Trip Report – Opinion - Long post

If you want to get to the report skip the disclaimer and biases section. If you want to complain about what I say, read the disclaimer section first please. This will also end up being a long post. I will try to label things in sections so you can pick and choose what you want to read.

Disclaimer and biases

I would go back to Temptations, end of story. That doesn’t mean it is a perfect place to go and it does have some flaws. You need to set your expectations in-line with where you are going and why you are going or you likely won’t understand what you are getting yourself into.


I have been to true five star resorts and restaurants, flown first class often and been fortunate to be wined and dined by many a vender looking to do business with me. I have also been dirt poor in my life and had to live off of microwave potatoes and barbeque sauce for months on end. Hence, I have some perspective on things.


Being critical or having critical opinions is not bad and these should not be read in a way to dissuade the reader from coming to their own conclusions.


The Stuff


The airport

Cancun airport is one of the nicest and cleanest I have ever seen and I have been to a lot of airports. The souvenirs are really expensive inside the airport along with the food, but you already knew that. If you want to get a few bottles of booze or some smokes get it at the airport so you don’t have to get it later.

Don’t take pictures of the customs people or immigration people. It’s posted that it is not allowed and they aren’t kidding. Be a good tourist, smile and obey the rules.

Mexico in general

I would not call Mexico a third world country, it isn’t. However the Mexican way of doing things is NOT like how they are done in the US and I suspect Canada. Mexico is a cash economy, money is king. Small businesses and shops will try to charge you some crazy amount of money for something they will sell the savvy person the same thing for pennies on the dollar. Learn to negotiate. You should pay from 30% ~ 50% of the original asking price. Don’t be shy; this is how business is done.


The construction of the majority of the buildings is done with a “minimum effort” mentality. The majority of the buildings are cinder block, watered down cement and re-bar. This is usually covered with stucco and painted over. The plumbing in the buildings follows suit. If you ever watched a show (one of my favorites) Holmes on Homes, he would have a heart attack with how things are built.


If you are used to getting immediate service for something, you need to leave that expectation behind. Some things will happen fast, some will not. When we had a flood in our room from the shower it took three calls to get someone to look at it.


The People in Mexico

Overall I have had very good experiences with the people and the culture of Mexico. If you go there, do yourself a favor and learn some Spanish, it will really help. Now with that said, if you walk into a small strip mall of souvenir venders you need a thick skin. Some of them will not take no for an answer and some will try to guilt you into coming into their store. Best rule for this, smile, walk away and say Gracias. Like any other city there are good parts and bad parts. Overall you would have to try to find the bad parts in Cancun as opposed to the majority of large cities in North America, so it’s a very safe place unless you get drunk and stupid.


The Service at Temptation

Again, overall it is very good. As I said before, cash is king. A little tip here and there goes a long way. If you demand service, or come across as a dick, you will get exactly what you deserve. Smile at the maid, leave her a few dollars and your room will be cleaned well, quickly and she will leave you a few extra bottles of water. This isn’t to say it won’t happen if you don’t, but cash is king. The same basic system applies at the bars and restaurants.


This may come as a surprise to some people, but not everyone on the staff at Temptation speaks English (or even Canadian). Don’t speak fast, don’t use slang, and don’t ask for things that a person that only speaks a little English wouldn’t understand. It’s like when they speak Spanish to you. Learn basic words and you are golden.


I have seen many an obnoxious (American) traveler in my day. Don’t be one of these, it won’t get you anything.


Finally, everything is negotiable. You can upgrade your room; get additional service and better service. Smile, thank people and remember the cash rule. Or don’t, depends on your personality and expectations.

The Food at Temptation

This is an item of some contention. Overall it is OK. I think the biggest thing to remember is you are not going to a five star resort with five star restaurants. You are going to a great party place with open minded people. If you want five star rooms and food there are several of those resorts in Cancun and all of them are very expensive.


The breakfast buffet is fine. Something for everyone. Simple, to the point and good for you after a long night of partying.


All of the restaurants are good. If they require reservations, make reservations. They require them for a reason, because they are busy. If you ask nicely you can almost always get something to go if you wait outside.


Personally, the Asian restaurant is the best followed by the Italian restaurant. As an aside, anything that requires reservations is usually a great place for a quiet romantic dinner. With that said, don’t be an obnoxious loud drunk at these places, it ruins other peoples experience and there are many other places you can have that kind of fun.

The house wine is horrible in every sense of the word. If you like wine, bring your own. You can buy it locally. The cost of wine at the restaurants is way too expensive.


If there is an all you can eat night on the beach for dinner, do this. It costs around $48 per person but its well worth it. Open bar, the better alcohols and excellent service. I would do this anytime I went. This is also the best food you are going to get at Temptation.

When you order something from a menu, ask them how it is prepared. If you don’t like bacon or have some food allergy, ask them about it. Most menus don’t tell you everything that you are getting.

Watered down drinks

This is another one of those somewhat highly contested items on the forums. First off you need to define the term “watered down” There are two versions that I have seen people use, 1) They actually put water in the alcohol and 2) They don’t put a lot of alcohol in your drink. It doesn’t really matter which one you use if you believe this because there are two easy solutions, 1) Ask for a drink and then ask for another shot poured on top or another shot in a different glass. This is a very simple solution. The other is, 2) Buy some alcohol at the duty free shop or go to Wal-Mart and buy some. I like certain brands of alcohol so we bought some and had a great time. Problem solved. Did I mention the part where if you tip a little better wonderful things happen?

The Boobs Cruise

First off for any of you ladies that met me, I like boobs. My wife (Sultryfox) will attest to this. I digress. If they have one of these cruises go, don’t hesitate, and GO. With that said, check the weather, if it’s going to be really windy or has been or you are prone to sea sickness, the water can get choppy at the end of the day and the boat bounces around. If you sit on the front of the boat on the way back, expect some water to splash on you. If you have cameras or other things that don’t like to be wet, you have been warned.


Bring towels from Temptation and some kind of small backpack with some water and some snacks. There is no food on the boat and you may not be eating until 2:00 pm or 3:00 pm. After several hours of drinking, this may not be a good thing for everyone.


As far as drinking goes, pace yourself. It’s going to be an all day party and passing out early will diminish that fun. That and falling overboard drunk is probably not on your list of things you want to do.

Be very careful walking on the boat when it is moving. The decks can get slippery.


This cruise is not for prudes (this has probably been said before). You aren’t forced to do anything, but you should expect to see other people doing some things that are very fun, sexy and push the boarders to what you may be used to seeing. In case I didn’t say it, and there are boobs, all kinds of boobs, big ones, small ones, old ones, new ones saggy ones, perky ones and that is just the guys.


Steve throws a great party and Chinos and Omar really are a lot of fun. Bring some extra cash to tip them at the end (personally I suggest $20).

The shopping on the island is expensive. Almost anything they have there is cheaper at a place close to the hotel.

{edit}: Steve said they are working on getting lunch done earlier, so the actual lunch time for you will likely be earlier

The beach at temptation

The sand is wonderful. The ocean is warm, but there is a lot of seaweed at this part of Cancun. If the wind picks up there will be seaweed on the beach the next morning. It is usually cleaned up so no big deal. If you are dying for more surf and less seaweed you need to go downtown more to one of the public beaches. Personally I have no problem with the beach because I can get a drink, walk to the pool and then back to the beach if I want. There is just no surf so to speak.


If you want to rent a jet ski you need cash. They will try to up sell you to the more powerful engine size. Almost everyone will do fine with the normal Jet Ski. Rent one for an hour, time flies when you are having fun. If you are wearing sunglasses, get one of those thingies that holds the glasses around your neck. Trust me on how much it sucks to dump the jet ski and lose and expensive pair of sunglasses. If you are really drunk, you may want to think twice about going on a jet ski.


There are venders that walk up and down the beach trying to sell stuff. This should be expected. Most of it is the lowest quality and very expensive. You can always do better at a local store.


Cuban Cigars

I asked around to a few locals all of them said that around 90% of the cigars that say they are from Cuba are in fact made in Mexico. In short, don’t be conned. You can find real Cuban cigars, but not from some random dude walking on the beach. You Canadians don’t have the same lame assed embargo we have in the US, so Cuban cigars probably don’t have much appeal.

Smoking in general

I didn’t see anyplace indoors that allowed smoking, so that is fine. When you are at the sexy pool or Paty-O’s lots of people will be smoking. I am rather highly sensitive to smoke, so this kind of sucks for me. With that said, you get to pick where you go and where you don’t.

The Sexy Pool

This is where the action is. Its fun, its wild it’s crazy and the topless women part is an added bonus. The water is warm, not hot. It is also clear at the beginning of the day and cloudy at the end of the day from all of the suntan lotion people have put on.


If you want a chair / lounge at the pool you should probably claim it early or you may not get one. This isn’t a show stopper, but the front row seat at the pool is great for people watching. If you are on the far left side (next to the bar) they may play music during the day. It will be loud. It is much quieter on the far right section of the pool.


Hang out in the Jacuzzis and meet people. This is one of the best parts of the trip; the people you meet really can make a good vacation great.

In my opinion this pool closes too early.

The quiet pool

It is quiet and a great place to hang out and talk. You won’t meet as many people here, but once you do come on over and hang out, have a few drinks and enjoy your vacation. From my very informal study the bartenders pour a heavier drink at the quiet pool.

Coco Bongo

I have some mixed feelings on this place. I think its worth going to but you really need to know what it is. It’s a cross between a bar, a nightclub and a live show. Overall the show is crazy and I recommend you video tape this on a digital camera because it’s something you want to show friends later. It is also VERY, VERY loud inside there. I have worked in nightclubs and concert venues before and seen a lot of heavy metal shows in my life. Coco Bongo is probably running at 120db ~ 140db. Yes it is that loud.


Two types of service here. The $50 dollar all you can drink and the $100 dollar all you can drink VIP room bottle service. Your decision on this one. I did the $50 version and felt like I was packed into a cattle car there were so many people in there. When people talk about watered down drinks, Coco Bongo is the king. I drank eight vodka / cranberry and wasn’t even mildly affected. If I go again I would do the VIP section so I could get a better view and sit drinking higher quality stuff.


There are these cute girls walking around trying to give you a shot. Be aware, that shot is not free, its $5.


The party starts after 10:00 pm and ends somewhere around sunrise. If you are wasted, save $15 ~ $20 for a taxi ride back. If you are sober the $1 bus works just fine and drops you off pretty much in front of the hotel.


The Buses

I live in Seattle and we have good public transportation. I used to live in southern California and we had terrible public transportation. The R2 bus is $1 each way and takes you anywhere you need to go. Gentlemen, give up your seat if a woman gets on the bus and wants to sit down, especially if she has children. This is a great way to get around and it’s cheap.


420

It’s illegal in Mexico and in my opinion you are an idiot for doing this. Not because it’s illegal, it’s because it is illegal in a foreign country and you don’t want to ruin your vacation being in jail or having to pay to get out of it. This isn’t a moral opinion; it’s a common sense opinion.


Legal drugs and Pharmacies

Yes there is a pharmacy or a place that calls itself a pharmacy every 200 feet (or 60.96 meters for my Canadian friends). Let’s be clear on this, you can’t buy controlled substances without a prescription from a Mexican doctor. Yes you can pay a Mexican doctor to write you one, but you don’t know if you are getting what you pay for and you probably don’t want to explain to customs on the way home why you have this. The drug stores are good for basic over the counter medications. With that said, they are written in Spanish and you cannot always easily identify what you want with what they sell.


Bring your own medications and other stuff you are used to taking. When in doubt bring a couple extra days worth. Especially if it’s needed medications for things like blood pressure.

Viagra

Yes, you can buy it there along with the other variations of the same product. If you have never been prescribed this and have never taken it or you take other medications you are an idiot to experiment with Viagra on your trip. You simply don’t know if it will have bad side effects. In short, don’t use it or share it with someone that doesn’t know the effects. If you mix Viagra and blood pressure medications as an example you blood pressure can drop too low and you can stroke out. Also Viagra and alcohol like to fight each other. One wants to get you up the other wants to bring you down, so to speak.

Chichen Itza

If you haven’t been here, you should go. We did the bus tour which I really didn’t like. The ride was great, the tour guide was great, but we left at 7:45 am and didn’t get there until 3:00 pm and had to leave at 4:50 pm. The big bus tours usually take you on two stops before you get there. One is some side thing like an underground grotto and the other is a bad lunch souvenir tourist trap. Next time I would rent a car or get a group and pay someone to drive us there. You need at least five hours to really experience how cool it is.


Bring at least two liters of water per adult and some food. It can get really hot and humid there.


Not all of the Mayan ruins allow the venders inside, this one does. They have the best deals on anything in Mexico and they are overly oppressive in their sales technique. You literally can’t walk 50 feet without someone wanting to sell you something.


They no longer allow you to climb up the temple, which sucks. But the place is amazing.


Dress code

Other than a few restaurants that don’t want you to wear swimming or beach attire, the dress code is very casual. You don’t need to over pack for Temptation. There really isn’t an opportunity to do laundry unless you pay, so bring what you need and rotate appropriately. Don’t walk into a restaurant with wet shoes.

Pace yourself

For once in your life you will be glad you took an hour or so nap later in the day. The party never really stops.

The water

Temptation says they have a water filtration system and they probably do. If you are sensitive to water born bacteria get extra bottled water. I haven’t had a problem and don’t know anyone that stayed at the resort that did, but once you leave the resort I would only drink bottled water.

The flooring at the resort

It rains in Cancun often enough and is humid enough that the floors in the rooms and walkways can get very slippery. You aren’t in any rush and if you have been drinking, taking a fall really sucks. Trust me on this one. Be careful.


The floors in the room are the same. When in doubt get an extra towel from the maid and put in on the floor next to the shower or Jacuzzi.

The internet

My personal opinion is leave all that crap behind. Unfortunately many of us have to check back in the real world on how things are going. The connection speed sucks for the most part and it is hit or miss where you can get a connection. The best times to check are early in the morning when the bandwidth isn’t being used up.

Suntan lotion

Bring it. If you are like most of us you need it. Don’t go out in the Cancun sun without it. A good sunburn can ruin your trip. It’s also a great excuse to ask your husband, wife or some stranger to rub lotion all over you (this is directed to “D” from Jersey). I think a $50 investment in some pre-tanning for a few weeks is well worth it for some basic skin conditioning.

Hurricane Season

Even though the prices are great you are risking your vacation by going at this time. I went during hurricane season and wouldn’t do it again.

The rooms

I am kind of a room snob, so I like the best room I can get. I also like how much my wife likes having a great room. This is a financial decision. Do what fits your budget. If you plan on entertaining guests in your room, well a larger room with a Jacuzzi can be fun. With that said, through appropriate study, you can fit three women in a Jacuzzi all close enough to lick whip cream off each other.

To my Canadian friends

I love the lot of you. Mostly some of your hot wives. You have a great sense of humor and the jokes about Quebec were awesome. Go Leaf’s ! (I know I should also say Go Flames, but I spent a lot of time in Ontario as a kid, so the bias comes out).

That’s all for now. I know there are a lot of typos, grammar errors and stuff, but I just kind of rattled this off in 30 minutes (that’s an hour Canadian). I will add more later.


Michael

 

Actually that was one of the best reviews I've ever read about the place.

There were a couple of items that I could have said, if we were in person, well maybe but... But since we weren't they weren't big enough to call out.

Thanks for taking the time to put that together and I might even go so far as to say that it should be required reading for anyone headed to the resort.

Jamie

 

Thanks for taking the time to write all that. There should be a forum for trip reports. Care to write anything about getting from the airport to the hotel, how long should it be?

 

Getting from the airport to the resort

Three basic ways to do this.

1) Take a shuttle bus, Cheap, but time consuming because you stop at a variety of other hotels and based on where Temptations is, you could be the last stop so it could take a while

2) Take a taxi, cost varies and (Caveat Emptor) you dont know if you are getting a direct taxi or some cheaper version that makes a stop to try to sell you a time share. Make sure the taxi driver is a One Way direct stop to the resort. The people in the airport offering you great deals are a scam more often than not.

3) Pre-Book a private transportation. More expensive. I think it was $60 USD for both ways but we controlled when they picked us up an when they dropped us off. This is my preferred method.

With that said, this is a financial decision along with a time decision. What is an hour or two of your vacation worth. I like a direct car with my wife so we can get the party started. And for you guys, your woman will appreciate the effort so its worth it.

x) there are also public buses, but after a long flight, I would not go this route

 

Well done Michael, as excepted you didn't dissapoint. And "D" will like seeing her name in lights!

 

Very detailed trip report, very informative for those going for the first time. Quite a lot of information in there, thanks for taking the time.

 

thanks MG65! Great read. We are getting pumped about the trip.

 

Great trip report!

There seems to be a pattern for those that do not have a good time, that is setting their expectations high because they didn't do their research ahead of time. Yes, there have been a few were a particular situations that caused them to have a bad time, but this is usually rare.

I, like you have stayed at the 5 star joins, travel for business, so upgrades are frequent and eaten at fancy places. One thing that makes TTR so unique in my opinion are the people, specifically the repeaters. This is why we are coming back, we want to see our friends again!

 

Airplane Travel

For most of us the flight to Cancun is at least one stop / plane transfer. Booking your flight is very important on two different fronts, 1) cost and 2) time. Check the cost, time and stops through your normal preferred airlines, through the Temptations side and through some travel aggregater (expedia, orbitz, etc). You will likely either leave early or take a red-eye. Do yourself a favor, try really hard not to make more than one stop. More than one stop can equate to a 12 ~ 16 hour travel day which will mean you are recovering for a long time once you get there.

Some of the best flights mean you dont get to sit next to your hot husband / hot wife. While I dont always like this, a few hours to save $500 ~ $1000 may be worth it.

If you have a book or portable electronic thing to occupy your time it will be ok. Otherwise sleep. Remember, Always ask the gate agent if seats have opened up. They usually do and if there is no charge its worth it.

For your first leg of a connecting flight suck it up and get the closest seat to the front that you can. This can make or break your reaching the gate for your next flight. This really applies more if you are time sensitive and you are at a major airport for customs. Houston can take from one to four hours for customs where Phoenix can take from ten minutes to two hours for the same thing.

The internet is your friend, google delay times and customs processing.

When you get off of a flight check the monitors for your next flight and what gate it is. They change and you wont know until you land. Do This !

Also, some flights have a bag check right where you depart to your final flight and some require you to go back down to departures. Always ask the flight attendants.

Always fill out your customs forms completely before you get in line. For you Americans, check the date format on the Mexican forms, it isnt mm/dd/yyyy its dd/mm/yyyy

 

I would rather be with fun people and lose a little on service and amenities than pay a lot to be alone in a fun place. Temptations is a party, so enjoy it.