Mark

My wife and I are planning a trip to the Riveriera Maya in January. We are trying to decide on where to stay. We are in our mid to late 30's enjoy snorkeling and other watersports. We have narrowed dwon to these resorts:<BR><BR>Ikal Del Mar<BR>Aventura Spa Palace<BR>Royal Hidaway Playacar<BR>Sole Resort and Spa<BR>Riu Palace<BR><BR>Any coments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.<BR><BR>Mark

eileen

Went to Royal Hideaway in April and really liked it. It is an upscale AI and the food was fabulous. Do a search for my comments. Also, no kids allowed which we like cause we leave our kids at home with their grandparents!

Ally

Some things to consider to help you make a decision are:<BR>Adventra Palace:A LARGE resort with 474 rooms. Adults only. 20 minutes from Playa Del Carmen.<BR>Royal Hideaway:200 rooms, 5 minutes from town.<BR>Sole Resort: 190 rooms, 30 minutes from town.<BR>Riu Palace: another LARGE resort with 414 rooms, 5 minutes from town.<BR>All the above are All Inclusive and all but Aventura Palace allow kids.<BR>Ikal Del Mar: only 29 villas with private pools. If you like the grape, this resort has the best wine selection by far! Most romantic property due to size, no artificial light (only torches at night!) and no motorized vehicles.<BR>Only 3 miles from town, which is good because I don't believe this resort is All-Inclusive. Have fun deciding!

Mark

Eileen and Ally,<BR><BR>Thanks for the insight. Ally, it seems like you prefer the smaller resorts. Do you or anyone else have a particular reason for this? I would welcome others input as well.<BR><BR>Mark

Ally

Yes, I do perfer smaller resorts. Not just the 200 rooms kind of small, but the 50 rooms or less kind of small. Reasons why? Well, for one thing, have you ever been on a cruise? You've got to share the buffet food (which is typically bland, IMO) pool, beach, etc. with dozens and dozens of other people. The common areas tend to be crowded and noisy. Three, the larger resorts usually have 'activities people' trying to get you interested in cheesy games (although if you say no they will leave you alone) and most have loud music playing around the pool areas. Basically, as mentioned, I don't like the bigger resorts because there are just TOO many people to make it relaxing for me. Others enjoy these type of large resorts especially if they have kids, as there is so much to keep them occupied, but I just want peace and quiet. Some of those large resorts offer such a good value for the money spent that it's worth it, but If I were to go to another big resort I'd make sure it was adults only, so that even if it's crowded, at least there's a good chance it will be more quiet. That's just my opinion. The big resorts on your list are said to be quite nice. I've only been to The Reef Club Playacar and Viva Azteca so can't comment personally on your choices, but as I've said, they all seem to get fairly good reviews from most people, so you'll just have to decide for yourself how the crowds may effect what you want out of your vacation. In any case I hope you and your wife have a fabulous vacation!

Mark

Ally,<BR><BR>Thanks for your latest response. Yes, I have been on a cruise, but we chose a smaller upscale line...Windstar for the same reasons you described. I thought that maybe the resorts were so spread out that you didn't "feel" like you were with a large number of people. The Ikal sounds nice, but my only reservation is that there may be few dining choices close by. But I DO like the grape and that part sounds very enticing. We will definitly do an Adults Only resort to keep down on the potential noise, just want to mellow out and RELAX. Thanks again, we are looking forward to our trip.<BR><BR>Mark

Ally

Hello Mark,<BR>I understand how you feel about the food issue. I don't like to eat at the same place everyday either! Keep in mind, the only Adults only is Aventura Plaza which is 20 minutes from town, whereas Ikal is only 5 minutes from town, a $4 or $5 taxi fare! <BR>I am not associated with this hotel in any way, but the more I hear about your style the more I think Ikal is for you! Unless you don't need to be ON the beach, in that case I'd look into Mosquito Blue, which is IN town a couple blocks from the beach and is very nice, or El Faro, also in town and ON the beach. Let me know where you end up!

Mark

Hi Ally,<BR><BR>Thank you for all of the good insight and suggestions. I bit of info for you... It seems that the Aventura Palace and Spa palace have merged into ONE resort now called "Aventura Spa Palace" I now think this would be WAY too large for my liking. I am meeting with our travel agent this afternoon and will let you know where we end up (although I am leaning towards Royal Hidaway or Ikal). Thanks again.<BR><BR>Mark

Ally

Yes, please do let us know what you decide, and by all means, don't forget the trip report when you get back!<BR>Royal Hideaway, being an AI AND 5 minutes from town would be a good choice as well as Ikal. At least you've narrowed it down from 4 to 2!

nick

If I can interject a different opinion, try thr Xpu-ha Palace. My wife and I stayed there in April and were very pleased w/the 2 fab pools, exceptional staff and architecture, beautiful beach. Although it's not small, the rooms are grouped into small villages, giving the ambiance of a smaller hotel. The rooms are in Mayan style 2 story buildings, 2 rooms to a building, w/ mayan materials. Each room has a huge covered deck w/ a ceiling fan and lots of comfy furniture, it's like having an extra room. Their website does not do the place justice. (my wife is very particular and was happy).

Mark

Ally and Nick,<BR><BR>Thanks again for the input. I met w/ Travel agent and there were few prices loaded in at the moment. Seems that they are still firming up prices for the 2003 season. Nick, I think I will keep my focus on the Ikal and Royal Hideaway. If we like the area, and it looks like we will, we will check out the Xpu-Ha Palace and maybe go there next time. I will keep ypu posted. Thanks again, and I will not forget the trip report!

Mark

I have booked my trip and decided on the Royal Hideaway. We got a terrific deal for 1/11 - 1/18. $1804PP including air from PHL. Thanks for all of the help from everyone. I'll post a trip report when I return.<BR><BR>Mark

Ally

Great Mark! Have an excellent vacation!

Jodi

Mark -<BR><BR>Glad to hear your trip is planned, I'm sure it will be amazing.<BR><BR>Coincidentally, we also live in Philadelphia, and are planning a trip (honeymoon actually) to the Royal Hideaway in the spring and are also considering Ikal Del Mar!!!<BR><BR>Were you able to get any significant info on Ikal - trip reports, etc? I havent' been able to. How long are you staying at the RH?? We are considering 10 nights, not sure if it is too long and if we should split it up?<BR><BR>DId you book with a local travel agent? <BR><BR>

Mark

Jodi,<BR><BR>Here is the info I was able to find out on the Ikal. It is VERY upscale and just opened this past February. The quoted cost for two (room only) was in excess of $3800 per person for 7 days with air from PHL. I would think that it would be FABULOUS for a honeymoon if the price is no consideration. (My travel agent had a coouple return from there this past May and said it was the most exclusive resort they had been to, and they are pretty well travelled)<BR><BR>We will be staying at the RH for 7 nights and think that will be enough to rejuvinate us. IMO 10 nights might be just right for a honeymoon, especially after all the events leading up to and including the wedding. You will need to relax and just enjoy your time together.<BR><BR>Typically we do go through a travel agent. We had pricing of $2286 as the lowest price from our travel agent. I was in Skyauction which I use from time to time and noticed that they had the RH on auction. I bid on it and won. The $1804 was the total price including taxes and Fed-Ex delivery fee. So we saved a little over $400 per person. we already have our flights confirmed and the documents have been shipped to us from Skyauction. They are very professional to deal with. I wish you the best as you plan your honeymoon and life together. I'll post a trip report and you can see what to expect before you travel to that part of Mexico. If you need any more info e-mail me and I can probably share some additional insights that would be too lengthy for this post.<BR><BR>Mark

dena

Jodi,<BR><BR>My husband & I stayed at Ikal del mar in May, 2002. The place is very nice, secluded and private, much smaller then RH resort. Great service and ambience.<BR>My husband is in hotel's management chain/business and he get to review the resorts. WE HAVE seen RH too. It is nice but much bigger then Ikal. In May we stayed at Ritz Carlton in Cancun and Ikal. I preferred the Ritz for the better setting then RH and Ikal for being small, romantic, excellent service and etc. But then agian Ikal cost more. Don't get me wrong, RH is nice too. You can split your time between RH and Ikal. Go to www.slh.com and search for Ikal. they are having specail for this year and I'm sure they'll be having special for next year. I'm not sure when they will be posting though.

Catherine

We are planning our honeymoon for next year and are also considering Ikal and Maroma. Has anyone been to both for a comparison? Are some rooms better than others at Ikal. How are the plunge pools and beach?<BR>We are thinking of spending 4 days at the beginning and end of the trip at a luxury resort and the middle 6 days at a more rustic place. For the more rustic we've been looking at Costa de Cocos so while I'm at it if anyone has info on that, or other good, small, safe, ocean-side places it would also be appreciated. <BR>Thanks,<BR>Cat & Matt