![]() The hotel's 480 rooms are situated in a V-shape, cradling the pool and garden the outermost rooms face the sea.ĭuring our time in Mexico through June 29, rates start from $116 per person and $133 per person June 30 through September 3. (Nothing better than free water in a hot climate!) The d¿cor is requisite Caribbean: bright colors on the stucco walls and bedspread, and terra cotta tile floors. The room's mini-fridge is stocked with cold drinks and coolers with purified water are scattered in the hallways by the rooms. (I kept calling agoutis Mexican squirrels they are both of the rodent family.) The rooms have either two queens or one king bed, satellite television (close-captioned versions of the WB and E! were available, along with CBS, Fox, CNN, and others), a bathroom and in-room coffeemaker. The walk to my room was partially covered, and the surrounding pathway lush with vegetation, flowers, and indigenous creatures - watch out for iguanas and agoutis. The lobby is an open area that spills out onto a large, patio-like lounge. ![]() (Azteca was quieter and more couples-friendly: there is no swim-up bar at the pool and the guests seemed to tote fewer children.) (One evening we caught the tail end of Grease a curious thing, indeed.) For those whom all this noise is far too much, Maya has a "relax pool," located behind the spa area, where no phones or music is tolerated, and no children are permitted. (The latter two take place over the PA system, so you learn even if you're not paying much attention.) During evenings at the resort, entertainers perform Mexican folk dances or musical revues. The activities schedule is chockablock, from poolside yoga to water aerobics to Spanish language lessons and Spanish bingo. The exterior of the hotel was sandblasted and repainted, and there's a new buffet at the snack bar by the large pool, which also has a lively, crowded swim-up bar. After suffering damage from Hurricanes Emily and Wilma last year, Maya went through $10 million in renovations, including the remodeling of the main lobby, restaurant and bar, the addition of an Italian restaurant (more on the preponderance of those later), and new equipment at the gym. ![]() 800/996-3426 which is a sister hotel to the Viva Wyndham Azteca, also located in Playacar. The Hotel: On the Waterfront and Swimming with Activity Usually, these involve questions of satiation: When can I have something cold to drink? Why should I eat something hot for breakfast (even though I did - the omelet station was fantastic) when watermelon, oranges and mangoes are so much more appropriate? When can we stop walking around so I can jump into the pool or the Caribbean? When can I take a cold shower? And the intuitive intelligence of spending half your day in the water, wearing very little clothing, and consuming cooling beverages and foods quickly becomes apparent in hot climes. When you slow down, you relax and focus only on the most immediate needs. All that sweating taught me something: when you go somewhere hot on vacation, the heat that greets you at 8am forces you to slow down. And the less I thought about it, the more easily words came back to me.Īnd so did the heat, but thankfully, it took less than a day for my body to adjust. I don't want to impart the impression that one needs to speak Spanish to get by in Mexico, but any attempt to use the language, even just a simple "Hola," prompted a warm smile and "habla espanol?" Making an attempt seemed to go a long way. Later, in the hotel, puzzled by the in-room safe, I wanted to call the front desk and say " Necesito ayuda con el safe." But is el safe the word for safe in Spanish? How about caja fuerte?) ![]() Frustrating! (This was the first of several translation struggles. I often found myself able to formulate three quarters of my responses in Spanish, stumbling to remember the final and most important word. For the most part, I answered in complete albeit simple sentences. He offered some basic questions - am I married, do I have children - but also some rather provocative ones, too: What do I think of the pending immigration law and what (not if) religion I practice. I found my transportation to the hotel and spent the 50-minute ride brushing up on my rusty Spanish with my driver, Luis, who spoke very little English. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |