Trip Report - March 10-13

trip report

THANKS FOR THE HONEST
TRIP REPORT(GLENN).
THAT SAID WE LOVE THE PLACE AND CANT WAIT TO GET BACK. YA THE FOOD IS OK, THE BEACH IS OK, BUT THE SERVICE IS 5 STAR. WE RARELY LEAVE THE RESORT AS WE LOVE THE MINDLESS PARTY.
GREAT YOU WANT TO EXPLORE THE CULTURE, BUT THATS NOT FOR US.
THAT SAID THANKS FOR YOUR HONESTY, AND HOPE TO MEET YOU AT TTR IN THE FUTURE. :wave: GLENN.

 

BEACH theres a beach ?? I 've been there five times & didn't know there was a beach... But I love U guys, Thats why I keep comming back....

 

Zoe - I for one want to commend you for coming back and nicely posting your rebuttals. Not many people could have handled this the way you have. Honestly, I am not sure I could have. Yes, I got my feathers ruffled by your original post. Especially the part about you being a foodie from NY. But I am trying to get over it . After taking a break from my emotions (even though I haven't even been to Temptations yet!) I can better see your intentions through your subsequent replies. And I can appreciate them as we are new to Temptations and want to learn everything we can.

That being said - I can't wait to go and party as we do have kids to chase after and momma needs a break!

(posted from my iPad )

 

Wow it is interesting to see the comparison to trip Advisor cause that is exactly what it sounded like.

Now I am about to get crucified with what follows but it is from the heart!

As a VERY well travelled tropics vacationer ( 2-3 trips a year for 20+ years) I have had the chance to go to many resorts reviewed on trip advisor. Early on we even avoided some travel based on the reports.

It became apparent to us that many times the complaints came from certain regional groups. Most to all reviews that were negative about a given resort unfortunately come from my dear neighbors to the south ( the USA).

Now I have to digress, we live closer to the USA than any major Canadian city as a result we spend a lot of time south of the 49th.

It is my belief that the fundemental problem with those reviews is the comparison is always made to home. What is forgotten is that you are most often in a 3rd world country and in the case of TTR staying at a 3 star+ resort.

When you go expecting the Waldorf and travel on a dicount budget expectations NEVER meet reality. There are oppurtunities in the 3rd world to get 5 and 6 star service, TTR is not one of those.

Now I love my southern friends dearly, trusting a few with my and my families lives, but one needs to be honest when trying to influence others with information. You really do most a disservice if you don't qualify your report with a section stating we went expecting "____".

I'm left to wonder what the expectations were on such a short holiday to argueable a budget resort. Nothing here, if you read the volumious posts you indicate, suggests posh luxury. What is suggested is that it is a fun place you will be fed, meet great people getting an escape from the routine of home all the while partying like you were still in college.

Newbies are quick to jump to the defence of the poster of this trip report as they are seeking any and all info. Unfortunately most don't/can't be bothered to put the time in reading and researching instead relying on quickly read trip reports. I ask the thread starter,since you claim to have read a lot here, were you left with the opinion that this was a hidden 5 star gem? Or were you left with the impression that it was an adult spring break like the Vegas commercial that suggests "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"?

I get travel is expensive and we all want max for the dollar we spend but I suggest that we stop reflect on what we would actually get for the $$ spent for nite at home and suddenly things don't seem so bad.

I don't think the 99% vs 1% is a fair argument as some people always have expectations and are left frustrated when their experience does not meet expectations.

What I do suggest, since life is short, is reflect for a week before you get on the computer as as soon as you get home and start venting and decide if what you read and what you experienced were congruent.

I am sorry that this traveller did not get what they expected but am left to wonder what shaped their expectations?

Now let the crucifixion start but remember that Conde Nast, a classy up scale travel mag, also reminds travellers in their ombudsman section that too many complaints arise because of the comparision to home standards as well.

 

And WAY sorry for the verbal diarrhea too!

 

OK I take offense to this as I am the newbie that "came to her defense" above. I commended her for the way she handled herself and yes, said that I can appreciate her views. BUT that doesn't mean I am just blindly believing them. I have spent a lot of time here the past few weeks reading everything I can. That includes back reading posts and even taking a few notes. OK I am taking a deep breath and leaving it at that.

 

Before people delve too far into the topic of what my expectations were, I was in NO WAY expecting a five-star resort. From the many posts I read (both here and on TA), I was expecting more of a 2.5 to 3 star resort. Also, I was not on a budget. It would have been cheaper to stay at the Grand Parnassus (sp). We came down for a quick trip to see the ruins at Chichen-Itza before my friend turned 30. Since we both take 3-4 trips a year, 4 days was what we could take off for this one. We wanted a place that would be relatively free of spring breakers. I partied hard in college (dorms, sorority, off campus--you name it, I drank it, played it, wore it) and did a darn good job exploring nightlife when I moved to NYC. SO, SO many people on here posted about how great the food was and wonderful the drinks were that it was a shock to be served what we were. I went in with very realistic expectations, hence the major disappointment. I consider myself an advanced drinker and it seemed profane to list artificial sweetner as a martini ingredient! Just like it was unfathomable that the sugar on the top of the creme brulee wasn't caramelized!! Are there enough exclamation points in the word to convey that shock/disappointment? Just call it pudding!

A lot of the commentors on this thread took umbrage at someone distinctly disagreeing with their opinion, and they made a lot of assumptions about who I am in doing so. I'm happy to converse with the people who made conversational replies--contrary to what some implied, my report was not meant to be confrontational, and I don't take any of the snide remarks personally.

I was very aware that I was in a third world country and, heck, compared to the tiny apartment I live in those rooms were huge! I could fit my kitchen in the TTR bathroom. And it's a steal compared to what I pay in rent! I only point this out to illustrate that I knew what I was getting into; that said, I was still disappointed in the food, drinks and beach. I was NOT expecting a 5 star resort!

And, btw, I work for a Canadian company so I like to think it's a good influence on us whiny "southerners".

 

Thanks, steveandchristy. I don't know what some of the sniping comments meant to achieve but I learned a lot from this board and am grateful to the other posters who were interested in a conversation rather than belittling me.

I do think it helps to hear a differing opinion, especially since we can all use information as power. I think most newbies have already bought their tickets...it's not likely someone will change their plans because of what someone wrote on a bulletin board.

One has to think that a lot of lurkers on this thread will be keen to try the gauc, Mexican Blow Jobs and Mayan coffee if someone like me who was otherwise sorely disappointed found them worth it!

 

If any Texans need these last few posts translated just let me know.....


(LMAO- pullin' your chain Bryan)

 

Soooo, you felt unjustly attacked. Like if you were say....walk into Fox News waving around the truth...

We all know that the written word lacks intonation and frequently the emotional or experiential motivations or intent behind a post. Yours was clearly misconstrued.

Many people are given to jump to the defense of the things they care about, and rightly so. I can't think of another resort where so many people would jump to it's defense. I think that speaks highly of TTR.


There are still Canadian companies? lol