Mayan Riviera Long Weekend

Write up and Photos by Tab Hauser

Home Page www.tabhauser.com tabh@hascorelays.com

 

For my 50th Birthday I decided I did not want to the party thing as many of my friends have done. Don’t get me wrong, I like   parties but not for me. I also decided that it was my birthday and I should go or do what I wanted within reason.   With in reason meant that I  had four nights squeezed in between a recent trip to China and a trade show the following week in New York I had to attend.   This also meant leaving Friday and returning Tuesday. With only having to contend with a  long weekend trip I also needed a to take a direct flight to save on travel time.  The Mayan Riviera suited these needs as our Jet Blue flight left 8:15AM and would arrive 4 hours later in time for a late lunch pool side.

Our destination was the new “Secrets Maroma” hotel 45 minutes south and a world away from crowded Cancun.  With carryon luggage we sped through Customs in minutes and out to a rental car. We were pleased to have made it from the front door of our house to the hotel door in just under 7 hours.

 

    

        The Main Pool Secrets Maroma                                                            Swim Out Suites on 1st Floor, Balconies with Soaking Tubes Above

Secrets Maroma is part of the adults only Secrets Chain of hotels.  I picked this particular one because it opened up in Mid August and had an excellent  promotion that was to expire at the end of October.  Secrets is an all inclusive moderately upscale establishment where each suite has a Jacuzzi for two, fancy bathroom amenities, flat screen TV with just about every cable channel (including Playboy) and even a pillow menu. On the first floor the suites are called swim outs.  This is because there is a small pool that one can walk out of patio and splash in. The pool is accessed by several other swim out suites from the patio door so skinny dipping is not an option here.  The upper levels have balconies with a large tiled tub for two on it that does offer some privacy of taking a bath.  We checked into to the upper level suite because we liked the partial ocean view and privacy you get higher on a higher floor. We were upgraded to the swim up floor after we unpacked and lost power in our room . They also gave us what they called Preferred Club Status. This meant use of a small club room with extra snacks top shelf liquor and the use of computers.   Also, on check in we were introduced to our building concierge which made arrangements for the “Beach Side Romantic Dinner”. It should be noted there is a full Spa on premises that we did not use.

 

 Comfortable King Beds With A "Pillow Menu" Available                              Bubble Bath Drawn For Us By Maid With Roses On Last Night

The grounds of this hotel are very nice. There is a main building with a large lobby and fancy bar surrounded by comfortable couches and large couch like beds if you want lounge back and watch the crowd.  There are also a French, Italian, Asian and Mexican style restaurant for dinner on the top level with the buffet restaurant for all three meals on the lower level.  In the middle of the grounds is a fountain flowing into shallow pools that makes it way to the main pool. Flanked on the right and left side are several buildings where the suites are.  The main pool is next to a steak and seafood restaurant that also serves a sit down lunch and breakfast.  The main pool we found very inviting with lots of lounge chairs and umbrellas, a swim up bar and plenty of floating mats.  This pool is also the center for morning water aerobics, volley ball and afternoon water polo.    On the south side of the pool is another bar.  All during the day waiters and waitresses cruise the area offering drinks as well as snacks and lunch that can be served pool side.  Past the pools is the soft sand beach with more lounge chairs and naturally made straw umbrellas. There is a beach bar and grill with people walking up and down to serve you.  At the ocean there were kayaks and Hobie cat sail boats to use anytime.

          "Taking Part" on Water Aerobics                                                                              Fresh Guac Delivered Pool SIde

The crowd at Secrets Maroma ranged in age from their mid 30’s to early 50’s. There were some older couples but few younger ones. While there were activities offered all day the main activity people seemed to want to do was lounge and sip cocktails on the mats or in the lounge chairs.  You would see people after breakfast at 10:30 floating or standing in the pool with a fresh Corona and lime or a  fruity tropical drink.  Speaking of drinks, as this was a moderately upscale place, the brands of spirits were also a notch up. At the lobby bar and restaurants there was always Kettle One and Grey Goose Vodka as well as  Havana 7 year aged Cuban rum not obtainable in the USA as well as the better aged Bacardi anejo..   The Tequila pool side would be 2 steps up from Jose Cuervo or “house” Tequila you would find a lower prices all inclusive. There was also Don Julio’s Tequila available at the restaurants or lobby bar.

   

          Delicious  Paella Made Pool Side At The Secrets Maroma Pool

Food here was something that we rated only “OK”. We did not try the Asian hibachi / sushi restaurant which people liked. The French place served me a piece of grilled grouper that did not taste fresh while Maureen’s steak there was nothing special.  The Italian place which made its pasta in house was disappointing as the pesto sauce I had was very dry.  The night we were to eat at the Mexican place it was closed so we went to the “Tex-Mex” buffet instead. We sat down tasted a few bland things and left disappointed only to eat somewhere else. The best dinner we had was by the poolside restaurants. One  side specialized in seafood while the other did different steaks. With Maureen being the meat eater and myself eating seafood they allowed her to sit in the seafood restaurant with the steak menu.  Our best dinner was here. My pompano was fresh and flavorful and at my request they grilled me a few extra shrimps on the side.  Maureen’s steak was cooked better with a nice seasoning on it. With the all inclusive comes house wines with dinner. When our waiter asked if we wanted more I stated I was saving my alcohol for the good Tequila at the lobby bar. Two minutes later he appeared with a nice bottle Don Julio’s resposado and a long shot glass to sip this smooth drink with my desert. He made sure I relaxed with another before leaving the place.  The last dinner we had was also nice. For my Birthday we arranged a 4 course meal directly on the beach no more than 25 feet where the light surf was sinking into the sand. This was our one extra expense. For $150 you get a steak and shrimp dinner (or steak and chicken for my non-seafood eating with), salad, soup, desert and a bottle of Mexican Sparkling Brut. It is very romantic with candles set all the way down to the beach and torches to light the area. The service was top notch here as well.  It should be noted that tipping is not expected but a dollar or two here and there from some great service goes along way for these people. We tipped the Romantic Dinner staff as well as a few bartenders that allowed me to customize a few drinks to taste.

 

Candles Light The Way To Your Feet In the Sand Table                Four Courses, Sparkling Wine, Stars and Waves

As for the rest of our meals, we found the buffet breakfast very good as well as the sit down breakfast in the steak house very good.  At the pool we had good wraps, guacamole, burgers and club sandwiches served at our lounge chair.  A nice treat was that each day 2 chefs adjacent to the pool would make a dish in a 4 foot pan for all to watch and enjoy. One day they made one of the best paellas I have ever had.

    

Secrets Double Door Room Service Box for Private Deliveries        Lounging While Taking in The Music At the Club

On the last word regarding food service one policy in dining here that needs to be changed is Secrets Hotel’s stupid dress code. In the main building restaurants men are not allowed to wear shorts. That meant on a tropical warm night I could not wear my stylish or proper looking short pants, shoes with a nice button down shirt but saw men with beat up jeans, T shirts and sneakers be seated.  Like I said, a dumb dress code that should be changed immediately.

 

 People Watching In The Lobby Bar While Before Dinner                                      Beach Party, Fire and Music Under The Stars

One thing that makes Secrets shine is its staff.  While everyone we came across could not have been friendly we found the “Secrets” Entertainment staff special.  These are some of the hardest working people I have met in the hotel business. We would see them from 9AM to midnight making sure the fun would never stop if you cared to join in.   They would cajole you into playing pool games, entertain you at night with different venues and have an unbelievable amount of what I would say happy energy. A few of them made it a point to always stop by our lounge chair just to have friendly conversation when not working an activity. My wife liked the stretching and water aerobics that was as much fun to watch from my chair as it was for them to do it in the pool. We also liked the group kayak trip to the reef. While we did not play bingo in the pool we watched the 30 or so people laugh and drink for prizes.

Hotel and Beach Scene From Kayak On Overcast Day

On our first night we went into the “club” where we enjoyed a rock band.  We felt like big shots at a fancy Las Vegas club lounging in day bed off the main floor rather than sitting on bar stools. We did not have the pay the $100 bottle charge as you do in Vegas for the privilege. Here the staff would come out to dance with the guests or dance with a spouse when the other one was a little shy on their feet. Another night there was a cute magic show. This was followed by table gambling where you were given chips and then would auction the chips for T shirts or the grand prize of a massage.  The highlight for us was after my birthday beach dinner where they had music under the stars. It started with the largest blow up screen TV I have ever seen so guests can watch the World Series in the sand with a buffet set up next to them. After that a small bon fire was lit and 2 guys played amazing rock and country rock while people huddled next to the fire or were wrapped in long towels being handed out by the staff to protect them from the nip in the wind that night. If you did not know any better you would think that night you were on beach at the end of the summer in the Hampton’s or perhaps California enjoying good music and good company. It was a magical moment the staff had made and reason to consider coming back here.

   

          A Tangy Mango Before Noon                                            A Night Dip Off the Patio' Swim Out Pool

This was our third trip to the Mayan Riviera and we are happy to say we are 3 for 3 in good times in this part of world.  We do not recommend Cancun as a vacation destination because of the crowds and hotels lined up one after the other as well as the Americanized restaurants in the hotel zone as it is called. We do recommend heading to the many resorts that range 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours south of the city.  When doing your research in this area you will find resorts that cater to families or adults. Many hotels are not all inclusive which gives you the option to dine in the nearby town.  Our first visit was to the exclusive Maroma Spa and Resort which certainly deserves if top ratings for the area. We also liked our second visit to  Paradiso de la Bonita which is written up on www.tabhauser.com .

 

                             Tulum Ruins                                                                                            There Is A Nice Beach Below This Mayan City

Side Trip: One of the reasons I rented a car at the airport rather than pay for transport to and from the airport was to have a car and drive down to the Mayan ruins of Tulum and then snorkel or dive a cenote or cavern on the way back.  Our intention was to be on the road at 9AM but with Jet Lag hitting and both of us having a bad cold we slept in until 10:30 got a very late start.  We knew the diving was out of the question due to our colds so we drove an hour to Tulum where we shared a guide with another family and learned what this old Mayan waterfront city was all about. From there we headed back with a stop at a pharmacy due to what felt like an ear infection on Maureen. I mention this stop here because in Mexico you can purchase most medicines and antibiotics over the counter. We even saw a couple of older gents buying Viagra like it was candy due to no prescription needed.  We found the cost of our 2 antibiotics was about $5.00 or less than my insurance deduction at home. It should be noted that we visited Tulum because we had visited Chitza Nitza on a trip years ago. Chitza Nitza  is a much larger and detailed Mayan city and not should not be missed when in the Cancun / Yucatan Peninsula.

 

                                  Resting Iguana                                                                        Ancient Buildings Overlooking the Sea

 

 

 

 

   

 

      

                                 Outer  Wall With Tower                                                                        Entrance Through Thick Stone Wall

Email; tabh@hascorelays.com for comments and questions

Home Page: www.tabhauser.com