We just got back from our first visit to TTR last night, and we had such a FANTASTIC time that I just had to write about it. For those of ya’ll who are coming (or thinking of coming) to TTR for the first time, I simply cannot give this resort a higher recommendation. I will also include a few travel tips for you too, so you can avoid some of the mistakes we made and benefit from our successes. Before I begin my travelogue, I should probably mention that prior to our departure; my hubby had been on a travel assignment for almost five months. This trip was his “get out of jail free” card, in addition to a celebration of our upcoming 15th anniversary. So we really needed to get away just the two of us. Day One (Wed): Our initial flight left on time, but landed late, so we had to run across that airport to make our connection--only to have our passports questioned. (The paper was peeling off the cover from when they got wet on our cruise excursion to Dunn’s River Falls five years ago.) Thankfully, they held the plane and the Immigration official gave us the green light. Needless to say, we’ll be replacing our passports when we return. Travel Tip #1: As soon as you start planning your trip, make sure your passports are valid and in good condition. Travel Tip #2: If possible, take a direct flight to Cancun. The reduction in stress and inconvenience will be well worth the extra cost. Travel Tip #3: Make sure you have a pen in your carryon bag, so you can fill out the Immigration cards and your Customs declaration forms. Once in Cancun, we had to wait to get through Immigration and Customs, which was mildly annoying. But it was really frustrating to find out that when Expedia changed our flight information (the airline cancelled our original flight), they didn’t update the transport company, so we had to wait for almost an hour to get spots on a van to get to the resort. Travel Tip #4: Unless you booked your trip with a travel agent, make sure you confirm all reservations directly through the vendor, especially if there are any changes to your reservations. We made some new friends on the ride to the resort—and they just happened to be staying at TTR, too (though I had an inkling). We were too anxious to get to our rooms and find food to exchange room information with them, though. Upon arrival, we got unpacked and cleaned up, then headed to the buffet for dinner. Afterward, we went to the Nice Shoes night club for the strip shows. We didn’t meet anyone new there, and were pretty much on our own (which is NOT a complaint, mind you). After the show, we decided to go back to the room and relax. Travel Tip #5: Take the time to do the Express Check-In online via the TTR website. They’ll have everything waiting for you so that you can breeze through the check-in process. Day Two (Thurs): We got up early, as advised by our friends, and went out to put our towels on the beach chairs by the sexy pool. We did the timeshare presentation after breakfast, but only because they were offering a $50 gift certificate at the spa, and we were planning to get massages there during the week anyway. They were nice, and surprisingly not pushy. I think it helped that we told them no right off. Then it was off to the pool, and it wasn’t long before Amy found us and asked Chris if he would compete in the Belly Flop contest. He agreed (with a little coaxing), and he won! One of the prizes was a 25 minute massage! Amy then hit us up to be judges in the Cocktail Contest, which was interesting. Most of the drinks were awful, but watching the contestants was entertaining. We also got tagged to play beer pong. We lost, but it was still fun to watch the others. Travel Tip#6: Set your alarm for 0600 to 0630 so you can slip out to claim your lounge chairs. T-shirts slipped over the back work best, as they won’t blow away. (They’re also easier to spot when you wander back out.) You can flop back into bed after this if you’re not early risers. Travel Tip#7: Be sure you find out when/where to make your dinner reservations for the Asian and Italian restaurants, and do so as soon as possible. They only book 3 days out, so you may have to do this more than once. (For us, it was the Seafood restaurant between 10AM—12PM) Not long after that, it started to rain, so we went back to the room and hopped into the Jacuzzi. It was oh-so-relaxing to just sit there and watch the rain fall that way. Once the sun came out, we headed back to the pool, but it was somewhat chilly and the sun didn’t stay out long. We went back to our room for nap until it was time for changed for lingerie/casino night. Chris did pretty well at the Blackjack table, but he didn’t win anything at the auction. We hung out and danced a bit after that, and met new friends from our area. We decided to go change and wander out to Paty O’s, where we hung out for the rest of the evening. Day Three (Friday): We headed back out to the sexy pool, and sure enough, Amy found us. This time she asked us to play the Dating game. We won a lobster dinner on the beach! We had lots of people congratulating us afterward, so we made some more friends. We tried the couple’s massage, which was very nice. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the seafood place before going back to our room to get gussied up (it was white night) before heading out to the party at Paty O’s. I have to say that Daniel (one of the bartenders) was AWESOME! Not only did he remember our drink orders, he kept ‘em coming w/o being asked. He also did this Jim Belushi eyebrow waggle that had me in stitches. We also finally met some of the Cancuncare.com crew. We danced and hung out all evening—until I dragged my hubby off to abuse him. Travel Tip #8: The whirlpools in the sexy and quiet pools are pool temperature, so if you didn’t book the Jacuzzi rooms (which are well worth the extra money), you may use the Jacuzzis at the spa, when going for treatments. They are heated. Day Four (Sat): Again, we hung out by the pool—more specifically I was trying to hide at the swim-up bar (Pedro rocks!!), and this time it was I who got roped into a contest. They needed one more gal for the beer drinking contest. I tried to decline, but then the U.S. team would have been disqualified. I couldn’t have that on my conscience! Of course, I had to go head to head with a gal who was frighteningly fast at chugging, and failed miserably. But the USA won, and one of our friends took first prize for the ladies. We made friends with the winner of the Men’s division, too. That night was our lobster dinner on the beach, which was FANTASTIC!! Then we headed over to the sexy pool for the pool party. The bartenders at Diego’s were a hoot, donning wigs and fake mustaches. We chatted with another couple who happen to live out our way until I got stolen by the beer drinking champ for a dance or three. Eventually, my friends helped me to drag Chris out on the dance “floor”. Oh, and for the record, they had towel service and guests were allowed to go in the pool, but it was too dang cold for anyone to bother (unless they got pushed in). Travel Tip #9: If you get the chance, definitely ask about doing the lobster dinner on the beach. It’s about $40 bucks per person, but you could easily spend that at a nice restaurant. Day Five (Sun): It was a bit harder to drag our butts out of bed, but we knew we had our massages (the ones we had gift certificates for) to look forward to. We did the Cardio Splash, which turned into a dance contest after the workout—sneaky move, Stacey! We didn’t win, but we had fun, and worked off at a little of the excess alcohol. And Chinos insisted that Chris help with the Iron Woman contest, but that turned out to be a boon for my hubby. Every guy at that pool wanted to be him. For those who have been there, you’d know why. Day Six (Mon): We spent our last full day hanging at the pool (of course), and had every intention of just relaxing and staying out of “trouble”. But trouble (aka Chinos) came looking for my hubby. He wanted Chris to do the Mr. Temptation contest, which was HILARIOUS. My hubby won, and we ended up with free passes to Coco Bongo. We’d been trying to decide whether to go, since the TTR trip was on the night before we had to leave. But we took that as a sign that we needed to go. It was an awesome show, and rivaled some of the Vegas shows we’ve seen. BUT, I wish I’d chosen comfort over cute in regards to my footwear (I confess to being a shoe whore, and was rather proud of myself for only bringing 5 pairs). Between the stairs, worrying about getting knocked over, and my very sore feet, I didn’t get to fully enjoy the experience (as in getting up and dancing). Travel Tip #10: Coco Bongo is not to be missed! Travel Tip #11: Ladies, if you go to the club, wear some cute flats or sandals (unless you’re comfy and sure-footed in heels). Day Seven (Tue): Our alarm went off all too soon. But since we packed the day before, we ended up with enough time to grab breakfast and say goodbye to some of our friends. We had a direct flight home, so the trip went fairly smoothly, and we even landed a bit early. Chris’ phone almost blew up from all the missed calls and emails on it, though. Travel Tip #12: If you must have your phone with you, check with your wireless carrier about the rates for global roaming so that you’re not unpleasantly surprised with a whopping bill when you get home. Travel Tip 13: The vacation is what you make of it. Obviously, we found plenty to do at the resort, but there are several excursions you may choose from, and plenty of shopping areas. Make it unforgettable by just letting go and let yourself have FUN!! =)
Great report! We're newbies too and you gave lots of details which is very helpful. Sounds like the lobster dinner would be awesome! We live in Nebraska so the opportunity to do this at home is nill. Thanks! e
Thanks for putting your report together. Excellent tips! We've never done the lobster dinner..may have to check that out!
Great report .... we just got back home on Friday and witnessed Chris win the bellyflop contest. He clearly was the champ! It surely must have hurt --- way too funny. Sorry we didn't have a chance to connect. Maybe next time.
Great trip report!!!!! It's awesome you gave the special tips! I'm sure those that have never been, and even those of us that have been several times will use those tips. So glad you had a great time! Looks like you will be a repeater! Thanks!:aktion069:
He actually said his legs stung a bit but it didn't last long. Sorry we missed ya'll, too. Guess we'll just have to come back . . . :aktion069:
I really appreciate--and am going to use--all your tips when we go for the first time in June. Thanks for taking the time to write such a great report!
