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FEATURE
RESORT
Occidental Grand Xcaret Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico |
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WELCOME TO
PARADISE AT OCCIDENTAL GRAND XCARET!
Map of
Occidental Grand Xcaret Resort
Occidental Grand Xcaret Resort is situated 50
minutes south of the Cancun International Airport and
5 minutes from Playa del
Carmen, in the Mayan Riviera. This
beautiful resort, with its thatched roof lobby,
Mediterranean style decor, and beautiful Mexican
shoreline with turquoise waters, makes it a wonderful
vacation destination. One of the resort's more
unique characteristics is the subterranean river
which flows under the resort and forms canals
through the resort's cobblestone pathways.
Your are surrounded by beautiful gardens, bridges,
parrots and even authentic Mayan ruins on the
property of this resort.
Geared toward couples and families, the
Occidental Grand Xcaret Resort caters to all
age groups, and provides excellent variety, quality, and personalized
service. For all you beach buffs, they have a secluded, tiered beach
with thatched umbrellas, lounge chairs and canopied
cabana's with beds, affording the ultimate in privacy, service and sun bathing
convenience.
My family was fortunate to be able to spend Easter
break in 2007 at this wonderful resort. We
absolutely loved everything about the resort and we
had a terrific vacation.
We
flew into Cancun airport and took a shuttle to the
resort. Upon arrival someone was there to
greet us and offer us a wonderful cold, fruit drink.
We checked in early so our room was not ready.
We did find that they totally ignore any request
that you make in advance. For instance,
we were traveling with friends and requested to be
put in the same building with them and we also
requested a roll away cot. They were not aware
of either request at the time of check-in.
They did do their best to accommodate us with our
room location but our cot never came until mid-week
when we saw housekeeping storing one away and we
asked to have it.
Once we checked-in a representative of the
resort took us on a quick tour to show us where the
buffet, main pool and our building was located.
We enjoyed lunch and then headed to our room to get
into our bathing suits and head to the pool.
The kids absolutely loved the beautiful pool area.
Drinks are served poolside and there is also a
swim-up bar which my kids enjoyed. Frozen
drinks, virgin and with alcohol, were delicious.
Although gratuities are included we did tip the
waitress at the pool.
  
Occidental Grand Xcaret Resort Lagoon and Pools
Accommodations...
At the
Occidental Grand Xcaret you will enjoy 200 acres of lodging with 769 guest
rooms, featuring authentic colonial Mexican
architecture. This resort offers you both comfort
and elegance. Rooms have either king size beds
or two double beds with a maximum capacity of 5
people. The deluxe guest accommodations are
adequate and they have an ample private terrace. The
junior suites are especially spacious, with a
well-furnished living area, large bathroom and a
large terrace. The Royal Club is for
Occidental Vacation Club Members and does have a
variety of studio, one and two bedroom units
available.
The accommodations are distributed among three
story buildings surrounded by tropical gardens,
pools and the river. Each building has your own
concierge. The best buildings to be located in are
numbers 19 or 20. These buildings are located
by the main pool, close to bathroom facilities and
the pool buffet and swim-up bar. In addition, they are
centrally located so they are a short walk to the
main lobby and large buffet restaurant as well as
the beach.
We found the room to be nicely decorated but it
seemed to grow smaller as the week progressed and
four of us fought for the bathroom. We were on
the first level and had a nice patio with chairs.
Amenities....
This resort offers an extensive variety of
activities for you to enjoy from dance lessons,
eco-tours, archery, shuffleboard, water volleyball,
basketball, mini-golf, and tennis
courts, to relaxing
treatments at the world class spa.
No surprise, the resort has an extravagant
series of large swimming pools, 5 to be exact, with one
designated to adults only
and a children's pool. The salt-water
lagoon with beach, gym, disco, daily activities,
nightly entertainment, ecological & cultural hikes,
and bicycle tours add to the wonderful amenities
found
at the Occidental Grand Resort.
The nightly
entertainment was very good. The show changed
each night and usually consisted of some pre-show
activities such as the Kids Club children
performing, an activity with volunteers from the
audience and a band. The main event each night
occurred around 9:30 p.m. and it was like a small
Broadway production with music and dancers.
The choreography and costumes were great and the
dancers were very good and entertaining. The
kids looked forward to seeing the show each night.
Xcaret Park...
In addition, to all of the wonderful amenities of
this resort, it is located adjacent to the amazing
eco-archaeological
Xcaret
Park. It is just a 5 minute walk from the
resort along the canal and each resort guest receives a complimentary one-day
entrance to Xcaret Park (US$62 value). At this
park you can discover
natural wonders, immerse yourself in
underground
rivers, swim with dolphins (advanced reservations
are required), explore ancient Mayan
ruins, and see more than 80 varieties of tropical
orchids, a breeding aviary for wild birds, butterfly
pavilion, jaguar sanctuary coral reef aquarium and a
two hour show. This is an experience that you should
not miss.
  
Xcaret
Park -- Tropical Gardens, Beach, Ruins
I recommend that you go early around 9:00 a.m. and
go directly to the underground river. This way
you will beat the crowds. Our group of eight
were able to swim/snorkel through alone and take our
time which was really nice. You wear a life
jacket so you do not have to be a good swimmer.
I do recommend renting snorkel equipment (
especially fins). There are two paths that you
can take one is all underground and the other is
half under and half out. Since the water was a
little chilly that early we decided to do the in and
out side so that the sun would warm us. It
turned out to be great -- the kids loved it.
It does get very hot as the day goes on so be sure to take some water
bottles along with you. They do have lockers
where you can store your belongings before venturing
into the river. You should also be sure to
bring towels and sun tan lotion along with you. We actually stayed at
the park until the kids started to get hot and tired
around 1:30 p.m. and then we went back to the resort
had lunch and swam in the pool. We then
returned to the park, since you have an arm band
that is good all day, at 5:30 to see the show.
The show is from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and is
very entertaining as well as educational.
Kids Programs...
Supervised
program for kids 12 and under with a separate pool, clubhouse and
restaurant, as well as daily scheduled activities.
Kids' club events include participation in the nightly entertainment.
Dining....
The all-inclusive rate includes accommodations, all
food and drink, (unlimited drinks, juices, domestic
alcoholic beverages and wine with meals). Tax and
gratuities are also included.
Our dinner the
first night was at the main buffet and most nights
after were at one of the reservation restaurants.
The food was terrific and the service was superb.
Although gratuities are included we did tip the
waiters in the reservation restaurants. We had
breakfast each morning at the beach buffet. We
found it to be just as good as the main buffet with
a beautiful view and outdoor seating. Lunch
was at the pool buffet.
This resort has a variety
of restaurants for your dining pleasure, one which is exclusive for
the Club royal clients. You can find everything from
hamburgers to gourmet food. Buffet dining is the
standard for breakfast and lunch. Reservations are needed at
certain restaurants for dinner. At the reservation restaurants
men are required to wear long pants. In addition, a
shirt/shorts and shoes are required at all pool and beach
restaurants for lunch and dinner.
The Occidental Grand
Xcaret offers the following restaurants:
La Buffet - A large International buffet that serves breakfast,
lunch and dinner. Dress is casual and the food is plenty. The
variety is enough to satisfy event he picky eater. Each night this
restaurant has a different theme and certain foods are theme related.
Theme nights include Italian, Seafood, Mexican, French, Chef's Choice and
Tex-Mex.
Sonora Grill - One of the best restaurants at the resort. This
Steakhouse offers a wonderful selection of grilled food.
Reservations are required.
Los Olivios - Mediterranean and Italian restaurant. This restaurant
is more Mediterranean than Italian so you should not expect a lot of pasta dishes.
This was a little disappointing for us however, the food is very good. Reservations are required.
La Piazza - This casual, outdoor restaurant is a pizzeria with antipastos
and desserts. Reservations are not required.
Paco's Tacos - This casual, outdoor restaurant has tacos and Mexican
appetizers. Reservations are not required.
La Hacienda - Mexican restaurant with wonderful authentic food and great
atmosphere.
Reservations are required.
El Pescador - Seafood restaurant a la carte, located on the beach.
This restaurant is for seafood lovers only. If you do not like seafood or
can not eat it then this is not the restaurant for you. You will not find
anything on the menu except for fish. Reservations are required.
D'Oriental - This restaurant features Asian cuisine. Reservations
are required.
Club Royal - Exclusive for the Club Royal clients.
In addition, buffet restaurants are available for
breakfast, lunch and snacks at the beach and main pool areas.
Excursions...
    
We rented a Jeep,
right at the resort, and went to Tulum to see the Mayan ruins. This was
about an hour drive and was a very direct route. It is the most
inexpensive way to see the ruins. It cost us approximately $80 (American
dollars) to rent the car and $15 (American dollars) as an entrance fee.
The cheapest excursion we found was $90 (American dollars) per person. Of
course they do take you to a few other spots along the way. Again, we stayed there about
half a day
and then headed back to the resort for swimming and lunch. I recommend
that you wear sneakers and be careful the rocks are slippery.
Since we had the
car we decided to go into town at night to see 5th avenue in Playa Del Carmen.
Again, this was a very easy, short drive but parking was difficult. I would
recommend a taxi cab from your hotel. The area is blocked off for
pedestrians only and many blocks of nice stores, restaurants and bars. We
ate at an Italian restaurant and it was terrific. This was a wonderful
experience for everyone and I would recommend a visit to this area.
Weather...
The Mayan coast has a warm, tropical climate with intense
midday sun. Suntan lotion is a necessity. The average daily temperature ranges from
77 to 88 degrees F and the rainy season occurs May through
November.
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Azul Beach Hotel, Cancun, Mexico |
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The all-inclusive Azul Beach Hotel is
situated on the beautiful Petempich Bay near Puerto Morelos, just 15
minutes south of Cancun Airport and 30 minutes north of Playa del
Carmen, in the Mayan Riviera. This small
and personal resort, lies on a spectacular stretch of white sand beach
overlooking the turquoise waters of the Mexican Caribbean.
Geared toward couples and families, the Azul Beach Hotel caters to all
age groups, and provides excellent variety, quality, and personalized
service. For all you beach buffs, they have Beach Butlers and covered
cabanas, affording the ultimate in privacy, service and sun bathing
convenience.
Amenities....
There are
three full service swimming
pools, one for fun, and two more relaxed. There is an onsite
fitness center, and you can also get a massage, manicure, and
pedicure at the beach.
In addition, the resorts has a children's activity center,
daily activities and nightly entertainment.
Water sports include: paddleboats, kayaks, snorkeling gear,
hobie cats, boogie boards, ocean water slides, scuba clinics and
scuba diving. Land activities include: ceramic painting,
Spanish lessons, yoga, gymnastics, and beach parties.
Beach Cabanas are king-size,
four-poster beds featuring retractable drapes and oversized
pillows, perfect for days of private sunbathing and intimate
star-gazing nights
This central location of
this resort places you within reasonable proximity to the
natural aquarium of Xel-Ha, Eco park Xcaret, Tulum, beautiful
golf courses such as Puerto Aventuras Golf Club, and diving
throughout this region.
Kids Programs...
Planned daily activities and a
children's activity center are available.
Scheduled kids' club events include cookie-decorating sessions, pajama
parties, Spanish lessons, beach soccer, pool races and treasure hunts.
Accommodations...
The 98 rooms at the hotel are
decorated in a contemporary decor and come in superior and deluxe
categories. Rooms are either directly on, or just a few steps away from,
the secluded beach of Bahia Petempich;
A
superior room has 1 king size bed, a
garden view, and a balcony or veranda. The deluxe room has 1 king
size bed or 2 double beds with either a balcony or veranda, and a
lovely view of the gardens or the Mexican Caribbean sea. The
maximum occupancy for the superior is 2 adults or 2 adults with 1 infant
(0 - 2 years). The deluxe room can accommodate 3 adults or
2 adults with 2 children up to 12 years old or 2 adults with 1 child up
to 17 years old.
Children 2 and under stay free when sharing the
room with adults and children 3-17 years are charged a reduced rate.
Dining....
This resort
has 4 restaurants for your dining pleasure. You can find
everything from hamburgers to gourmet food. A la carte dining is the
standard for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Dinner reservations are
appreciated, but not required.
At the Blue Restaurant you will
find a friendly atmosphere for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast is A la Carte, lunch is family style and dinner is
unlimited dining with several complete menus. Menus include
the chef's choice. lobster, vegetarian, south beach diet and low
fat/low carb in addition to their daily changing international theme
menu.
The Blue Terrace is for dinner
only with A la carte dining. A wide selection of ocean fresh
seafood and tender cuts of meat among other mouthwatering
creations are available.
Restaurant Tainan
is A la carte dining for dinner only and serves a
variety of Asian inspired dishes.
La Mancha is a
Caribbean cafe, serving exotic fruit juices, smoothies, ice
teas, and a variety of coffee drinks. Light fare is also
served including hamburgers, salads, brownies, cookies, and
ice cream.
Weather....
The Mayan coast has a warm, tropical climate with intense
midday sun. The average daily temperature ranges from
77 to 88 degrees F and the rainy season occurs May through
November.
For further information go to
www.karismahhotels.com. |
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FEATURE RESORT
Bavarro
Princess All Suites Resort
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic |
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Bavarro Princess Lobby and Grounds
My
family enjoyed staying at the Bavarro Pincess in
March, 2006. This wonderful resort is
nestled amongst 92 acres of extraordinarily
gorgeous grounds and natural rainforest. The
pristine white sand beach and beautiful
turquoise water is a sight to see. This
immense village-like resort with casino has many
lovely paths to walk on with an abundance of
different species of animals including peacocks
and tropical birds. The Bavarro Princess
is about a 40 minute ride from the Punta Cana
International airport.
Accommodations...
After check-in we
proceeded to our 2 step, split level suite located in one of the
eighty six 2 storey buildings that are dispersed throughout the
resort. Our building was located by the main pool and the
beach. This is a great location because you are very
close to several restaurants, and of course the beach and pool.
The accommodations were spacious with a king size bed and
a living area with a pull-out couch. We requested a roll away
cot for our daughter and it fit nicely in the living room area.
The room also has a kitchen area with a small table and chairs
and a mini-bar with water, soft drinks and beer which is
replenished daily. Each room has a balcony or patio with
table and chairs. There were 8 units in each building.
The maximum occupancy for this room is 3 adults .
Amenities....
  
There are
two swimming
pools and an onsite fitness center.
In addition, the resorts has
a
team that organizes daily sports and game
programs each day. Activities include pool
aerobics, tennis, ping pong, beach volleyball, water polo, beach
football, jogging, ecological walks,
archery,
and badminton. In addition, there is live
music
 with regular shows nightly.
Bavarro Princess All Suites Resort also has a water sport center for all
non-motorized water sports activities such as :
kayaks, canoes, windsurf, sunfish, catamaran,
water bikes, introduction of scuba diving in the
pool, and snorkeling.
Kids Programs....
Supervised program with daily scheduled activities.
Kids' club events include participation in the nightly entertainment.
Dining....
The Bavarro Princess
offers many dining options from The Hispaniola which is the main
buffet restaurant. This is open for breakfast, lunch and
dinner. This restaurant offer five theme nights. Casual attire is
acceptable and reservations are not required. Food selection
is plentiful.
The most striking
restaurant is the Chopin, which has it's own magical setting, in the
middle of a lagoon surrounded by foliage. It is a deluxe
buffet restaurant open for dinner only. We really enjoyed this
restaurant and went back to it a second time. This restaurant
requires reservations and proper attire.
There are four a la
carte restaurants that require reservations:
Italian Restaurant "
Bella Pasta" serves dinner at night and has a lunch buffet during
the day time. This restaurant is located by the main pool area
and we ate here a lot for lunch. Long pants for men are needed at
night and a shirt/shorts are required for lunch.
El Pescador serves fish
and seafood specialties a la carte and is open in the evenings.
Reservations are required and proper dress is necessary.
El Gaucho Restaurant is
the barbecue restaurant that specializes in Argentinean meats in the evening and by day serves breakfast and lunch.
This restaurant is located right at the main pool/beach area and is
where we ate breakfast and lunch each day. We found the food
to be just as good as the main buffet and it location was wonderful.
Sakura, which is Asian,
offers a mix of Vietnamese, Chinese and other interesting dishes in
a Pagoda-style structure set on a lagoon. This restaurant is located
next to Chopin and it requires reservations. Proper dress is
necessary.
Licey is a gourmet,
elegant dining and requires more dress-up attire. The menu offers
international selections such as lobster and fine-cuts. Note: This
is not included in the all-inclusive package. This restaurant
is open for dinner only and requires reservations.
MacPriness is the beach
snackbar.
In general the food is
mediocre and the process to make reservations is tedious. You
must get up early and stand in line in the lobby to make a
reservation. Restaurants get booked quickly. Get there
early and make as many as they will allow at one time. Plan on
eating at the main buffet a few nights because you will not be able
to get reservations for every night.
Excursions...
 
Typical Country Side
We took a full day
excursion with Bavarro Runners Safari Adventures. It was a
wonderful day where our children were able to see different parts of
the island and how the local people live and work.
We drove thru the fields
of the largest sugar cane plantation in the country and we tasted
freshly cut sugar cane. We visited a typical country home to
see how coffee is roasted, Caribbean fruits are grown and how they
live from the land. In addition, we saw a cock fight demonstration,
which was the highlight of the day for the boys.
 
Dominican Country
Home
We went to the Bavarro
Runners Beach Ranch and had a Dominican buffet lunch and we
went horseback riding along the coast line. It is a great
opportunity for those who have never gone riding before. The
horses are trained to follow the trail and return to the stable and
it is at a reasonable pace. My daughter was 10 at the time and
she had to ride with my husband.
We also stopped at
a tobacco factory. We learned about the Dominican tobacco
industry and how cigars are made. It was a long day, the food
was mediocre but it was a great
learning experience.
 
Tobacco Factory
Weather....
The average yearly temperature is 89 degrees
F. Tropical storms are possible during the rainy season which is
June through October.
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Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic |
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Club Med Punta Cana is located in Higuey, Dominican
Republic, just 2 miles from the airport. It is the ultimate
vacation destination for families as well as beach and adventure lovers, who share an
enthusiasm for outdoor recreation. This resort is located on 75 acres of lush
tropical gardens with the largest beach on the
island.
Amenities....
For the sports enthusiast recreational activities
such as golfing, tennis, bocce ball, kayaking, flying trapeze lessons,
sailing, snorkeling, windsurfing, volleyball, basketball, softball,
water polo, table tennis, roller-blading and fishing are available for
guest participation.
Kids Programs....
Programs have been
designed to provide educational
fun for children from newborns to teens. Children are broken in
groups based on age and supervised age-specific children's
activities are scheduled daily.
Baby
Club Med is for children
4-23 months old. The children are
divided into two groups:
children who are not yet
walking and those with a
certain level of
mobility. Baby
Club Med is a paid
service with an
additional charge.
Activities include
learning games,
puppet shows,
indoor/outdoor play and
much more.
Petit Club Med is for 2 - 3 year old
children. Activities include early learning games,
rest periods, nursery rhymes and songs, walks,
face-painting, puppet shows, arts & crafts, pajama parties and
much more. The clubhouse
is surrounded by an
outdoor “funscape”
area with toys
including
dollhouses, trains
and slides.
Please note: This is an optional service and must be
paid for at the time of booking.
Mini Club Med
is for children from 4 to 10 years old. They are divided into sub-groups according
to their age. The children have a full schedule, including sport,
playful, and creative activities. Activities include
flying trapeze,
tennis, soccer,
sailing, in-line
skating, games, arts
& crafts,
mini-scientist and
more
"The Ramp" is where hip
teenagers, age 11-17, hang out.
This exclusive area dedicated to teenagers is a playground for
different forms of self-expression and they are free to do what
they want, when they want. Activities include
games, parties, arts
& crafts, flying
trapeze, trampoline,
juggling, beach
volleyball, sailing,
in-line skating,
tennis,
hip-hop, video production, sound mixing,
cinema, theatre or dance classes.
Accommodations...
This resort has
519 rooms that are divided in colorful bungalows with pastel
hues. The bungalows, with 2 floors, are ideally designed for
families, and are amidst the tropical gardens. All 519
rooms are suites with sleeping alcoves for kids.
The rooms are large and comfortable. Club
Med Punta Cana offers two types of rooms:
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Family Sea View room
- A 323 sq. ft. room that divides in two with a sliding
door. Includes a balcony with view of the sea, one double
bed and two twin beds.
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Family room - A 323 sq. ft. room that divides in two with a
sliding door. Includes a balcony, one double or one king bed and two
twin beds.
Dining....
Club Med Punta Cana
provides guests with elaborate themed-buffets that offer everything
from Italian to Mexican food.
La Samana - A
large, brightly colored restaurant open three meals a day
L'Hispaniola - This restaurant serves an international buffet
for lunch and dinner
with great views of the beach and sea.
Weather....
The average yearly temperature is 89 degrees
F. Tropical storms are possible during the rainy season which is
June through October.
For
further information go to
www.clubmed.us |
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