Hi Wendy,

Thanks for the follow up.  I wanted to send you a quick note to say how fantastic our trip to Los Cabos was. I would highly recommend the Riu Palace. The rooms are very clean and the view was amazing.

The a la carts are very hard to book as they only would book two days in advance. What we found was that even if you did not have a reservation and you went a little later in the evening,  you just had to wait one Mexican minute and they would eventually seat you.

The wine is not the best but Walmart was a quick taxi ride away if you wanted something a little more upscale.  The buffet was unbelievable. If you could not find something on there that you liked then there was something wrong.

We went whale watching, parasailing, and went to Lovers Beach and Divorce Beach all amazing. We wanted to do the dune buggy tropical tour but ran out of time.  The only down side to the whole vacation was having to come home.  We will return in a heart beat.

~~ Lorrie

More Mexico Vacations

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi Gina,

I just wanted to say thanks for your help.  On January 17th I entered your mall location in Hamilton.  I asked you to find a vacation package for my friend and I.  There was a catch.  We were wanting to leave within a few hours.  You found us a trip out of Toronto that left in just under three hours.  We made the trip to Pearson at speeds I won’t mention.  Turned in the rental car and hopped on a plane with so very little time to spare.

When we arrived in Holguin, nobody knew we were coming.  Cubans, being such an accommodating bunch, made it work.  We had a great time in Playa Costa Verde.  The resort is a little run down compared to other countries, but one of the nicest I’ve stayed at in Cuba.  The people were great.

Thanks to you, I had the opportunity to meet a wonderful tour guide.  We are communicating almost daily and are planning to see each other again.  Meeting this wonderful Cuban woman would not have happened without you.  So I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

So thanks again and if I can use your services again, I most certainly will.

~~Paul

More Cuba Vacations

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Hi Spencer,

As promised, I said I would give you an update on our recent trip to Hotel Playa Cayo Santa Maria.  This trip has totally restored our faith in Cuba and we are looking forward to possibly returning in July.  From the cleanliness of the rooms, pools and resort to the friendliness of staff we were really impressed.

There were no “giant lineups” everywhere as stated in many of the reviews on Tripadvisor.  The Transat rep at the hotel said that the hotel was fully booked so I’m not sure what
other people were experiencing.  Perhaps it was the time of day they were utilizing the buffet as we were always there around 8am and there were no problems.

I must admit that the buffet could be a little more organized and the layout isn’t the
best but I certainly wouldn’t let it ruin my trip.  We haven’t been to a 5* in Cuba so we don’t have anything to compare it to but I would say for Cuba standards the HPCSM is right up there.  There are many other 5* resorts in other parts of the Caribbean that don’t have fresh squeezed orange juice for you every morning.

Anyway, we had a great time away and the weather was absolutely beautiful.  Thanks for answering all of my questions prior to our trip and I will keep an eye on pricing for the beginning of July and hopefully have the opportunity to book with you again!

Take care,

~ Lisa

More Cuba Vacations

___________________________________________________________________________________________

We invite you to send your reviews, too! Share your travel experiences and help other travellers enjoy better vacations Send your thoughts to travelbuzz@tripcentral.ca today!

Let me start by saying that the hotel was amazing! Not only was our room clean, it was spotless. In our penthouse suite was a Jacuzzi, a beautiful bistro table and chair set, and a view that was simply gorgeous. There was a lot of space and the air conditioning worked flawlessly when we needed it. The cleaners did an amazing job at keeping our room fully stocked and freshly cleaned every day, which made it easy to focus only on having fun!

There were lots of delicious foods to choose from, and a lot of each as well, so no one missed out on anything. The staff was very attentive and courteous, so the customer service was another hit. They even offered us evening coffee with our meal. In other places we’ve had to go to the lobby bar to get it, so that was a nice added touch of comfort. The drinks were also delicious, and the bartenders didn’t use powder mixes for pina coladas or sangrias.

For entertainment during meals and drinks, there’s a great mariachi band that plays at the buffet and the snack bar as well. They are very talented, and they play all evening long. A la carte was another great experience when we went to the Brazilian Steak House on the Tulum resort. I’ve got a shellfish allergy, so I have to be careful when it comes to a la carte restaurants, but the steak house was fantastic. I highly recommend it.

There was an error made on our other restaurant booking, so this was the only one we ended up trying, but it more than made up for the error, since the staff were again very friendly, and we got to know them more throughout the week that we were there.

There were three small pools, and they were very relaxing. The water was a bit cool for me, but once I got in it was great. There were inner tubes to lay and relax on, which was really fun and peaceful in the warm sun.

The beach was phenomenal! The tram ride took five minutes, and there were a lot of chairs in the private section, and towels were right there to be used, so we didn’t have to carry them at all, which was convenient. There was also a bar in the private section. There were spots to snorkel with lots of fish in the water, and nobody bugged us on the beach, which made us feel safe. It was a great atmosphere. We went into the buffet on the Coba side, and it was just as good as the buffet by our hotel, with tons of selection.

There was an area to swim with the dolphins, and even be a trainer for the day without having to leave the resort. The prices were solid and people were allowed to take photos. For golf lovers there is a course with really good prices as well. You need to rent a cart there, which is about $60 per round. With numerous cenotes (sink holes) around, you had to be careful, but the people we asked had only great things to say about the course, and it was beautiful.

As far as our flight was concerned, we had a 2.5 hour delay which was a bit frustrating, but that can easily happen with air travel. The Cancun airport was really clean and we moved fast through it, which was nice.

We pre-booked our excursions, which was a bit frustrating as well, since you have to double-check them once you arrive, just to be sure they are official. We went to the Tulum ruins for an amazing half-day, and Xe-Hel for the other half, another great experience! We’ve never seen places like those before, and we will be sure to return on future trips.

Tip: bring an extra set of clothes — they have lockers with keys to secure your stuff. The towels are free as well.

There are several buffet-style restaurants nearby with fabulous selections of foods and drinks to enjoy, and we went swimming with fish, turtles, dolphins, sting rays and other creatures in the water, which was a once in a lifetime experience. There were plenty of water activities for all ages, whether it was jumping off 40-foot cliffs, hanging out on the lazy river, zip-lining, snorkeling, or whatever else catches your eye.

We highly recommend the Luxury Bahia Principe! You really can’t go wrong here, and the food, drinks and entertainment options were second to none!

~Anonymous client of Cathie Milner, tripcentral.ca vacation expert.
~Photos courtesy of www.bahia-principe.com.