CRAIG'S VERSION
Booked our trip with Liberty Travel. Flew out of Philly for the first
time. Much less confusing than Newark. Landed in Cancun nonstop and on-time.
While waiting for luggage, was intercepted by some fellows in what was
called an information booth. The guy I spoke with was Mexican but spoke
English extraordinarily well (no coincidence). He introduced himself and
began giving me a tutorial on Mexico. "This place is good, this tour
is bad" etc... I roled up two singles as I figured he was doing this
for a tip. It took me about 10 minutes to figure out that this "information
booth" is really there to sell tours. I put the two bucks back in
my pocket. After asking where we were staying, he asked for my credit
card number. He pointed to the form showing me the words "money-back-guarantee".
Yeah...right...good luck getting your money back in Mexico.
Extricated
myself and joined Laura in retrieving our lime green baggage. Got it and
headed for the vans. Despite the fact that our luggage was on wheels,
we were confronted by Porters who wanted to "wheel" our wheeled
luggage on their wheels. Got past them (not easy with lime green luggage)
and made it to the Liberty Travel van. Loaded-on and took-off in good
time. Arrived at the Solaris.
Van guy unloaded us and I gave him a buck. Solaris Porter took the luggage
from there and moved it up a few steps. I gave him a buck, then he told
me I had to check-in first. Check-in was smooth and friendly. At first,
the girl offered us a bayside room but Laura informed her that we had
e-mailed earlier requesting an oceanside room. She obliged. Went back
out to tell the Porter our room number and discovered another Porter.
Figured I better give HIM a buck to ensure delivery. Went up to the room,
then a knock at the door. Guess what? It was ANOTHER Porter. He seemed
nice and I figured he did most of the work, so I gave him a buck. Hmmm,
four bucks already. In retrospect, I probably would have tipped the driver
and the last porter only but the vacation just started and I was still
feeling wealthy. Room was nice. Not spacious but clean and good enough.
Took the
elevator to the first floor and was confronted by the Concierge sitting
at his desk at the foot of the elevator. "Hello, welcome, blah-blah-blah."
Told him not now. We wanted to hit the bar "RAPIDO" (Rapidley..Roll
the R so you sound more Mexican). Arrived at the pool bar (afternoon).
Felt like two kids at a high school dance who didn't know anybody. Awkwardly
sipped a drink and reasoned we're not going to understand anything about
this place until 
we
speak with the Concierge. (Many postings tell you to avoid these guys
but you can't really navigate the hotel without their help and they sit
there like Cheshire Cats grinning at you every time you get off the elevator,
so you might as well get it over with early). His name was Angel and he
was pleasant enough. He presented a tour of the grounds, then tried to
sign us up for a one hour presentation for the purpose of buying a time-share
at the Solaris. I made it clear that we had just arrived and were not
interested in committing at this time so he let us go. Then we had to
meet with our Liberty Travel guide and he too tried to sell us tours.
We were confused by this tactic as he tried to sell us separate tours
from the Concierge and the information booth at the airport. No united
front here. Puzzled by all this, we decided to hang by the pool for the
first few days.
The Solaris is divided into two separate units. The Royal Solaris
is the original structure housing most of the action. Pool bar, most of
the stores and the discotheque while the Caribe Tower, although
newer and arguably prettier, houses the less action-packed crowd with
a sparsely inhabited sports bar and little activity as the night grows.
It really doesn't matter where you are, as the two towers are well within
walking distance of each other. The main bar inside the Solaris is too
small to lineup at so people tend to fill up the tables that are available.
With everyone being at separate tables, it's more difficult to meet and
talk to other vacationers when the music starts. The band for the week
was sort of a hokey synth-keyboard and singer duo. You could dance to
it if you were hellbent on doing so. There was no piano or authentic Mexican
guitar (or any guitar) that I witnessed during our stay there.
There are about 16 twenty-somethings who work around-the-clock that host the poolside activities, work the gym, perform the evening shows (in English and Spanish) and escort groups of guests to the clubs in the evening hours. Each works six days a week and are greatly responsible for the Solaris' vaunted reputation for customer service.
The Pool
at the Royal is larger and most people frequent this area. Unfortunately,
the universal practice here is to put your towel on a chair early in the
morning and hold it until you arrive hours later. Although the management
frowns upon this action and threatens to remove the placement towels (towels
cost $35 if misplaced) it seems everybody does it. Being law-abiding as
we are, we placed ourselves at the Caribe pool every morning and that
was just fine. Both hot tubs are located at the Caribe. More quiet and
more room. At the Caribe, music begins with authentic Mexican sounds,
then seemed to vacillate to American fare (and Canadian stuff) like Brian
Adams, Phil Collins and the Who. Great...I traveled 1000 miles to a foreign
shore to hear Phil Collin's greatest hits but I guess their goal is to
make you feel at home.
Started
our mornings with breakfast and then awaited 11:00 a.m. Bingo (pronounced
Bean-Go). Dazzled the crowd at poolside with my knowledge of Saturday
Morning Cartoons in the U.S. and won a t-shirt. Our host for "Bean-go"
was a swarthy single employee from the country of Belize named Dora. A
kiss (she was very tactile) and then I went back to my seat. After several
days of doing nothing, we decided we would rent-a-car to see the Mayan
ruins, all in one day. There is some danger in driving around Mexico.
I was concerned about being stopped by Mexican Police. Our guide said
to show $15 dollars if you get stopped but don't open up your wallet as
they may take all you have.
Anyway, our road trip went unencumbered. Traveled through Mayan villages, we got lost a couple times. The maps the car rental places give you are not very comprehensive. We were lucky to get back O.K. Believe it or not, there is no electricity in most of Mexico so make sure you get to the main highway before nightfall or you'll be forced to sleep where you are until the morning and that wouldn't be pleasant. Mayan children pursue your car with an armadillo in hand ... be careful. They want to negotiate a price with you with the armadillo for a photo session. If you don't pay, they'll throw the armadillo in your car ... and that too, wouldn't be pleasant. Also, be sure you understand pesos-to-dollar as the gas attendant (the few that there are) will try to rip-you-off while you fill your tank and they'll linger at the passenger door until you tip them (after ripping-you-off). Mexican folk are charming but enterprising. American dollars go about twice as far as Canadian bucks do so do the math before you travel.
Back at the Solaris, things are pretty mellow. Don't kill yourself working out. Most folks are out-of-shape (except for Spring Break I suppose) and seem to enjoy themselves that way. Great place to relax but unfortunately the ocean tide is strong and we witnessed grown men (on two occasions) nearly drown in the sea from our balcony (the tide in Cancun is rough). Although the ocean is warm and the waves are great, you'd do best to refrain from entering above your knees. The lifeguards can't get to you once you're dragged out by waves (we saw a lifeguard keep getting pushed back trying to execute a rescue). Amazingly, the people we watched suddenly found their footing in the ocean and recovered but they were lucky.
Finished our trip soaking in the hot tubs and hanging by the pool. Remember it's all-inclusive there. I pulled my back out climbing a Mayan pyramid (I'm 42) at Kuclakan. Here's a tip if you plan to visit the pyramids... STRETCH before you climb. Being atop the pyramid is daunting. You can see over the trees in the jungle and it's really HIGH, so if you have a fear of heights (like me), send someone else up to describe it to you.
Make sure you bring lots of singles with you before leaving home. You'll probably find yourself tipping a lot of people and the Solaris will only give you Mexican money in large denominations at the desk.
The Bad
Stuff
• The Royal Solaris made for a fun vacation
but unfortunately, we were charged from within the hotel for a tour of
$126.00. I presented my credit card on only two occasions. Once upon check-in
at the main desk and once to EROS Rent-a-Car for our road trip. The credit
card company showed that PARAISO TRAVEL was the company to commit
this act and they charged it AFTER we left Mexico. I e-mailed the Solaris
about this incident but they didn't answer. I was forced to destroy my
credit card and report it as credit card fraud.
• We were to meet two friends of ours at the hotel but their flight, booked trough Apple Tours was canceled with no notice leaving them stranded at the airport for 6 hours before they were told there were no other flights available there.
I'm glad
we saw Cancun but if I had to revisit a place we've been to, I would choose
the Dominican Republic's Paradisus. It was truly beyond compare
in splendor and a great value for the money as they are currently trying
to lure Americans to this German/French/Argentinian vacation destination
but unlike Cancun, you'll need to learn some Spanish in order to get by.
I do not
have the current email of the Solaris!
(most asked question - 2001-2004)
Visit
BigBandsandBigNames
LAURA'S VERSION
This was
our first trip to Cancun, and being pseudo computer geeks we did a lot
of research on the internet. We knew we wanted to go to an all-inclusive
resort, because, well, it's easy. You don't have to carry money, and 
you
don't have to worry that because you ate lobsters one night you have to
eat hamburgers the next. Oh, yeah, and there's all those great frozen
drinks at the pool. So, that narrows it down a bit. Well, not really.
We knew Cancun had a lot of hotels but Cancun has a LOT of hotels.
After visiting numerous sites, reading many message boards and trip reports (you can never get enough trip reports), we decided to go to the Royal Solaris Caribe. The majority of the reviews were favorable and it seemed to offer real value for the money. The other resort we were considering was the Moon Palace. The Moon Palace is probably more luxurious but the reviews were mixed and we weren't sure it was worth the extra money. Many people said the beach there is not as nice as it is in the hotel zone and that was a priority for us. So, after much anticipation, we arrived at the airport. We had heard that the timeshare people swarm all over you but we were still tricked into listening to one guy's spiel. They have booths masquerading as information desks, so beware. Don't sign anything! And they have this weird game show thing going on at Customs. If you push the button and it's green you go right through, but beware the red button. Baggage search!
Finally, after tipping some guy who grabbed our wheeled luggage to the van (if you can avoid them do, because, really, how hard is it to drag luggage on wheels). Okay, I overpacked. But it WAS on wheels. Off we went on the van to the Royal Solaris. The entrance to the hotel is not very impressive. No sweeping drive lined with palm trees and hibiscus. It sort of looked like the back entrance to a New Jersey beach hotel. But that's ok. We knew it wouldn't be secluded. And so what. It's 85 degrees in February. The reception desk area is also not too impressive. Dated furniture and rather small. But the employees are great. Very warm and friendly. We asked for an oceanfront room with a balcony. Claudia shook her head sadly. "I don't think so," she said. Luckily, we had e-mailed a week earlier requesting one and lo and behold, an oceanfront room! Claudia made one of those zip your lips gestures because the guy down the counter from us was also requesting oceanfront. Thank you Ellyn from Saint Louis for that address!
So, we forgave the less than stellar entrance because we had oceanfront! The room was nice. Not fabulous, but nice. But the view was fabulous! Seventh floor, balcony, full oceanfront turquoise view. With that we could forgive the mauve trim. (Tip: you may want to bring extra hangers and there is no iron so bring a steamer. Housekeeping will send one but not for the stay. You have to keep asking for one - and tipping for it.) The Royal Solaris Caribe is divided into two distinctly different hotels. One, the one we stayed in, is the more modern looking one. It is acknowledged as the party side. The other has a more traditional Mexican appearance and is much quieter. This side doesn't have balconies in the rooms and, we heard from other guests, has large insects residing in it.
After unpacking, we walked around the place. The main lobby was very nice, much nicer than reception. (The concierges will call you over and while they are very helpful they are really trying to get to you to buy a timeshare. Don't waste your time on any free breakfast tours.) There is a large lobby bar and several shops. They sell bathing suits but I wonder how anyone could buy one without a dressing room. The lobby bar has entertainment from 9:30 to 12:30. Your typical wedding band but still fun. They also bus you to a different night club every night. It's too bad that they don't have something going on at cocktail hour. A piano would be nice and they could serve some appetizers but the wait staff was excellent.
There are several restaurants. For dinner there are two a la carte restaurants and usually two buffets. Marco Polo serves international cuisine. The ambiance is nice and the service is excellent. The food was good, not great. Spend the $15 extra for the enormous grilled lobster tail. Definitely worth it. Veneto is their Italian restaurant. The beef fillet in pepper wine sauce and the salmon in caper sauce are both good. And, although we didn't try them, the desserts looked great. Fancy cakes on sauce painted plates. The cappuccino was good. The Mexican grill at Rosmarinus was ok. Hey, they have guacamole though. Bogavente is only open for lunch and for some reason we only went there once. It was ok, but we may have ordered the wrong things since I've heard a lot of raves about it.
It's hard to sit down for a big meal in the middle of the day when you're at the beach. We didn't go to the buffet dinner so we can't comment. The breakfast was good. Lots of exotic juices, fruits, mexican breakfast specialties, and made to order omelettes, eggs, pancakes, and waffles. And if that's not enough food for you, there were snack bars at both pools. Hamburgers, fries, pizza, chips and guacamole, etc. They're open from 11:30-6 and 10-12pm. They also put food out in the lobby bar from 1-6am for nightclubbers. Every night there was a show in the theater put on by the activity staff. The activity staff oversaw the pool by day and then danced by night. They were tireless. Of course, they're young. My husband joked to one that they must put them to death at age 27. She didn't get it. She said, "Oh no, we have some older people here. Some are 28." Ah, youth. Anyway, they're all very friendly and talented.
The service throughout the resort was exemplary. There were two pool areas. One, right below our room, was the "happening" pool. But you'd better get your towel on a chair early in the morning because it fills up fast. There were signs posted that you couldn't save chairs this way but it didn't seem to be enforced. We stayed at the quiet "boring" pool and discovered to my horror that I liked Bingo. Does that mean I'm old?
This side also had hot tubs on the ocean which we used a lot. The ocean was beautiful but very rough! We saw two people being rescued while we were there and had heard that someone drowned the week before so be careful. Not many people went in beyond their knees. There was a marina in the lagoon for watersports. Sort of like a big lake, but we had fun kayaking and riding the peddle boats. There are a lot of people selling tours throughout the resort. We opted to rent a car for a day were able to visit Tulum and Chichen Itza in one day. A lot cheaper but we may have missed out on the information we would have gotten from a tour guide. It was an adventure driving through some of the small towns. Beware of the speed bumps (topes). Oh, and before you climb the big pyramid, be sure to stretch. All in all, it was a great vacation for the money.
If you like,
you can see a
large map of the Solaris and Caribe towers.
Royal Solaris
Boulevard Kuklakan Km 20.5
Cancun
77500
Mexico