Trip report Part 4 – WiFi, Currency, Trip to PDC

[Anne]

Wi Fi

Being in the Royal, we had the premium wi fi which worked extremely well both in the room and all over the Royal area. I used a lap top and my daughter used her I Phone. My daughter had an App that enabled her to text her friends when on the wi fi so she was happy. The Premium wi fi didn’t work on the other areas of the resort without a password which Jessica and Roxanna kindly supplied. Once I had the password I could access wi fi all over the resort. Only used it in the lobbies outside of the Royal.

Currency

I used both US dollars and pesos. Both are widely accepted. I brought a bunch of US ones with me for tipping then got pesos from the ATM on the resort (There is more than one bank affiliated ATM on the resort that dispense both pesos and US.) It is best to use an ATM card with a chip in it. I have an older card and had a bit of trouble but eventually got it to work. I sometimes was challenged getting smaller denominations. The front desk sometimes had smaller bills, sometimes not so I would go to the bell buys or bartenders. They were happy to help if they had small bills. Note if you want to change foreign currency at the front desk you must have your passport. Exchange for US was 15 pesos to the dollar at the front desk. It was closer to 17 in town.

Off site trip to PDC

We decided to go to PDC one morning. Abby was hesitant about using a colectivo as the last time she used one it was very old and she had to literally hold the door shut! I assured her they are all newish and very safe. We walked out the front gate from the Colonial lobby and there was a colectivo parked waiting for passengers. We sat there for a little while until it was almost full then whisked away to PDC. As we were all hotel guests the majority got off at the last stop at the corner of 2nd & 15th streets. This is also where they park to return to the P. Cost was $3 pp per trip.

We both had specific items we wanted. I stopped first at Playa Mart on 5th Ave where I do most of my shopping.Prices are clearly marked, employees are helpful and there is no haggling. I priced the tequila and vanilla there and then we went comparison shopping. Abby likes the international shops at the south end of 5th Ave where she found a reasonably priced dress. We then made the mistake of going into a locally owned shop where the shopkeeper was extremely aggressive. She had items wrapped and was grabbing for my credit card before we had agreed to anything. Eventually she made us uncomfortable enough that we left and went back to Playa Mart. On the way back to the colectivo Abby saw a shop that was of interest. The shopkeeper was very polite and low key and we eventually bought an item from him without feeing stressed as we did with the aggressive lady. We left PDC feeling happy. There was a line for the colectivos which moved quickly. When coming back be sure and use the employee tunnel to cross the highway or vice versa if you are traveling south to Akumal or Tulum.

After that we had a nice lunch at Kabah and got too lazy to leave the resort again!

[Blueskies]

Great information ! The last few trips we have not ventured off the resort. It seems once we enter those beautiful Palladium arches we never want to leave. I hope to visit Playa next time though.

[Boatchick]

Yes Playa is always and adventure…we found it best to turn our bracelets in a way that they couldn’t be read by the shop keepers.. “ah Palladium..I was your bartender, waiter…etc last night”.
I too like Playa Mart and have always gotten the best price on my vanilla there… I did find a small shop owned by a co-operative of local artisians…They had some lovely handmade jewelry out of wood and other natural materials as well as decorative pieces for the home… I got a small “jelly fish” lamp made from a small gourd and shells of nuts.. It has geckos carved into it…This co-operative teaches their students how to create different types of art, both wearable and decorative and pays them a “fair wage” …I can’t remember the name of the shop, but it is directly across from the Haagen-Daas ice cream store..where btw my hubby spent 12.00 US on 3 scoops of icecream..2 for him and 1 scoop of sorbet for me…still LMAO..
The collectivos have gotten better and the ones we took …the air conditoning was working properly…I did get the “special box” seat on the way to Akumal…but that is a short trip…
BTW the bus station in Playa, does have public restrooms, they cost about 5 pesos (50cent US) and are pretty clean…
Also the exchange rate is quite good in Playa…(better than the hotels or airport) Just compare the exchange rate at a few of the kiosks..some times, there are 2-3 per block.
Always keep a copy of your passport with you for identification… it is better to keep your actual passport in your safe…

[Anne]

There is a newish undergound Bano near the international shops at the south end.

Ha ha my daughter got the line,”I give discounts to beautiful girls. For you it is free.”

[Author]

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