Hi folks - I just returned from a near perfect vacation (March 3-6) & thought I'd share the perspective of a single guy / solo traveler at Temptation. Warning - long boring post! So chronologically, more or less: I used USA Transfers to get a private ride from the airport - they were perfect - they communicated well via email in advance and executed as promised. $55 rt plus $5 tip each direction. Arrived early (noonish) - they had a room ready but it had a direct view of the road out front. I went back and said I'd be happy to wait for a quieter room - they suggested I grab lunch and come back in an hour, which I did. Got a very nice room overlooking the courtyard. Re comments about the bed - mine was perfect. I slept well, once I figured out that you could turn off the AC which was very noisy (the switch was next to the safe in my room). As suggested I brought a stack of $1 and $5 bills and distributed them generously, although in the end it probably amounted to only $50. The result was very attentive service, especially at the bars and with the housekeeper. Speaking of the bars - the first guy I met was Tiger at Diego's - what a character. A masking tape label on his visor, in large letters, says "I don't speak English". I got my first drink, shook his hand and gave him a $5, and never had an empty drink again - he relentlessly dropped another drink in front of me every time I got close to finishing one, which helped with my strategy of spending 4 days doing my best Charlie Sheen impersonation. It will be several days before I fully detox from this trip! Oh, btw, don't take his visor label literally. At first I wanted to tear off the piece of tape that said "English" because I didn't hear him speak AT ALL the first day. Then I watched him interact with regulars and realized that a)he DID speak; b)in perfect English; and c)could sing along with every song, knowing all the lyrics. Really quite a guy! I hate to say anything negative but the food wasn't great, although I should point out that I only ate at the buffet. Breakfast was best, and the wait for omelets wasn't bad at all - well worth it. And hamburgers at midnight can only be great! Housekeeping replenished my bottled water in the room generously (see tipping above!) I found the ritual of reserving a sexy-pool-side chair a little silly but complied since I was up early. My typical day was to reserve a chair by 7, go for a long (6 mile) walk (exit hotel, turn left, nice walking path with distances marked), return for breakfast, sit by pool, play beach volleyball 11-1 ish, sit by pool, lunch, sit by pool, volleyball 3-5 ish, sit IN pool and start drinking at the swim up bar, nap, dinner, evening activity. I met a lot of great people but mostly couples - I didn't meet a lot of singles of either gender, and I think I gave it a pretty good effort. It was a bit uncomfortable - I don't think I'll go on vacation alone again - but there were definitely some high points. The couples I met were very friendly and tried to make single connections for me as best as they could. One funny / revealing story: I was chatting with a very attractive, very topless (OK, I guess there aren't degress of toplessness!) young woman at the swim up bar, and she was being very physical and flirty. Suddenly people who thought we were a couple were approaching and initiating very sexy and graphic conversations, which was a lot of fun. Of course when they asked how long we had been together and we answered "15 minutes", they swam off. Areas for improvement: wish they had an english-language newspaper available at the gift shop (although Friday one appeared in my room - maybe they just don't do it on weekends?) and I wish the coffee had been better. Ok, and maybe fresh squeezed juices? And some single-oriented activity where we could figure out who the other singles were? I never tried one of the off-site nightclub trips ... the evening activity on-site was fun enough for me, although next time I'll check out the off-site clubs. On Friday night, what should have been a great party was impacted by some pretty heavy rain, although there were still people boogeying at PatyO's! And heads -up guys - I tried to attend the lingerie event Thursday night and was rejected because I had pajama bottoms rather than boxers. No big deal. Cost - I thought I got a really good deal until I spoke with some folks who did one of those deals where they had to sit through the time-share pitch in exchange for a killer rate. Holy crap - you can save a LOT that way - shop around! Bottom line - I'll be back either with a girl or with some buddies.
Interesting trip report from a single point of view! I'm a female and have been there many times in the last couple years alone and agree about some kind of activity scheduled so that you know who the other singles are. Like a singles cocktail hour. Sometimes it is hard to tell if someone is part of a couple or not. Last trip in early December, there were loads of singles from here. Some were there for 2 weeks, some less. But Sue(our leader) would organize and make reservations for dinner for everyone who wanted to attend. You should come this year!!!
Great trip report! Not boring at all actually lol - who doesn't love reading about other people's experiences at Temptation?! LOL @ your "funny/revealing" story!
Thanks for the report. btw - the small store out front sells the USA Today & the Miami paper. I don't think they open til 9:00 though
WTF? You're single, from Boston, and go to TTR? How have we not made out yet? :aetsch004: Oh - and the paper is the Mexico version - if you look at it, the dates are for a full week in one teeny tiny paper.
Thanks Bill, a great trip report, are there now rules about what to wear at the lingerie night party, been 5 times before, never heard of that! Is Chino the bald headed guy with all the tattoo`s of the entertainment crew still around? I agree they should have a special event or something for singles!
