Rather than go through day by - they run together in my mind - I will try to touch on the highlights and few lowlights of the trip. We were a group of 8 - half secondtimers and half newbies. Highlights - there were many USA Transfers - 2 thumbs up - prompt and efficient both ways - very smooth - cheap too. Front desk and check-in - gracias Andrea you were very helpful throughout the vacation - we managed to get a reservation for eight at Il Picare on arrival. We breezed past the time share ladies with minimal harrasment and were not called back. Rooms - we stayed in 5113 with friends in 5114, 5212 and 5214 - all great rooms. 5113 has a great double shower and a nicely elevated front lawn - it is pretty quiet at night but with quick access to the sexy pool. Alba - our housekeeper was awesome and I would come back to her staircase again - I left $5 a day and we had a fridge full of everything, towel animals, water etc. Theme nights - lookit - we killed these and they are an awesome idea - special thanks to John and Chango for their input on arranging these. We closed Paty O's 3 nights out 4 and would love to do it again next week - might get fat or just die eventually...The downside was for many we were alone. lingerie night was well attended apologies to the Dallas guy who was assaulted by the abnormally large human we brought wearing only a bow tie and thong. White nights seems a no brainer but some people must be colour blind. We dressed up as Tom Cruise from Risky Business (I would add this to the CC repertoire for this night - 4 guys were funny - 40 would be awesome) - this was a great balance to our wives very sexy white dresses - they could have pulled off sheer night equally easily. Naughty school - I had a blast - my wife was asked if she was the evening's entertainment and the same dude from Dallas did shots with my wife on the bar. Our 4 guys wore football uni's and this was fun. Other activities: Coco Bongos - second time for us - 4 am - 'nuff said - but pricey though - $70 pp including VIP, booze and transport - we wanted to do this Saturday night so we did - if you haven't done "the sardine can" you need to. Isla Mujeres - second time doing this on mopeds - it's one of my favourite parts of the trip. Amazing lunch and margs at Playa Tiburon - swim with a nurse shark too if that's your thing. Sea doo Jungle Tour - this was the best $115 I've ever spent (as far as my wife knows) - 2 hours, mangroves were awesome, barrel rolled my machine in the lagoon (thankfully without swamping it) - the reef swim was OK - the reef has been really picked over - but overall great time. Check inside the Sea doo before leaving - one of our four was full of water - it was slow and unstable and wouldn't start after the reef swim. Restaurants Il Picare is my favourite - service was very good and the portions are reasonable. Bellavista - was great we were early sat at the inside gazebo waiting - the gave us a 40 of Jose, Gordons and, Smirnoff along with ice and a bunch of mix - given half an hour dinner could have been anything - prettty sure it was good though. Margaritas - is great through the day - didn't have dinner here though Asian - I could take or leave the food here - flavours are off (peanut sauce in miso soup???) and portions are small - coconut shrimp were tasty. Buffet - think university dining hall - service here was awesome though - wish I could remember his name - maybe one of my compatriots can fill it in - a few bucks went a long way here. Lowlights - not many Service at the sexy pool sucked. We tipped up front - no dice, we tipped per drink - no dice, we were polite and not unruly and there were 3-6 guys milling about serving customers very slowly and almost never cracking a smile. We tried tipping poolside server $4 for one round and she never returned. Entertainment - I'm not a fan of the current staff. We were there 4 years in the Chinos/ Ms. Calgary (that was our nickname) days - they were awesome. The current guys did little to engage the crowd or fill time between events. The wouldn't give us a volleyball at the sports pool at 4 pm - 'they were closed'. Other random thoughts: Next time I will buy all my souvenirs at the airport - quick efficient and a great selection of dishes, clothes, hats, sculptures, silver, hot sauce etc. etc. This is a great way to kill time on the way home. BRING PESOS to this market - they were giving 9:1 instead of 14. Bring pesos to Isla - we got 10:1 everywhere we went there - even TTR was giving 12.6. IMHO single guys are getting a bad rap - I am really glad I wasn't trying to pickup because the ratio sucked but the only near altercation we saw was between a married guy and two girls - man his wife was pissed too. Overall resort was clean and swarming with staff - generally being productive. This place is what it is - it's loud, it's juvenile, it's cheap, it's crass and it's fun.
Thanks for the trip report, sounds like you guys really had a blast with the theme nights and your outings. Wow, you probably needed a vacation after that vacation.
Gee... you make it sound like a fun place to go... and you're right, it is! Thanks for taking the time for writing a nice summary trip report. This is whetting our appetite for our upcoming Halloween trip...
Sounds like you guys had a blast! I have a quick question. Were Fedoras still the "hat of choice?" Hubby and I went earlier this year and I swear every girl/guy was sporting a Fedora. Was it the same a few days ago? Thx.
I'm bringing 4 fedoras to TTR in 2 weeks! lol. I guess I'm a fashion lemming. But when i was there in April, I was surprised at how few people wear ANY kind of hat at TTR. Thanks for the trip report, Erin and Colin!
THANKS!!!! I have to wear something at times. Not into the baseball cap thing (too "manly") or the visor thing (too granny(ish) for me). I brought a cadet type hat before, but would like to bring something fashionable. However, I must have the world's smallest head in that every Fedora I've tried on is TOO BIG!
Hmmm...I must have an average-sized head, as most seem to fit me. You aren't trying on men's hats, are you? You might try Gap Kids, teen clothing stores, or the teens section in dept stores...perhaps in the girls or boys dept they might have a hat that will fit you. I was at Gap Kids yesterday, and they had a really nice fedora for older toddlers, so I wouldn't be surprised if they also have them for older boys and girls too. I guess the alternative is to buy one that almost fits, and glue a second sweatband thingy inside to make it a little more snug. A word of warning about hats these days: manufacturers seems to be making them all out of paper (yes, PAPER that looks like straw), so you have to be really careful not to get them wet or they go wompy (think paper mache). Try to buy a straw one if you can.
Good to know. Thank you!!! I was thinking of going "old school" and putting weather stripping around the inside "flap" of the hat. I've done that with a few cowboy hats wayyyyyyyy back in the day! LOL Thanks again!!!
We love Andrea at the front desk. Every year she remembers our names and asks about our daughter back home. She is a real asset at the front desk. We also really enjoyed the new gals working at night at PatyO's, Yanni and Raquel. They made things fun and even danced with Jill when they could. Again always remembering our names and what we were drinking...sometimes just showing up with another round without us requesting it...I love that! Jeff
