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Pics: http://s4.photobucket.com/user/capecodann/library/Anne%20_%20December%202015%20%20trip?sort=2&page=1
Chapter one
A wonderful mother/daughter vacationHaving ventured through many milestones over the past few years, my daughter and I look forward to spending her birthday and Christmas together to relax, rejuvenate and reminisce.
We chose the Grand Palladium Royal Suites Yucatan once again as we are always made to feel as though we are”coming home”. We experienced the extra pampering in the adults only Royal Suites last year and very much enjoyed the peaceful environment and amazing attention to detail.
Arriving
We booked fights from our 2 locations hoping to meet in Cancun and sharing the transfer to the hotel. Despite many flight problems the previous year, all went extremely smoothly this year and Abby was waiting for me when I exited the airport. It took Abby 45 mins to get through the airport as other planes had arrived simultaneously. It took me 20 mins as I think half of the passengers on my flight failed to complete their paperwork so I breezed on through.
Once outside the airport we located Jose from AGI whom my daughter had already had contact with to check my flight. He radioed our driver and we were off in a 17 passenger van before we knew it!
There was a lot of traffic, likely Christmas shoppers. We arrived to a warm welcome at the Royal Suites lobby in just an hour. Welcome drink, minimal paperwork and we were whisked to our Jr suite in building 70.
The resort remembered Abby’s birthday and greeted us with balloons, streamers, cake, champagne, flowers, a fruit basket, towel art and rose petals. Wow! Amazing.
It was already 3:30 and I was starving so I decided to try room service. About a half hour later delicious shrimp ceviche arrived and some grilled salmon. Perfect!
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Ater arriving we went to the pool for a while and decided to have dinner at El Jardin where we both ordered lobster. Service was excellent. After dinner we went by to say hi to Filiburto and Valencia.
As we had both been traveling since 3 am we decided to make t an early night.
Daily routine
We developed a routine.I usually got up early and went down to the Royal lobby for coffee.(Must say the beds are very comfy and it was tempting to “sleep in”.) The Jr. suites are lovely but one drawback is that if you are on different sleep schedules it is difficult to move around the room, put lights on, etc without disturbing the other person. The open concept bath also raises some noise issues. For those traveling with young adults you may want to consider a suite which would give you two rooms and a private bath.One of the rooms has a sleep sofa though. I would add to my wish list that the resort consider a two bedroom suite for those traveling with young adults. Usually I waited in the lobby for Abby and we had breakfast together at El Jardin We really enjoyed breakfast there. Sometimes, if Abby had gotten in late and she missed El Jardin, we walked to Punta Emilia where she had some Mexican food.
After breakfast we usually spent an hour or two on the beach, went to Kabah or Hacienda for lunch, and then spent the remainder of the time at the Royal pool. We did attend the Foam party on Thursday at noon and tasted the coconut drinks served. Both the foam party and the kids’ pool party were very well attended.
As the week wore on it got windier so we spent more time at the pool and less at the beach.
The Kantenah end of the beach is still lovely. There is some erosion at the White Sand end, probably due to wind and seaweed being cleaned up. All is all still very lovely.
We also had some quick but major downpours so we could usually hide under a palapa for those. The resort must have gone through a huge amount of towels during those rainy days.
The Royal pool is very relaxing, quiet and peaceful. They now have some floats there. Food, fruit kabobs, ice cream is available. Yvonne serves guests with a smile as do Jose Luis, Antonio & Freddy,
We usually went up to the room around 6 where Abby enjoyed a jacuzzi bath on the deck.
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There was always a new treat waiting for us, i.e. a cheese platter,cookies, chocolate covered strawberries and more. So much food!
We ate dinner around 8, listened to music in Riviera, Hemingway’s or Colonial then Abby went her own way to meet friends and Mom went to visit with Filiburto. Abby did attend the White Party on Monday night were she met some young adults from the US and Canada. She said it was “fun”. On another night she met an interesting gentleman from Texas and they sat at the beach bar until 5 am talking! Mom looked at the clock often on that night.
On Saturday night they have a “Fiesta”on the Riviera side before the show. That was quite fun.
Next: Food
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I think it would be a great suggestion to do a limited number of suites with the two double beds in the bedroom. There are couples who prefer it and as you said friends travelling together would also love it plus the more private washroom and living space separate from the bedroom for those with different sleep patterns. They might find that many people would really value this option in the a Royal section.
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Part 3 food
Gracis to these great staff for all of the wonderful food!
Food is subjective. As the resort is preparing food for various cultures and thousands of meals a day, nobody will like everything but there is certainly plenty to choose from for even the most discerning diner. Menus are now in Spanish, English, French, German & Russian.We usually ate breakfast at El Jardin which we enjoyed as it wasn’t crowded. They have a buffet there, an egg grille, and a menu. We usually had freshly made omelets and a selection from the buffet.They also have fresh juices and Blood Mary fixings. You can eat inside or outside.
They have a nice selection of fresh juice and all the mixings for Bloody Marys.
For lunch we tried El Gran Azul over the main pool on the first day as Abby wanted to eat outside. Personally I thought that they did not have the selections available previously but that really didn’t matter to me as after a search I discovered that they still offer freshly grilled items which is what I have for lunch every day. They didn’t have any signage indicating this thus the confusion. (They do have signage in other buffets.) Abby had a chicken burger (they have a selection of burgers) and I had grilled chicken with a selection of salads.
After that day we ate in either La Hacienda on Colonial or Kabah on Riviera. These are much larger and IMHO food quality has greatly improved. Atmosphere is very nice with linens and fresh flowers. (No wet bathing suits.) It seems that they improved quality over quantity which is fine with me. They had three kinds of paella, large paella type pans with shrimp and mussels as well as the standard pasta station, variety of pizza, salads, cold cuts, hamburgers,hot dogs fresh made bread & rolls There were two grilling stations offering a total of 6 items to choose to have grilled including chicken,steak, pork ,salmon and more.
One day Abby ate at Punta Emilia beach bar as she enjoys the Mexican food there. They also now offer fried fish filet and whole fried fish which I enjoyed.
“Flying fish” (Flew off my plate one day in the wind)
For dinner we mostly ate at El Jardin choosing lobster with steak or lamb chops.
Juan with deserts
We also went to La Adelita where the food was very good
and Punta Emilia. I enjoyed the seafood platter (and they kindly substituted for a fish I can’t eat). Abby had the pepper veal steak (which is beef) and it was extremely tender.
On Christmas Eve we attended the Gala dinner which was wonderful.Nothing was spared. When entering we were given a Kir Royale (champagne with cherry liquor).
The ladies were given roses. Decorations were tastefully done including ice sculptures, Christmas trees, and a live Santa. Food included unlimited lobsters, shrimp, fish, roast beef (prime rib), beef filets,turkey, roast pork, chicken, many veggies, salads, fruits and deserts. Beautifully done.
We did not eat dinner in the buffet but we visited and I thought it looked to be a good variety and a high standard for a buffet. In addition they have the grilling stations for those who can’t find anything to their liking.
Overall I found the quality and variety of food very good to excellent. I rarely found something I didn’t like but considering the vast number of guests and the various cultures they are serving I wouldn’t expect to like everything. I honestly can’t understand people who complain that they can’t find anything to eat. I can’t imagine what their expectations are.
Great ice cream resort wide
For Royal guests various plattersin the room
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How wonderful for you and Abby to have this celebration together. I agree, two bedroom suites would be great for travelling with these young adults.
Glad to hear you had a good meal at La Adelita, it has been such a disappointment to us on our last few visits.
I cannot wait to try the changes at the buffets. I agree the selection is much better than the Gran Azul, despite liking to eat outdoors. -
We were disappointed with the beef broth in Adelita which was very good in the past.Otherwise very good.They served a very nice appetizer which we didn’t order.
It would be great to have anther sleeping option with our girls One night Abby stayed out til 5am! Yikes.
Yes, Abby wanted to eat outdoors the first day but once we tried Hacienda and Kabah we ate there most days.Much nicer.
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I posted your suggestion regarding the sleeping arrangements here.
Wish List / Suggestions -
Sounds like an amazing, Albeit short and sweet reunion with your daughter… Lovely way to celebrate her birthday and Christmas. A good way to catch up and reconnect.
The Christmas buffets looked amazing…Some of the desserts looked too cute to eat… 😉
Glad you brought up the open concept bathroom in the Royal Suites…I’m the early riser and Hubby is not….Don’t know if this set up would be good for us… That’s why I love the Mayan suites,enclosed toilet area,in a separate bathroom with shower and tub , (that I never use… because I Love the outdoor Mayan showers… though I would love the outdoor jacuzzi…
BTW when we were there in early Dec., I know they relaxed the dress code for men in the ala cartes… but some of the people who came in to El Jardin, looked like they’ve been sleeping on the beach in their clothes… Umm even hubby commented on some of the attire…Just wondering if you came across this too…? It’s such a very pretty restaurant and long pants and a nice shirt isn’t asking much, & even some of the ladies were “very casually” dressed … you can do so much with a cute little sundress, really shorts and a tank top in El Jardin???
We all had an amazing meal @ Ribs n More… I just loved the way they prepared the lamb chops…and the everyone raved about the steaks…
Loved your pictures… Even though it’s only been a month since our visit…it feels like “light years”… Thanks for the chance to “Live Vicariously”…again
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A great report, as always, and beautiful photos! Boatchick, yes, you must return soon with Anne! My husband is so happy to hear that he will be able to wear nice shorts to the a la cartes this year. Hooray! We have been somewhat disappointed in La Adelita. Perhaps we just need to learn the best things to order. Love having breakfast at El Jardin on some mornings, but it’s a long walk from Kantenah, so sometimes we go to the buffet.
Anne, any plans to return in the near futue??-
Oh Kern…Anne and I keep missing each other…just can’t seem to get our ‘dates’ to coincide…
One of these days it will finally happen and I’m sure it will be an”epic” event… ;-)…
We would have loved to have been there for Christmas…but we still have family gatherings with our parents… that’s why we went earlier to celebrate both our birthdays while there… One of these days….
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