TS Today - Creating a Vision for the Future of Vacation Ownership Issue #142, Jul/Aug 2015 | Page 15

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the presentation tour didn’t include $40 for
transportation from the resort to Cancún to
catch the boat, whereas that transportation
was built into the price of the regular tour.
On top of that, someone on our boat who
had booked the trip in Cancún paid only
$47 for it.
It was a party-type boat, with unlimited (watered down) drinks on board. At
one point, you had the option to lie down
while one of the crew members, dressed as
a clownish woman, pretended to phallically
squirt rum punch into your mouth from a
standing position.
In any event, even though many come
away feeling misled about the resort’s sales
presentation, many come away buying because the product here is great.
Like the Vidanta resorts all over Mexico, the Riviera Maya property is a huge,
sprawling complex with individual resorts
at several price points and quality levels.
The higher-end ones have pools and restaurants exclusive for their clientele. The Mayan Palace is the lowest-end resort. Anyone
can use their pool, which is one of the largest pool systems I’ve ever seen.
Mayan Palace rooms have Formica
counters. Grand Mayan rooms have granite counters, and a private plunge pool on
the balcony. Two resorts above the Grand
Mayan are even more elegantly appointed,
with better-quality appliances.

Jul/Aug, 2015

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with mostly Mexican and Caribbean fusion.

Grounds and Rooms
The grounds are gorgeous, very large,
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Service people are eager to please, though
their lack of English skills keeps them from
being able fully to understand your needs.
For example, I asked that a dislodged concrete tile next to the plunge pool on our balcony be put back in place. When I called

housekeeping or the front desk about the
problem, they kept responding asking me if
I was having a problem. I wish my Spanish
was better. I learned a bit while I was at the
resort, but it’s still pretty non-existent.
The rooms are large, well-appointed,
and decorated with contemporary Mexican- and Caribbean-themed art. The onebedroom unit in which we stayed was about
1,200 square feet, including the balcony. In
addition to the plunge pool on the balcony,
it had a large, squarish romantic tub in the

Resort Upsides
The restaurants are surprisingly fantastic. Several Mexican- and Caribbeaninspired restaurants serve traditional cuisine (great guacamole and quesadillas, for
example), and also offer fusion. Plenty of
different ceviches are offered here, and all
of them are delicious—except at the buffets. Ceviches need to be served fresh and
quickly, or the marinade will cold-cook the
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The resort has two very upscale restaurants, the Asian-fusion Gong, and the
traditional northern Italian and steakhouse
Tramonto. We get plenty of the latter in
the Boston area, so we didn’t bother eating
there, but Gong was amazing. Both have an
upscale casual dress code here, and reservations are required. Don’t show up with anything resembling beachwear or they won’t
let you in.
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hole of the Jack Nicklaus-designed par-3
golf course, is the only restaurant offering
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