Hotwire Hotel: Cancun??

[giadav]

Okay...we are looking at 12/31/04 - 1/04/05 in Cancun. All-Inclusive 3 1/2* for $277. I think this is the Royal Solaris Caribe Hotel.

Does anyone know what the resort fee and taxes would be on this?? Also, I a little confused on whether or not beverages are included on this.

Any info on this would be great!! Thanks

[thereuare]

If you click on the ALL INCLUSIVE tab it states:

All meals and beverages are typically included in the up-front price

(emphaisis added by thereuare)

I would guess that it would include alcoholic beverages, as most in Cancun do, but that word typically leaves them a pretty good out. Perhaps you could call Hotwire, give them the reference number next to the last icon (highlight the blank space and you'll see the reference number) and ask them if alcohol is inlcuded and/or what the resort fees would be.

If no success there, i would call (or email) the hotel and ask them if all rates include alcoholic beverages (if you know that they also offer a non-inclusive plan ask if a room booked thru Hotwire included alcohol) and what the resort fees are.

If you happen to be interested in any of the Palace Resorts i have a source for some good prices.

[giadav]

Yes we would be interest if you want to PM me the info that would be fine. Thanks

Do you have any recommendations??

[thereuare]

THIS is the best resort i've ever stayed out, but:

1) it's Expensive (with a capital E :) )

2) we went and there were only 6 rooms occupied... so we had the entire place to ourselves and became friendly with the staff (our new friends)

3) it's lacking the 'crystal blue waters' of Cancun due to a a reef that keeps the seaweed close to shore

4) it's not a party scene

5) it's somewhat isolated

So it's not for everyone, especially if you're looking for a party scene, but personally my wife and i can't wait to go back. PHOTOS.

I'll PM u the Palace info stuff. We stayed at the Moon Palace and weren't impressed... but could have been because we arrived immediately after the place above. There are a few resorts within the 'chain' and you can use the services and properties of any of them (may be additional charge to go to Spa Palace though). There are a few shuttles every day that take you to the 'beach zone' and you can go to the Palace hotels on the beach, use their equipment, beach chairs, eat, drink, etc, etc. Shuttles got crowded so we made sure we arrived a good 20 minutes before each left.

They also have shuttles that take you to tourist destinations (included) in the area and you have a choice of one or two of them during your stay (depending upon the number of nites you stay, although when we went they had a special of 'unlimited' tours).

I'm a bit of a foodie and the food was pretty bad in my opinion, some think it's great, but the food and the scene wasn't our style. Each Palace resort is a bit different and has their own pros and cons, but the price was good. Also, keep in mind that the Palace Resorts are timeshares and you do NOT want to sit down with them (if you end up there i'll forewarn you of their tactics and what to say to them when they invite you to the 'champange brunch').

[big_dawg]

I have stayed in Cancun three times. The first property I stayed at was the Royal Solaris. I got sick and stayed so for over 6 months.This was about six years ago. I don't know if it was the salad, guacamoe(sp) ice , fruit juice or what. I have stayed at the Omni on two other occasions and loved it. Good food for Cancun great beach, pool and all-inclusive is available.

Hope this helps,

big_dawg

[giadav]

Thanks "thereuare"!! I checked out the Expensive hotel and they did not have availabilty. I just email the Palace people, not sure how it will work out b/c we are looking to go for 4 nights not a week, but it doesn't hurt to try all avenues.

"big_dawg" sorry to hear you got sick. That always makes for a horrible vacation. 10 years ago I never would have thought to go to Mexico b/c that is all you heard from people. I really didn't think that was the case anymore. What did you have??

[thereuare]

When i went thru them it was for 4 nites/5 days.

You can call/email them thru their site, they're good people and i had a good experience with them.

[giadav]

"thereuare" when you went to Mexico, did you avoid any foods on the resort due to fear of getting sick??

[thereuare]

I avoided eating fruit since it could be washed with non-filtered water. Take some immodium along just in case.

At both resorts we stayed at there was bottled water everywhere (at no charge), but remember to avoid ice in your drinks if you eat off property.

[seningen]

Stayed at the Hilton in April for $80/nt priceline -- AWESOME

A little ways down the island -- but a very nice place.

would stay there again in a heartbeat -- and that was my 4th or 5th

Cancun trip (first Hilton).

m.

[giadav]

"seningen" is it expensive to eat w/out an all-inclusive plan?? We figure it would cost us about $200 per day for decent food. We are not big drinkers.

[seningen]

That of course is completely depending on your eating styles -- I'm sure you

could spend $100pp eating. But I figure (assuming no alcohol)

On the high end......

Breakfast buffet there was ~ $20, Lunch was typically $10-20, and Dinner could be had for ~$30

this was at the resturants at the Hilton. They did have a huge Pizza which was very good for about $15,

and made for a great meal for 2-3 people. So just a matter of what you want to eat.

We generally went into town (30min bus ride), hit the bakery and bought pastries etc for breakfast.

Lunch was sometimes at the hotel and sometimes around the island.

Dinner was the same, although we also went into Cancun proper for dinner, and that

drops it about $5-15/plate.

So for us it was probably closer to $50/day p.p.

We also had a 4yr old -- and she probably costs <$20 day for food.

If you have never been to Cancun -- staying at an all-inclusive is almost a crime (unless you

are consuming lots of alchol) -- there is everything from traditional small Mexican town dining feel in the inner-city to

mini-USA malls, and tons of eateries inbetween.

It all depends on the type of vacation you want to have.

M.

[giadav]

that is great advice. My husband does not drink at all and I could care less if I did. I just thought with all inclusive, I wouldn't have to make any decisions about resteraunts.

If I were to bid on Priceline, how do you know if you are bidding for just a hotel or a hotel with an all inclusive plan??

[seningen]

To the best of my knowledge no hotel in PL is all-inclusive, at least not in Cancun.

I would stick to the RESORT level, as of the last time I investigated this, they were all on

the beach. Not sure about the other * levels.

When we got the Hilton, we were treated no differently, in fact we ended up with two

great rooms with balconies and a guest we met there got stuck with a non-balcony room,

yet had paid >3x our nightly cost -- ouch! bet they will PL next time :-)

good luck.

I'll probably be looking to return to Cancun next year in the spring. (we get good charter flight costs then)

BTW, nothing says you'll have to leave the hotel for food --- but if it is your're first Cancun trip -- you

might want to do some exploring around. The bus system is awesome and very convenient (maybe $0.50/pp per bus hop)

If you plan to eat out a lot -- check out this discount card -- we used it in the spring -- it is on the up and up and

had a decent amount of choices. http://www.entertainment-plus.net/english.cfm

I also highly recommend this one day excursion --- very good price

to experience ratio. Nice limo pick-up, catamaran ride, a couple of beers, a budget local buffet on the island, and a good snorkling excursion, prettty good all day excursion.

http://www.entertainment-plus.net/tour_isl...sla_mujeres.cfm

I wouldn't think twice about doing it again when I return.

Another suggestion is that many folks (depending on hotel staff of course), pick up beverages at the convenient stores

and discretely (occasionally not so discretely) consume them instead of paying full hotel prices. YMMV.

cheers,

M.

[giadav]

Wow... That is great information!!

When you made your purchase on PL, how far in advance was it?? We want to go for New Years Eve and I'm thinking this will be a busy time seeing that the rates are inflated.

[giadav]

"thereuare" As I mentioned before we are looking to travel 12/31 to 1/4. We are all set with airfare. If we were to use priceline to bid on a hotel, is it safe to say that the hotels that show for that date under the Vacation Package are the ones that are available?? Would there be others??

I know you can never say anything for sure, but based on your educated experience :).

What would you suggest for a starting bid, and is Mexico like Puerto Rico where the inventory is release about 1 month before your travel date??

Thanks

[WillTravel]

If we were to use priceline to bid on a hotel, is it safe to say that the hotels that show for that date under the Vacation Package are the ones that are available??  Would there be others??

Yes, you can definitely get a different hotel than what shows up on vacation packages. It's happened to me, although not for Cancun.

[thereuare]

Not all hotels that participate in the 'opaque hotel product' participate in the 'vacation product' so you could get a hotel other than what you think as there are others.

We have no evidence that Mexico in like Puerto Rico in relation to their timing of releasing inventory.

I'll suggest a bidding strategy, but are you going for Resort class hotels only?

[seningen]

In my case it was maybe 3 or 4 weeks before we left.

One thing that was a little harrowing was bidding for a hotel, and also trying to secure

the charter flight -- really didn't want to get the one with out the other -- fortunately

it all worked out :-)

good luick and enjoy your stay!

Another interesting point -- I was open to about 5 different weeks during late march early april last year,

figured out the availability and rates for various hotels via all kinds of websites and plotted it out.

Bid on PL for various weeks, and the one week I did hit, most of the inventory claimed it was sold out,

even the hotel I hit (the Hilton) --- so go figure.

mike

[giadav]

I just found this amazing deal on a timeshare rental that is supposed to be 5*. It has great reviews on tripadvisor and I also know someone that stayed there (5 yrs ago) and said it was amazing. The only thing was that I could not book this far in advance was 1 night (12/31/04). I have to check back with them on 12/1 and see if they have that night available. If not, we will use priceline and bid for a resort hotel.

[thereuare]

How about sharing the name of it with the rest of us?

[giadav]

Sure....I wasn't sure if that was okay. I glad you asked b/c I'm so excited about it!!!!!!!

The resort is called the Royal Islander. There are a few resorts, all next to each other and you can share amenities. (Royal Mayan, Royal Caribbean and I think even the Royal Sands). About 5 years ago, I knew a woman that owned TS and went every year, my friend rented a week from her and couldn't stop talking about how nice and beautiful the resort, pools, beach, resteraunts etc. were. On tripadvisor all the reviews were great. You never find that!! haha

We are paying $128 p/nt for 1/1/05 - 1/4/05. And if there is availability for 12/31/04 the price is $246. The room has 1 dbl bed, bath room, refrig, and a balcony (I don't think it is big) overlooking the pool. But it is a 5 Star Resort. Even some of the reviews stressed this point. It also has daily maid service. :)