Tuvan

I just came back from my recent vacation with a group of friends. We stayed at Dreams Resort & Spa Cancun. Loved it!  This was my second time staying at this resort. We were so impressed with the service, cleanliness, and the beautiful beach — and nothing like the swim-up bar with our bartender, Pedro.

After a 15-minute taxi ride from the airport, we arrived at the resort. Dreams is ideally situated right at the tip of the island of Cancun. If you’re a nightlife lover, you are in luck. Dreams is less than a five-minute walk to several major nightclubs (Familiar with Congo Bongo). Also, you’ll be very close to shopping and flea markets, if you’re into that stuff.

We were greeted with champaigne, bottle water, and great attitudes. We got an Ocean View upgrade for free, and at this point, my number one rule (referenced in an earlier blog) is out of the window, because at Dreams Resort and Spa Cancun, all-inclusive mean everything is free. We were so happy and excited, and we were definitely hungry for some food. I love the fact that we do not have to wear a bracelet to identify ourselves at the resort, unlike other places we’ve stayed at.

We went to our room and loved it.  The AC was so strong and felt so nice. The room was ready with 2 bathrobes, 2 slippers, a down blanket, sun block (do you know any resort that gives you sun block for free?), and a free mini bar (wink, wink), with Fanta, bottle water, and Ceveche (Corona). The bathroom was all equipped with shower gel, shampoo, nail file, cotton balls, shower cap, several soaps, shoe polish, incense, hairdryer, iron, ironing board, umbrella, robes, and many different sized towels. We even had our own automatic private safety box.  We didn’t have to carry the key around like other resorts — what a peace of mind.  My husband pointed out the DVD player in the room, but who cared.  I just wanted to go to the beach.

We went to the seaside grill for lunch.  OMG, you have to try the grouper with garlic sauce, the fish was so fresh, the fish hamburger, the coconut ice cream, many kinds of cocktails, and the ocean view.   The service with our waiter, Marco, was superb.  He was so nice.  He recommended many kinds of cocktails to us.  We loved this resort for the fact that they used brand name liquors.  The tequila was so smooth, the Zombie drink would send you up to your room faster than you would expect.  Oh, I just wanted to point out that we’re not alcoholics — but we’ll have just enough alcohol to have a some fun.

We would rest on the beach, and Marco would bring us Ceveche and margaritas.  Everyone in the group would always be buzzed, except for my pregnant, best friend.

Since Oceana’s Restaurant is under renovation, they sent us to Pomita Bonita Restaurant for complimentary meals.  We were so lucky, because this was the only restaurant in the resort that was not inclusive.

Dinners at Seaside Grill, Pomita Bonita, or Himitsu were a wonderful experience for us. We love the salmon, tuna, and grouper sashimi at Himitsu.  Again, the fish were so fresh. I wouldn’t recommended beef to anyone, because the beef in Mexico tasted funny.

The room service at Dreams was first class, champagnes, beer, and food 24 hours a day.  The gaillo con chile (tomato salsa) was superb.  Well, we were always buzzed, so naturally everything tasted so damn good all the time.

We had many fun nights, mostly drunk.  I probably shoudn’t mention this, but someone in our group (I won’t mention any names here) took off his pants and started skinny dipping in the Jacuzzi. 

So warning: let this be the reminder that every time you’re in the Jacuzzi, there could be a drunk, naked guy.

Our last day was well planned and the shuttle picked us up on time, but we were so sad to leave.

Here are some very important tips that you should consider when you plan your next trip to Cancun:

1. Search around for good price, especially when Dreams gave one free night deals. Sorry, I won’t tell the price I paid for my package, because you’ll probably feel bad, especially since it was so cheap.  All-inclusive dinners and drinks alone would be worth more than the cost of our packages.  It was well worth every single penny.

2. After January 7th of 2007, you will not be able travel to Mexico with just a green card. You would have to have some kind of passports.  If you don’t have a passport, apply for a re-entry permit (Form I-131), which costs $170 just for the filing fee, with a 2-year expiration. You can go get the form here (http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-131.htm)

3. Buy water cameras before your trip. Or if you’re already in Cancun, take a bus ride to the downtown Walmart to buy the water cameras (but the quality is much less than here).

4. Do not stop and talk to any vendors on your way out of the airport.  These are timeshare scams.

5. If you bought or received complimentary shuttle tickets to and from the resort with Expedia, Orbitz, or Travelocity, you’ll be expected to meet with the representative in Cancun to get your voucher to get back the airport. This meeting is mostly about selling excursions, which is more expensive than the deals you can get with outside vendors. Be smart (like my husband).  Don’t meet them until the day prior to your last day at Cancun. They will have to give you the voucher, but won’t be able to sell you anything, since you’re leaving the next day.

6. The tickets for Xcaret at the hotel is from $100 to $150, but outside vendors charge you only $78.00.  Also, do not pay the additional $5.00 for the night show, which you’ll will have to stay past 10PM.  You’ll want to get back to your hotel at 6PM to enjoy the beach at sunset.  Make your all-inclusive worthwhile.

7. Do buy cosmetics in Cancun at Femme Duty Free. Much cheaper than in the States.  And the carry unique selections that do not exist in the States.

8. Do not drink so much tequila, because you may be too hung over to enjoy your vacation the next day.  Or worst, throw up on your wife’s head.  Wink. Wink.

9. Bring with you a great attitude and a group of good friends.

There so much to say, but the best advice is to go to Cancun and experience it.  I can rant on, but you have to try out yourself.  You will love the fun and sun.  Best wishes.  And don’t forget to send your vacation experience to iVenturous, where friends meet to share their vacation adventures.
 

We went to Xcaret for a day.  We loved the underground rivers and a day at the beach.  We didn’t know that snorkelling is free. We brought along our snorkels from home, but thinking that it cost money to be in the water.  (I’m sure my sister would laugh histerically hearing this.) We forgot to bring the under water camera this time, so the price we had to pay for our forgetfulness is $16.00 (in the States, it would only cost $6.00). And please.  Do not take the “trail to paradise” boat ride.  Trust me — lots of mosquitos bites.  Check out the evidence in the photo if you don’t believe me.   Also, avoid the long walk, which my husband called the  “trail to hell.”

In previous blogs, I talked only about food and alcohol, so let me talk about the beaches now.  Dreams is also surrounded on three sides by the ocean. There are two beaches. One of the beaches is very windy while the other is very calm, but both have beautiful water. The calm beach is by far the one that most people preferred. You can grab a raft and lay out in the ocean for hours without having to be concerned about rough water. It’s ideally for kids and snorkelling fans like me. Clean towels are always available in the basket for guests to use without any identification cards or room keys, a plus for someone who is as forgetful as I’m.  While we weresun bathing, our waiter constantly came by to ask us whether we wanted drinks or foods. It was a paradise.

When you arrive at Cancun Airport, you should know the following:

1. Do not let anyone lay their hands on your luggage.
2. Do not stop at any vending station on your way out of the gate. 

These folks either want tip or sell you a timeshare.  The timeshare sellers would promise you free excursion tickets and a little tour, which can take up three to four hours of your valuable vacation time.  Worst, they’ll push you to buy a timeshare or spend your money for other purposes.  Remember the number one rule in life: nothing is free, even water.

We arrived at Cancun Airport at 3:00PM and went through Customs before picking up our luggages. The immigration officer was so corrupted. He asked my friend and her husband for $150 before he’d let them enter Mexico, because my friend was only carrying her green card — not a passport. I didn’t know about this until she told me on the way out of the airport.  I was so furious, but at this point, the weather was wonderful that we all just wanted to be seating on the beach with a glass of margaritas, rather than being bummed out. My friend and her husband had to settle with the immigration office for $100.  So mad — we could have bought a couple of tequila bottles with that amount of money.  (I’m sure my friend is smiling as she’s reading this at the moment.)