Finding Honeymoon Excellence in Cancun

Stoddarschmidt — Sat, 10 May 2008 23:42:36 GMT

My fiancee and I were worried.

Neither of us had been to Mexico, and we had no idea if we had made the right choice for our honeymoon.

My fiancee had done some research on TripAdvisor.com (something we HIGHLY recommend), and the resort had been fairly highly rated, though the price was lower than some of the other resorts sporting rave reviews. And there were some detractors, too--folks complaining about bad service, bad weather and even bed bugs! A cursory inspection of other resort reviews found some of the same one-off complaints, so we made the plunge with a click of the mouse, reserving everything online (through Travelocity). Then, we turned back to our wedding preparations, the kernel of doubt about our honeymoon pushed to the back of our by the overwhelming certainty of our soon-to-be-legally-documented commitment to each other.

Two mornings after the wedding, we got up at an ungodly hour to drive to Chicago and park our car at a hotel lot for the week. The shuttle schedule seemed random (a fact that would haunt us at the end of our journey), but we boarded without incident, and arrived at the airport with plenty of time.

Arriving at our gate, I checked with the desk on a whim, worried there were different procedures for international flights which would require immediate check in. Fortuitously, I was behind a woman who had realized that she and her husband were not going to be sitting together. As I listened to her work things out, I quickly discovered that my new wife and I were also not seated together (though we had booked the seats together, and even picked our adjacent seats online). Frustrated, I discussed this with the counter agent, but the best she could get us was two window seats, one directly behind the other.

So, on our first international flight together, journeying to our honeymoon, my wife and I sat a row apart, and all of the movies I had loaded on my iPod were for naught.

The Cancun airport was clean, sparkling, and relatively easy to understand. There was, however, one terrible flaw. I refer to the portion of the airport between where the customs agents release you, and the glass doors that lead to the resort shuttles and cab drivers outside. I will put this in a new paragraph not only to highlight it's significance, but also to underline my disgust with the practice:

WARNING! DO NOT STOP WALKING UNTIL YOU ARE OUTSIDE, AND REACH THE SHUTTLE/CAB AREA! IF SOMEONE OFFERS TO HELP YOU, SAY: "No Thank You", AND CONTINUE ON YOUR WAY!

As you try to leave the airport, you will be accosted by the unfortunate devils who will try to lure you into their deadly trap: TIME SHARES! Though there are some travelers who might pounce on a free offer, willing to endure some sales pitch to get a free boat tour, we are not among them. (At least, not on our honeymoon.) If you're willing to sit through such things, I recommend you have the representative cut to the chase, and make their offer, so you can agree to terms, and be on your way. My wife and I, in our wide-eyed naivete, wasted 20 MINUTES of our honeymoon talking to this person, who had ensnared us by asking us what hotel shuttle we were looking for, and offering to help, before we realized what he was selling. Though the Mexican government is probably handsomely paid by the resorts who employ these people, I think it is a shame that they are allowed a prominent position in the airport, with shirts and identification badges that resemble those of the airport staff.

Enough--in the end we were able to tear ourselves away without agreeing to anything (though he tried to guilt us with cries about how he would not afford to eat without our signatures on a tour or two). Waiting for the resort shuttle in the hot sun was a relief compared to the sales pitch, and we were soon on our way to the resort. The highway that led to the resort was simple, dusty, and unadorned by the roadside attractions and amenities that one would expect in the US. As we turned down the secluded road toward our resort, we wondered if there was really an ocean at the end of the rural-looking road, surrounded by patchy grass and sandy piles of rock.

Suddenly, at the end of the road, a clean and modern gate appeared. The bus stopped at the gate, verifying identification and passenger names with the guard, and we were through...into a lush garden courtyard. We had arrived, at Excellence Riviera Cancun.

As we sipped our arrival champagne, the desk checked our luggage, and gave us a time to report back to the desk, for delivery to our room. We walked down the grand staircase to the martini bar--transfixed by the massive wrought-iron chandelier that hung above it. We drained our remaining champagne, and took in our first margaritas of the trip, venturing out into the hot sun to stroll around the resort. We walked past a few of the restaurants, and ogled the mouth-watering menus, working our way to the beautiful vista that awaited us at the beach. Even with partly-cloudy skies, the resort had already entranced us. Time suddenly flew by--just looking out into the foreign ocean satisfied us as we sipped our cool drinks, and the stress from the flight and the airport drained from us.

A porter from the desk pushed our bags along the stone walkway, pointing out significant landmarks as we made our way to our room. This was when we first noticed that each and every employee who passed by made a point to make eye contact, and greet us with a warm smile. "Hola!" "Hola!" (Though my wife and I would tease each other with multiple greetings at odd moments, we would miss this simple act once we returned to the "harsh reality" of Milwaukee.) Our room was gorgeous--cool marble floors, wood accents throughout the room, a whirlpool bathtub in the room, and a second one on the porch outside! A hammock and pair of beach chairs waited outside, facing the lazy river that flowed throughout the resort. (We paid a bit more for the swim-up suite, which opens directly onto the grassy oasis that meanders through the complex. Well worth it, for the direct access to a grassy resting place, and the river.) One of the greatest treasures of the resort was yet to be discovered--the food! We perused the daily resort schedule that was delivered to our door, which listed the restaurants that were open that night (availability rotated nightly) and chose the Mediterranean-style 'Barcelona'. The food was excellent, from the appetizers to the desserts.

Our service was fast and considerate, and we LOVED every bite. We thought we would have to go back to Barcelona again, since we knew we could count on it--but we wouldn't be back for DAYS. Every restaurant within the resort was worth raving about! Even the simple 'Grill' was worthwhile, if you found yourself wanting for good old American comfort food. Oregano served delicious pizzas for a light lunch by the seaside, Toscana offered terrific pasta dishes, and Spice satisfied our sushi craving while allowing us to meet diverse fellow guests who joined us at our hibachi table (we recommend this for meeting new friends!). The only restaurant we didn't visit was the Lobster House, since neither my wife nor I have much of a craving for lobster--our tastes leaning more towards the mouth-watering steak au poivre that we had (TWICE!) at Barcelona. I can't say enough about the quality and variety of food at the Excellence, and indeed I must stop talking about it, for I am making myself hungry with the effort.

The beach was beautiful, though we found we spent more time lounging around the pools and river. (Drinks were closer.) Each day, the staff was energetically walking around trying to recruit people for games, sports, or classes. I played beach volleyball and bocce. My wife took a class in towl-sculpture and drink mixing. We both went along for archery and shooting (air rifles). Towards the end of the trip, I treated my wife and I to a massage at the Spa. The massage was terrific for the overcast day-a relaxing respite from our full schedule of lounging, floating, drinking and eating. Included in the Spa treatment was a walk through their "hydrotherapy" session-a assortment of massaging, steaming, cooling, heating, bubbling and spraying water effects-that made for an interesting follow to the massage.

We only took one trip out of the park, using a third-party travel company that conveniently has representatives just off the Excellence lobby each day. A day trip that visited the coastal ruins of Tulum, and the natural waterpark of Xel-Ha. Tulum was beautiful. Quiet, modest ruins walled in along a beautiful stretch of coastline (the Mayans knew good real estate when they saw it). Our tour guide was very well-informed, friendly and interesting. The sun was beating down on us, and we had to squint to take pictures, but we enjoyed our short visit to the historical landmark. Xel-Ha was recommended by a honeymooning couple we know (as well several people on TripAdvisor) and it EXCEEDED our expectations! It's like a wildlife preserve version of Sea World, except everyone swims with the wildlife! Even though we were both woefully out of practice with our snorkeling skills, we quickly learned enough to begin enjoying the thousands of colorful native fish that swarmed throughout the park. We spent several hours there, but we both felt like we had barely scratched (or, dipped below?) the surface. This park is on the "must-return" list when we next venture back to Mexico.

Other activities within the resort included a visit to the dance club, a night of karaoke, a magician and a comedian. The resort also had great nightly shows, with themes that varied from traditional Mexican dance forms to a Bob Fosse tribute montage, Our favorite was probably the Fire Show, with complicated dance moves that were further complicated by the performers swinging and juggling fire. Their acrobatics were so intense that I began to sweat! (or perhaps that was from the heat of fire on my face.)

When it was finally time to head home, we were disappointed, but satiated. Though we weren't looking forward to our return to the blustery October winds of Milwaukee, we definitely felt like we had gotten our money's worth during our stay.

A miscommunication at the Chicago airport left us stranded at the hotel shuttle area for nearly an hour, as we waited for a shuttle that would only come if it was summoned. We ended up spending five minutes trying to convince a cabbie to take us on the too-short-to-be-worth-it drive to the hotel nearby. But this was a minor annoyance, and we were still glowing, still feeling the warmth of the sun on our faces, and the relaxing joy of the resort in our hearts.

We were already talking about going back to the same resort for our anniversary. Even though part of me yearns to see more of the country, and try out new areas, it's hard to resist heading back to a sure thing. And the Excellence Riviera Cancun was just that. A sure thing after a hectic week of wedding chaos, a solid bet that came out of a couple nights of internet research.

In the end, there was nothing to be worried about.

Blog entries for Stoddarschmidt

Finding Honeymoon Excellence in Cancun