Sports Equipment–Rent or Bring, part 1, Golf

DeniseAck — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:48:58 +0000

First off, I need to say I’m not a golfer. But having spoken to golfers, I’ve been told that they choose their clubs specifically for their strengths, gender, and even height. It’s definitely NOT a one size fits all here. Even though all the courses have pro shops and rentals available, avid golfers probably plan on bringing their own clubs. I did some searching to find out the various costs of getting a bag, clubs and shoes to your vacation location.

At all the Mayan resorts, golf is a BIG draw. For instance at the Grand Mayan Riviera Maya, the El Manglar course is an 18 hole par 54, that is 2923 yards long. On the opposite coast, the Grand Mayan Acapulco offers the Copra course at 18 holes par 72, and 6156 yards. Along the Sea of Cortez, the Mayan Palace Puerto Penasco offers a challenging 7210 yard, 18 hole, par 72 course. At the Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta, the newly redesigned Nayar course offers 6936 yards and 18 holes, par 71.

Option 1–US Mail–Not very cost effective when shipping internationally. An average 40 pound bag of clubs using Express Mail International will run about $145. The maximum per-package weight (including the box it’s being shipped in) is 44 pounds, so any more than that would require a second box starting at another $30. That’s EACH WAY. So therefore round trip costs will be around $300. Insurance would be extra.

Option 2–Private Shipping Companies–There are lots of them out there. Just Google “Golf Club Shipping”. One company I checked out quoted just over $340 round trip including $500 insurance each way. Another thing to consider is the time it takes to get to your resort. On average, they indicated 6-8 business days. There could be a few problems that might really mess up your golf plans though. There are lots of holidays you might not be aware of and not be considered a “business day” thereby delaying the arrival of your clubs. Another issue could be the time it takes to clear customs. Theoretically quick, but a definite variable you can’t control.

Option 3–Bring your clubs on the plane to Mexico with you. Golf bag hard cardboard shipping boxes are readily available at an standard size of 15′ x 15″ x 48″ (LxWxH) (78 linear inches) and can be gotten from your local golf shop or online. There can be up to 3 additional fees–second bag, over weight, and over size. The normal baggage maximums are 50 pounds and 62″ total size. The fees listed below are as of 1/27/12 and may change at any time. Also all fees are EACH way. Call your airline to be sure to note in the reservation that you’ll be bringing clubs–many require advance notice as space is limited. One detail to be mindful of: Often sporting equipment is unloaded last from the plane, so it won’t be with your suitcase on the carousel. Be prepared for a wait. Click on the airline link in the examples below to be brought to their sites for extra info.

Airline	Golf Bag Fee for 50 lb bag	Oversize Info (over 62″)	Overweight Info (over 50 lbs)
Air Canada	$20 CAD standard 2nd checked bag fee (1st bag free)	No oversize charge, max 115″	+ 51-70 lbs = $100 CAD
Alaska Air	$20 standard 2nd checked bag fee	No oversize charge, max 115″	+ 51-100 lbs = $50
American	$30 standard 2nd checked bag fee	Limited to standard size box	Up to 70 lbs free, 71- 99 lbs= $200
Continental	$40 standard 2nd checked bag fee (1st bag free)	None if Bag, Clubs, Balls and Shoes only	None if only golf items
Jet Blue	$35 standard 2nd checked bag fee (1st bag free)	None if Bag, Clubs, Balls and Shoes only	+ 51-70 lbs= $50, 71- 99 lbs= $100

Have Fun!

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Tramanto

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:19:29 +0000

The Tramanto is the upscale Italian restaurant in the Grand Mayan building. It is popular, so it is best to make a reservation shortly after you check in. Service is impeccable and the food is superb. This restaurant has white table cloths and it is your chance to dress up a bit. They will let you in with casual clothes, but it is nice to dress up (just a bit). Current as of Fall 2011. The prices are in pesos.

100 pesos=$7.75 150 pesos= $11.50 200 pesos= $15.50 250 pesos= $19

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Blue Fish Restaurant

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:06:07 +0000

The blue fish is a bit tucked away. It is between the Mayan Palace and the Grand Luxxe building number 1. You can get there by going out the back of the Del Lago and hanging a left or head toward the Mayan Palace from the Grand Luxxe pools. As you might guess this is a seafood restaurant, but it is open air, and TOTALLY casual. Call and make sure it is open before you make the trek. Current as of Fall 2011. The prices are in pesos.

100 pesos=$7.75 150 pesos= $11.50 200 pesos= $15.50

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Resources and Links–Maps

DeniseAck — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:29:48 +0000

I’m a very visual person, so maps are absolutely necessary for me to have before I go anywhere. Here are three of my favorite sites to help me plan for vacation:

Obviously, there’s Google Maps. Once you zoom in on the area you’re staying, you can add markers for all the places you want to visit by making your own map. Click on the “my places” tab and start adding place markers for all your must-do’s on vacation. Here’s a tutorial on how to make your own map.

For our vacations in Mexico, specifically the Riviera Maya, I always consult Map Chick’s maps. Their maps are actually VERY detailed guides to towns, beaches, hotels, restaurants, and places to visit. TONS of info for drivers as well including car rental locations and highway maps. Though sometimes restaurants might change before the updates come out, the guide is quite accurate for everything else. Be sure to click on the “downloads” page for a free fish identification chart.

Last but not least is Loco Gringo’s aerial maps. SO much fun to “fly” along the coastline.

Have Fun!

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Product Review–Beach-worthy speakers

DeniseAck — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:39:17 +0000

not practical

Eco Extreme Rugged and Waterproof Case with Built-In Speaker for iPod, iPhone and MP3 Players (Orange model: gdi-aqcse100) by Grace Digital

In my quest to not ruin my iPhone on vacation, yet still listen to my favorite songs and audiobooks, I thought I found an answer. Nope.

If you wanted to choose between a “boom box” and this for portability and durability at the beach (sound quality not withstanding), the Eco would win. I was only looking for something portable and protective for my iPhone. There are over one hundred 5-star reviews, so I thought this was an excellent choice. Not for me though. The size and weight would make it pretty difficult to lug around for a long time. It’s HUGE compared to the iPhone itself. The description claims that there’s space for keys and other items, but that’s not what I need.

But the real deal breaker was that there are no outside controls and therefore not very protective if you want to change the song or answer a call. Obviously sand or wetness from fingers would cause a problem. If you want to listen to a long playlist, and never need to pause it, I suppose this would be fine. I didn’t bring it anywhere to test its durability or true sound quality. I’m returning the Eco Extreme and continuing my quest

compare thickness

a quarter is 1 inch in diameter

thickness is the same as iPhone width

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Day Trips from Riviera Maya–Xcaret

DeniseAck — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:18:11 +0000

Xcaret (pronounced ísh-kah-rette) is a beautiful eco-park about 30 minutes south of the Grand Mayan Riviera Maya, just a little bit past Playa Del Carmen. We did this park in 2005 when my kids were 5 and 6, and also visited Xel-Ha/Tulum on this trip too. (More on that in another post.) Because we knew we were going to do water activities at Xel-Ha, we didn’t do any swimming at Xcaret. There’s so much to see above ground that we didn’t want to miss out. If you’re not going to Xel-Ha, seriously consider the 2-day packages for Xcaret especially since the 2nd day doesn’t have to be consecutive. You’re going on vacation to slow down, right?

Before you leave home–

1) Book your tickets online at least a week in advance and you’ll get 10% off. (More details toward the end)

2) Order “reef-safe, bio-degradable” sunscreen. The one we used (and liked) was Mexitan. It’s required in all eco-parks as well as cenotes and reefs. In addition to all natural products, I like that the expiration date is clearly noted. (Speaking from experience of a horrible burn here.)

3) Watch the animated movie “The Road to El Dorado“. Funny for both adults and kids! It shows the Mayan ball game and gives an understanding of Mexico and the conquering of the Maya by Cortez. The ruins in the movie are supposed to be Chichen Itza.

Bottom line? We all loved it! There is a spectacular beach (inner tubes and life jackets are free), natural salt-water pools, an underground river to snorkel or tube and cenotes to explore. I heard that the river was quite cool and dark in some areas, though there are many exits along the route. We chose against the underground river/cenote snorkeling for 2 reasons–I wasn’t sure if the kids would be scared or too cold, and the transitions of changing in and out of bathing suits and renting/returning snorkel gear would just take too long. The kids did wear suits, though and cooled off a bit at the beach where they released baby turtles.

There are specific times for certain “shows” throughout the day. Be sure to find out the times when you arrive and plan around them–

Baby turtle release
Papantla fliers
Sea turtle feeding
Mexico Espectacular Night show

Part of Xcaret was similar to a zoo with many animal exhibits like the jaguar island, monkey island, deer refuge, aquarium, bat cave and butterfly pavillion. They also had cultural areas–some small ruins, a very colorful and beautiful cemetary, a small mayan village, and traditional papantla fliers.

The fantastic evening show told the history of Mexico from the early Mayans (with a pre-hispanic ball game called pelota) to Cortez and Christianity, to present day with dances from every region of Mexico. It was a long day but worth it!

They have 2 packages-Basic and Plus and each can also include transportation. Children from 5 to 11 are 50% of the adult price and children under 5 years old are free. (If your child is tall, they may ask for proof of age.) The Plus package includes everything in the basic, plus snorkel and mask rental ($10, plus deposit), a buffet lunch, and a 10% discount for some add-ons. All packages can have add ons like swimming with dolphins/sharks/stingrays, snorkel/snuba trips, etc.

They even have a rainy day guarantee and a rescheduling policy if you need. Keep in mind that the busiest days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the days with fewer visitors are Saturdays and Sundays. This weekend, Jan 13-16, they’re running a special for the quieter months 15% off for April 1 to July 8, 2012 and 20% discount for July 9 to December 31, 2012. The discount code field should populate automatically.

Based on the 10% off prices (rounded) for high season through March 31:

	1-day	2-day
Basic (Basico)	$71 (kids $35)	$98 (kids $49)
Plus	$98 (kids $49)	$165 (kids $82)

Click the image to go to Xcaret’s ticket site and the menu with choices of ticket level and number of days.

Also, here’s a great downloadable pdf brochure of Xcaret

Have fun!!

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Day Trips from Riviera Maya– Puerto Morelos Do you know that the Meso-American reef, which hugs the...

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Day Trips from Riviera Maya– Puerto Morelos

DeniseAck — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:26:15 +0000

Do you know that the Meso-American reef, which hugs the coast of the Caribbean side of the Yucatan peninsula, is the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world? It’s beaten only by the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Cool, huh? It’s closer to the shore of Puerto Morelos than at most other points along the Riviera Maya and a really easy day trip for snorkeling!

view in Google Maps here

In 2008, when our kids were 8 and 9, we took a short taxi ride to the sleepy fishing village of Puerto Morelos, less than 10 miles north of the Grand Mayan Riviera Maya. (The town is about a mile off the highway.) At the main square (the zocolo), there was a booth for 2-hour snorkel tours to the Palancar Reef for about $25 per adult/$13 per child, which included the fee to the national marine park system of Mexico, since the reef is actually a protected area. Don’t consider snorkeling out to the reef on your own–you must be with an accredited guide and have purchased a wristband. Park wardens patrol the area by boat and could potentially fine you.

We had a guide who took the 4 of us out on the boat for a quick ride to the spots he’d consistently seen the most fish. The reef is only a couple hundred yards offshore and only about 6 feet below the surface. Not only did the private tour give us the most bang for our buck, not having to wait for others, but our guide even towed the kids a bit on the life preserver ring when they needed a rest. Be sure to tip your guide well! We asked others who had taken a snorkeling tour booked through the resort and they said they didn’t get very much snorkel time or individual attention. Below are some photos from our waterproof camera.

Check out this Adobe Flash-based 360° underwater view of the reef from Aquanauts Dive Adventures

One of the coolest sights in Puerto Morelos is the old tilted lighthouse and fishing pier. The lighthouse was battered in 1967, survived all the hurricanes since, and is still standing albeit at a 45 degree angle. The pier is so tilted, I couldn’t believe the fishermen could walk on it without falling!

PM is great for walking. Because of the reef, there aren’t as many shells as other areas. There’s supposed to be a “magic beach” with lots of shells and driftwood in the area south of town with a break in the reef, but I’ve read that some of the large resorts have changed that somewhat. Please comment if you have been there recently!

After snorkeling, we ate at Pelicanos Restaurant on the beach just to the right of the pier–yummy and what an awesome view! (The photo below is from our table) Before catching a taxi back to the Mayan Resorts, we bought fish and shrimp from the local fishermen right near the taxi stand in the zocolo. Easy and delicious dinner back at the resort with some pasta we had gotten from the grocery store on our first day. FYI–Bring your own jar of horseradish from home if you want to make cocktail sauce. Mix ketchup, lime juice and horseradish to taste to enjoy with your super-fresh shrimp. I couldn’t find it in any grocery store I went in.

Enjoy!

Check out this bird’s eye view of the zocolo in Puerto Morelos. The rotating 360° degree video makes me a bit dizzy, but it’s cool.

Visit Loco Gringo’s AWESOME collection of aerial maps of the coastline!

For a great map and guide of Puerto Morelos as well as many other areas along the Mayan Riviera, be sure to check out Map Chick!

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About Me

DeniseAck — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:13:14 +0000

Well hi there. Welcome to my ramblings on how to have awesome adventures with your family. I hope some of my experiences will help you plan and enjoy your vacations.

Since every child is different, and each age has its own capabilities and tolerances, the only thing guaranteed is that your experiences will never be exactly the same as ours, and our experiences doing the same excursion differ from year to year. So take a deep breath and buen viaje!

I was bitten by the travel bug when I was little. I’m the youngest of four and we’re spread out over 16 years. When I was still playing with dolls, my eldest sister was already globe-trotting. That got me wanting to see the world, just like she was. I think that’s when I asked for stewardess Barbie and the cross-section jumbo jet.

As a family, we took many driving trips from suburban New York to states along the East coast, stopping at every spot my dad thought would be interesting. (Ever see the movie “Michael” with John Travolta and they go in search of the world’s largest ball of twine? That was us.) When I was 15, I went to Greece to visit relatives and my traveling fate was sealed.

What other people did for vacation, I wanted to do for my vocation. I got a Bachelor’s from NYU in hotel management and looked forward to a life of travel. I was lucky to get a scholarship that included a trip to Europe every year and started racking up the stamps in my passport. Because of my wanderlust for exploring new places, I’ve managed hotels, resorts and restaurants in Paris, France; Eleuthera, Bahamas; Napa, San Diego and La Jolla, California; New York City and the historic Thayer Hotel at the West Point Military Academy, New York.

I met and married my husband, and in 1998 we started our family (a boy followed by a girl a year later). Then I had to figure out how to travel with diapers, tantrums and toys. Add to that, I had to stay within a one-income-family budget, meet everyone’s needs and interests, and still keep my sanity and have fun. Tall order!

Through lots of research and planning, I managed to create great family vacations and fabulous memories (if I do say so myself)!

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Is the Puerto Vallarta and the Nuevo Vallarta Resort the same?

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:29:29 +0000

MayanRental Home > FAQ > puerto-nuevo-vallarta-resorts> puerto-vs-nuevo-vallarta

No !! The Puerto Vallarta resort located in the marina district close to Puerto Vallarta and consists of only the Mayan Palace. People like it because it is smaller and close to the action in town. The Nuevo Vallarta Mayan Resort is very large with over 9 restaurants and 5 different resort types. The Sea Garden, the Grand Mayan, Grand Bliss, Mayan Palace and Grand Luxxe (listed from North to South) You can find a comparison of the different resorts at Resort Type comparison

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What happened to the Nuevo Vallarta Mayan Palace?

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:12:24 +0000

MayanRental Home > FAQ > puerto-nuevo-vallarta-resorts> what-happened-to-the-nuevo-vallarta-mayan-palace

It… well… shrunk. The two buildings near the beach have been torn down. There is still a building on top of the hill looking over the ocean. Most people prefer the Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta because Mayan Palace guests don’t have access to the big waterpark area. However, some of our guests prefer the quieter atmosphere (and lower price) of the Mayan Palace. The Mayan Palace pools are also very quiet and are located down by the beach.

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