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We had another wonderful day. It started out rainy so some of us went to the gym which is well equipped. I went in search of paperbacks. The best selection is in Hemingway’s which opens at 6. On TRS they have a selection just past the lobby near the tour desks By late morning the rain stopped so we went to the TRS beach. Never a problem getting a Bali bed there. After a late lunch I went by to check out the BBQ. They had grilled beef, veggies and pizzas. I them checked out the tortilla making class at the far end of the Infinity pool. It looked like fun. There is often live music at the pool and some exercise classes. I ended the day at the salt water pool which is always beautiful. We had a very special dinner in Capricho which has a Mexican night once a week. Food was excellent and upscale. We started with guac made to order, then soup, salad, a choice of other appetizers. For entrees we had pork, beef chicken followed by some churros and other special deserts. The young people went up early to pack and headed for the Mexican show at Full Moon bar. Another great day in Paradise.
Another wonderful day. It was partly sunny and a little warmer. After a pleasant breakfast we watched them set up an attractive wedding venue for a lovely couple I had met previously at the resort. The wedding took place at about noon. We hung around the pool, checked the BBQ. They were serving ribs & baked/grilled potatoes. There was pool biking also at noon. Around 2 we had a nice lunch of steak & cheese, salmon, tacos. I was thrilled that they tried & successfully made me an iced coffee. On the way to the salt water pool a family of coatis crossed our path. As it was quite windy the surf was crashing. I grabbed a Bali bed and we spent our afternoon there. We had another wonderful meal in El Gaucho. Service was excellent. The racoons entertained us as we enjoyed empanadas, ribeye, short ribs, chicken, baked potato, crepes & brownies with ice cream. Tip: we both had problems with our safes. The issue was simply that we had to push on the door as we opened/closed it.
Misc note: I asked the butler about occupancy. Usually it’s close to 100% at Christmas. She said about 60% Yesterday 8 couples were due to arrive in my building and no one showed. I am guessing it’s due to the flight cancellations.
We had a wonderful day today. The sun came out! Hooray. We started out at Helios for breakfast. As I sat down Manuel appeared immediately with my latte & juice. Staff are amazing. Our Martha is going to be a mommy so I think she cut back on hours. She is very excited. We hung out at the pool. My daughters BF went to the gym for awhile. He said it is well equipped. They had water robics & live music at the pool. I wasn’t hungry enough for a big lunch so I went to the grill. They had paella & pizzas. I asked if I could just get a slice of pizza. I think there was a language barrier because she handed me a whole pizza. I had a slice and gave the rest to my daughter. The people sitting next to me left their bed and left lots of towels & food. The birds had a party. We went up around 5 during more sprinkles. Fabulous dinner at Tentazione of linguini marinara, other pasta, chicken Milanese, sea bass, tiramisu. Ivan was an excellent server. Tonight is the 20s party at the salt water pool. As it has become very cool I think I’ll pass. Hopefully tomorrow will be a beach day. On another note negotiate with the spa people who walk around. My daughter did and got a decent price. I didn’t hear one other person negotiate today. I will post pics here when I get back & on FB
Another amazing day in Paradise. We still haven’t seen the sun & had some rain but we aren’t shoveling snow! My daughter & her BF went to the gym & spa. They negotiated a couples massage down to $230 which they felt was worth it. (Always negotiate.). After breakfast I found a Bali bed on the TRS beach with a thatched roof which is rain proof. Around 2 I walked to Helios for some excellent salmon. Then I found a lounger at the pool with an umbrella as it was raining. We had a marvelous dinner at Helios of coconut shrimp, crab, lobster, filet mignon & chocolate cake. We ordered & are a lot of food with no problem. Staff called us a cart as it was raining again! Cart took 1 minute . Returned to our rooms to chocolate truffles & wine. Heaven
For those of you concerned about the TRS beach, it will remain where it is with upgrades. La Jarra will remain where it is. A new beach bar will be built for Family Select guests
Here is Peter’s full report.
Fortunately it s still beach weather in SC. Read a fabulous beach book today. Murder mystery, sex, money, scandal on Nantucket (wealthy island off Mass.) The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
Reminder White Parties for October will be “pink”. Pink clothing optional
Friday Riviera Maya, Monday Costa Mujeres, Puerto Vallarta. Thursday Punta Cana.
Note the foam parties will also be pink.
Some parts of Punta Cana such as Capa Cana suffered damage. Anyone booked at TRS Cap Cana may move to TRS Turquesa.
Here is a long thread from Punta Cana Mike on the ground
Wednesday, Friday Saturday TRS Yucatan,
Monday, Saturday TRS Turquesa,
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday TRS Coral.
$135 pp reservation fee. $35 reservation fee for TRS guests.
There will be a specific area set up in the Colonial pool with special games and thing to keep the little ones happy.
Chanel Cleeton
Next Year in Havanna A sequel on the above re a wealth Cuban family member exiled from Cuba returns to find her roots.
Dorothea Benton Frank
Full of Grace An Italian American family from NJ re-locates to South Carolina. Lots of family dynamics.
Fu
I have been really remiss about updating this. I am a vociferous reader and have read 2 books recently by Chanel Cleeton about a Cuban exild to Florida in 1960.
‘”When we Left Cuba”
Fascinating. Please add your favorite books.
We attended the “Raggs” characters breakfast at Las Terrazas this morning and it was a big hit. The kids were thrilled with the dog characters interacting with them and the dance party. The food was so adorable! The also fed all the adults. Highly recommended! You have to reserve a spot for the number in your party.
We were able to catch some of the entertainment tonight. We saw the tail end of the childrens circus and some of the moonlight show and they were FABULOUS! The children who spent some time in the kids club got to perform and it was super cute. We all wore ear protection because sitting up close is way too loud. Totally worth keeping the kiddo up a little late! Each time a set/song ended, my daughter would say “Another one, another one!!!”.
We were able to catch some of the entertainment tonight. We saw the tail end of the childrens circus and some of the moonlight show and they were FABULOUS! The children who spent some time in the kids club got to perform and it was super cute. We all wore ear protection because sitting up close is way too loud. Totally worth keeping the kiddo up a little late! Each time a set/song ended, my daughter would say “Another one, another one!!!”.
Cancun/ Puerto Vallarta: Update: FMM form no longer needed.
TAXES:
Quintana Roo/Cancun/Riviera Maya: Your hotel will charge you $20 pesos per room per night upon arrival. (Approx $1 US).
Your departure tax is included in your airfare. (This includes UK now)
Effective 1 January 2022, the VISITAX amount is 241 pesos per foreign visitor over the age of 4 years, BUT you don’t need to pay it unless you choose to. Check-in agents are not asking for proof of payment.
Here is the site which can be glitchy. VISITAX
Video from breakfast buffet
Lots of info for families taking kids . My daughter is 5, so my tips are perhaps centered around that age group. I found an inflatable booster seat on Amazon that has been super handy. It also has a strap to hold the shoulder belt away from their neck as well. We also use this as a booster seat at restaurants here. The restaurants have high chairs but not booster seats. I’ll post a pic of it with the description. You can use it on the plane but not during taxi, takeoff, or landing. We found we did not use it on the plane, but definitely when using taxis, buses, and Uber. Super fast to inflate, like 5 breaths, and instantly deflated to store.
We brought an iPad mini which we’ve used at restaurants with headphones. Service can take a bit. I also brought a small sketchbook and some pens and crayons. The kids menu is not always listed, but just ask. They totally cater to the kids and love to make them happy. There are also kids mocktail drinks. The apple juice is a little different, my daughter didn’t like it. But she has enjoyed the lemonade, and they make her a smoothie with coconut cream, pinapple and strawberry that she loves.
My daughter is on the autism spectrum, so meltdowns and anxiety are common. I found a chewable supplement that helps her a lot. We just use it occasionally when she’s feeling really tired or overwhelmed. Details in pics. Also brought kids Dramamine. The gift store here does have kids Tylenol. They have a lot of adult meds, but not a lot of kid meds.
I’ll post more tips later! Off to dinner at the Nest!
There are tons of fun creatures around! The monkey at the sanctuary will hold your hand ! We found tiny frogs at night jumping on the paths. Hawk at family selection. Crabs all over the tide pools.
Brought our own diving toys and net for hours of fun!
Lots of info for families taking kids . My daughter is 5, so my tips are perhaps centered around that age group. I found an inflatable booster seat on Amazon that has been super handy. It also has a strap to hold the shoulder belt away from their neck as well. We also use this as a booster seat at restaurants here. The restaurants have high chairs but not booster seats. I’ll post a pic of it with the description. You can use it on the plane but not during taxi, takeoff, or landing. We found we did not use it on the plane, but definitely when using taxis, buses, and Uber. Super fast to inflate, like 5 breaths, and instantly deflated to store.
We brought an iPad mini which we’ve used at restaurants with headphones. Service can take a bit. I also brought a small sketchbook and some pens and crayons. The kids menu is not always listed, but just ask. They totally cater to the kids and love to make them happy. There are also kids mocktail drinks. The apple juice is a little different, my daughter didn’t like it. But she has enjoyed the lemonade, and they make her a smoothie with coconut cream, pinapple and strawberry that she loves.
My daughter is on the autism spectrum, so meltdowns and anxiety are common. I found a chewable supplement that helps her a lot. We just use it occasionally when she’s feeling really tired or overwhelmed. Details in pics. Also brought kids Dramamine. The gift store here does have kids Tylenol. They have a lot of adult meds, but not a lot of kid meds.
I’ll post more tips later! Off to dinner at the Nest!
There are tons of fun creatures around! The monkey at the sanctuary will hold your hand ! We found tiny frogs at night jumping on the paths. Hawk at family selection. Crabs all over the tide pools.
Brought our own diving toys and net for hours of fun!Ultimately the long term goal of this alliance is to allow the Palladium Hotel Group to expand and offer its guests more options & more locations.
There have been some recent updates:
All guests will have access to the Infinity pool. There will be a separate reserved area for Signature guests.
All guests will have access to the Sky bar. Premium drinks will be included for Signature level guests.
Karen wrote:
Thanks to Cesar in La Bohemme restaurant, we had a fantastic experience from start to finish! Thank you to chef Igor who came out to personally see how we were doing. Thanks for making our evening so enjoyable Cesar and other staff members! Well done! See you next year!
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Response from management:
Hi Anne,
I can perfectly understand there will be many questions.
It’s all very simple. Wyndhan is the biggest hotel franchise, with millions of members. They were looking for luxury hotels that could be added to one of their top brands: Registry Collection Hotels
And then we have access to their distribution channels.
We could say it’s something similar than the type of partnership we have with Leading Hotels of the World. It’s not exactly like that but very similar.
Perhaps, we can also see it as if, in this case, Wyndham was something like Vacances Air Transat or Apple Vacation, that include certain hotels in special programs.
At the end, they can offer more luxury All Inclusive Hotels and we can access to a great distribution channel.
I hope I have solved any doubt, my dear.
Have a great day!
Felipe Martínez Verde
Regional Brand Senior Director of Operations America
PALLADIUM HOTEL GROUPFamily Select Vallarta Wish list
Congratulations!
It has been aa privilege to get to know Felipe & many wonderful staff over the past 19 years. Wishing you many more successful years!
TRS Ibiza new page
E Butler wish list
I am told that some travel companies include the cost of quarantine so check with your travel company if you are using one.
Welcome. I believe it is $95 per day pp for five days. If the guest has not recovered after five days it can be extended to ten days. There may be additional costs for additional test (s).
I saw this on the beach in SC today. Silly. what not to wear.
Punta Cana: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Riviera Maya: Wednesday, Friday, Saturday
Costa Mujeres: Thursday, Friday, Saturday
You can also check the portal
My butlers are awesome . Very on top of things. Memo just sent me daily activities, weather and schedule of restaurants. Yesterday I asked Jessica where I could find some paperbacks and she found some & delivered them to me at the pool!
GP Riviera Maya restaurants
On the 24th in GP La Lola, Portofino, El Dorado and La Adelita (for the a la carte only with the menu attach, not regular menu) on the 25th Ribs & More, Bahia e Brasa, Poseidon, El Dorado with regular menu
Note on TRS Gaucho is also open. There will be the traditional Gala dinner on GP for everyone. Christmas Eve sample menu
I have used pesos & US. If you use US use clean bills, no coins, no tears. Staff appreciate any tip.
Holger also posted his album from 2005 – honeymoon during a hurricane
