GF

<BR>Considering going to the El Dorado Resort and Spa, which is near Playa del Carmen (1 1/2 hours from Cancun) in November 1998. Looking for info from anyone who has been there regarding what the resort is like, food, beach, etc. Also, wondering what the weather will be like there that time of year. Thanks in advance for any info!

Bernie

Spent two weeks at the El Dorado in April. We really enjoyed ourselves. This is a "laid back" resort . It is a bit "out of the way" and therefore it is quiet and you can really have a quiet restful vacation. The meals are good to excellent. The service is excellent. they simply cannot do enough to make your stay pleasant. You are only a short drive from Playa del Carmen ( free shuttle bus daily). The entertainment was quite good some nights but on other nights it was somewhat lacking. All in all it was O.K. as far as entertainment goes. The beach at the hotel is lacking . However you can snorkel at the hotel site and it is quite goiod. (spoken by an amateur) A few minutes down the baech there is quite good swimming so you can have the best of both worlds. Pool is great , grounds kept immaculate and all in all a very nice place . A good place to vacation as long as you don't want a lot on entertainment and activity. It was perfect for us. If you want further info please e-mail me directly .

Emily Connolly

I stayed at the El Dorado in April and my husband and I were so disappointed we left after three days. Here are our opinions: <BR>- the beach is a serious disappointment. It is full of rocks and you have to walk out a very long distance to get to deep water. By the time that you get there, the surf and undercurrent are very strong, and usually the situation is quite dangerous, even for experienced swimmers like us. We love to snorkel and it simply was not safe to snorkel here. The resort is on the windward shore, so the surf is always rough and the wind is always blowing. <BR>- the pools were another disppointment. There are two pools - both have no gradual stairs to walk in, just a set of ladders, two of which had broken rungs. We could not figure this out, but both pools were ice cold. The weather was sunny and hot, but almost no guests used the pools for more than a few minutes because of accessability and temperature.I have never encountered this problem anywhere before, and I am still at a loss to explain it. <BR>- the whirlpool is good size, but when turned on, the water barely moves. <BR>- the food was mediocre to poor - kind of like eating in a hospital cafetaria. The drinks were good and plentiful. <BR>- the rooms are spotless and spacious and lots of attention is paid to detail here. The housekeeping staff is exceptional. Most rooms are right on or close to the beach with great views. <BR>- the tour staff is very good and can help you arrange any tour within reason. <BR>Overall, for the cost, there are many other better choices, and I would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Doug

My wife and I stayed at the El Dorado in January 1998. We were disappointed by only 2 things. The beach was the biggest, you really can't swim from the beach. The other was the fact that this resort is completely isolated, you need a taxi, car or bus ride to do any thing off the resort. <BR> <BR>I would still go back if I wanted to just stay at a resort and lie back and do nothing for a week. <BR> <BR>We thought the food was great, if you ask you can eat off the menu for every meal. The ceviche was great. The mexican and italian rest were very good. The buffet rest was very good, they serve lobster on tues and fri, the lobster was prepared differently each time. They also had a beach buffet/party that was a lot of fun. I only heard one complaint, a woman didn't like her hamburger, I don't go to Mexico for the hamburgers so it didn't matter to me. <BR> <BR>The rooms were very spacious, we had a second floor room near the main desk that had a great view of the ocean. <BR> <BR>The staff was nice, we met a lot of people and had a good time. <BR> <BR>Have Fun!!

Teresa

My husband and went to El Dorado 2 years ago in August. Of course, is was not a good time of the year to go...hot, hot, hot. Once you arrived at the resort it was pretty nice, but, if you want to go anywhere else you have to ride a long way in a terrible taxi. The restaurants are not air conditioned, they are all open, and in the heat, it was not good. I would say the food was below average, but I am somewhat a picky eater. If you are just going for the pool and pool bar, it was wonderful. I just wished we had stayed closer in to Cancun or Cozumel, because the ride to and from the airport and anywhere else was not fun. I am sure the weather in November will be wonderful.

Doug

I read the responses and I have a few additional comments. The bus ride from the Cancun Airport is fairly long, about 1.5 hours, and scary if you watch what the driver is doing and the traffic. My wife and I like to have a few ice cold cervesas while we are on the bus. We met a lot of fun people on the bus, drank, talked, laughed and had fun. We were at the resort before we knew it. <BR> <BR>We took a taxi to Playa a couple of times while we were there. It cost 105pesos each way, this is about $13us. We split the ride with another couple, this really reduces the cost. I admit that it is a fairly scary ride, 120KM/hr, no seatbelts. Maybe I'm just getting used to it, but I'm starting to enjoy those rides. We wanted to catch the ferry to Cozumel one day and my wife told the driver this, we made the trip in about 20mins and made the ferry. The driver was going 140km/hr and passing everything in sight, we were riding in the left lane of a two lane road for most of the trip. <BR> <BR>I will eat just about anything, and I love to try new and different foods, and I've learned to love Mexican cooking. I thought the food was great, but if you are a picky eater, I can see were it would be hard to find something that you would like. <BR> <BR>We didn't find the air conditioning a problem, in fact I didn't even notice that the resturants weren't air conditioned. It was in the 80's and breezy the whole time we were there. <BR> <BR>Enjoy Mexico!! <BR>Doug