Mayan Peninsula
Aventura Spa Palace Resort
January 18-26, 2006


Wednesday January 18

Last year at this time, Jim and I bought a membership at the Palace Resorts. We booked our first week in October of 2005, right as Hurricane Wilma hit. We were among the fortunate ones that were scheduled to arrive in Cancun after the arrival of the storm -- so we weren’t among those stuck in the emergency evacuation centers. It was disappointing not to be able to go but better than the alternative might have been. So today we leave for what we hope will be a relaxing week.

Have no idea of what we will find waiting for us in the Cancun area. It was devastated in the hurricane but it is said that the resort is back up and running – do hope so! Even if the resort is in good condition we aren’t sure about the rest of the area – will have to wait to see how much is restored to normal.

This afternoon we are headed for the Four Points Sheraton at Newark Airport where we will spend the night. We have found that staying at a Park and Fly Hotel the night before is a less expensive way of parking our car than leaving the day of departure and parking at the airport lot.

We leave home in relatively mild weather – however, on the drive to Newark the skies become quite ominous looking and as we check into the hotel have problems even shutting the car door because the wind is sooo strong. Freezing out – but at least this makes our visit to the warm weather of Cancun/Mayan Riviera even more appealing.

The hotel is very nice but undergoing renovations. This isn’t affecting the rooms so we are fine. Upon arrival we both relax in our own way. Jim goes outside for a cigar and I read in the room. We eat our dinner at the hotel – limited menu but still very nice. We order a drink before ordering -- nice to start our vacation in this nice relaxed way.

After dinner Jim goes out for another cigar but it is a quick trip --- much too cold outside to enjoy himself. I return to the room to call our friends, Carol and Walt, who are going to Cancun with us. They are from NC and will meet us there. Carol and I have a nice little chat but then it is time to wrap it up – Duke Basketball is coming on their TV and they are big time Duke Fans!


Thursday January 19

Up bright and early – I was up all night – sleep for perhaps half an hour before the alarm goes off.
This is typical for me, the first couple of nights away from home.

We catch the hotel shuttle to the airport, only to find that airport regulations require us to be dropped off a certain point rather than right at Delta Airline’s check-in. Doesn’t make this as easy as it could be, especially since Jim and I have yet to master the fine art of traveling lightly!!!
But wait, we receive a nice surprise – the police aren’t out in force and the driver takes us right to the Delta gate.

Since we have an international flight we aren’t able to check-in curbside but have to go to the indoor check-in counter. We like curbside since we are rarely charged for overweight bags, which we always have. I usually have a $20 visible to the Sky Cap and they look favorably upon us. My bag is overweight and the charge is $25 – actually only $5 more than if we had checked in curbside -- so not all that bad!!! Here is a case where I could have divided my things between two bags but one is easier to handle for me – even if it is one large heavy one!

This morning we take Delta Flt. 364, which leaves Newark at 8am and arrives in Atlanta at 10:32am. We received free travel vouchers from Palace Resorts when we purchased our membership. So, Palace booked our flights and these aren’t the most convenient – but what do we expect for free? We requested Continental because they have a direct flight to Cancun but for some reason they booked us on Delta. The flight is a good one and is on time – Jim and I luck out since we get an aisle and window seat with an empty seat between us.

We have a two hour wait before we board our flight from Atlanta to Cancun. Atlanta has a train that goes from concourse to concourse, which makes things easy in this large airport. Jim’s cousin collects magnets and I have started collecting them for her at places we visit – choosing an Atlanta magnet keeps me occupied for a good five minutes during our layover!!!

As I mentioned earlier, we are traveling with our friends, Walt and Carol, who were supposed to go with us in October (the trip Wilma cancelled for us). As you can imagine, we have all been a bit on edge that no “act of nature” ruins the vacation this time around! Walt and Carol are on a direct flight from Charlotte, NC to Cancun. They arrive three hours ahead of us but plan to wait until we arrive at 2:28pm.

Last time we were here customs was a zoo – it probably took us close to 2 hours to be processed. This time we sail right through – I’m wondering if this may be due to the hurricane and many flights to Cancun being cancelled? After customs we collect our baggage --- one slight problem – Jim can’t find the receipts for our bags and they don’t want us to leave without the receipt. We finally find them in a hidden zippered compartment.

On our way out of the terminal we are accosted by quite a few people trying to get us to sign up for the time share presentation at Aventura Resort. Outside we meet Carol and Walt as planned and it is ever so good to see them -- we are thrilled to know that we will have a week together. During their wait for us they have lunch and several Corona’s. We get the complimentary shuttle to Aventura Palace Resort – the shuttle is there and everything goes very easily. It is a good hour ride from the airport to the resort, which is on the Mayan Peninsula, south of Cancun. Our driver asks us if we would like to stop for a beer and we all answer in the affirmative. Here we are all drinking Corona’s driving to the resort. Now the problem is that Carol has already had several beers and I have had nothing to eat all day – do you get the picture? There is another couple in the shuttle with us, who happened to be sitting behind Jim and I on the plane from Atlanta. They are a young couple named Kimberly and Lonny and are from San Diego.

Upon arrival at the resort – we are taken to a large patio area and seated at a table and offered drinks – yep, on my empty stomach, I now add a Miami Vice (strawberry daiquiri and pina colada mix). This is sure a nice way to check in – beats standing on line! We are given the keys to our room and then are assigned our own personal representative for our stay. Luis explains everything to us before we are taken by golf cart to our room. We are in the Maracas building – last building on the South side of the resort. Both the North and South sections have their own lobbies with shops, bar etc. They tell us that the North side is the quieter side with the spa. The North side has the disco and shows. Each section has a selection of restaurants and there is a shuttle running between the North and South.

Because our room is at the end of the resort we have quite a bit of privacy – we like the location since we are close to the pool and the lagoon for snorkeling and also close to the South Lobby. I had requested the Piano Building on the second floor but when I asked why we didn’t get it there seemed to be no negotiation – we were on the ground floor of Maracas building! On the negative side, because we are at the end of the resort there is building of another resort going on next to us – the view and noise level from Carol and Walt’s side patio is less than appealing. However, from the front patio we have a great view of the water.

We have been to the Moon Palace/Sunrise before but never to Aventura. Aventura is an adult’s only resort with a Spa theme. With our membership we are entitled to the Presidential Suite once a year. The Presidential Suite is a unit, on the waterfront with two bedrooms, each with a double Jacuzzi and its own private bath. The unit also has a living room, dining room, kitchen, half bath and two balconies – one with access from the main unit and one with access from the second bedroom. Room service is included with the suite. The accommodation is quite nice and we are looking forward to our week here. We do notice that there are nails on the walls for pictures but they are missing – perhaps the unit hasn’t been completed being refurbished after the hurricane?

After we unpack we sit on the patio and open one of the bottles of champagne left in the room to toast the beginning of our week in paradise. Decide to try the Hacienda Mexican Restaurant on the South side for dinner this evening. I find this restaurant far superior to the Mexican restaurant in the Moon Palace. We had heard that the food is better at Aventura and judging by this meal – I agree. We have a very nice waiter, who even teaches us to order in Spanish. We all have several frozen margaritas and then Walt and Jim also share a bottle of wine. It is really nice to come to an all inclusive resort and not have to pay for everything but knowing it has already been paid for. The consensus of opinion is that the meal was excellent in every way.

After dinner we walk around the lobby where they have vendors set up selling jewelry, art work and Mexican type trinkets. There is also a Mayan show, which we begin to watch. Unfortunately, there are no seats left and standing through it just isn’t worth it – especially since we are all dragging after a full day of travel. Do notice that the costumes are quite interesting but the sound is poor – loud enough but not clear.

We return to the suite and after putting on our night clothes, go out on the balcony to relax – there is a beautiful breeze and Carol and I grab the lounge chairs (only two of them) for ourselves. Walt and Jim open a bottle of champagne --- “the boys” are definitely in vacation mode!

Before hitting the sack we decide to order breakfast to be served to the suite in the morning – leave the order on the door.

Friday January 20

Slept great during the night – loved listening to the sound of the water lapping up to the beach. Up by 7:45 -- shower and dress and then have time to sit on the patio before our 9:00 breakfast is delivered. The sun is shining brightly and I can even begin to feel my feet burn. Breakfast is nothing special – the man came to deliver it and we never heard him knocking (we were sitting outside with the wind blowing) – our eggs are cold. We decide that tomorrow we will go to the breakfast buffet, which I believe will be a lot better – the room service menu is far more limited than what is offered on the buffet. However, must say that we do enjoy the relaxation of breakfast being served in the privacy of our own dining room.

After breakfast we go out exploring – want to get an idea of where everything is. We walk from the South end to the North end – the resort is extensive and beautiful. The North side has the Spa and massage huts on the beach. There is also a Japanese garden and rock climbing wall – Carol and I just can’t wait to try that out!!!

Book a tour to the Mayan Archaeological site of Tulum for Sunday and then wander around the shops in the North lobby. I see a few leather bags which catch my eye but I’m not sure about them – today am just pricing them. We receive a discount because of being members on anything we buy at the resort. Also as members, we don’t have to have to wait on line for the restaurants but will be seated immediately. Don’t do much shopping (especially for me – the compulsive shopper) -- we all buy the tee shirts at 4/$20. We bought these last year and they are a very nice quality and run full and true to size – great to use as sleep shirts. Also buy a few mother of pearl inlaid barrettes for our daughter, a pendant on a suede string as a gift and postcards. We take time to sit on the North patio for a Miami Vice. Carol and I also find a very pretty slide that we purchase jointly for a friend.

It begins to drizzle and we take the shuttle back to the South Lobby from the North. When we get back to the room the cleaning people are working and they don’t move quickly. Carol and I
wait on our patio for them to finish so that we can put on our suits to go to the pool (sun has reappeared). By the time they finally finish up, it is pouring and we are even getting wet on the patio. While we are waiting to change the guys who put on their bathing suits in the morning, went to the lagoon to snorkel (they don’t give up due to the rain until it pours) --- they are very pleased to have decent snorkeling right outside our room. While they were in the middle of the lagoon with snorkel gear, one of the waiters saw them and brought them drinks – the waiter had the drinks for them at the edge of the lagoon – think he was taken back for a moment when they asked him if he could bring the drinks to them in the middle of the lagoon!!!

After the cleaning people leave we find that they have left towel swans that are fixed like a bride and groom on our bed with a flower between them. The groom has a bowtie made from a tissue and the bride has a hat of a tissue with a toilet paper veil! Very clever and I immediately grab the camera for a photo. Good thing too – when Jim gets back to the room, his feet are wet and he destroys the bride, using her to wipe his feet!!! He has no sense of romance!

I ask the maid if she can get us two more of the blue lounge chairs for our patio – we have two but there are four of us. I’m speaking in English and she only speaks Mexican! So I point to the lounge chairs and at first say ‘aqua’ – to mean blue but then remember that aqua is water in Spanish! So I try again this time saying azure for blue – have no idea of what the actual Spanish word is for blue. The girl is very sweet and smiles and shakes her head yes. Now while I’m explaining color and chair to her – Jim starts making excuses why we want them, so tells her that we are expecting guests. Later we find that she has brought our chairs – only they are dining room chairs with aqua color seats and not lounge chairs. We have large numbers of these type chairs – she must have understood Jim and thought we were having 50 people! Carol and I can’t stop laughing when we see the aqua seats! However, not to fear – the guys make a midnight requisition from the beach and get us our two extra blue lounge chairs!

Once the rain lets up a bit we decide that we want something to eat to tide us over until dinner -- walk out to the snack hut, which is poolside – we try the hot dogs, pizza and hamburgers between us and all are disappointed it all. Only Walt gets the hamburger and according to him, this is the best of all. Check out the ice cream and it is soupy. There is nowhere to sit because people have grabbed all the tables under the large hut and the remaining tables are getting soaked because it starts to rain heavily again. We take shelter under the overhang of the snack hut. The snack bar does have nachos with cheese sauce and this may just be the best thing there.

It is back to the suite and once again the rain lets up and we sit on the patio – have given up on the pool! Once again it pours and we come in and drink wine (an excellent Mexican red – several bottles are in the room along with champagne). You know that we are bored when we all start watching Jeopardy and trying to answer the questions. The wind and rain have caused the water to become quite choppy.

Dress for dinner and because it is still very windy and Carol would prefer her hair not to blow, we try to find a way to the South Lobby without going outside. Well, we find the laundry (this is the scenic route) and after making lots twists and turns we do find the lobby buy still have to go outside and Carol’s hair blows. From the South Lobby we catch the transfer van to take us to the North side and the Asian restaurant. The dinner and service are very nice – we start with sushi and then are served an assortment of appetizers. We all are pleased with our main meal. Walt and I are very serious about using our chopsticks – he has to really concentrate to pick up the rice and I work very hard at picking up my spaghetti length noodles so that they don’t hang but are looped up in the chopsticks! We even get photos of this fine art that Walt and I are accomplishing! Carol says that the shrimp teriyaki is the best she has ever had.

After dinner the evening’s Circus Show is beginning and we find a ledge/bench to use as seats – there are not enough seats – many others are filling these benches and the remainder is standing. The benches are painted white and are set around the plants. Right now the resort is far from filled to capacity and there are not enough seats, I wonder how they handle it when the place is full?

The show is stupid – they ask for volunteers from the audience – four couples. They have three and I point to Walt and Carol. Now Carol is a very easy going person and never seems to get rattled. Well, my pointing to her, made her just a bit testy and I thank heaven they don’t see me and choose them. We nearly die when we see what they have these couples do. First the man puts a balloon on his chest and the woman has to press up against him to break the balloon. Next he sits with the balloon on his lap and she has to sit on his lap to break the balloon – then he bends over the chair and puts the balloon on his rear and she has to press up against him to break it – lastly he lays down on the stage and places the balloon on his privates and she lays on top of him until the balloon breaks. Needless to say the positions and motions created by trying to break the balloons are quite funny. All I can think of is how embarrassed Carol would have been to be on that stage and I am soooo glad that she stopped my enthusiasm of having her chosen. As I said it was funny to watch, but a little bit goes a long way and we leave after the act.

When we get up from the show, all of us have the paint chalk or some other substance that has rubbed off onto the seat of our slacks. Guess after the hurricane they used the wrong paint! We immediately go to guest services and they agree to dry clean our clothing – I question whether or not they will get these stains out. We are a bit annoyed that they want us to bring the clothing back to the North Lobby – it takes a bit to get there since we are way at the other end of the resort. We ask to have someone come to the room to pick the slacks up but that isn’t possible. Jim offers to take his pants off there and give them to them – don’t think they get his humor!!!

Then it is back to the room – Jim goes to bed and I sit on the patio with Walt and Carol – it is very windy and the sand is blowing – so we head for bed.


Saturday January 21

Once again this morning the sun is shining brightly. I only sleep around three hours and am up to see the sun rise. Carol is also up during the night with major stomach problems – something didn’t set well with her and she is sick. Walt, Jim and I go for breakfast – Carol plans to stay in bed rest.

The breakfast is fabulous – food is hot and a great selection at the buffet. The waiters couldn’t be more attentive. Of course, Jim makes quick friends with the waiter by telling him that Walt is his son – this gets a big laugh. Then the waiter makes a bunny ear hat for Jim’s son with a napkin – and yes, we get his photo wearing it! Then he makes napkin [--] for Jim’s son --- yep, another Kodak Moment! Then he does a magic trick for me.

After breakfast I return to the room and Jim and son go to the North Lobby to drop off our slacks from last night to be dry cleaned.

What really impresses me is that a few of the workers call Jim – Mr. Murphy. Wonder if it is something they are encouraged to do, if it is Jim’s winning personality or by chance could it be that he has just made a great big SPLASH????

I spend the morning sitting on the balcony enjoying the warmth and breeze, even read a bit. Jim and Walt head down the beach by the lagoon to snorkel. After about an hour – Carol is starting to feel better and joins me on the patio. We sit for about another hour and a half and she begins to feel even better, so we decide to go to the pool. It is about 2pm and housekeeping has just arrived – we have to wait for them to get into our suits.

After about a half an hour at the pool, Carol is brave enough to go to the beach by the lagoon to join Jim and Walt. This place is great – it is like having our own private lagoon -- not many at the beach and the most in the lagoon at one time is six. I decide to give snorkeling a try. Jim shows me how and I take to it like a duck to water!!!! It isn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. Carol plans to try it in the next day or two when she feels a bit stronger – there is something unappealing about taking in salt water when your stomach is uneasy! Carol feels that going in the water is enough for today – and we wind up having a great day! To make things even better – the beach waiter brings me a couple of Electric Lemonades and I sip them while swimming in the lagoon! He also brings me a plate of nachos, salsa, cheese and guacamole for when I get out of the pool Aventura is far from filled to capacity and we love the privacy that it affords us.

All good things have to come to an end – and by 4pm we feel that we have had enough sun and return to the suite to shower and clean up for dinner. We have been having problems getting hot water -- on occasion, we can only get cold. Both of our rooms are experiencing this. We call to report it and a man comes out. He explains that our room is at the end of the line – not sure exactly what this means – except that we may have to leave it run for a long while to get hot water. He gives us a suggestion on how to turn it on and it works this afternoon and we all have hot water. Hope it continues to work for us.

We return to the room to find another bottle of champagne waiting for us. As I told you earlier, when we arrived we had a couple of bottles of champagne, several bottles of wine and two areas with dispenser bottles of Brandy, Scotch, Tequila and Vodka. Having enough to drink is not a problem at all. They also keep the soft drinks in the suite replenished. We called our representative to see if we could have bottles of wine delivered to the room – none of us drink the hard liquor that is supplied – this doesn’t seem to be the norm – but he does get one bottle delivered to us. I must say that the Mexican red wines they serve are very very nice.

Tonight we go to the International Buffet/Restaurant Ventanas for dinner. Since Carol is being careful of what she eats after her stomach problems we feel that she will be able to pick and choose something light from the buffet. By the way, this is the same restaurant where we were very impressed with breakfast and the waiters that served us this morning. We stop in the South Lobby for a drink before dinner (Carol has seltzer and feels that she is being cheated not being able to have a real drink) and then go to eat. As we enter, Jim is in rare form, when they comment on his name being Murphy – he tells them that he is Eddie Murphy’s brother! They love this and laugh and the word spreads around like wildfire! This restaurant works perfectly since Carol finds broiled chicken and a few other things that she feels she can safely eat. We find the servers at this restaurant wonderful – they are Noe Villatoro and Felipe Lopez. They go above and beyond what we expect. There is not one time that any of us goes up to the buffet without one of them there to carry our plate back for us. They never miss and opportunity to pull Carol and my chair out for us – no matter how many times we get up from the table. They are very sweet and fun to have them take care of us. I’m even impressed that whenever an eating utensil is needed, it is brought before we even have chance to ask for it. The Manager of the restaurant is Connie Cardoso, who is extremely friendly and is right on top of things, making sure that everything is being done properly. She walks around and introduces herself to each guest. There is a good selection of foods and all are tasty. Jim loves the fried chicken, Walt loves the steak and my favorite is the Flan! Carol wasn’t able to choose the things that she really loves but comes away feeling full and no longer sick. There is a Mariachi band playing during dinner and they stop at our table to sing for us. I have to laugh because last time we were at a Palace Resort and also this time, they ask/asked for our request of a song and both times Jim asks for ‘When Irish Eyes Are Smiling’! I don’t think he remembers but I do! This is Mexico and neither time have they known Irish Eyes but instead both times suggest Spanish Eyes! Deja Vue! This turns out to be a fun evening. Tipping is not required since it is an all inclusive resort. However, we have been collecting singles for months and when service is good use the dollars. Find that this is very much appreciated and once they know you will tip – future service is even better than excellent!

Jim notices that they are sanding the railing in the South Lobby/Patios and a fine sand from it is falling onto the white benches – this may be what happened to our clothing at the North Lobby.

We are quite pleased with Aventura – there are still some kinks to be worked out but considering the devastation of the hurricane – we feel that they are doing extremely well in making this a wonderful vacation.

Whoops! Believe that I spoke too soon. The others sit on the patio but since I only slept three hours last night – decide that I will relax in the hot tub and then climb into bed with my book. Can you tell what late night party animals we are? I turn on the water – only to find that the hot water is cool and that it is dribbling out of the faucet. The cold water comes out full force but this doesn’t help because I need just the hot, which isn’t hot at all but is better than the cold. It takes about 2 hours to fill the tub but I am determined since I have brought a selection of bath salts, bath tea, and even a coconut milk bath. Finally get the tub filled and then get in – which is not that easy, since I’m not known for my agility!!! Jim goes to bed and I luxuriate in the Jacuzzi – the water does get hotter toward the end of filling the tub (after an hour and a half). Time to get out (about midnight) and I can’t turn the thing off. So get out anyway and then wake up Jim to see if he can turn it off. Had no problem turning it on – but the button isn’t working to shut it off. Jim is half asleep and has no idea of how to do this – I show him the button to turn it on and it doesn’t work for him either. Now we don’t know what to do, since the thing is rather noisy as the jets pump the water. So we decide to drain the tub – this works for a few minutes but once the water level goes below the jets the jets start spouting water up in the air – it shoots onto the drapes and starts accumulating on the floor. The jets are soaking Jim! What a site, him reaching in for the drain and these torrents of water drenching him. He starts blaming me and tells me that I’m not aloud to touch it again! I can’t help but laugh – he doesn’t think that it is quite so funny. All of a sudden the water is covering our room floor – under the bed, where we have our luggage and some things stored. It moves along into the closet and Jim and I make a mad dash to clear the floor before things are ruined. Get everything from under the bed and closet onto the patio. We are running around like chickens with our heads cut off -- trying to sop up the water with towels – the towels we have aren’t making a dent – we have saturated towels and water all over. The water starts leaving our room and is now in the living room and flowing out into the foyer. Jim calls maintenance and they are asking a million questions – Jim responds with, “Just get over here fast!” The repairman comes and can’t turn off the hot tub which is still spouting water. He has to take the thing apart and finds that something is caught in the mechanism keeping the shut off from working properly. I am sooo relieved to find that it isn’t my stupidity that caused this. Our guess is that the room was probably flooded during the hurricane and this is when something may have lodged in the Jacuzzi. He finally gets it turned off but never indicates whether or not it is fixed. He calls housekeeping to clean up the mess. At this point it seems a wise decision for me to go out onto the patio and stay out of Jim’s way! While we wait for them to arrive, Jim goes out into the large foyer area and that also has about an inch of water on the floor – Walt and Carol’s room is off of this. The door from the foyer to suite blows shut and Jim doesn’t have his key. Keep in mind that I am out on the patio hiding (because Jim yelled at me and I want to stay as far away as possible from him until he calms down). I don’t realize that he is locked out. I can hear the door bang but don’t know the wind blew it shut – then I hear very loud banging – I have no idea what it is -- it is Jim banging on Carol and Walt’s door since they have the key to the suite. Walt is in a dead sleep and answers the door – he’s totally out of it and befuddled. He gets his key walks through water to answer the door and sloshes through the water in the foyer to open the door for Jim. Jim asks him if the water has seeped into their room. Walt looks and sees water and answers yes and then closes their door and goes back to sleep. Jim is surprised that he isn’t a bit more concerned but hey, this is their business! We are sloshing through water and because these are ceramic tile floors they get very slippery – remember how I’m not known for my agility? Housekeeping sends over one girl with a squeegee mop – this isn’t going to do much! It is taking her forever to get up the water. They finally send a man over to help her. They ask Jim to see if Carol and Walt want the water in their room mopped up. So for the second time Jim bangs on their door! I’m still on the patio and can hear doors slamming and the banging – but not even curious to find out what is going on – why put myself in the line of fire? Once again, Walt is out like a light and Carol opens the door. When she realizes that they have a flood, she jumps into action and wakes Walt up to help her. They have to empty their closet and drape things all over the room to dry. Jim calls me in to talk to Carol – Carol and I take one look at each other and burst out laughing – this is just too unbelievable to be true!!! Carol and I aren’t sure if my flooding the place or Walt being so oblivious to the water pouring into their room is funnier.

Carol and Walt return to bed and while housekeeping continues to do their thing, Jim and I sit on the patio. We are waiting and waiting to go to bed, it is taking them forever! Only to find that they are gone (it is now 3am) and heaven only knows how long we have been sitting there waiting for them to finish!!! We just expected them to let us know they had finished and to say goodnight. Silly us!

Jim and I return to the bedroom to get into bed and are sill sloshing in some water – they got lots of it up but the closet is still full of water. The bedspread fell off the bed and saturated. We had requested more towels, since we used all of ours for mopping up. So here we are wiping up once again. We lay towels on the floor and turn on the fan. I get into bed and can’t sleep after all of the excitement.

Sunday January 22

I must have finally gotten to sleep and sleep for about four hours (after our rather exciting night) before the alarm goes off this morning. We once again are fortunate and have a beautiful day with the sun shining. We go to the buffet breakfast – I’m the only one who doesn’t eat. Everything looks delicious but since we are touring, don’t really want anything in my stomach. However, it is nice to visit and we have a few good laughs about our flood! Oh, and the staff is still talking about Eddie Murphy’s brother (for those who don’t know Jim, he isn’t black!)

The tours at the Palace Resorts are included with the package and, as members; we are entitled to take unlimited tours. The tours offered by Palace are excellent but with so much to do – we don’t want to take more than one. Jim and I have been to Tulum before – but in looking at the tours – this is the only one that is half a day. I would like to visit Chichen Itza but the tour is a very long day. Since Carol and Walt have never been to a Mayan ruin – this is good one for them to see – it is near by and is interesting – it is probably one of the most attractive of the ruins because it on the water.

According to our guide, the Mayan people they believe are of Asiatic descent – they have Asian features, are short in stature, have dark skin and what I find especially interesting is that Mayan’s are born with a distinctive birthmark on their lower backs (only true Mayans have this). Today there are still Mayans living in this area (including our guide) and they stand out from other Mexicans because of the above characteristics.
The Mayas created one of the great cultures of Mesoamerica during the pre-Hispanic era, building ceremonial centers where they developed mathematics, astronomy and the calendar, hieroglyphic writing, architecture and various aspects of art and culture. The Mayas occupied a wide area with such geographically diverse features as the mountains of Central America, the Peten region of Guatemala and the limestone plains of the Yucatan Peninsula. Their territory stretched over what are now the states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Tabasco and eastern Chiapas in Mexico, most of Guatemala, Belize and the west of Honduras and El Salvador. As a result, their cultural traits were similar, but show local variations.

In ancient times the Mayas were divided into groups having similar physical characteristics, speaking languages that belonged to the same linguistic stock and sharing a common historical tradition. Research by experts has shown that around 2500 B.C. a group speaking Proto-Maya lived in what is now Huehuetenango, Guatemala. In time, this ancestral language split up into the different Mayance languages, and migration of the groups eventually led to the definition of the area where the Maya culture developed.

These migrations not only caused separation into different groups but also brought them into contact with the members of other cultures. This explains why experts have different opinions about the origins of the Maya culture. Some assert that it arose in the mountains of Guatemala, where they began to grow maize, and later moved to the north and west, without denying the possibility of influence from other cultures including Olmec as one of the most important. Others believe that it originated in northern Tabasco and southern Veracruz where the groups that would later form the Maya culture came into contact with the Olmecs in about the 10th century.
The Olmec culture is often called the "Mother Culture" since various ideas were taken from it that were used in the later development of other great cultures, and its influence stretched from its home on the Gulf Coast to different regions of Mesoamerica. The Mayas adopted and adapted several features of Olmec culture, including architectural elements and the basic number and calendar system that would later become the accurate Maya calendar. Maya chronology is similar to that of the rest of Mesoamerica but is more precise because explorations of the area have produced complete sequences of pottery, and the deciphering of time hieroglyphs has made it possible to correlate it with our own calendar.
At the beginning (500 B.C. to 325 A.D.), although the typically Maya was beginning to appear, particularly in the clay figurines of humans that show their characteristic physical features, Olmec influence is still present, as can be seen in the decoration on some of their first buildings.

From 325 A.D. Maya culture began to develop and spread; external influences disappeared, the typical corbel arch was used in buildings and important dates referring to history and myths were recorded in hieroglyphs. Culture and art reached their peak between 625 and 800 in such areas as the calendar, astronomy, architecture, sculpture and pottery; numerous cities and ceremonial centers were founded.
All this splendor came to an end between 800 and 925 A.D. for reasons as yet undetermined, although possible ones are the exhaustion of agricultural land, changes in climate and a rebellion of the lower classes against their rulers. Maya culture slipped into decline; both cities and ceremonial centers were practically abandoned and in time covered by vegetation.

For the next 50 years only isolated groups remained in the area. Their cultural level was low since all those who understood the calendar and the keepers of various types of knowledge were gone. With them, Maya culture proper had disappeared: a period followed that shows other cultural influences.

From 976 to 1200 A.D. the Maya tradition became mixed with the Toltec, originating from central Mexico, and the cult of Quetzalcoatl began -- the Toltec god called Kukulcan on the Peninsula. Toltec influence is also evident in buildings and decoration as art began to imitate what there had been at Tula, but modified by Maya artists. At this same time, ties were created between the governing families of different cities, for example the one between the Xiu of Uxmal, the Itza of Chichen and the Cocom of Mayapan around 1000 A.D. Little by little Mayapan was gaining supremacy and between 1200 and 1540 there were conflicts between towns governed by families of Nahua origin and those ruled by Mayas. As a result, in about 1441 the Xiu of Uxmal attacked Mayapan and massacred the Cocom, which finally divided the population and impoverished their culture. Although the Mayas tried to reinstate their former tradition they only succeeded in bringing back the use of their language, and when the Spanish arrived on the Peninsula they found a people that had lost its luster.

The pre-Hispanic Mayas were one of the most amazing civilizations of their times, with clearly defined social strata. The elite devoted themselves to trade, war and religion. Architects, who belonged to the same rank, planned buildings while stonemasons were in a socially inferior class along with governors' servants and the different craftsmen. Finally, the lowest class was composed of farmers, who grew mainly maize, beans and squash together with yucca, manioc and sweet potato.
Priests were very important as they directed ceremonies and rites to honor the gods and seek their favors. Among the most important deities where the creator, Hunab Ku; the god of Rain, Chaac; the lord of the Heavens, Itzamna; the god of Wind, Ik; the patron of Cacao and War, Ek Chuak; the goddess of the Moon and Childbirth, Ixchel; and the god of Death, Ah Puch.
Astronomers, who devoted their time to finding harmony in the universe and its recurring cycles of time, had to make complicated calculations to predict natural events and connect them with the fate of the population; scribes recorded history, religion and mythology using a complicated system of hieroglyphs, while painters and sculptors depicted both mythical and religious subjects as well as the deeds of governors. In architecture, characteristic elements were combined to produce the different styles of Peten, Palenque, Rio Bec, Chenes, Puuc and finally Maya-Toltec.

Their numerical system was vigesimal; symbols were given a value according to position and the concept of zero existed. Three symbols were used in writing numbers: a dot for one, a bar for five and a stylized shell for zero. All other numbers were written by combining these. The Mayas also devised glyphs for the numbers 0 through 19, which were often used instead of the other system.
Maya philosophy is very special, since no other culture of the period was so obsessed with time. Like other peoples of Mesoamerica they had two calendars; the ritual one, called Tzolkin that was used for calculating religious ceremonies and festivals and predicting the destinies of people, and the solar calendar or Haab, containing 18 months of 20 days each plus five unlucky days called uayeb (18 x 20 + 5 = 365 days). The two calendars were used in conjunction, and the Maya calculations were so accurate that they were able to make exact reckonings, predict eclipses and plot the orbit of the planet Venus.
We come to the Zona Arqueologica before actually arriving at the town of Tulum. Parking is located immediately inside the main entrance and this is where the buses leave us off. Here is a tourist complex where there are vendors galore, they even meet our bus with straw hats with a band saying Tulum which we are assured we will need. They start at $1 and for some reason get higher in negotiations and end up at $5. Yes, we have a good laugh over this one! There are also restrooms here. We are given a choice of walking to the site of Tulum or for $2 per person can take the tram which is a trolley pulled by a tractor – we opt for the tram. By the way, the tram is $2 for one way or round trip, so there is no point of walking to the site and then getting the tram for the return trip. Jim and I have been here before and walked – not a bad walk but we would rather save ourselves for the ruins.
Tulum's greatest attraction is its location. It stands on a bluff facing the rising sun looking out on views of the Caribbean that are nothing less than spectacular. Our guide tells us that Tulum means “Stinky Place” but in my other research I have found that in Maya, Tulum means fence, trench or wall, and is the name given to the site in recent times because of the wall surrounding it. The city was christened thus because it is a walled city; one of the very few the ancients ever built. I have a feeling my research is more likely correct. Research suggests it was formerly called Zama. a corruption of Zamal (morning), associated with the dawn, which is appropriate given the location – Tulum at sunrise is said to be a superb site.

The earliest date lifted from the site is A.D. 564 (the inscription on a stele) -- this places Tulum within the Classic period, though we know that it was at its height during the 13th-15th century (the Late Post-Classic Period), and is thus one of the later Mayan outposts. It flourished during the 14th century and was still inhabited when the Spanish arrived in the early 16th century. Tulum was a major link in the Maya's extensive trade network. Both maritime and land routes converged here. There is a beach where merchants could come ashore with their canoes. During the Post classic period, the Maya started to use large seagoing canoes. The canoes were 40-50 feet long and hewn from mahogany or other tropical hardwoods. These canoes revolutionized trading in the Mundo Maya. Prior to the advent of this practice, they could only move what could be carried on a person's shoulders. The Maya didn't use wagons or beasts of burden, simply because their were no suitable big mammals in the area

Artifacts found in or near the site testify to contacts that ranged from Central Mexico to Central America and every place in between: copper rattles and rings from the Mexican highlands; flint and ceramics from all over the Yucatán; jade and obsidian from Guatemala and more.

The first Europeans to see Tulum were probably Juan de Grijalva and his men as they sailed reconnaissance along the Eastern coast of Yucatán; in 1518. The captain and crew were amazed by the sight of this walled city, with its buildings painted red, blue and white and with a fire on top of the main temple. The Spaniards later returned to conquer the Peninsula unwittingly bringing Old World diseases which decimated the native population. And so Tulum, like so many cities before it, was abandoned to the elements.
Some 75 years after the conquest, Tulum was abandoned, but was still visited over the years by Mayan pilgrims. During the War of the Castes, Indian refugees took shelter here from time to time. Because of its location, Western scientists of the late 19th century became aware of Tulum, and excavations started in the early 20th century. The huge number of tourists visiting Tulúm today belies the fact that as recently as the 1960s the site was accessible only by sea.
Imposing as it may have been, Tulúm was built around 1200AD as the Mayan civilization declined and lacks the elegance of earlier structures. For instance, whilst earlier Maya buildings typically had vaulted roofs, the ones in Tulúm were often flat and have consequently fallen much sooner. The layout of the site is unusually structural, with parallel streets surrounded by walls originally five meters high and seven meters deep. Most of the walls can still be seen; indeed the present day entrance to the ruins is as it was in ancient times, through a gate on western side of the fortifications.
When visitors arrive at Tulum's ancient pre-Hispanic site they are able to see the buildings that in its time were the city's main center (ceremonial and political), monumentally encircled by the Mayan world's best known wall. Watchtowers rise from the 2 corners of its Western flank and within each tower is an altar. The wall incorporates an interior walkway, from which spears and rocks might be thrown. With the ocean on the fourth side, Tulum could easily defend itself. This fortress has evoked theories that the inhabitants of Tulum were threatened by other people, for there is much evidence that this was a turbulent time in Mayan history. Power shifted between city-states and it is logical to assume that there was a certain amount of warfare. The architecture of Tulum has a significant Toltec influence, but whether this came about through invasion or friendly interchange is impossible to determine. One theory is that the wall was put up by the ruling class, to further distance or maybe even protect themselves from the common people. This theory supports the idea that the Mayan civilization was brought down by peasant revolution.

Around this wall, in an area that at the present time can't be visited, there were a vast number of wooden and palm houses. Nowadays virtually no evidence of these houses exists. Many people of lesser status lived outside the walls -- remains stretch out for some 3 or 4 miles outside the walls. In fact, only about 10% of the ruins lie within the walls. Platforms can be seen, which were used as foundations for perishable (non-stone) houses, belonging to people important enough to live within the walls. They sometimes appear tilted, but Tulum itself was formed into a bowl-shaped depression, so many platforms rest on sloping ground.
The Square at the center of the city was probably once used for rituals or ceremonies and is flanked by the so called Castillo (The Castle) to the West. This temple-topped pyramid is the tallest building at Tulum and the most famous. It stands on the above mentioned bluff, commanding a view of the ocean and coast for miles in both directions. Aside from its role as a temple, El Castillo, was also a lighthouse to make navigation easier. When two torches aligned, it showed the way through the reef. Even without a light it would have been and important landmark for mariners along an otherwise monotonously featureless coastline.
Like many important structures in the Mayan world, the current building is the result of different stages of additional construction. It began as a palace-like base, the staircase added at a later date and eventually it was crowned by the temple on top. The doorway to the temple has columns in the shape of rattlesnakes, with the tails supporting the roof and their heads adjoining the floor. The rooms themselves are vaulted in classic Mayan style. Due to the rapidly increasing number of tourists to Tulum, El Castillo is now roped-off, and not possible to climb.
A tiny cove nestles at the foot of the cliffs, with its apron of snow white sand. This caleta was where the trading canoes would slip ashore.
The Temple of the Descending God is another interesting structure. On the façade is a figure sculpted head down, and the walls inside show traces of the original pigments applied by the Maya. The descending figure is thought to represent a deity and Tulum appears to have been the center of his cult.
The diving or descending god appears all over Tulum as a small, upside-down figure. I overheard another guide tell his group that fertility is a basic theme at Tulum and that the upside down deities at the site represent birth – entering the world head first. There are varied theories about the Descending god but his true identity is not certain. It may be associated with the 'setting sun', rain, lightning, or may be the Bee God, since honey was one of the Mayan's most important exports. He’s also thought to be a symbol of Kukulkan, the feathered serpent god that played a big importance to many Mesoamerican cultures. He is also believed to be the symbol of the Venus morning star, which played an important role at Tulum. Being the first city of the Mayan World to see the rising sun every day, Tulum is considered the Mayan ‘City of the Dawn.”
Also important is the Temple of the Frescos, which, as the name implies, is filled with murals – some of the original colors are relatively well preserved but mostly have been erased by time and the elements. The partly restored murals that can be seen inside the temple depict Mayan Gods and symbols of nature's fertility; rain, corn and fish.
The temple shows traces of several building styles. It is built in three levels, symbolizing the three realms of the Mayan universe – the dark underworld of the dead, the middle level of the living and finally heaven, where the gods lived.
Because of its architectural features, sculptures and paintings, this building is thought to have had great social and religious importance. It was built in several stages; the first temple had a single chamber with an altar against the rear wall, murals on the facade, and a niche over the entrance containing a human figure with its head downward -- as in other areas of Tulum, it is the descending/diving god, with his wings and his bird’s tail. Later, the north, south and east sides were surrounded by a gallery with entrances formed by four columns. Various stucco figures decorate the three niches over the portico and the corners of the facade. During a third stage the building was strengthened and part of the gallery was filled in with stone to support the upper temple. This has one room with a curved, vaulted roof containing a small altar, walls that slope outward, simple moldings and a niche over the entrance that holds the remains of a stucco figure.
In each of the corners of the temple's facade there is a stucco mask of an old god with decoration round the eyes, a hooked nose, prominent chin and down-turned mouth. They possibly represent Chaac, the god of Rain, or perhaps Itzamna, the creator and giver of life.
Amongst the frescoes is a portrayal of a man on a horse, which indicates that these drawings were still being worked on after the Spanish invasion. (The horse was introduced by the Spanish and clearly had a disarming effect on the Mayans - originally it was thought that horse and rider were one being and later, when one of Cortes’s horses died, its skeleton was worshipped as a god).
TheTemple of the Initial Series, so called because in it was found a stela bearing a date well before the foundation of the city, and presumably brought here from else where.

The House of the Columns is more complex than most structures at the site – it’s a palace-like structure with four rooms whose principal entrance faces South. Six columns support the roof of the main room and there's also a roofed sanctuary. This building was one of the largest residential buildings in Tulum. The original plan was in the shape of an "L", while the west wing was added later. The narrow room in back has its own shrine, and small outside-facing windows which still have the ring that once held curtains. The Mayas had no doors as we know them. There is a thatch awning is to help prevent further sun and water damage to the stucco figure beneath it.
Located just to the North of El Castillo, the Kukulcán Group, is formed by several minor structures. Being the most outstanding the Templo del Dios del Viento (Temple of the God of the Wind) is named after its round base. Traditionally related to Kukulcán is the God of the Wind Ehécatl from Central Mexico.
As we walk around the site we find that there are iguanas in profusion – they are on the grounds and sit on top of the ruins.
We exit the site and catch the tram back to the Zona Arqueologica. Here, we are able to watch the voladores. Five costumed men recreate a ceremonial ritual first started by the Totonac Indians from Veracruz. The flyers begin by climbing the tall pole, then each of four of the men slip a foot into a loop at the end of a rope that is wound around the top of the pole. The fifth team member performs a special dance to each of the four cardinal directions, dancing upon the top of the pole while playing a flute! At the right moment, the four flyers release themselves from the small cap on the pole and fall to earth, circling around the pole in expanding circles as the rope unwinds, eventually touching ground. There are also costumed voladores walking around prior to the show to collect donations – guess they want their money up front. Notice that the show doesn’t start until the signal is given which I assume means enough money has been collected.
On the way back to the hotel we stop at a co-op run by the Mayan people. Our guide tells us that this village will give us the opportunity to interact with the Mayan people. Yeah, right – bargaining is the only interaction we have. There are tables and tables of silver jewelry and other handicrafts such as pottery. However, it gets to the point where things all start looking the same and it isn’t always easy to find an unusual piece. I think this may be the first shopping stop on a tour where I have come out empty handed! Carol and Walt find a lovely silver chain for their daughter and also a very unusual bracelet for Carol. The bracelet has a good weight to it and has jade and what I think is obsidian or onyx. Through bargaining, Carol and Walt get the bracelet for $60 under the original asking price which is based on weight and the going price of silver.

We get back to the hotel and Carol and Walt go directly to the buffet for lunch – Jim and I return to the room to get into our bathing suits, only to find the cleaning people doing the suite. This is a pet peeve of mine – we seem to be last to be cleaned and they are slow motion – I’ll bet it takes close to 2 hours for them to clean the suite. It seems that when we are ready to use the room, -- this is when they clean. We were out from 8am until 1:30 pm and I feel that this is when it should be done. The same thing happened yesterday and the day before – just when we want to get ready for the beach, we have to sit around and wait for them to finish. However, I must say that they do a very thorough job on the rooms. By the time we get into the room to change – Walt and Carol have returned from lunch.

Oh, we have lost electricity for a couple of hours, which means no air conditioning. Carol was in the lobby restroom when the lights went out – thankfully, the emergency lights came on.

At about 2:40 we all finally get to the beach and have another great time at the lagoon. Today Carol has a mudslide and I have a Miami Vice. Right before we return to the room, I have a plate of nachos and it doesn’t sit well – so I skip dinner. Walt isn’t feeling well either, so he also misses dinner. It kind of reminds me of that Agatha Christie book – “And Then There Were None”! I’m not really sick – my stomach is just uneasy. So Jim and Carol go to dinner together. We had planned on eating at El Greco but since both Walt and I would like to try it – they are deciding between the Buffet and The Hacienda for Mexican.

The Buffet is chosen and they bring me back some rolls and cheese and since my stomach is settled – it hits the spot.

Our dry cleaning is returned and the stains from sitting on the white benches haven’t been removed. Next move is to get them to reimburse us for the clothing. This vacation is becoming a real comedy of errors!!!


Monday January 23

I think that I spoke too soon last night about my stomach being settled. At 5am Montezuma took his revenge on one more tourist! Now this is three of us sick and when I say sick, I mean as sick as dogs. My guess is that the water has not been treated properly – no matter what they claim – I believe that this section has just opened and that the kinks aren’t worked out yet. But claiming one thing about the water and then having so many of us get sick – is a disgrace. Last time we were here (this time last year) and we had no problems at all. We also have friends who are members and they have never had a problem and have been here many times. I just don’t feel that proper precautions are being taken after the hurricane. We have been using ice, drinking water from pitchers served in the restaurants and drinking the frozen drinks made with ice.

So today is spent in bed – can’t even have them in to clean the room -- too sick and busy hugging the porcelain bowl!!!

Carol and Walt are awakened this morning by a worker mixing cement right outside their patio door – their view and the noise are far less than perfect!
Carol, Walt and Jim all go to breakfast at the buffet – Eddie Murphy’s brother is back!!!

After breakfast, Jim goes to see the Member Representative, Paula, (North Lobby) to complain about the problems that we have been having – it is taking time from our vacation to report everything that is wrong. This has turned into “The Vacation From Hell”! She is sympathetic and will see what type of compensation she can come up with for us – she seems to agree that we are entitled to something. In my opinion, this week has been a disaster. We brought Carol and Walt and wanted them to have a nice time and there has been one problem after another. They were considering buying into the Resort but after this experience they want no part of it.

Oh, I forgot to mention that there is also a leak coming from our Jacuzzi, even when the water isn’t on – we constantly have a puddle at the corner of it at the end of the bed!

Aventura wasn’t ready to open and it was opened anyway. I understand that the longer they remain closed the more money they lose but to open at the guests expense is not fair to us.

As I mentioned before, we had requested the second floor of the Piano building – Paula has this in her notes. However, we were dumped in Maracas Building at the end with little hot water and the broken Jacuzzi. No one should have to go through this at a Gold Crown Resort. Paula did offer to move us today to Piano today – just a bit late in the vacation – I am too sick to go anywhere. We only have a couple of days left and repacking, moving, unpacking again and getting settled just isn’t worth the work. Everything they want us to do is taking away from our time vacationing. My question is – if there is availability in the Piano building, why was our request ignored in the first place? Paula promises to get back to us.

Jim offered to leave our slacks with Paula – she told us to keep them and to call Guest Services for reimbursement. When he gets back to the room he calls Guest Services and they tell him that he has to bring them to the North Lobby – he just returned from there and Paula told us to keep them!!! And as I have said previously, it is a bit of a trek to get over there – here is another example of taking time away from our vacation – a whole morning wasted!

Jim is less than pleased. When he goes to the North Lobby he speaks with Jaime, who intimates that he doesn’t believe us that our pants were stained sitting on their benches – I wonder if he thinks that we all travel with huge (and I mean huge) stains on our clothing and then try to collect for them. Sort of like the lady that found the human fingers in her food at Wendy’s? I find this very insulting. Jaime finally tells us that he will compensate us $100 for all the clothing, which is not satisfactory to us. Both Walt and Jim’s slacks were over $75 and my outfit was $150. That is close to $300. They are claiming the things weren’t new and said we need our receipts – sure I always travel with the receipts for the things I pack!!! Jaime also promises to get back to us after he looks into getting us the $200 that we are asking for. Jim and I discus it and have decided to reimburse Walt the $50 for a new pair of pants from the $100 they are guaranteeing us, since he is our guest – we will take the other $50 and lose on the deal. Bottom line is that because of their carelessness, we are out clothing and the money they plan to give us will not replace it!!! I don’t see this as fair. As guests, we expect to be able to sit down for a show in a seat and when a seat isn’t available for us to supply more chairs or have clean benches to sit on. Aventura doesn’t seem to see this as their problem or fault.

We were very pleased last year with our week here and this is when we bought in to Palace – If this is what we are going to get we threw our money away. I can understand that an act of nature is out of their control but opening before things are ready is wrong.

Now that I have my frustration off my chest I can go on. Carol and Walt go to the Buffet for lunch – Jim stays with me – I tell him not to but he does anyway. I don’t even know that he is here since I am sleeping the day away. Carol and Walt go down to the beach and Jim also does go down for a couple of short periods. The day started out sunny but by this afternoon there is a torrential rain for about a half an hour. After the rain, Carol and Walt spend time reading on the patio.

By about 5pm --- I feel that I can try a few sips of 7-UP, which really tastes good – I am totally dehydrated.

Tonight Jim, Carol and Walt go to El Greco for dinner and are very pleased with the food and the ambience of the restaurant. The waiters are fabulous – Umberto and Jefferson Umberto couldn’t be nicer or more attentive and they are funny too! El Greco has a Mediterranean theme. Unfortunately, Carol and Walt still aren’t feeling great and are eating very little. I couldn’t even consider going with them – the thought of food right now disgusts me.

A group of 800 checked in today – this may bring an end to the feeling of having our own private resort!


Tuesday January 24

This morning I am feeling much better and a shower is a real treat and it only takes 10 minutes to get hot water!!! The morning is overcast but it appears that by 10am the sun is trying to break through.

Never a day without some excitement at Aventura – today our toilet stops up – swear their water system isn’t working properly! Maintenance comes out immediately to take care of it. We then call to ask if the room can be cleaned this morning. Housekeeping is wonderful and is here in no time.

I still can’t stand the thought of being around food, so the Three Musketeers go off to breakfast together.

The phone rings and it is one more try to get us to sit through the time share presentation!!! This must be about the eighth offer we have had. It starts at the airport and continues with anyone on staff in the lobby and now it is phone calls! Yes, they give you $100 for listening but it takes up most of the day and as I look at it, it is a wasted vacation day!

This is turning into a very relaxing day for me, since I don’t want to go far from the room – still having stomach problems, although not nearly as severe as yesterday. So spend the day with my John Grisham book, The Broker.

Walt and Carol go to the North Lobby to book a massage for Walt and Manicure and Pedicure for Carol at 2pm. Jim makes a trip to the lagoon for a swim.

Today the sun peaks through a couple of times but for the most part it is a cloudy day with sporadic showers.

Walt and Carol decide to have a few beers before their appointments. Walt enjoys his massage – the included massage is a back massage. Carol says the pedicure is basic but is done well.

Jim joins me on the patio with his book. I don’t make it all that long before I need a nap. I don’t feel sick just a bit washed out.

After my nap I dress for dinner (don’t feel like eating but want to be sociable). Before leaving we all sit and have some wine – well, all but me, I have 7-Up, before heading to the Italian Restaurant. Jim and I are ready before Walt and Carol, so Jim opens the wine. When Walt comes out there are two bottles of wine on the table – he asks Jim which is the open bottle? Jim and I both look at each other and in unison, tell him it is the one without the cork!!! Duh!!!

The Italian Restaurant is at the North end, so we need to get the shuttle. When we arrive we find that there is an hour and a half wait. The restaurant only has 20 tables and ordinarily members are seated before others but not in this case. So we go up to the Lobby Patio for something to drink – there is a band playing and it is very pleasant. I stop and pick up one of the purses that I saw for our daughter, Deirdre – it is a small pink suede hobo style bag. The Lapis Factory, which produces jewelry, leather and rugs is across the street and they have boutiques in the hotel. They give me a discount on it for being a member, it is about 1/3 off.

While we are waiting to eat – Jim makes sure that we all know that he is very hungry – thankfully, he is able to get a plate of nachos to hold him over – poor baby! We point out to Jim that he is obnoxious and he refutes us big time. According to him is only semi - obnoxious!!!

By the time they call us for dinner, I am getting light headed. The restaurant is nice but very plain – nothing decorating the walls and it is one open room and very noisy, so hard for conversation. Keep in mind that my stomach isn’t right so my opinion of the restaurant may be off. I start with the minestrone soup which is tasty but lukewarm not hot. I then order the rib eye steak – one bite is enough. However, the Three Musketeers are very pleased with their meals and the desserts look sinful – not at all happy that I can’t eat one of them! The waiters are very nice – Juan and Manuel. Manuel makes a rose out of a red napkin for Carol and I.

In my opinion, the Italian Restaurant isn’t worth the wait. Even though 800 people arrived yesterday – tonight they had a banquet set up for this group -- so the resort is relatively empty without them. Wonder how long the wait is with a full house? I do know that the wait had extended from 1 ½ hours to 2 hours while we were there! The ambiance is lacking – the place reminds me of a barn where the other restaurants have more atmosphere, no wait and food is of the same quality.

I have noticed that people dress more in country club casual at Aventura than they did at the Moon Palace, where shorts and tee shirts seemed more the norm. Yes, there are exceptions but this is my overall impression.

I mentioned before that a group of 800 came in yesterday, one of them we call Farmer Gray – he is a large man with overalls and beard and straw hat – think he may be Amish. Anyway, this morning Carol overheard him talking to another couple about it being a cloudy day so he was getting a cab to go to Sam’s Club!!! Here he is in a tropical paradise and spends the day at Sam’s?????

After dinner, Carol and I are exhausted and can’t wait to hit the bed. On the other hand, Jim and Walt are ready to party so out to the patio they go. After ten minutes neither can make it and they hit the sack – and here I am still awake, typing and downloading photos to the computer!

Wednesday January 25

Today is another one of those ‘iffy’ days, sun and clouds interspersed and extremely humid and hot – not much of the usual breeze that we have grown accustomed to. I join the others for breakfast. To me, the breakfasts are the best meal here – they lack nothing. Omelets to order,
fried eggs done to perfection, great scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, French Toast, pancakes, blended fruit drinks, the best orange juice ever, fresh fruit and on and on….. The rolls and pastries are also excellent and there is a wonderful selection of them. Oh and they even have donuts that they deep fry for you! I am hungry and there really isn’t anything good for a recovering stomach – so take some scrambled eggs and French Toast which are wonderful.

After breakfast stop in at the gift shop – am looking for a CD of Mexican music but they don’t have it in the South Lobby gift shop. I make slide shows with the photos from our trips and think that Mexican music would be a nice addition to this trip’s slideshow. Return to the room and am delighted that housekeeping has been here and has finished our room – the call yesterday worked wonders. Must say that housekeeping does a fabulous job – everyday the floors are totally washed down and things are kept spotless. Today our bed is decorated with a sheet formed as a fan across it and has a fresh flower in the center – everyday there is some sort of surprise for us -- such as different towel sculptures, fresh flowers and the like.

We decide to take some photos. For Christmas, Carol gave me and another friend red hat visors with purple trim, so we could have our own little Red Hat Society. Carol and I have ours with us and pose for photos in them. The guys have to get into the act and also put on the hats and pose for photos -- they look quite adorable!!!

After photos my stomach rebels – guess it didn’t appreciate that breakfast! So instead putting on my suit to go to the lagoon with the others, I put on my pajamas and crawl into bed to read. Hopefully, by this afternoon, it will settle once again and I can join them on the beach.

Another day wasted thanks to Montezuma!!! At least I am enjoying my book.

We receive another call asking us to come for the Time Share presentation!

Jim, Carol and Walt have a gorgeous day at the lagoon. Carol is a person who can take a lot of sun and tans beautifully (unlike her friend here, who burns before she tans) but even Carol had to get out of the sun for several hours because she could feel it burning her skin. Carol tried snorkeling and like me, she also loved it – I saw nothing but she saw fish! I can now see us both wanting our own snorkel equipment!!!

While I’m confined to the room, decide to use this time to pack. I find that my top to the pants that were ruined by sitting on the bench in the North Lobby is also ruined – only the on the edge of the hem but enough where I can’t wear it. Don’t even want to go into what I think about that whole fiasco!

Jim returns to the room to see if I am up to coming to the beach – put on my swimsuit and sun lotion and then the bathroom calls, so back to the patio to continue reading!

The weather is wonderful – great breeze and we are planning to meet for drinks at 6:00 on the verandah (that one is for you, Gundy!)

Tonight we are trying the outdoor barbeque -- this is the last eating venue that we haven’t experienced. I could easily skip it but since it is our last night – will join the others and see if anything in the food line appeals. There is a Steak House being built which is supposed to open shortly. I’m not sure if this outdoor barbeque will continue after the Steak House opens or if this is temporary, while they are building. It is absolutely delightful to sit outside and overlook the lagoon with the breeze blowing while having dinner. The barbeque is set up with chefs cooking on grills. There is a salad bar with soups that we help ourselves to. The main meal is served by a waiter – the choice is Rib Eye Steak, T- Bone Steak, Barbequed Ribs, Grilled Chicken or Grilled Fish. My stomach is still having problems but the soup tastes really good and the baked potato also is okay. The chicken looks fine but isn’t setting well. I know that I haven’t been feeling well but I can’t say that I am crazy about the food (except for the breakfasts). However, Jim, Walt and Carol love it and say they haven’t had a bad meal, so it may just be me. Walt and Carol even feel that the food compares to that on the cruise ships.

We definitely aren’t part of the disco crowd – after dinner Jim is ready to crash as I will be after finishing this and labeling and downloading the photos. But hey, this is what vacation is all about, doing what you want on your own time schedule.

We say goodbye to Carol and Walt since they are taking the trek over to the North Lobby to arrange a pick up of their luggage in the morning. They have an early morning flight out and will be leaving at about 6:30am. This is why we are saying goodbye tonight!!! Even though they live in NC and we are in NJ – we are going down in two weeks and will stay with them.


Thursday January 26

Our Delta flight doesn’t leave today until 4pm. Carol and Walt are gone when we get up, since they have an early flight. We find a lovely thank you note from Walt and Carol with the Mexican CD that I was looking for – they found it in the North Lobby gift shop.

A golf cart is sent to pick us and our luggage up and to take us to the North Lobby to get the 11:30 shuttle. We have some time to wait before the shuttle, so Jim seeks out Paula, who never bothered to get back to us. By the way, neither did Jaime. We are expecting some sort of compensation for our problems during the week and at least the $100 promised by Jaime. I find it inexcusable that people promise to get back to you and don’t follow through, especially since this is management and are the people who are dealing with the satisfaction of the guests.

Paula listens once again and says that she will be back to us before we leave. We see her go by and we wait. Finally a man comes out (never see Paula again – maybe she is hiding from us?) with our three pairs of slacks and explains that the dry cleaner couldn’t get the stain out – big surprise!!! Oh, and we give him my top that was also stained. He starts telling us that since we weren’t sitting in seats (meaning chairs as opposed to the benches – he now refers to the benches as planters) that there is nothing they can do – seems that the $100 we were offered by Jaime, is no longer on the table!!!! We are fuming – they don’t have enough seats for their shows and now it is our fault that we didn’t choose to stand and sat on a bench – trust me they are benches – people are sitting on them all the time! If they don’t want people sitting on them then there should be a sign! We storm out before we make a scene that we would rather not make. They can’t seem to make good for their mistakes but make call after call trying to upgrade our membership – we will upgrade when pigs fly!

We are steaming as we get on the shuttle and find a very willing audience to listen. We are joined by Kimberly and Lonny who are on our flight to Atlanta – they are the couple who were in the shuttle with us from the airport when we arrived. There are two other very nice couples with us, which makes the hour ride to the airport very pleasant. Kimberly and Lonny enjoyed the week but they also have complaints and she will be writing a letter. Kimberly also had a bout of Montezuma’s Revenge! This just didn’t exist at Palace a year ago!

As we are all leaving Jim shares with us that before we left home, he read on line that someone complained that there were bed bugs at Aventura – at least none of us found that!!! Thank heaven. But let me tell you, Jim never breathed a word to me about that and he kept a lookout to be sure. After hearing that, the one couple told us about a woman whose legs were covered with bites. This could well have been from touring one of the archaeological ruins, several are in the jungle. Yes, we saw bugs (not in the bed) but nothing that you wouldn’t see in Florida. After housekeeping left one day, we smelled bug spray so it seems they are on top of it. After a week of sitting outside and staying at the resort, I have one mosquito bite on my arm – really can’t complain.

The Cancun Airport is very efficient and checks us in with no muss and no fuss. We have a couple of hours to kill so I check out the shops which keeps me amused. Actually get three Christmas gifts taken care of – nothing like shopping for December in January!!!

The flight is smooth and Jim and I get the aisle and window seats with no one between which makes for a very comfortable flight.

We arrive in Atlanta at 7:37pm. Here we have to collect our bags and go through customs – no lines and it is as painless as possible. There is some confusion as to which gate our next flight is departing from – our ticket has us at Concourse A and the Departure Screen is showing Concourse E, where we came in. We find after checking that it is E. We get the 10:40pm flight to Newark and arrive at 12:27am.

Collect our bags and get a cab to the Four Points Sheraton – don’t want to deal with having to take the train to get the shuttle. Pick up our car and then drive the 1 ½ hours home and get in by about 3am.

All in all we have really had a wonderful time. Yes, there have been a few problems but we have still had laughs and have enjoyed ourselves. Walt and Carol are very easy to be with and we get along very very well.

SUMMARY

Food and Drink
The drinks are plentiful – they will bring you as much as your want. The two red wines we tried were very good. The frozen drinks are watered down but for me this is fine, since I’m not a drinker – it is also good because they don’t knock you for a loop when sitting in the sun. If you want to get a buzz there are plenty of other things to choose from that will do the trick. They are even very generous with the after dinner cordials.

Since I was sick, I’m not a great judge of the food but everyone I talked to raved about it. The restaurants were lovely and the service better than excellent.

Housekeeping
I rate this as excellent. They do a fabulous job and keep everything immaculate. My only complaint was that they cleaned our suite late and took a long time, holding us up. However, once we requested that they do it in the morning they followed through.

Maintenance
Once again I rate this as excellent – when the Jacuzzi flooded they came out quickly and when the toilet backed up this was also taken care of in a matter of minutes.

Shops
Nice selection and enough there that you don’t have to leave the resort for souvenirs.

Spa
Jim and I didn’t use the facilities but Carol and Walt were very pleased.

Entertainment
I have to rate this as poor. Very difficult to hear, not enough seating and the Circus was just plain stupid!

Accommodations
The Presidential suite is lovely and the balcony along the waterfront to die for. We had problems but have a feeling that this isn’t the norm -- that we just were unlucky or that we were experiencing the effects of the hurricane.

Pool/Lagoon
Very nice and well kept by the staff – lounge chairs are scrubbed down at night. The waiters by the pool couldn’t be nicer and are very efficient. We only had one incident where we were being ignored by the pool waitress. The waiter at the lagoon was great.


Management
We are very dissatisfied – definitely feel that we were treated poorly and that when we had a problem no one really cared. I find it inexcusable that people don’t follow through when we are promised something. Also have a major problem that we were offered a $100 compensation for our clothing and then that was rescinded.

Luggage and Transfers
Very well handled

Tours
Excellent