So...finally went to Mexico.
This was my first voluntary trip to Mexico. Honestly, I expected everything to be cheaper while there but this was not true.
We booked a 4-night stay using the 1/2 off rate, so 100k points total.
I was upgraded TWO levels to an King Luxury Ocean View (on the 2nd floor) renovated room prior to arrival.
Upon arrival we were offered the following:
~Beachfront (same room, just on ground floor with bigger deck area and access to the beach): $100 more/night.
~Luxury Beach Front: $230 more/night
~Reef Room: $330 more/night.
This is the FIRST time in my entire life I have not taken an upgrade as I feel it was vastly more expensive than it should have been given that the hotel was extremely empty during out entire stay.
Hotel is nice. The beach isn't good for sports like throwing a football etc; it is a thin layer of sand over hard surfaces.
The snorkeling onsite is literally the best I have ever experienced that isn't a boat-operated tour. You'll want to snorkel in the left reef area if facing the ocean as they have a little wreck there that is teeming with fish.
The scented toilet paper in the bathrooms is terrible smelling.
Everyone gives accolades to Scuba Du, the onsite scuba shop, but we found their pricing a bit high if you don't own your own scuba equipment. They wanted $146/person for 2-dives. We went with Plongée Diving located in town for $95/person for 2 dives that included all equipment--that's $100/day savings if you have two people. They are a French-owned operation and we had a blast with them (we are certified divers).
We rented a car for a whopping $9/day, which was better than having to deal with taxis.
In town, you can barter for massage pricing. They wanted $120 for a 90-minute deep tissue at one of the spots downtown but we got them down to $60, which I feel was fair.
The arrival gift for my AMB status was chocolates.
They put the most amazing soap in the soap dish upon arrival that smells exactly like Spearmint gum. I meant to ask them if I could buy some but I forgot upon checkout.
The food at the restaurants onsite was decent. The pricing was about $15/entree versus $10/entree in town. Not a terrible markup, considering its an IC.
We will probably go back in October. I don't care for Mexican food or the country in general but this seems like a decent place if they continue to offer their 25k points per night sales.
One last thing.....this hotel had literally the most comfortable bed that either myself or my gf has ever slept in in our lives.
Now....off to Bali next week for 2 weeks to stay at our favorite IC in the world!!!!!!!!!!
