explorer Park, Xplor on the river with stalactites, route 400m: a life jacket is required for swimming. Here you can see stalagmites and stalactites located in the numerous caves of the Explorer Park, Xplor.
A big heart with a rhythmic sound is the main place of the park, paths lead to it from all corners of the trials.
The degree of safety for visitors to the Explorer Park, Xplor is very high, the Explorer Park, Xplor is equipped at the highest technical level.
We went through all the entertainment on two lines of difficulty, except for rafting, there was not enough time. . I advise you to prepare comfortable clothes that will not constrain you when riding ropes when putting on a safety harness and comfortable shoes. I bought coral slippers for 25 ye (prices are not Egyptian, not 3 ye) and take clothes for changing. 80% of the time you will be wet, and without shoes you can get hurt. You can not take a towel, but it’s worth changing clothes! Or maybe in a bathing suit and shorts! Do not be afraid to burn - you will spend a lot of time in the caves. The park is incredible! ! ! Recomend for everybody! Some effort will be needed to pass all the routes! It's worth it! The park is organized in such a way that EVERY route has unique amazing moments! ! ! Do not deprive yourself of pleasure - go through EVERYTHING! Everything is very good! Prepare $100 to buy souvenirs and photos!
On all routes there are automatic cameras that, using a chip built into the helmet, will allow you to find a photo at the exit. If you are going to buy them, you can try to enter their zone together then you will get more group photos. The people here came up with the idea to exchange helmets in order to pay for only one! I think it's too inconvenient. I have been accompanied by a waterproof camera on all trips for 4 years and took pictures myself! I hope you have enough time to go through the entire park in the allotted time!
The tour was bought at the hotel reception from the representatives of the park for 116 ye. The price includes a decent lunch without alcohol and a round trip transfer. According to our calculations, it came out cheaper than a taxi and buying tickets in the park. For all excursions, we took drinks from the hotel refrigerator, water and cold beer were not superfluous. At the entrance to the park, we were met by a Russian-speaking guide and told where and how to walk and swim.
It all starts from the center and here you will return when you go to the next entertainment. Russian-speaking staff is available throughout the territory. A guide is not needed for constant escort
ABOUT SAFETY.
Don't believe anyone who says that Mexico is not safe. It is safe, at least in the Yucatan resort area, there is nothing to fear. On the roads of Yucatan, patrol cars with 5 military men in the back of a jeep are not uncommon, one of which, with a machine gun on the roof, watches the surroundings. We saw a road blocked by police cars near a passenger car and people lying on the ground with their hands on their heads. In general, there are many police-federal, police-municipal and police-tourist in the mooring area, according to Charlie, everyone takes bribes, but the price is different. The federal (our FSB) will let you go from a drunk driver without Russian international rights (only ordinary Russian ones) for 500ue, you can negotiate with a tourist for 200ue.
In the rest of Mexico, outside of the Yucatan, the situation is really not calm, and is reminiscent of our 90s, kidnapping, hostage ransom, and dismemberment in garbage bags on the side of the road.
PRO MAYA.
In fact, almost all the staff in hotels, restaurants and historical areas are descendants of the Maya Indians. They are very easy to recognize, they are short, plump and a bit square. They have almond-shaped eyes, round faces, and dark skin. They speak Spanish, but from childhood they also know the Mayan language. Not everyone knows English, so get ready to explain yourself with gestures if something happens. They are very nice, kind and helpful people, they will definitely help you even if you get lost. None of us knew Spanish, we managed with gestures and fifty English words.
The restaurant taught the waiters 5 phrases given for dinner 1-3 dollars, as 3 people were spinning around us, they saw sincere smiles during the service during the day and courtesy in actions.
RESTAURANTS
The hotel has 7 restaurants and a snack bar. Even if you are somehow miraculously late for lunch or dinner, you can fully eat at the snack bar. There you can make yourself a hamburger, take chips, rolls, salads and other things. 3 buffet restaurants are always open to visitors (Laguna, Mexican and Italian), the rest must be booked in advance. The number of visits depends on the number of days in the hotel. For our 15 days, we signed up for each one once in the first week for every evening, an appointment at the reception and it's better to do it on Monday, after that we went again to the Italian, Mediterranean and steakhouse. But after all the restaurants vseravno returned to LAGOON.
When to eat fruit with ice cream or drink juice, and when to have a full snack. Portions in restaurants by appointment are small but beautifully served, and we did not always like what was offered on the menu. It was like leaving hungry.
BEACH
At first, breakwaters on the beach scare, but then you realize all their charm and necessity. They protect not only from waves, but also from algae. Walk along the beaches of neighboring hotels, you will understand the difference. Standing on the breakwaters and jumping in the waves is interesting. Just be careful when choosing a breakwater - these are large PVC bags filled with sand, which are already petrified. Those breakwaters that are older (dark) were chosen by sea urchins. It's the size of a tennis ball and you might not even notice it. In the area of the bags you can also swim with a mask.
This is not the Red Sea, but you can see 10 species of fish, I added 3 to my collection of underwater photos that I had not seen before and a pretty electric stingray found in shallow water near the stones. Good entry into the sea opposite the lifeguard tower. Further to the sides there are stones at the entrance. Opposite the dive center there is rocky-coral shallow water. Having swum on it, I decided to get to the beach and had to crawl, clinging my stomach to the very shore, the waves did not allow me to swim to the depth. We were placed on sunbeds next to the bar on the territory of the pool, the entrance from the lifeguard tower and the volleyball court. Of the pluses nearby and a good entry into the sea, a bar, a swimming pool. When you lie on the beach, fine sand always stretches with your feet on a sunbed and a towel, and so you wash your feet in the shower at the exit to the pool area and there is a clean concrete platform under your feet.
If you go left along the beach beyond the select club zone, there is the only crooked palm tree on the beach for photos in the style of a bounty. By the end of the rest, her trunk was wrapped with barbed wire from those who wanted to climb on top of her head. There you will also see beaches without breakwaters and compare the waves. On an excursion to EXPLOR, 3 guys from Cancun were met, who during 10 days of rest went to the sea only 2 times, the rest of the time they did not give a wave. Their friend tried to jump on the waves but was washed ashore with a complex shoulder dislocation and remained in a cast in a hotel.
The hotel has its own cenote where you can snorkel. It has turtle fish, 2 eels. Large pond (or river) with turtles and several pools
I agree with what was written earlier in Mexico, it is very stuffy and humid. In the first minutes after the plane, it was simply impossible to breathe; it was hot, stuffy and smelled of dampness everywhere.
This feeling disappeared after an hour. The clothes get wet all the time, the one that was washed is problematic to dry without the sun. Even on cloudy days, the sun was so hot that you would have time to tan, by the way, about the statements in the previous ones about burning in the sun. I did not see a single burnt and peeling tourist. Even very white-skinned people went red from the sun, but I did not see burns on any of them. We all arrived with a beautiful even tan. With all this street heat, the rooms are always cool, and sometimes quite cold.
For children there is a water park and a huge children's room, for adults - a spa area and a gym. In the evenings, Indians in national coloring show a show, there is a special area with Mayan buildings for the temazcal ceremony, an orchid garden, and even something similar to a dolmen. We were on the beach until 11 o'clock, then we went for an hour to the spa center where you can use 3 saunas and pools with hydromassage for free.
Massages in the center are very expensive from 100 euros per session.
You can play mini-hockey, billiards or board games in the sports bar, rent a bicycle or go boating for free. You can play tennis. Wi-Fi is free. The best fishing is in the lobby, in the restaurant "Laguna" and on the beach. In other places, if there are few people, you can also connect, I took a tablet computer and looked through mail and news on the beach. I installed Skype and communicated with relatives and friends via video communication for free, my MTS asks for 150 rubles for roaming, for comparison. There are no Russian TV channels in the hotel, so we watched MTV, we managed to watch news via the Internet several times.
The reviews say that the hotel staff steals valuables from the safe. Nothing was stolen from us.
And about a taxi from the hotel. In order not to overpay, do not order a taxi from the reception.
Walk 200 meters to the first gate of the hotel, there are taxi drivers who will take you to the city cheaper from there. But the first time we tried to bargain at the reception and did not agree on their price went to the gate. They already met us there and said that they wouldn’t call them cheaper, they already passed us on the radio station as not accommodating Mexicans from the hotel, we had to go for 15 euros, then we took a minibus for 250-280 pesos.
For souvenirs twice in the afternoon and in the evening we went to 5th Avenue and shopping centers. Prices along the street do not differ much, but there are shops with beautiful magnets and souvenirs that are not found in any others. I liked the rest very much, I think that if you go to the Caribbean, you need to go to Mexico, it is more expensive than the Dominican Republic and Cuba, but there is something to see. Vouchers cost us 145 thousand for 15 days, another 50 was spent in the process of rest.
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I really liked the hotel. We are capricious tourists, but we got what we wanted. We went to it as 5 Stars and I think that it deserves a five in terms of the beauty of the territory, the quality of services, entertainment programs, the number of animals and exotic birds. Of course, the rooms are not so hot and the most important thing is not to choose them, because the territory is HUGE in the rainforest and it’s hard to say what you will get, but I assure you that you will only go to the room to sleep.
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I really liked the hotel. We are capricious tourists, but we got what we wanted. We went to it as 5 Stars and I think that it deserves a five in terms of the beauty of the territory, the quality of services, entertainment programs, the number of animals and exotic birds. Of course, the rooms are not so hot and the most important thing is not to choose them, because the territory is HUGE in the rainforest and it’s hard to say what you will get, but I assure you that you will only go to the room to sleep. Marvelous sea, with fish, birds, entertainment. And evening and night, it's a solid party from young to old with great food and drinks around the clock. There are no Russian TV programs. Take flat adapters with you, and preferably several, to simultaneously charge your equipment. There are no kettles or coffee makers.
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Just super!
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Just super!
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