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Playa del Carmen resorts - snorkeling, pools, food, beach

Playa del Carmen resorts - snorkeling, pools, food, beach

Old Jun 2nd, 2010, 02:33 PM
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Playa del Carmen resorts - snorkeling, pools, food, beach

Hi all.

This forum has been a great help, so thanks to those who contribute and those who have responded to an earlier topic I posted.

I am a single dad with 2 boys, ages 18 and 15. We're planning a week-long trip to the Caribbean/Mexico from approximately July 30th - August 6th. After much research and internal debate we've pretty much decided on Playa del Carmen or close by. We're flying out of Burlington VT and have found a selection of AI resorts around $3,200-3,300 for the 3 of us (including air from BTV, 7 nights at the resort, transfer from the airport, taxes, etc.) I think this is pretty decent. This will leave us some $$ for an excursion or 2.

I wanted any opinions on the following resorts mostly around snorkeling options off the beach, pools on site, the food (I know the negatives that come up with AI's and I'm cool with that), the beach itself, and anything else I may be missing. We're pretty much interested in hanging out together and enjoying each other's company before the 18 year-old heads off to college.

These are the resorts I've narrowed it down to. They are all pretty much the same in a dollars sense, but there must be intangibles I can only get from forums like this.

Barcelo Maya Caribe and Beach
Sandos Carocal (a plus in our mind here is the water park)
Riu Yucatan - knowing more about how it works to "share" the Riu properties would be helpful
Sandos Playacar Beach Resort and Spa
Grand Sirenis
Iberostar Paraiso Beach/Delmar
Iberostar Tucan
Iberostar Quetzal (same applies for the Iberostar as above with Riu)

Thanks in advance for your thoughtful help. We sure appreciate it. If you ever need advice about a trip to Vermont, hit me up.
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Old Jun 2nd, 2010, 02:55 PM
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Hi, We just made a similar decision for our family and chose the Barcelo. If snorkeling from the resort is important to you, Barcelo is supposed to have some of the best snorkeling in the Riviera Maya, especially from shore. The Sandos and RIU options are more near the town of Playa del Carmen. The snorkeling there is going to be minimal because there isn't a reef. The beach is not supposed to be nearly as nice as the Barcelo. The Iberostars are also supposed to be nice but I don't know as much about them. I believe Barcelo and Iberostar are a step up from Sandos, at least from what we've found out. The Barcelo is supposed to have above average food for an AI, with a tremendous beach. It is a very large resort, however. They do have a water park, but I think it's geared toward much younger kids than yours. If the beach and snorkeling are the most important thing, I think you'd love Barcelo. I hope this helps. Have a great time!
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Old Jun 2nd, 2010, 05:59 PM
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I would say to go for the Barcelo or Iberostar resorts.
The Barcelo is a HUGE complex. They have a great beach and you can snorkel right from tthe beach there.
The Iberostar Del Mar/Beach is also part of a big complex with a large beach. They have loads of actiivities going on all day to keep your children occupied.
You can't go wrong with either of these resorts.
A problem you may run into at any of the resorts is that the drinking age is 18, so your one son will be able to get alcoholic drinks and the other will not (unless his brother gets them for him!)
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Old Jun 3rd, 2010, 04:31 AM
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We stayed at the Grand Sirenis in March. Snorkeling off the beach there is very good, as long as you don't have strong winds. The reef is really close to shore. But, the beach is not a long stretch of sandy shore good for walking, it is a cove, with rocky spots. There are three large pools, plus a lazy river. We thought the food was typical for an AI - good, not great. The service was top-notch, the rooms are huge (with a pull-out couch for a third bed in each room), and it was a short taxi ride to Akumal Beach and Yal-ku Lagoon, both excellent snorkeling spots.

You can also check out Trip Advisor for reviews and photos of each place.
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Old Jun 3rd, 2010, 01:17 PM
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Thanks for the input.

schmerl, me and the 18 year-old had a good laugh last night about that last paragraph.

Some other's came up while searching around today on cheapcaribbean.com

Viva Wyndham Azteca (this is $375 cheaper than the Barcelo I mentioned)
Gran Bahia Principe Coba
Grand Ocean Maya
Ocean Coral & Turquesa (this looks nice at first glace)
Viva Wyndham Maya
Occidental Grand Xcaret
Gran Bahia Principe Tulum
Catalonia Playa Maroma
Grand Riviera Princess All Suites Resort & Spa
Gran Bahia Principe Akumal

Anyway, hoping to get a little more feedback then I really need to make a decision here!
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Old Jun 3rd, 2010, 05:36 PM
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The Occidental doesn't have a "real" beach with ocean access. It is a man made lagoon.
Catalonia Playa Maroma is on one of the nicest beaches in the area, but is older. Some of the rooms have been removated, but not all of them.
I would still stick with the Iberostars or Barcelo. They will have so much for you sons to do all day.
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Old Jun 4th, 2010, 01:05 PM
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I've stayed at the Viva Wyndam Maya, and the Iberostar Tucan and Queztal. I did not like the Viva Wyndham Maya and would not recommend it. I do love the Iberostar. It's very nice and would stay there again. Not much to look at for snorkeling right off the beach, but plenty of places to go to snorkel. You can take the ferry over to Cozumel, go to Xel-ha or Xcaret...and you can snorkel in the cenotes - I recommend Hidden Worlds.
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Old Jun 4th, 2010, 01:08 PM
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Also, you might want to look for resorts in the Playacar area (the gated community next to Playa del Carmen...that's where the Iberostars and many of the AI's are). It's only a $5 cab ride into town, and I highly recommend checking out the town. You have to go eat at La Parilla on Calle 5 - the BEST Mexican food!!!! I still dream about it Yaxche is good for interesting Mayan food too.
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Old Jun 7th, 2010, 07:06 PM
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Thanks again for all the help! We booked the Barcelo through orbitz. They currently have a $200 off trip promo code. We're so looking forward to this!
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Old Jun 7th, 2010, 07:20 PM
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..specifically Barcelo Maya Beach and upgraded to a Junior Suite via Orbitz.
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Old Jun 8th, 2010, 03:27 AM
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YOu will have a great time.
Enjoy!
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Old Jun 8th, 2010, 06:32 AM
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VTDad,

We have stayed at Barcelo twice and love it. Just hope you know that it is actually 3 resorts at different tiers:

Palace - top level
Tropical/Colonial - mid level
Beach/Caribe - lower level

When I say lower level that is only for Barcelo complex. It is very nice but you cannot use the restaurant facilities at the other two. The Beach/Caribe does not have AC in the buffets like the other two. The good thing about the Beach/Caribe side is that is where all the watersports are (kayak, sailboat, paddle boats etc.). Check out this website for tons of info:

http://www.unofficial-barcelo-maya.com/site/

You will have a blast there. Be sure and try to do a cenote snorkel excursion, your kids will love it. If you would like I can tell you about a fantastic excursion that we took.
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Old Jun 9th, 2010, 08:12 AM
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Sweet!

I do understand there are 3 tiers, the Beach worked for us $$$ wise..although I am upgraded to Club Premium which will allow for more options with ala carte dining.

I have been starting to dig into the forums on that site, looks awesome.

I would love to hear about your excursion. So far, I am looking at Tulum, Akumal, and definitely a cenote. Am seeing that we could "rent" a taxi for the day or just use to Colectivo. Just need to find a balance between day tripping and just hanging at the resort.
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Old Jun 9th, 2010, 08:19 AM
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Bookmarking.
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Old Jun 9th, 2010, 01:00 PM
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VT Dad,
Check out Edventure Tours. http://www.edventuretours.com.mx/
You can design your day visiting both places you mentioned and the cenote. They will provide a car, driver, and guide. They are great.
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Old Jun 10th, 2010, 10:04 AM
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VTdad,

Here is the tour we took:

http://www.playa.info/tours-anna-james-tulum.html

They will pick you up at Barcelo. It starts with a tour of tulum, then to Gran Cenote for snorkeling (this was way cool), then to private beach near tulum for a great lunch (they had a really good local beer selection) and some chill time, then stop at another cenote on the way back. Everyone in our group said that it was the best day. Ask for Mitch as your guide (He is the guy in the picture) he has a fantastic knowlege of the area and takes care of everything.
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