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Recently returned from Iberostar Paraiso and will be happy to answer questions

Recently returned from Iberostar Paraiso and will be happy to answer questions

Old Aug 19th, 2003, 11:50 AM
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Recently returned from Iberostar Paraiso and will be happy to answer questions

Just a quick note to say we returned last weekend from the Iberostar Paraiso. We had a great time! I posted a detailed trip that can be found in:

http://mytravelboard4.com/playa/posts/4170.html

This was our 3rd trip to the area. In the past we have visited all the major ruins (Chichen, Tulum, Coba, Uxmal), Merida, Cozumel, and Akumal. I will be happy to answer any questions.
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Old Aug 19th, 2003, 07:02 PM
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We are going to Mexico in March for our 25th anniversary, our twin daughter's 16th birthday and my son's high school graduation. Would you recommend we stay in Cancun, Riviera maya, or Cozumel? We want an all inclusive with plenty of activities for the teenagers. Thanks.
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Old Aug 20th, 2003, 04:53 AM
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I think the Riviera Maya would be the best for that group. All inclusives in this area offer tons of activities. The Iberostars have a crew of staff that do activities all day long: set up volleyball, soccer, water polo, bocce, archery, dance, the list goes on and on. Cozumel is nice too, but the resorts are smaller and the whole island seemed more laid back. I would recommend staying near Playa del Carmen (in the Playacar community). This is a 20-25-minute walk from Playa del Carmen, where there are shops, cafes, restaurants. This is a good place for the teenagers to hang out if they get bored at the resort.
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Old Aug 20th, 2003, 03:53 PM
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Thanks for your input. Have you ever heard anything about the hotels Viva Maya or the Palladium Grand resort. These two are ones my travel agent gave me rates on.
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Old Aug 21st, 2003, 04:34 AM
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Viva Maya is in Playacar, near Playa del Carmen. That's a good location. The Playacar beach is great. Based on my research, the Vivas are a moderate property though.

The Palladium Grand was my 'runner-up' for this trip. I have heard great things about it, and we passed its entrance on the way to Xel-Ha and it looked very nice. It is about 45 minutes from Playa del Carmen and more than 1 hour away from the airport, if you go non-stop (longer if you stop to drop people off). That's the only disadvantage I can think of.
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Old Aug 27th, 2003, 05:43 AM
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Hi Mari, thanks for the detailed trip report. I do have a question about room choice. You mentioned that it wasn't worth getting the Jr Suite. Another poster however had mentioned that the Jr Suites are located right on the beach and since its a really big resort its alot more convenient. I would definitely need a king bed with a pull out sofa for my 13 yr old son. Do the standard rooms offer this? Their website was a little vague about the sofa aspect in these rooms.

May I ask approximatley what the week costs with airfare? I'm having some difficulty getting on-line quotes. Did you go through apple vacations?

Thanks for you tie,
Janet
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Old Aug 27th, 2003, 07:10 AM
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The junior suites are located right next to the beach (not *on* the beach). The Del Mar junior suites have an ocean view from the second and third floor, but the Beach side junior suites do not, as there is quite a bit of thick vegetation in front (which does make them very private). That is the main reason why I said they were not worth it.

For us, it was very convenient to be right next to the beach. However, the main buffet and the specialty restaurants are next to the lobby, on the opposite side of the beach. There are two palapa restaurants near the beach, but their breakfast was just a continental breakfast and their lunch was very much lacking in variety. In contrast, the buffet by the lobby had an *excellent* spread for both breakfast and lunch. We found out that we prefered going there for breakfast and lunch. It really is less than a 10 minute walk from the junior suites to the restaurants, but keep in mind that if you're in the junior suite you will likely be going all the way to the lobby resturants for breakfast. We really did not think the resort was that big, but I read enough reviews before going to know that some people did think the size was a problem.

The sofa that is in the rooms (I'm not sure if all rooms have it or just the junior suites) is NOT a pull-out couch, but rather a stone frame with a cushion on top. Very pretty and long, but I'm not sure if it would be big enough for a growing teenager. You would do better requesting a room with two double beds.

Our one week for 2 people in August, including non-stop flights on US Air was $2,160. September, October and November are the cheapest months, followed by May and June. X-Mas and New Year's is the most expensive, followed by the end of December through April, followed by July and August. Keep this in mind when getting quotes. Also, US holidays are $ if flying from the US. I found that the price we were quoted by USAirways Vacations was comparable to Apple's and Apple was on a charter air. So, depending on where you are flying from check out USAir and also Funjet. They also provided semi-private transfer to the resort and private transfer on the way back to the airport. Very good service.
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Old Aug 27th, 2003, 08:36 AM
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Thanks for the info...
Janet
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