TRS Yucatan – highly recommend

[Anne]

By CR Forever

After a one year break we returned to the newly named TRS Yucatan Resort …but still to us the Royal Suites, Oct 17-28, 2018. We were excited to see the changes to this area of the resort and to enjoy all the new additions during our vacation. Having vacationed at the Grand Palladium 8 times, 7 at the Mayan Riviera complex and once at the Palladium Vallarta we were very familiar with what to expect, but even for those of us who return year after year there are new things to experience and comment on. Hopefully my detailed review will help those new to the resort.
First travel, we did our package through Expedia and traveled with Interjet. A great airline, no issues at all and the seats were roomy and comfortable. We were able to pay to choose our seats in advance but as the flight was not full we did find that we could spread out in a three seat with just the two of us on both flights. Interjet did not allow for checked baggage for free so we did have this cost to pay but they do include a free sandwich and drinks on the flight which is helpful. Expedia also gave us a free transfer to the resort which we had to arrange through TRS Transfers through Mexico Travel Solutions. We arranged this with them with no problem and it worked out very nicely. The drivers were excellent, professional and got us to and from the resort.
Before arrival to the TRS Yucatan resort we contacted the e-butler service and had a few emails with Cynthia who handles this service. She is amazing! I was thrilled to meet her during our stay and chat for a while. You can find out about this through their website but it is definitely worth it to email in advance. Another tip in pre- planning is to visit the unofficial palladium site for all things palladium and you can find the link for the ebutler there as well plus many helpful things and people. Through the ebutler service, we were able to send her our room requests and she sent us a short questionnaire so they would know our preferences in setting up our room. She also suggested that if we wanted to go to the new Chic cabaret that we might like to reserve that through her in advance as it is very popular. She answered questions and was just a lovely welcome to start the vacation. We did have one glitch with our requests which was minor and was taken care of but it was great to share this with Cynthia and to speak to her in person during our vacation. I so appreciate her desire to ensure that each guest has what the need to have a great vacation! I always tell people the success of the Grand Palladium is the people who serve the guests so well and the commitment of management to listen to the guests whether a complaint, suggestion or praise, they listen and respond always to improve.

On arrival we were ushered to the desk area to complete our registration and given a cool cloth and welcome drink and cookies as we waited. We were welcomed by the staff at the desk with smiles and were quickly ready to go to our Villa to unpack. The new bands you are given at check in will open the lock on your room now so no need for room cards which is a brilliant new addition. Hope they add this to the entire resort in the future! We had asked for a Villa close to the new infinity pool area and third floor and all our requests were granted and we were thrilled with our room in Villa 66 ( 6626) a junior suite. Our view was of the ocean, Helios and the infinity pool. Perfect.

Changes to the décor and some of the upgrades are really lovely. First we met our Butler (three in our Villa Anna, Erik and Oscar) they were wonderful! Anna was there to greet us and show us our room upon arrival. She went through the room with us to be sure we knew how things worked which was very helpful. No more do not disturb signs on the door needed, you just flip a switch in your room as you come in to either green for ( I can be disturbed or the room can be cleaned ) to red ( I can’t be disturbed and no one will enter my room or knock ) really a great idea! Lights are all on a system so easy to turn off and on and while some feel it is a bit dark in the rooms we found it fine; cozy really and bright during the day of course. Air Conditioner is set to your taste and keeps the room at the temperature you like. Rooms come stocked with four bottles of alcohol and you can choice from a list if you want or take the ones they put in at the start. You are able to order house wine and champagne through the Butler for your room if you like and there are wines available for purchase in the room as well. There is coffee maker and coffee and tea and if you need that at some point during your stay and each day this is checked and supplies added. Your frig is also stocked and re-stocked daily according to your desires which is really nice. Water, soda, juice etc. plus snacks…chocolate bars, nuts and pringle chips. The e- butler can set this up or your butler can assist you. Pillow options and aromas for the rooms also available. The Butlers are there to assist with anything you need and they are wonderful, they were so helpful in helping with reservations we wanted, getting a cart to take us places, general conversation …we even had some singing at one point. Thank you to Anna, Erik and Oscar for making our stay so lovely. You greeted us with care and kindness each time we passed your way.

The room itself is well planned, lots of storage and comfortable. The bed is firm and the sheets are so soft …really helps after a day in the sun! The amazing products they provide are also great for all skin types and replenished for you when you need them. Our room cleaner was Vioncy and she was amazing! Our room was always spotless and ready when we would return from a day out and in the evening there is a turn down service as well and lovely treats each night to enjoy. Really special how they take care of you. Gracias to Vioney, she was wonderful! Please be sure to leave a tip for your cleaner each day and also for the person who will stock your frig, they work hard and will appreciate your kindness.

The adults section has taken over the previous Riviera section and the Royal section and so is much larger now. Of course the new Chic Cabaret is really being enjoyed by guests with a real Vegas show experience. We enjoyed it very much from the pre-show in the lobby to the welcome and then the entire show packed with great food and artists of all types entertaining us for about 2 hours. The entertainment team for this show really do a great job, they really try to draw you into the performance and I loved the end of the show as you left the team was lining the way out to the lobby clapping and thanking you for coming, I found myself clapping for them as well and thanking them for a lovely evening. This really is a must if you visit. Our overall impression with this show and with the bars and restaurants is that each location is unique and is trying to provide the guest with an experience. Many will say that they have seen better entertainment or had better food, but I honestly feel as if it is the overall experience that the resort is trying to provide. I thought the entertainment was awesome and the food as well. I suggest that people really relax and just soak in the environment and enjoy everything from the service, the food and drinks and the entertainment.

The new lobby is really spectacular, it is now air conditioned in some portions which is great and the bar area is really nice and comfortable to sit in. We were thrilled to encounter Lucy (Luciana), a longtime employee who we have known for many years at the old Royal section. What a joy to see her again. She always is so welcoming and does such a wonderful job taking care of the guests. Her smile lights up the room! Thank you Lucy for the amazing service you have given over the years, we can’t wait to see you again. She is definitely one of the resort’s jewels!
Restaurants- TRS Yucatan has a few restaurants exclusive to the guests there and we tried them all during our stay. As a TRS guest you can visit any restaurant in the complex which I think now totals 14 and through your Butler you can make reservations if you like or take your chances and simply walk in. Chang Thai in the Kantaneh section, was on our must return to list. We went to the opening night of this restaurant two years ago so we were eager to return. The food was great once again and we enjoyed and recommend this one! The Pad Thai was delicious as is the amazing coconut cream brulee for desert.

We decided on El Gaucho for our first dinner and as we entered what was the old Royal lobby we could not get over the transformation and the beautiful décor. We were greeted and taken to our table where we met our server for the evening, Arturo. He served us all evening with care and we enjoyed every course. We commented to him that we enjoyed the soup of the night (cream of zucchini) so much and could he please give our compliments to the chef. We then enjoyed a delicious steak and sides which were cooked to perfection. We were just thrilled with our first meal …the food and service. We took the time to speak with the chef, Chef David and Diego the manager of this restaurant and our server Arturo and thanked them for the amazing meal and service. It just started our vacation off right and we wanted them to know what a great evening we had there. They encouraged us to come again and Chef David told us he would prepare a special soup made with blue cheese. We went back to our Villa and booked dinner El Gaucho again and we returned to another amazing meal and the most delicious soup (we had two bowls) during our stay we had four dinners at El Gaucho and on every occasion the service was outstanding and the food to die for. The soups that Chef David and his team serve are simply heavenly and the entire staffs at this restaurant are just simply the best! We highly recommend this restaurant to everyone. I am sure the other servers are great but for us, Arturo is just the best there is…thank you for making each meal so very special. Diego, what a great team you have and we thank you for what you do to make sure the guests have a great dining experience. Well done El Gaucho, there will be many names of staff we will miss but we feel that the team at this restaurant needs special recognition on our list. Please reserve this one as soon as you arrive, you will not be sorry and get the soup!

We went to La Boheme the French restaurant, lovely setting as well and very nice menu. We enjoyed our meal and service was great, we had salmon and being from the west coast of Canada we know our salmon. The fish was cooked very well. Another great meal!
Two meals we had at Tentazione, which is their Italian experience. Lovely setting, great staff from the bartenders as you enter to the servers…the food was wonderful and we enjoyed both meals here. I asked if I could have Shrimp with Risotto although it was not offered as a meal and of course the response was No problem and I loved it.
We visited Helios for breakfast everyday special thanks to Alan, Santiago and Milanina…your warmth and great service impressed us and your kindness each time we came made us smile! We also went to Helios sometimes for lunch…the food and service was outstanding. My only suggestion is that 8 am is too late for the start of breakfast service, at least when the sun is up by 6:30 and you want to be out and enjoy your day. We noticed many people like us, up early and many waiting for 8 am to get some breakfast. In our walks in the morning along the beach we also noted that there is no coffee served anywhere. In the past we have always been able to get an early morning cup of coffee and a pastry but we could not find anywhere close to the beach this was available. I think having one of the bars at the infinity pool open at 7 with coffee available would be welcomed by the guests and maybe breakfast at this time as well. There are lots of people who just like to get that early start and be able to enjoy the beautify of the morning. I know I could order room service however, we really enjoy being out and eating in the room for us is not what we enjoy. There is 24 hour room service in this section and a nice menu for those who do enjoy this.

The food at Helios is great, you can choose from the al la carte menu or the buffet. They are one of two spots in the TRS section offering this. Helios is at the infinity pool and Capriccio is in the lobby area. We only visited Helios as we were so close to this location. We liked the options and beautiful presentation in the buffet and mainly used this, but we also ordered from the menu a couple of times and while you have to wait a bit longer the food was delicious. At lunch there is entertainment often at the outdoor eating area and that was really lovely. No one could possibly go hungry with the options they had. The presentation is amazing and we enjoyed every meal we had there. The service was very good and always with care and a smile.

Our suggestion for the entertainment group with regards to the artists we enjoyed at the resort is that they have some kind of cards with their names on them, we never did find out some of their names and would very much have liked to see if they have music out we could listen to and enjoy after the vacation. Many people made videos or took pictures and it would be nice to be able to say who they were. We heard singers, saw jugglers, DJ’s at various locations and wow always impressed with the entertainers. The variety was amazing. The team does a great job in providing many types of entertainment to please lots of different people.

The infinity pool….this is the jewel of the TRS Yucatan. Absolutely stunning location and we spend our entire time at this area just visiting the spa and the other pool once and finding we just wanted to be the infinity pools the most. This is a new addition and just amazing. There is a lot of seating here with options of Bali bed units and different types of loungers with umbrellas available, so shade or sun you can find it. There is a lovely older gentleman helping with the umbrella’s there and also giving out towels and he has the most wonderful smile and was so very helpful and kind…his name has escaped me….he was always on the watch to be sure you had the umbrella up or down or moved if you wanted. Two bars here, one at each end and service to your seat if you want it. There are two outdoor shower areas available close to each bar but if you want to be close to a washroom you need to the far end as that bar area is the only washroom for this area. The infinity pool has three different sections you can swim in making it very roomy for everyone and can accommodate water activities which happen during the day while still allowing lots of space for those who just want to be the water or swim. The water is not too deep, up to the chest I would say so you can stand up. A lifeguard is often watching so safety is taken care of. The pool faces the ocean, what a perfect view!

While at the pool you may encounter someone from the Zentropia Spa, they always have deals and if you want a great Massage, ask for Anna. We encountered Dynoe on our first day and what a character he is! Numerous times during the day as he made his rounds through the resort he would stop to chat and we looked forward to the conversation, laughs each day. Thank you for steering us to the Spa, it truly is a must go to place as well and as a guest in the TRS section it is free to you except the spa treatments.

Any place you want to go you can walk or you can get a ride, there is always a cart travelling along the pathways and the drivers are happy to stop and pick you up or drop you off…if you encounter Frank you are for a great ride. He is funny, sweet and well I think he is single ladies. Ask for Frank and he will be there quick to get you where you want to go.

We spent our time at the infinity pool each day, we came to relax and recharge and are so thankful that we accomplished this during our stay. We chose to reside near the Gaia Bar and so we got to know the outstanding staff which serves at this location. I am probably going to miss someone and I am sorry about that but Eric, Sergio, Alfredo and Ivan…wow you guys, you are just over the top when it comes to serving the people. We enjoyed every beverage, snack, conversation and just watching the show while visiting the Gaia Bar. Eric….he is something special. His bartendending abilities and people skills really bring fun and energy to the guests as he always has a smile and conversation for you and wowed us with his bottle throwing and catching and desire to be sure you got something great to drink. Sergio you also have such skill and care and remember what people like …you just made the day guys! Eduardo was in training and a young 18 ….you did a great job and thank you for all your hard work!! So appreciated the staff and those who served right at our loungers as well…amazing service. One thing they have is someone coming around with a cart which has books, magazines and sun screen which you can help yourself to…this is great because if you have stuff you don’t want to pack you can contribute it to the cart instead of throw it out. You can also offer it to the staff they are happy to get this as well. A cart also goes around with a drink of the day being made and served to you right where you are sitting, such a nice touch.

The infinity pool hosts some activities during the day as well and we encountered a beautiful young woman named Alexia who may be small but she has a HUGE personality. She runs the Yoga plus, plus, plus…she did water aerobics etc. as well. I was tired watching her for sure. Thank you Alexia for your care, daily conversation and kindness to us, you are an asset to the Palladium team. Rodrigo was also a member of the POP team in this area we met and watched his hard work as well….you are also a real asset to the team and you do your best to help people find things to do and let them know what is coming us, truly appreciated.

Our overall impressions of all the changes were that everything was just better than ever and again about improving the guest experience. We will return again as soon as we can, we just can’t imagine a better place to go for a vacation. There is so much to do and see in a large resort but you also can just enjoy one small area and relax, it is up to you. The staff will simply do their best to be sure that you enjoy every minute, if something is not right they will try to make it better. The location is amazing but it is the staff, the people, especially the ones we have highlighted that make us want to return. They add something so special to our vacation and we cannot thank them enough. We highly recommend this resort to you.

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