We stayed here from 7/9 - 7/16 so we missed the hurricane and we had super weather all week.
This was our third time at an Iberostar resort and there is a reason we keep coming back. We've consistently had great service and the facilities are fantastic!
We are a married couple in our early/mid 30's and this vacation was all about relaxing. Two years ago, we stayed at the Del Mar/Beach side of this resort while they were building the Lindo/Maya side. We saw some ruins, went snorkeling and toured the nearby town of Playa del Carmen. Last year we stayed at the Hacienda Dominicus in the Dominican Republic. So this year we decided to check out the Lindo. We had no intention of doing any tours and knew that everything we wanted this time was at this resort. Once again, our expectations were met and we had ourselves a very relaxing vacation.
We stayed in building 52 on the 2nd floor. Our room was very centrally located to all 4 resorts (Del Mar/Beach/Lindo/Maya). We made no prior requests for our room and decided to take what they would give us at check in. We ended up liking the room/location very much. We talked to a few people there that did make email requests prior to their arrival for specific buildings and asked for upgrades and such and their wishes were granted.
A typical day for us started at 6AM at the gym. We are rehabbing, distance runners and also cardio junkies. (Yes, to us exercising is a relaxing way to start the day, we enjoy it and it’s also one of our morning routines such as brushing teeth, showering, shaving, etc…). I just had to say that because I’ve read comments from people who don’t understand why anyone would want to exercise while on vacation, so now you know.
The gym has 5 treadmills, 4 elliptical machines, 4 stationary bikes, and 2 stair climbers. There was also other equipment that you'd find in a typical gym for weight training for every muscle group. Also there was a set of dumb bells for every weight (10, 15, 20, 25 etc...) and also flat benches and benches that incline, also bar bells of every kind. We enjoyed getting there early and meeting other like-minded people. One guy, I met in the pool said that he went in the afternoon to work-out and it was crowded. He said he counted 27 other people. The gym isn't big enough for that many people. And like others have mentioned, this gym is shared by all 4 properties (Beach, Del Mar, Lindo & Maya) There was talk about them building another gym which will probably be for exclusive use by the Maya and that 5th resort they are building. I actually like the open air aspect of the gym. Yes it was very humid, but it was a change, which isn't always a bad thing. Of course I went through 3-4 towels each morning. They provide plenty. There were stacks of them near the water cooler. I also wanted to mention that each building at the Lindo has ice machines (I don’t remember the Beach/Del Mar having them). So it was nice to ice down the ankle at the end of each day.
Then it was back to the room for a shower and to dress for breakfast. We split our time between the enclosed; air conditioned Lindo breakfast buffet and the open air Beach side buffet. Some mornings we couldn’t resist going over to the Beach side of the resort for breakfast. We liked throwing crumbs of bread over the railing into the fish pond area to watch the little fellas attack the food. There is so much variety at both buffets. Some mornings I went with the standard omelet cooked to order, some I went with the enchiladas and spicy green sauce. We never got tired or bored with the food.
After breakfast it was time to head for either the pool first and then the beach or the beach first and then the pool. Where ever we started first, we usually ended up staying longer. Then in the afternoon we’d switch it up for a few hours. When we were at the pool, we spent our time floating or socializing at the pool bar with other vacationers. We enjoyed cold drinks to get that perfect relaxing buzz. We ended up meeting some really nice people from all over. There was the couple from the UK, the honeymooners from Boston, and the family from PA. Also, the folks from the gym that we bumped into from time to time.
When we were at the beach, we spend our time just laying there, relaxing. Occasionally we’d get up and play in the waves. Mostly though I think we were in a state of half sleep just enjoying the breeze from the sea and the sounds of the waves.
Lunch was spent at either the Lindo lunch buffet by the pool or the hot dog stand at the beach. There was still plenty of variety at the buffet for us.
We ate dinners at the Lindo Gourmet, the Oriental, the Italian and the Mexican restaurants. We had also reserved the Cajun but canceled that night for the buffet. The night we ate at the Gourmet restaurant, we also went to the buffet afterwards. My wife really wasn’t interested in anything on their menu so she was still hungry. This is yet another thing we like about this resort, if you try something you don’t like, you can go somewhere else where there is plenty of options! The night that we went to the Mexican to eat, we ended up going to the buffet in search of the lime sherbert that my wife really enjoyed. All in all, we are very happy with all of the food options at this resort, both at the Lindo and at the Beach/Del Mar restaurants.
The day usually winded down pretty fast from there for us. We’d stroll the grounds after dinner a bit but it was always so nice to get back to the room and relax after a hard day of relaxing.
I’ve spent a lot of time reading reviews for this resort. Most reviews are very positive and similar to my experience. However, there are some negative reviews that pop up from time to time. I guess I’ve just always been lucky to have such positive experiences while on vacation. If you go to this resort and you realize that you are going to a different country, have the ability to relax, and see the glass as half full, you will also have a great time.
Pictures of us relaxing are here:
http://community.webshots.com/user/glentl(I had every intention of taking more pictures and better shots of various parts of the complex but I guess I was relaxing too much...maybe next time)
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