Our Trip Report - Aug. 27-Sept. 3

If you're reading this, you've probably read other trip reports about TTR. With that in mind, I thought I'd go in a bit of a different direction. I'm going to simply list out the good, the “meh” and the bad elements of our recent trip. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to PM me.


Before I begin, here are the basics. My little lady and I are in our mid-30's and this was our first trip to TTR. We booked on Skoosh and used US Transfers for transportation to the resort.


The Good:
-The Food – We consider ourselves “foodies” and had quite low expectations for the meals. We were completely blown away by both the quality, variety and presentation at nearly every meal. As a starting spot to those that want to sample the best of what's available, here is a list of our favorites items:


-The Village Wok

1. All three sushi options (Note: What they call a “California Roll” is NOT the roll of the same name here in the US. Here it would be a Philadelphia Roll – smoked salmon and cream cheese)
2. Asian Pork Rib appetizer
3. Red Thai Curry

-Bellavista

1. Tapas appetizer

-Margaritas

1. Cheeseburger
2. Tortilla Chips
3. Teriyaki Stir-Fry
4. Fresh Baked Pizzas
5. Seafood Tacos
6. Vegetarian Ravioli (on the buffett)
7. Apple Tart Desert

-Il Piacere

1. Sorrentino Pasta (Possibly the best thing we had all week)
2. Beef carppachio appetizer
3. Portabello mushroom appetizer
4. Spanish Coffee (An absolute must, believe me!)
5. Crème Brulee (Heavy on the cinnamon, light on vanilla, but still very good)

-El Embarcadero (Buffet)

1. Pulled pork dish (breakfast)
2. Chicken Tamales (breakfast)

-Overall level of service – Staff was amazing. Special shout-out to Tiger & Jose at Diego's bar – masters of their craft
-The two-head shower – wonderful amenity that's both practical and entertaining
-Our Room (5733) – good ocean view, very quiet, comfortable bed
-Sexy Pool cleanliness – maintained meticulously every morning, always looked spotless
-Bring your own booze policy – brought a big bottle of Southern Comfort and they stored it at Diego's all week – nice to have my favorite whenever I wanted it
-Lost & Found – Left my phone (i.e. my life) on the beach the first night. Thought it would be the death of our vacation. The front desk returned it to me the next morning. Nearly cried like a baby. Their system seems both extensive and effective.
-Forum member's suggestions – a big thank you to those that suggested bringing an insulated cup and large ziplock bags for bringing back damp clothes – both proved very valuable
-USA Transfers – could not have been smoother airport transportation both to and from the resort. The private transfer is well worth the money.
-Duty-free “Mall” at the Cancun Airport – some great deals on alcohol


The “Meh”:
-Red wristbands – I know they're a necessity, but you'll want to gnaw off your wrist by the end of the week to get it off
-TV reception – no flames about going on vacation to watch TV, but they have great flatscreens with the same reception quality you'd expect 20 years ago
-No clocks anywhere – I know this is on purpose, but it would have been nice to have at least one clock in a central area for the sake of daily activities and dinner reservations
-No apple juice or ginger ale anywhere
-Tipping appreciation – this one surprised us. We heard the staff were super appreciative of tips, but we just didn't see it. They would take our tip and never once said thank you.
- No elevators – this was no real issue for us, but late night climbs up three flights can be a bit of a pain
-Game Room outside of Nice Shoes was extremely musty the entire week – so much so that we were not comfortable there for any length of time
-Omelet Station at Buffet – language barrier makes ordering customized items like an omelet somewhat hit-or-miss


The Bad:
-Towel Policy – This one nearly ruined our first day. We signed out two towels, put them on chairs at the sexy pool and enjoyed our day. When we went to return them (must be back before 7:00PM), someone had stolen one of them. We were told we would be charged $25(!) if it wasn't returned. It took nearly an hour of heated discussion with the front desk to resolve the situation. Their policy is flawed and we saw it cause multiple couples grief over other's lack of moral fiber.
-Dinner Reservation Policy – Reservations at the Asian and Italian restaurants require that you arrive at Bellevista at 10:00AM and then you can only book two days in advance. The staff member booking the reservations was chronically late and the entire policy needlessly difficult.
-Very slippery pool deck – we escaped unharmed, but saw quite a few people in crutches and wrapped ankles – be careful
-Chlorine stains – every white piece of clothing that was exposed to the pool water was yellow by the end of the week. My suggestion is to leave the high-dollar swimwear at home if you plan to spend a lot of time in the pools
-Airport time-share presentations – this is no fault of TTR, but be prepared to be wrangled into a cubicle before you even leave the airport and heavily pressured
-Video Policy – while we all like to have pictures from vacations, but allowing four fully dressed single men to sit at the edge of the sexy pool with video cameras was downright creepy. We would have liked more stringent controls, but this subject has been discussed at length previously


The Verdict:
-No surprises here. We absolutely loved the resort and will definitely be back. If you're on the fence, I encourage you to dive in and give it a try.


I couldn't conclude this without mentioning the best part of the vacation – the people we met. Without them, it would have been half the vacation is was. Big hugs and kisses to Tony & Iggy, Luke from Toronto, Rhia & Andy, and Clay. You guys made a great trip truly unforgettable.


Chad

 

Very well written- the "good" is the reason we keep going back time and time again- hopefully some of the bad can get better.... oh and BTW- we live just east of Baltimore...

 

Thanks Chad! I like your format....gives me good ideas of what to back in November. I will definately add our own towels to the list!

 

Nice trip report............see you on a future trip. We are bothered by some of the same things as well

 

great and very helpful report, thank you

 

Thanks for the great report. Would you suggest wearing the red wrist ands on your ankle instead?

 

I have a solution for the wrist band problem. Cut it with a nail clippers to radius the edge. Then melt it a little with a lighter. With the heat it melts back into itself and gives the edge a bead that is smooth and stops getting caught on everything and it won't scratch you.

Hope it helps.

 

Should I do this before or after 5 - 6 shots?

 

definitely the leg. Then you'll have to throw one over the bar every time you order to prove you're legit.

 

You melt it like you would a loose string on a piece of clothing. You don't burn yourself.