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How does one find a decent hotel that shows consistent quality. We are not
difficult to please. What we have found in Cancun that the majority of
hotels are old. Plumbing and Air Conditioning functioning are concerns.

We've been to Cancun several times and booked through Signature Vacations
Canada. We stayed at a 3 and 5 star rated hotel. The 5 star was the Royal
Solaris. In both hotels, there were issues with the AC unit.

The AC in the 3 star was working reasonably well and at times to strong.
Only a low and high. The AC vent was part of the ceiling overhang and it
would blow right in your face at night. At one time, only air was blowing
only air.

In the Royal Solaris, we had to change rooms because the AC unit vent was
underneath the bed/floor. It was terrible noisy. The entire tile floor was
vibrating. The AC unit was working ok. But, after repeated speaking to the
manager, we finally got transferred to the Caribe tower after 3 days. In
the Caribe tower, the AC was working initially, but only blew air and did so
until the time we left. We complained (again politely) to management.
They did nothing about the AC unit. We even reported that the elevator one
day stopped working. Again, nothing was done about it.

In Cancun, the employees and management really don't seem to care if you
have any problems. We don't speak Spanish and we are thankful to our
Signature Vacations Rep who got us our new rooms. At that time, we met many
people in the hotel who complained about plumbing problems and AC issues.

What's really frustrating is that we really love Cancun, but we really don't
know where to stay the next time. We have reviewed www.tripadvisor.com and
the information we have received about different hotels is inconsistent.
Finding a travel agent who has been to Cancun is also difficult. When asked
a simple question: "do you anything about this hotel?? they reply "we
received no complaints".

Another problem we have encountered is that travel agents are taken aback
when we ask to speak to someone has extensive experience about our
destination of choice. The agent will NOT pass the phone to someone else.
It's like they are all competing against each other.

So, how does one find a good all inclusive in Mexico? Word of mouth is
limited as well.
How to choose a travel agent?

Any help or links is appreciated.

Thanks

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1) Set your sights for someplace South of Cancun. Places like Akumal
and Tulum are locations with new development.
2) Yes, at some travel agencies they are in competition with each other
for that commission.
3) My sister, Karen, is a t.a. in the Twin Cities of MN. I've used her
services a number of times and I think she's a damn good agent. I'm not
saying this cause she's my sister, either.

I think you should look for someone like Karen:

She's been an agent for 5 years. She belongs to all the professional
organizations, and is certified by the cruise organization CLEA. Karen
knows AI in Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica like the back of her
hand. She has resources at her agency that are constantly updated to
tell how old a property is, who owns it, and current service status.

Karen doesn't just go on vacation. She takes as many "fam" trips as she
can. When she goes to a destination she tries as many extras and
excursions as possible.

I once asked her why she went to a destination that I thought wasn't
very exciting. Her reply, "I can't recommend a destination as well, if
I haven't been there." and, "I go where my clients want to go and do
the things they'd like to do." She's a real people person but totally
professional. She recently helped a client bring their loved one's
remains back from Paris. It isn't in her job description but she is
willing to go that extra mile. She has a real knack for talking with
bureaucrats to get them to see the human side of a situation and make
the repatriation process a little easier.

Her agency is a concession in a department store. It's the right size
between a mom and pop agency and a big mega agency. At her agency all
the commissions go directly to the agency. Bonuses are paid out twice a
year based on sales performance. It takes away some of the back
stabbing that happens at agencies where the travel agents are competing
for commissions directly.





On 09/08/2003 9:54 PM Pavel wrote:

>How does one find a decent hotel that shows consistent quality. We are not
>difficult to please. What we have found in Cancun that the majority of
>hotels are old. Plumbing and Air Conditioning functioning are concerns.
>
>We've been to Cancun several times and booked through Signature Vacations
>Canada. We stayed at a 3 and 5 star rated hotel. The 5 star was the Royal
>Solaris. In both hotels, there were issues with the AC unit.
>
>The AC in the 3 star was working reasonably well and at times to strong.
>Only a low and high. The AC vent was part of the ceiling overhang and it
>would blow right in your face at night. At one time, only air was blowing
>only air.
>
>In the Royal Solaris, we had to change rooms because the AC unit vent was
>underneath the bed/floor. It was terrible noisy. The entire tile floor was
>vibrating. The AC unit was working ok. But, after repeated speaking to the
>manager, we finally got transferred to the Caribe tower after 3 days. In
>the Caribe tower, the AC was working initially, but only blew air and did so
>until the time we left. We complained (again politely) to management.
>They did nothing about the AC unit. We even reported that the elevator one
>day stopped working. Again, nothing was done about it.
>
>In Cancun, the employees and management really don't seem to care if you
>have any problems. We don't speak Spanish and we are thankful to our
>Signature Vacations Rep who got us our new rooms. At that time, we met many
>people in the hotel who complained about plumbing problems and AC issues.
>
>What's really frustrating is that we really love Cancun, but we really don't
>know where to stay the next time. We have reviewed www.tripadvisor.com and
>the information we have received about different hotels is inconsistent.
>Finding a travel agent who has been to Cancun is also difficult. When asked
>a simple question: "do you anything about this hotel?? they reply "we
>received no complaints".
>
>Another problem we have encountered is that travel agents are taken aback
>when we ask to speak to someone has extensive experience about our
>destination of choice. The agent will NOT pass the phone to someone else.
>It's like they are all competing against each other.
>
>So, how does one find a good all inclusive in Mexico? Word of mouth is
>limited as well.
>How to choose a travel agent?
>
>Any help or links is appreciated.
>
>Thanks
>
>
>
>
>
>

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On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 01:54:48 GMT, "Pavel"
<newsgroup_@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote:

>Go to Playa Del Carmen. My recommendation is Royal Hideaway. There are other nice ones but IMO that is at the top of the list.
5 Stars+
>

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"Pavel" <newsgroup_@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Ipa7b.926922$3C2.21143540@news3.calgary.shaw.ca...

> So, how does one find a good all inclusive in Mexico? Word of mouth
> is limited as well. How to choose a travel agent?

The two go hand in hand. My family's approach to finding a good all
inclusive has always been to sit down with all the different brochures from
Signature, etc and spend an evening making lists and narrowing them down,
this is where the travel agent comes in because they'll help you narrow it
down even further and weed out the bad ones.

If you don't have a good travel agent at present, my best advice would be to
go on a trip, then talk to other people on the flight back, usually when you
book a package deal, the vast majority of people on your plane are also
booking package deals and someone is bound to have a good agent.

All that said, I'd say break away from Cancun a bit. If you're set on
Mexico, then try something on the Pacific like Manzanillo, Huatulco or
Puerto Vallarta. My family found a really nice all inclusive called Club
Maeva in Manzanillo in the mid-90's, only reason that they don't go there
any more is that they've been maybe four if not five times, so they wanted
something new.

If you're willing to try another country, I'd recommend something in the
Caribbean, perhaps Cuba, the Dominican Republic or Jamaica. Also I notice
that you've cross-posted to rec.travel.budget which won't do you much good
(ceiling fans are a luxury to budget travellers, so complaints about faulty
A/C will fall on deaf ears) but you missed rec.travel.caribbean where you
could probably get all sorts of useful info and suggestions.

Anyway, good luck with your search for an all inclusive!

Richard

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Plumbing and A/C problems - Hey! Its Mexico. That is the way things work (or
not) down there.
You gotta take Mexico with the proverbial grain of salt.
No sense in getting too upset about it.
I'll be at an AI I've never been to in PV later this month. How upset should I
get over such things when I am paying such a cheap rate for the whole deal.

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Yes, Karen is the kind of travel agent we are looking for. Too bad she's
not in Canada. :-(

"Brian K" <brianxt1951@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:vqe7b.978$c35.844@newsread1.news.atl.earthlink.net...
| 1) Set your sights for someplace South of Cancun. Places like Akumal
| and Tulum are locations with new development.
| 2) Yes, at some travel agencies they are in competition with each other
| for that commission.
| 3) My sister, Karen, is a t.a. in the Twin Cities of MN. I've used her
| services a number of times and I think she's a damn good agent. I'm not
| saying this cause she's my sister, either.
|
| I think you should look for someone like Karen:
|
| She's been an agent for 5 years. She belongs to all the professional
| organizations, and is certified by the cruise organization CLEA. Karen
| knows AI in Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica like the back of her
| hand. She has resources at her agency that are constantly updated to
| tell how old a property is, who owns it, and current service status.
|
| Karen doesn't just go on vacation. She takes as many "fam" trips as she
| can. When she goes to a destination she tries as many extras and
| excursions as possible.
|
| I once asked her why she went to a destination that I thought wasn't
| very exciting. Her reply, "I can't recommend a destination as well, if
| I haven't been there." and, "I go where my clients want to go and do
| the things they'd like to do." She's a real people person but totally
| professional. She recently helped a client bring their loved one's
| remains back from Paris. It isn't in her job description but she is
| willing to go that extra mile. She has a real knack for talking with
| bureaucrats to get them to see the human side of a situation and make
| the repatriation process a little easier.
|
| Her agency is a concession in a department store. It's the right size
| between a mom and pop agency and a big mega agency. At her agency all
| the commissions go directly to the agency. Bonuses are paid out twice a
| year based on sales performance. It takes away some of the back
| stabbing that happens at agencies where the travel agents are competing
| for commissions directly.
|
|
|
|
|
| On 09/08/2003 9:54 PM Pavel wrote:
|
| >How does one find a decent hotel that shows consistent quality. We are
not
| >difficult to please. What we have found in Cancun that the majority of
| >hotels are old. Plumbing and Air Conditioning functioning are
concerns.
| >
| >We've been to Cancun several times and booked through Signature Vacations
| >Canada. We stayed at a 3 and 5 star rated hotel. The 5 star was the
Royal
| >Solaris. In both hotels, there were issues with the AC unit.
| >
| >The AC in the 3 star was working reasonably well and at times to strong.
| >Only a low and high. The AC vent was part of the ceiling overhang and it
| >would blow right in your face at night. At one time, only air was
blowing
| >only air.
| >
| >In the Royal Solaris, we had to change rooms because the AC unit vent was
| >underneath the bed/floor. It was terrible noisy. The entire tile floor
was
| >vibrating. The AC unit was working ok. But, after repeated speaking to
the
| >manager, we finally got transferred to the Caribe tower after 3 days. In
| >the Caribe tower, the AC was working initially, but only blew air and did
so
| >until the time we left. We complained (again politely) to management.
| >They did nothing about the AC unit. We even reported that the elevator
one
| >day stopped working. Again, nothing was done about it.
| >
| >In Cancun, the employees and management really don't seem to care if you
| >have any problems. We don't speak Spanish and we are thankful to our
| >Signature Vacations Rep who got us our new rooms. At that time, we met
many
| >people in the hotel who complained about plumbing problems and AC issues.
| >
| >What's really frustrating is that we really love Cancun, but we really
don't
| >know where to stay the next time. We have reviewed www.tripadvisor.com
and
| >the information we have received about different hotels is inconsistent.
| >Finding a travel agent who has been to Cancun is also difficult. When
asked
| >a simple question: "do you anything about this hotel?? they reply "we
| >received no complaints".
| >
| >Another problem we have encountered is that travel agents are taken aback
| >when we ask to speak to someone has extensive experience about our
| >destination of choice. The agent will NOT pass the phone to someone
else.
| >It's like they are all competing against each other.
| >
| >So, how does one find a good all inclusive in Mexico? Word of mouth is
| >limited as well.
| >How to choose a travel agent?
| >
| >Any help or links is appreciated.
| >
| >Thanks
| >
| >
| >
| >
| >
| >
|
|

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> So, how does one find a good all inclusive in Mexico? Word of mouth
| > is limited as well. How to choose a travel agent?
|
| If you don't have a good travel agent at present, my best advice would be
to
| go on a trip, then talk to other people on the flight back, usually when
you
| book a package deal, the vast majority of people on your plane are also
| booking package deals and someone is bound to have a good agent.

We tried that. We have Air Transat. We talked to several people and
everyone had no complaints about their agent, except many commented that the
agent would not offer the lowest price for the same hotel, unless
specifically told about a competitor's rate. Most of the people stayed in
the Mayan region and a few party goers in downtown Cancun. They did have
complaints about the hotel. Their agents were not familiar with the
individual hotels when we asked. Manu had time-shares. But, for some
reason the "vibe" on the way back generally is not very friendly. Maybe
because people realize that they have to go back to work.

We thought about PV, but we love the white sand and turquoise blue water.
That's what draws us back to the aYucatan. Best of all, we don't have to
know Spanish. We've seen pictures of PV and Manzanillo, but didn't care
much for it. We heard that the Dominican and Cuba are very nice but the
food was not good at the AI's. A lot of people we talked to have said that.
Hmm. Have heard that Jamaica , Trinidad and Tobago is quite "crime ridden.
We'd have to watch our backs there".

Oops, totally forgot about the group: rec.travel.caribbean. Will have to
post there.

Thanks for the info, appreciate it.

| All that said, I'd say break away from Cancun a bit. If you're set on
| Mexico, then try something on the Pacific like Manzanillo, Huatulco or
| Puerto Vallarta. My family found a really nice all inclusive called Club
| Maeva in Manzanillo in the mid-90's, only reason that they don't go there
| any more is that they've been maybe four if not five times, so they wanted
| something new.
|
| If you're willing to try another country, I'd recommend something in the
| Caribbean, perhaps Cuba, the Dominican Republic or Jamaica. Also I notice
| that you've cross-posted to rec.travel.budget which won't do you much good
| (ceiling fans are a luxury to budget travellers, so complaints about
faulty
| A/C will fall on deaf ears) but you missed rec.travel.caribbean where you
| could probably get all sorts of useful info and suggestions.
|
| Anyway, good luck with your search for an all inclusive!
|
| Richard
|
|

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Cheap? I'm talking about $1500/pp (minimum). That's not cheap. If
we want cheap, we would stay at the Yalmakan, El Pueblito, Solymar, or Oasis
hotels. We gotta have the basics: working a/c, plumbing and a clean
bed/room.

I know the decent hotesl are out there, just not sure which ones. I believe
Play Del Carmen and Tulum have new(er) hotels. But, I guess they are outside
of Cancun.

"Treemoss2" <treemoss2@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030909172525.10745.00000673@mb-m29.aol.com...
| Plumbing and A/C problems - Hey! Its Mexico. That is the way things work
(or
| not) down there.
| You gotta take Mexico with the proverbial grain of salt.
| No sense in getting too upset about it.
| I'll be at an AI I've never been to in PV later this month. How upset
should I
| get over such things when I am paying such a cheap rate for the whole
deal.

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In Cancun try the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach. My wife and I just stayed
there in June. I believe there are three Fiesta Americana hotels in Cancun.
We recommend the Coral Beach. We, much like yourself have found the same
issues with many hotels in Cancun. However we love Cancun and will return
again and again.

At the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach the staff were extremely friendly and
always eager to please. The hotel was meticulously clean, the food was
fabulous, the A/C and the plumbing worked without problems. The pool was
enormous and clean. The beach was dotted with more than enough palapas and
lounge chairs.

As you can see, we really enjoyed our stay at Fiesta Americana Coral Beach.

¡Buena suerte y Qué se vayan bien!

"Pavel" <newsgroup_@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Q8z7b.101834$kW.70106@edtnps84...
> Cheap? I'm talking about $1500/pp (minimum). That's not cheap. If
> we want cheap, we would stay at the Yalmakan, El Pueblito, Solymar, or
Oasis
> hotels. We gotta have the basics: working a/c, plumbing and a clean
> bed/room.
>
> I know the decent hotesl are out there, just not sure which ones. I
believe
> Play Del Carmen and Tulum have new(er) hotels. But, I guess they are
outside
> of Cancun.
>
> "Treemoss2" <treemoss2@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:20030909172525.10745.00000673@mb-m29.aol.com...
> | Plumbing and A/C problems - Hey! Its Mexico. That is the way things work
> (or
> | not) down there.
> | You gotta take Mexico with the proverbial grain of salt.
> | No sense in getting too upset about it.
> | I'll be at an AI I've never been to in PV later this month. How upset
> should I
> | get over such things when I am paying such a cheap rate for the whole
> deal.
>

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>Cheap? I'm talking about $1500/pp (minimum). That's not cheap. >>

NO, it is not. And why would you ever want to pay that much in a place like
Cancun that many operators have deals for that are much much cheaper. I guess
you do deserve a decent hotel for that, but I think you are paying way too
much.
Me - $459pp - RT air to PV/all inclusive. That is per Suntrips and they have
deals out of most US cities.

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"Treemoss2" <treemoss2@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030910103227.18345.00000910@mb-m13.aol.com...

> NO, it is not. And why would you ever want to pay that much in a place
like
> Cancun that many operators have deals for that are much much cheaper. I
guess
> you do deserve a decent hotel for that, but I think you are paying way too
> much.

> Me - $459pp - RT air to PV/all inclusive. That is per Suntrips and they
have
> deals out of most US cities.

$459??! Oh my gawd!! Why would you EVER pay soooo much money when you could
hitch hike to Mexico, meet some chick at a bar and crash at her place for
free?

A bit tongue in cheek? Maybe, but the point is that you get what you pay
for. Some people like nicer things than others, so they spend more money.

Richard

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"Treemoss2" <treemoss2@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030910103227.18345.00000910@mb-m13.aol.com...

| >| Me - $459pp - RT air to PV/all inclusive. That is per Suntrips and they
have
| deals out of most US cities.

Agreed. I've seen those deals. We don't like PV. Once we experienced the
Caribbean, we can't go back to the Pacific.

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"Richard" <this@is.invalid> wrote in message
news:bjngo3$n58$1@dns3.cae.ca...
| |
| $459??! Oh my gawd!! Why would you EVER pay soooo much money when you
could
| hitch hike to Mexico, meet some chick at a bar and crash at her place for
| free?
|
| A bit tongue in cheek? Maybe, but the point is that you get what you pay
| for. Some people like nicer things than others, so they spend more money.
|
| Richard

That's a good price when if we are talking Canadian dollars.

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Thanks. Nice hotel. It's quite pricey. I didn't see any mention of the all
inclusive option . We'd like to find some place for under $1500/pp CDN from
Vancouver Canada that's decent---so we're still looking.


"rnb" <derchnameit@sbcglobal.invalid> wrote in message
news:Buz7b.670$s_3.354@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com...
| In Cancun try the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach. My wife and I just stayed
| there in June. I believe there are three Fiesta Americana hotels in
Cancun.
| We recommend the Coral Beach. We, much like yourself have found the same
| issues with many hotels in Cancun. However we love Cancun and will return
| again and again.
|
| At the Fiesta Americana Coral Beach the staff were extremely friendly and
| always eager to please. The hotel was meticulously clean, the food was
| fabulous, the A/C and the plumbing worked without problems. The pool was
| enormous and clean. The beach was dotted with more than enough palapas
and
| lounge chairs.
|
| As you can see, we really enjoyed our stay at Fiesta Americana Coral
Beach.
|
| ¡Buena suerte y Qué se vayan bien!
|
| "Pavel" <newsgroup_@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote in message
| news:Q8z7b.101834$kW.70106@edtnps84...
| > Cheap? I'm talking about $1500/pp (minimum). That's not cheap. If
| > we want cheap, we would stay at the Yalmakan, El Pueblito, Solymar, or
| Oasis
| > hotels. We gotta have the basics: working a/c, plumbing and a clean
| > bed/room.
| >
| > I know the decent hotesl are out there, just not sure which ones. I
| believe
| > Play Del Carmen and Tulum have new(er) hotels. But, I guess they are
| outside
| > of Cancun.
| >
| > "Treemoss2" <treemoss2@aol.com> wrote in message
| > news:20030909172525.10745.00000673@mb-m29.aol.com...
| > | Plumbing and A/C problems - Hey! Its Mexico. That is the way things
work
| > (or
| > | not) down there.
| > | You gotta take Mexico with the proverbial grain of salt.
| > | No sense in getting too upset about it.
| > | I'll be at an AI I've never been to in PV later this month. How upset
| > should I
| > | get over such things when I am paying such a cheap rate for the whole
| > deal.
| >
|
|

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You find a good All-Inclusive in Mexico by going to
http://playadelcarmen.start4all.com and then clicking on Royal
Hideaway Resort & Spa.....

Or go directly to http://www.royalhideaway.com the only AI belonging
to Leading Hotels of the World.

Regards,
Jaap

On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 01:54:48 GMT, "Pavel"
<newsgroup_@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote:

>How does one find a decent hotel that shows consistent quality. We are not
>difficult to please. What we have found in Cancun that the majority of
>hotels are old. Plumbing and Air Conditioning functioning are concerns.
>
>We've been to Cancun several times and booked through Signature Vacations
>Canada. We stayed at a 3 and 5 star rated hotel. The 5 star was the Royal
>Solaris. In both hotels, there were issues with the AC unit.
>
>The AC in the 3 star was working reasonably well and at times to strong.
>Only a low and high. The AC vent was part of the ceiling overhang and it
>would blow right in your face at night. At one time, only air was blowing
>only air.
>
>In the Royal Solaris, we had to change rooms because the AC unit vent was
>underneath the bed/floor. It was terrible noisy. The entire tile floor was
>vibrating. The AC unit was working ok. But, after repeated speaking to the
>manager, we finally got transferred to the Caribe tower after 3 days. In
>the Caribe tower, the AC was working initially, but only blew air and did so
>until the time we left. We complained (again politely) to management.
>They did nothing about the AC unit. We even reported that the elevator one
>day stopped working. Again, nothing was done about it.
>
>In Cancun, the employees and management really don't seem to care if you
>have any problems. We don't speak Spanish and we are thankful to our
>Signature Vacations Rep who got us our new rooms. At that time, we met many
>people in the hotel who complained about plumbing problems and AC issues.
>
>What's really frustrating is that we really love Cancun, but we really don't
>know where to stay the next time. We have reviewed www.tripadvisor.com and
>the information we have received about different hotels is inconsistent.
>Finding a travel agent who has been to Cancun is also difficult. When asked
>a simple question: "do you anything about this hotel?? they reply "we
>received no complaints".
>
>Another problem we have encountered is that travel agents are taken aback
>when we ask to speak to someone has extensive experience about our
>destination of choice. The agent will NOT pass the phone to someone else.
>It's like they are all competing against each other.
>
>So, how does one find a good all inclusive in Mexico? Word of mouth is
>limited as well.
>How to choose a travel agent?
>
>Any help or links is appreciated.
>
>Thanks
>
>
>

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Yes, but terribly pricey. $500 USD/per couple per night!

"Jaap de Wit" <japeman@dds.nl> wrote in message
news:si4vlvgm5d2j6p7dg0mqbrn6dqe28fkpch@4ax.com...
| You find a good All-Inclusive in Mexico by going to
| http://playadelcarmen.start4all.com and then clicking on Royal
| Hideaway Resort & Spa.....
|
| Or go directly to http://www.royalhideaway.com the only AI belonging
| to Leading Hotels of the World.
|
| Regards,
| Jaap

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Pavel, you're asking for a lot. You want a brand new all-inclusive
(everything works) with great food, employees with great attitudes, perfect
sevice, has to be an AI, and it has to be cheap, has to be in Cancun, and
the departure dates and times must be perfect. Never gonna happen.

That kind of AI deal happens MAYBE once a year, but you have to be flexible
in your travel dates to get it.

You have limited yourself to much. Ever try to get a good deal on a non-AI?
Or maybe a nice place that's not right on the beach? What's wrong with the
Pacific? I stayed in a beautiful 4 story Canadian-owned place that
overlooked downtown PV. The help was awesome, there were many fine
restaraunts 5 minutes away, and I paid $55/night US. Originally I wanted a
cheap AI right on the beach, but after some research, I found this place
instead...I traded a cheap place on the beach where the rooms were going to
be ghetto, and the help was going to be "on permanente siesta," for a place
where the air worked very well and I thought there for a few days that I was
rich, it was so nice.

Flexibility is key to getting what you want, always.

Drew
Austin, TX


"Pavel" <newsgroup_@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Ipa7b.926922$3C2.21143540@news3.calgary.shaw.ca...
> How does one find a decent hotel that shows consistent quality. We are
not
> difficult to please. What we have found in Cancun that the majority of
> hotels are old. Plumbing and Air Conditioning functioning are concerns.
>
> We've been to Cancun several times and booked through Signature Vacations
> Canada. We stayed at a 3 and 5 star rated hotel. The 5 star was the Royal
> Solaris. In both hotels, there were issues with the AC unit.
>
> The AC in the 3 star was working reasonably well and at times to strong.
> Only a low and high. The AC vent was part of the ceiling overhang and it
> would blow right in your face at night. At one time, only air was
blowing
> only air.
>
> In the Royal Solaris, we had to change rooms because the AC unit vent was
> underneath the bed/floor. It was terrible noisy. The entire tile floor
was
> vibrating. The AC unit was working ok. But, after repeated speaking to the
> manager, we finally got transferred to the Caribe tower after 3 days. In
> the Caribe tower, the AC was working initially, but only blew air and did
so
> until the time we left. We complained (again politely) to management.
> They did nothing about the AC unit. We even reported that the elevator
one
> day stopped working. Again, nothing was done about it.
>
> In Cancun, the employees and management really don't seem to care if you
> have any problems. We don't speak Spanish and we are thankful to our
> Signature Vacations Rep who got us our new rooms. At that time, we met
many
> people in the hotel who complained about plumbing problems and AC issues.
>
> What's really frustrating is that we really love Cancun, but we really
don't
> know where to stay the next time. We have reviewed www.tripadvisor.com
and
> the information we have received about different hotels is inconsistent.
> Finding a travel agent who has been to Cancun is also difficult. When
asked
> a simple question: "do you anything about this hotel?? they reply "we
> received no complaints".
>
> Another problem we have encountered is that travel agents are taken aback
> when we ask to speak to someone has extensive experience about our
> destination of choice. The agent will NOT pass the phone to someone else.
> It's like they are all competing against each other.
>
> So, how does one find a good all inclusive in Mexico? Word of mouth is
> limited as well.
> How to choose a travel agent?
>
> Any help or links is appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
>
>
>

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Drew, I hear ya. Don't get me wrong. Unfortunately, there are not many new
[AI] hotels in Cancun. It's just that the newer hotels have a less likely
chance of having the AC breaking down or plumbing issues. That's the ONLY
reason why I would want a new hotel. In virtually every review I read
there is something wrong, usually the AC. Rarely, does someone go into
their hotel room in Cancun and the AC or plumbing is fine.

The service is not very important to me. If there is something faulty like
the AC or plumbing, I expect that to be fixed promptly without any hassle as
if dealing with an insurance claims adjuster. I don't want people to wait on
me hand and foot and make the centre of attention. The food doesn't need to
be great either Good to ok is just fine and "hygienic". I want to go on
vacation to relax, not to deal with problems. That's why I've gone away.
So, I think I'm being flexible.

I'm from the Pacific Northwest. I see the murky pacific water and sand all
the time. I frankly, hate it. It's a personal choice. Perhaps if I was in
Texas, I would want to see the Pacific since I'm not too far away from the
Gulf of Mexico. I recently took an Alaska cruise. It was relaxing, but the
scenary was uneventful. Just like home. I felt uncomfortable having
someone every few minutes ask me if I wanted this or that.

However, if a really good $$$ flight and accomodate to PV comes available
during the winter months, I may consider it just to get away from the balmy
winters we have. I heard a lot of good things about this town just east of
Cabo. The water is much nicer than PV. I think its San Jose Del Cabo

I wouldn't really chance not *staying* at an all-inclusive due to my lack of
Spanish (yes, we should learn it), but I know sooooooo many people who have
returned from the western part of Mexico who ate at the restaurants and got
ill. So, I'm even more apprehensive. If I know that some restaurants have
good track records (of course there are exceptions), I'm game. But, I have
to eat every 3-4 hours so I need a place that will accommodate. I generally
look for a hotel that has around the clock food--like many AI's.

Sounds like you really lucked out on the Canadian hotel when you went to PV.
What is it called and what restaurants would you recommend that don't cost
much?

"Drew Shuller" <dru@io.com> wrote in message
news:geSdnXyXSo_Hg_yiU-KYuA@io.com...
| Pavel, you're asking for a lot. You want a brand new all-inclusive
| (everything works) with great food, employees with great attitudes,
perfect
| sevice, has to be an AI, and it has to be cheap, has to be in Cancun, and
| the departure dates and times must be perfect. Never gonna happen.
|
| That kind of AI deal happens MAYBE once a year, but you have to be
flexible
| in your travel dates to get it.
|
| You have limited yourself to much. Ever try to get a good deal on a
non-AI?
| Or maybe a nice place that's not right on the beach? What's wrong with the
| Pacific? I stayed in a beautiful 4 story Canadian-owned place that
| overlooked downtown PV. The help was awesome, there were many fine
| restaraunts 5 minutes away, and I paid $55/night US. Originally I wanted a
| cheap AI right on the beach, but after some research, I found this place
| instead...I traded a cheap place on the beach where the rooms were going
to
| be ghetto, and the help was going to be "on permanente siesta," for a
place
| where the air worked very well and I thought there for a few days that I
was
| rich, it was so nice.
|
| Flexibility is key to getting what you want, always.
|
| Drew
| Austin, TX|
|

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OK, I did stay in a place in Cancun that was new and therefore really nice.
It was...searching my memory for the name...the Gran Caribe Real Resort. It
has everything that you're looking for, except the price maybe. I lucked out
on an AI 3-night for $414 from San Antonio.

You're right about where you're from. I like the Pacific better because I've
seen plenty of flat coastlines in Texas so I like the change of scenery.
Plus I feel somehow better connected to the Pacific ocean than to the
Caribbean, don't know why.

The water, however, in PV, when I was there in August, was very nice. We had
35 foot vis at El Arco, and that's plenty for me, but the divemasters said
that it wasn't usually like that. Also, you have to get away from PV either
north or south to get the really nice beaches. My friend got sick, but we
could never tell if it was bad food, bad water, or just our inability to
handle the intestinal bugs that the Mexican people are used to. This could
happen anywhere...Cabo, Cancun, PV, Acapulco, wherever. I stayed at the Casa
Isabel: http://www.madisonavenuepub.com/mad.../features.html. It's a
nice place. Also, as long as you're at a tourist destination, you'll get by
with no Spanish at all. I was able to rent a car, buy groceries, and find
activities, all without language difficulties. You can't swing a cat by it's
tail without hitting a restaurant in PV...cheap, expensive, good, whatever,
they have it. I can't remember offhand where I went, but if you go there
drop me a line and I'll dig the info up.

PV has a pretty big Canuk expat community. Check this board and you'll feel
right at home! http://pub69.ezboard.com/btodopuertovallarta

Now Cabo is a different story altogether. I'm guessing that if you could
take the California desert and drop it in the middle of a beautiful azure
ocean then you would know what it's like. The water is so far beyond blue
it's almost purple, and instead of the semi-jungle as in PV, you have sand,
hardscrabble, cacti, and very dramatic rocky cliffs and hills that thrust up
out of the water. It's very dry. Google the Gulf of California and you'll
see what I mean, especially Baha Sur. It couldn't be more different than the
West Coast of Mexico nor the Pacific Northwest I imagine.

Grab a map online, and you'll see that Cabo is really referring to the
"Corridor," the highway along the coast that runs between Cabo and San Jose
del Cabo. Lots of resorts on this road, which will take about 45 minutes to
drive. San Jose is supposed to be the quieter, more authentic destination
(maybe like the distinction between Cancun and Coz, before the ship terminal
was built) and might even have cheaper places to stay. Where Cabo is
bustling, full of partiers from LA (this could be bad or good, depending!),
San Jose is a little more laid back. Also, if memory serves, there is a
large snorkeling/scuba park with clear calm water, located north of San
Jose, so you would be closer to that. But the water all around the area just
kills me, because I like lots of wave action! The fishing in the area is
better than Cancun and PV combined, and cheaper too. Cabo is my favorite
place, though Cancun is cheaper and more convenient for Texans to experience
a quick weekend getaway at the beach.

Tell us what you decide, and keep hitting the TripAdvisor page as you go
along.

Drew


"Pavel" <newsgroup_@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:yXz8b.1219$Cu3.287@edtnps84...
> Drew, I hear ya. Don't get me wrong. Unfortunately, there are not many
new
> [AI] hotels in Cancun. It's just that the newer hotels have a less
likely
> chance of having the AC breaking down or plumbing issues. That's the ONLY
> reason why I would want a new hotel. In virtually every review I read
> there is something wrong, usually the AC. Rarely, does someone go into
> their hotel room in Cancun and the AC or plumbing is fine.
>
> The service is not very important to me. If there is something faulty
like
> the AC or plumbing, I expect that to be fixed promptly without any hassle
as
> if dealing with an insurance claims adjuster. I don't want people to wait
on
> me hand and foot and make the centre of attention. The food doesn't need
to
> be great either Good to ok is just fine and "hygienic". I want to go on
> vacation to relax, not to deal with problems. That's why I've gone away.
> So, I think I'm being flexible.
>
> I'm from the Pacific Northwest. I see the murky pacific water and sand
all
> the time. I frankly, hate it. It's a personal choice. Perhaps if I was
in
> Texas, I would want to see the Pacific since I'm not too far away from the
> Gulf of Mexico. I recently took an Alaska cruise. It was relaxing, but
the
> scenary was uneventful. Just like home. I felt uncomfortable having
> someone every few minutes ask me if I wanted this or that.
>
> However, if a really good $$$ flight and accomodate to PV comes available
> during the winter months, I may consider it just to get away from the
balmy
> winters we have. I heard a lot of good things about this town just east
of
> Cabo. The water is much nicer than PV. I think its San Jose Del Cabo
>
> I wouldn't really chance not *staying* at an all-inclusive due to my lack
of
> Spanish (yes, we should learn it), but I know sooooooo many people who
have
> returned from the western part of Mexico who ate at the restaurants and
got
> ill. So, I'm even more apprehensive. If I know that some restaurants
have
> good track records (of course there are exceptions), I'm game. But, I
have
> to eat every 3-4 hours so I need a place that will accommodate. I
generally
> look for a hotel that has around the clock food--like many AI's.
>
> Sounds like you really lucked out on the Canadian hotel when you went to
PV.
> What is it called and what restaurants would you recommend that don't cost
> much?
>
> "Drew Shuller" <dru@io.com> wrote in message
> news:geSdnXyXSo_Hg_yiU-KYuA@io.com...
> | Pavel, you're asking for a lot. You want a brand new all-inclusive
> | (everything works) with great food, employees with great attitudes,
> perfect
> | sevice, has to be an AI, and it has to be cheap, has to be in Cancun,
and
> | the departure dates and times must be perfect. Never gonna happen.
> |
> | That kind of AI deal happens MAYBE once a year, but you have to be
> flexible
> | in your travel dates to get it.
> |
> | You have limited yourself to much. Ever try to get a good deal on a
> non-AI?
> | Or maybe a nice place that's not right on the beach? What's wrong with
the
> | Pacific? I stayed in a beautiful 4 story Canadian-owned place that
> | overlooked downtown PV. The help was awesome, there were many fine
> | restaraunts 5 minutes away, and I paid $55/night US. Originally I wanted
a
> | cheap AI right on the beach, but after some research, I found this place
> | instead...I traded a cheap place on the beach where the rooms were going
> to
> | be ghetto, and the help was going to be "on permanente siesta," for a
> place
> | where the air worked very well and I thought there for a few days that I
> was
> | rich, it was so nice.
> |
> | Flexibility is key to getting what you want, always.
> |
> | Drew
> | Austin, TX|
> |
>
>

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