Barcelo Maya Beach

hi, I got back a week ago from Mexico, or rather from the Riviera Maya and specifically from Playa del Carmen in Mexico. I said this because the real Mexico, I have not visited it, however I must say that I had a really good time, the local people are wonderful and the places truly marvellous. I travelled with the tour operator PRESS Tour, for the first time, and I can say that the assistance was very good, always, and as usual for the choice I relied on the Lastminute.sm Otiensis, which always manages to offer trips at the lowest price and from which you can only come back satisfied.

The only thing that was not to my liking, and not only mine, was the airline LIVINGSTON of LAUDA AIR, a huge plane with narrow seats, very hard seats and for a 12-hour trip I assure you it is truly horrible, and then if you travel with them, bring yourself a sandwich and at the Duty Free buy yourself a drink, otherwise you will die of hunger and thirst. If then you decided to choose the seats near the emergency exits, know that you will have to pay a supplement, and if then those seats remain free, the hostesses stick on them a sheet that says reserved and if you only lean on it for a moment they make you get up immediately. It is something that has never happened to me and surely for the next trip I will avoid travelling with Livingston, cattle cars are more comfortable and the animals treated much better, with more respect.

The period of my stay, from 31/08/2010 to 15/09/2010, according to the Mexicans, I was really lucky since the weather was truly beautiful, apart from some rain of about ten minutes, three days over the two weeks, however it is not really the optimal period to go to Mexico, the best period is from February, for the moment for them it is autumn. The humidity is truly very high, even they who are used to it suffered, so you found yourself standing still dripping with sweat. I stayed at the Barcelò Maya Beach, which is part of a complex of 5 hotels Maya, Caribe, Colonial, Tropical and Palace, (a big city) with an All Inclusive that allowed you to eat and drink from 7 in the morning to 2 at night, the food was good, the service impeccable, the drinks always fresh, without the need to hand out tips every day.

As for the hotel, the MAYA Beach, I must say that, without splitting hairs, since it is not perfect, (a few tiles out of place, if I looked carefully, I would certainly have found some), it is truly a clean and welcoming hotel, the only sore point, for me who went in this period at least, is that the air conditioning is only in the rooms, in the à la carte restaurants and in the bathrooms, for the rest it is conditioned by the weather. To have air conditioning in every place and even in the lift, as well as the small waiting room in the bathrooms complete with a little armchair and table to set down your drink, the stone sunbeds by the pool and the hammocks on the terrace of many rooms, and much more, well it is very simple, you just have to stay at the PALACE, the last one and indeed the last built, it dates back about 2 years ago, of the 5 hotels.

Personally I much prefer the Maya Beach, warmer and more welcoming, and where you have the most fun. The All Inclusive also includes 6 dinners of which 3 at the Spanish restaurant and three at the Mexican restaurant, I personally advise against both of them but obviously it is a very personal opinion, I then tried the Capri restaurant, of which the best thing were the buffet starters with raw ham, parmesan, mozzarella etc. all delicious, for the rest.... we are not in Italy.

The buffet restaurant is very varied, starting from breakfast, where you find, that might remind you of Italy, doughnuts, croissants, corn flakes in single-portion boxes, really good, as well as, obviously, a myriad of other good things to taste; for lunch there is a vast choice of food, including pasta, but I can't give you a real opinion since abroad I avoid eating it, however there were those who took it and ate it, the meat is truly good and tender, and the fish is also cooked well, and then there is pizza, the hot dog with the hamburger and with the wurstel and the various sauces, like at our Mc Donald's; in the evening then it changes, every evening a different theme, Italian, French, Mexican, Spanish etc..., you really never get bored believe me.

If then you don't want to eat at the Buffet, next to the pool and the beach, there is the restaurant open from 10.30 to 18.30, where you eat really very well, the paella here is exceptional. Having opted for the garden-view rooms, I chose a ground-floor room and I'll tell you, in the morning at dawn going out onto the little terrace, I really felt I was in a jungle, and I was able to admire more closely the countless animals that walked or hopped in the trees, in short truly wonderful. At the pool besides the bar, you find a whirlpool corner working until 19, and then sunbeds and hammocks in abundance, as well as the sunbeds on the beach there are a great many. The very long beach is well kept, clean, and monitored, you cannot swim or enter the pool and the beach after 22.00, so much is it so dark since they actually turn off the lights, that you wouldn't even find the way.

The lights after 23 stay on in the connecting paths to reach the reception and the various blocks of rooms, and in the corridors obviously outside the rooms, for the rest they turn them off, but it gives me the idea that it is not only a matter of energy saving, (which however counts) but to allow the nocturnal animals not to be too disturbed by us. As usual I spontaneously recall that good manners and respect for people should be an OBLIGATION, but obviously it is not so, yet then we are all ready to complain about what is dirty or broken or not very functional, the hotel is full of bins and yet the usual one who, because he has paid, can allow himself to do everything, is always there. Another thing that seems important to me is that if you plan to go with someone under 18 to the disco, or let them drink alcohol, well forget it, they are really strict there.

By the way, for internal transfers remember that there is the little train or the bus, which to go outside the resort accompanies you (at the flags) very close to the exit, from where you can then take the collectivos, clean, safe and air-conditioned that for 20 pesos per person take you to Playa del Carmen and for 30 pesos to Tulum, don't take taxis which instead cost an exaggeration. In the Tropical hotel there is the PLAZA MEXICANA, many shops and stalls where you can make purchases, but obviously if you go to Playa where there are three of the other Markets, where you can choose calmly without having to haggle to the death, obviously you save. The good thing about the Mexicans anyway, compared to other places, is that if you tell them you are not interested in buying, they don't stress you too much, and that's not little.

To make the excursions TULUM it is better to do it on your own with 6 euros against the 45/50 asked by the agencies, you see everything and you swim in a truly Caribbean sea, the island of CUZUMEL you can also do on your own and haggle over the prices when you arrive on the island to the death, but you certainly save a great deal. The biosphere of Si'an Kan is truly wonderful, while Rio Lagartos, with the agencies loses a bit and costs a lot, from 80 with Condor to about 110 with oltremare, but you can also easily do this excursion on your own. About 200 metres from the hotel to see there are the CENOTES, many to see and where you can f