First trip out of country, anything I should be aware of?

"chinga tu madre" means "thank for the beer"

have fun!

"O'dele puto" means "Welcome, American friends"

awesome advice

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First trip out of country, anything I should be aware of?

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Hurricanes

In the CUN airport walk straight and fast to your transfer.

Agree with Frisco. You'll be beseiged by those welcoming you and wanting to take you to "welcome events". Caution: welcome events = time share purchases. At least it was that way for us about a month ago.

Walk straight to your transportation and don't get taken by "cheap" tickets to places either. This usually means you have to attend a sales events.

Also DO NOT let anyone touch your bags - even if they tell you they are with your transfer company. This is a scam and they will expect a tip. Your transfer company rep will/should be easily recognizable and that is the only person you should allow to touch your bag. When at the resort avoid ALL "Welcome" meetings or Activity overviews. Reps will try to steer you over and will also call your room. Politely decline or dont respond to the calls. Once they get the hint they rarely bother you anymore. Tipping goes a long way but being nice and respectful goes further. Book any excursions you may want to do beforehand. Fairly expensive if you book at the resort. Try a collectivo to Akumal - you can thank me later. I have spent the last 8 years vacationing in Playa and absolutely love the area.

Edit - crap realized your departure date - oh well hope you had fun and you most likely learned everything above the hard way:-)

[This message has been edited by FriscoAggieFan (edited 8/13/2008 3:26p).]

I'll be taking my first trip there (and first main trip outside the U.S.) in a couple weeks, so comments still welcome.

[This message has been edited by AggieSarah01 (edited 8/13/2008 3:42p).]

a buddy of mine and group of friends are going to Riu Palace in Playa next week- please give any feed back you can that I could pass along.

Realtor - there are two Riu Palaces in Playa.
I've stayed at the "older" one twice and really liked it. A few notes: there are some erosion issues on the beach, avoid the Brazilian steakhouse, rooms are large and the service is good, nice having access to all of the other Rius (they dont have access to the Palace), go across the street to the Riu Tequlia pool (lot of fun in the afternoon and a bit more or a party atmosphere), pool is close to the beach and the pool bar is a lot of fun, the towel game is in full effect so be sure to tell them to save a spot in the morning, get a courtyard facing room (can people watch from the balcony) - tell your buddy to have a michelada for me. Let me know if you have specific questions.

Is Johnny back from his trip yet?

Any one who has Gran Porto Real care to comment? Going there in December

What about things to remember to bring?

I read somewhere that it is a good idea to bring water shoes, but I'm not familiar with what they are or where you can buy them.

Water shoes are like aqua socks. I got away with just bringing a ratty old pair of sneakers, but water socks would have been nice for snorkling.

True story about not letting anyone grab your luggage. The CUN airport is full of vultures looking for tips, and I was amazed at how easily people would give their bags away to a stranger.

Also, I've been back for 5 days, and am still battling Montezuma's Revenge. I was extremely careful to brush my teeth/wash my hands with bottled water, but apparently something still slipped through the cracks.

The main things I learned that I would pass on are 1) Keep your passport handy while in the airports, we had to show it at least 3 times, 2) Keep the little slip that Mexico customs gives you safe...that's the only way you can leave the country, and if you lose it, expect a massive headache, 3) Little tips go a long way. The workers in Mexico make beans for wages, so even 2 or 3 dollars is greatly appreciated.

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Also, I've been back for 5 days, and am still battling Montezuma's Revenge. I was extremely careful to brush my teeth/wash my hands with bottled water, but apparently something still slipped through the cracks.

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This is one of the things that worries me.

Been to Mexico many times and always used the water from the tap and never had a problem

I've been to Mexico a lot and have never been sick - knock on wood.
Tips:
Go to the bank and get every $2 bill they have. They usually dont have many so you may have to go to a few different ones. I usually get $100 in $2 bills - saves room in the wallet/purse and in myu opinion its the perfect tip amount.
If you like to drink, find the bar you feel you will spend most of your time at (lobby, pool, etc). Ask the bartender if he/she will be working there throughout your stay. If they will slip them a $20 on the first day and you will be treated very well during your stay. I have done this at several different resorts and it has worked out great at them all.
Bring heavy duty sun screen.
Bring good sunglasses.
Go by the dollar store and get some rafts, beach balls etc. Use during your stay and when you leave find a local kid and let him have them.
Dont sweat the small stuff.

I never thought about the water situation when we stopped in Cozumel. We did have bottled water that we bought on the cruise ship.

Definitely take water shoes. We did not and the rocks hurt when we were starting our snorkeling.

Not exactly a well kept secret - but the best place we went in our two trips to Playa was XelHa. It is worth it. Get there early.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g659488-d275031-Reviews-Xel_Ha-Riviera_Maya_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

I heard from numerous people that XelHa is overrated and not worth the money, for what it's worth.

I already have reservations at Xel-ha, I'm excited!

Quick question about tipping.

Can I tip with American dollars, or do I need to exchange and get pesos?

We tipped people at our resort with American dollars and also paid for our taxis that way. You might be able to save a little on taxi fare if you pay with pesos (depends on what exchange the driver uses) but it was easy for us to pay that way (since we hadn't gone to a bank there yet) and add a small tip in, and the drivers seemed to accept it just fine. You could really use either.

One thing I learned is that they don't automatically bring you the check after a meal. They are not as quick to rush you away from the table like in the US. You'll have to ask for your check (la cuenta) when you are ready for it!

American dollars are certainly acceptable there!

Be wary of El Sol. Take plenty of sunscreen.

Also, be wary of large Europeans who are not, themselves, wary of El Sol.

Silverback,

Gran Porto Real is nice spacios rooms nice pool. I would not get all inclusive, there are many great places to eat in town and the food at the hotel was average. Get the boats on the beach to take you snorkeling or fishing, bring fish back and have the pizza place next to the hotel cook it for you...best you've ever had. Playa is always been better than cancun...

What I never understood. Drink and brush your teeth with only bottled water.........but people drink margaritas, bloody mary's, etc. with ice made with water from the water system all day long.

We did it too with nothing "slipping through the cracks".

Thankfully nothing was "flying out of ours".

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What I never understood. Drink and brush your teeth with only bottled water.........but people drink margaritas, bloody mary's, etc. with ice made with water from the water system all day long.

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Yeah, I was kind of wondering about this....

Some resorts do have their own special filtration system or water supply for the ice. Of course, I don't drink, so I didn't partake of any beverages that used ice - I just had Perrier the whole time!

Most all-inclusives (if not all at this point) have water filtration systems for ice, drinking water, etc.. However, the water piped into your room may/may not be filtered so that is why you will see folks recommending brushing your teeth with bottled water.