Maya trip report May 2005 Part III Excursions, Xel-Ha/Xcaret comparison, overall

V. Excursions.

A. Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal

On Monday, we visited a sister resort, the Iberostar Tucan & Quetzal. We caught the free Iberobus shuttle to Playa del Carmen, which dropped us in a parking lot across the street from Plaza Antigua, just one or two blocks south of the southmost major street in Playa (Avenida Juarez). This destination is a couple of blocks closer to town than Xaman-Ha Aviary, which was the dropoff during our last stay. We walked south just over a mile to the Tucan Quetzal, giving us the opportunity to look at all the Playacar AI resorts, as well as the Von Hagge golf course that my husband played last trip.

The Tucan & Quetzal grounds are lovely, and they have a very different feel from the Paraiso complex. Much more jungle-y, with actual caves on the site. Reportedly there are monkeys living on the grounds, although we weren’t able to spot any. We did see a giant tortoise, lots of iguanas and birds, and a coatimundi. We enjoyed our lunch there very much. Then we went down to the beach and walked south, just past the Gala resort, to where we had heard there was decent off-shore snorkeling. The surf snorkeling was OK, but the actual reef was a bit further offshore than we felt comfortable with. We did see a lot of small fish, of three different types, who seemed to enjoy the bananas we brought to feed them.

The Tucan beach is lovely, but not any prettier than the Paraiso complex’s beach. It had a very steep (3-4 foot) dropoff between the palapas and the waterline, where sand has apparently been carved away by recent storms. We had heard that the surf was calmer here than at Playa Paraiso, but didn’t observe any real difference that day. After the beach, we enjoyed the Tucan pool, which is about a foot deeper than the Paraiso ones.

Then we cleaned up, took a taxi into town (only $4), and did a little shopping. One of the highlights of this trip for me was bargaining in Spanish with a vendor who spoke even less English than I do Spanish. For several years now I’ve been trying to pick up some Spanish. It’s tough going, so I was thrilled (and Carlos my instructor would probably be shocked!) that I was able to have a few actual Spanish conversations this trip. The Iberostar staff and vendors in Playa del Carmen were very gracious about letting me practice on them. You can get by at this destination just fine without knowing any Spanish, but there are times when it really does help. My husband paid this vendor in money wet from having been zipped in his bathing suit while we snorkeled. The vendor made a joke about our money being laundered, and I actually understood it! How about that, Carlos?!

Then we walked back to the Iberobus pickup point and caught the shuttle back to Paraiso. We had a fun little day trip, and it only cost us $4 plus our purchases.

B. Xel-Ha

On Wednesday, we took a day trip to Xel-Ha (pronounced “shell-HA”) eco-park. We purchased the all-inclusive plan for $85 each through our Funjet rep in the Maya lobby. We had originally scheduled this trip for Tuesday, but my husband was not feeling well that day. It was no trouble at all to delay the excursion; I just told the Funjet rep and he wrote “Wed.” on our ticket. The guide did call our room on Tuesday to check whether we were coming; I guess he didn’t get the message in time. I was impressed that he bothered to do this.

The air-conditioned bus picked us up at 9:00 in the Maya lobby and drove us about an hour south. We did not stop at any other resorts. On the way, the tour guide oriented us to Xel-Ha and gave instructions on when to meet the bus. (Some people on the bus were leaving Xel-Ha after about 5 hours to continue on to Tulum for a couple of hours. After their tour, the bus picked up those who remained at Xel-Ha all day.)

On arrival at Xel-Ha, the guide made sure we got our all-inclusive wristbands, and led us on a brief tour. There were a lot of mechanics to take care of before we started having fun. First you give a deposit (a piece of ID, room key, etc.) at the shower facility for a locker key and towel. These are included with the AI package, but unlike the resort, you can’t exchange your towel for a clean one. The locker is large enough to hold a 24” by 12” by 10” beach bag comfortably, with some extra things piled on top. After stashing our extra stuff in the locker, we checked our sunscreen at an information desk. You are only allowed to use biodegradable sunscreen at Xel-Ha in order not to harm the fish. They didn’t search our bags or anything, but if you check your regular sunscreen, they will give you a free packet of biodegradable sunscreen and return yours at the end of the day. I recommend just buying and taking your own biodegradable sunscreen, because the free packet was very small and they would only give one. After that, we went to a snorkel hut, left another deposit, and got vests and fins (we had our own masks and snorkels). It would be nice if all these mechanics could be handled at one stop.

Then it was on to the giant lagoon for snorkeling, the main attraction at Xel-Ha. WOW! The snorkeling at Xel-Ha was the best snorkel experience I've ever had, and I have snorkeled all around the Caribbean. No coral because it’s a lagoon, but there were so many fish, so colorful, and such large ones-- better variety even than Cozumel. We saw a stingray larger than any at Stingray City in Grand Cayman. There was a four-foot long grouper, and huge, brightly colored parrot fish, angelfish, and too many others to count. We saw the most fish under the floating bridge where the sea enters the lagoon. There are stations there and elsewhere with free fish food, but we brought bananas, and the fish loved them. They swarmed around us and nipped the banana right out of our fingers in some cases! The lagoon is very comfortable for beginning snorkelers because it is protected from ocean currents and surf. You see a ripple effect in the water where fresh and salt water mix, but visibility is good. It has fascinating rock formations and caves you can snorkel into. They will take your picture in some of the caves. It was truly amazing.

Then it was time for lunch. Unlimited food, beverages (including domestic liquor and beer, soft drinks, and bottled water), and snacks from the ice cream bars are included in Xel-Ha’s all-inclusive package. You can also purchase just admission and buy other amenities as you go, but if you get lockers, lunch, ice cream, and a few bottled waters, you will probably save money on the AI package. We also found the AI package convenient because we spent most of the day in swimsuits and didn’t have to carry money.

When we return to Xel-Ha (and we *will* return!), I’d like to try the Mexican sit-down restaurant, because their menu included some Yucatecan specialties I’ve been wanting to try. On this visit, we opted for the international buffet. We were seated on the second floor of an open-air restaurant, with a great view of the lagoon. The food was very good! I was surprised because you come here for the ecopark, not the food. But the food was every bit as good as the Maya lunch buffet. We had pepper beef, tamarind chicken, fresh grouper, mixed seafood ceviche, tiramisu, and delicious fruit tarts. Iced tea was served in attractive blue mouthblown Mexican glass goblets.

After lunch, we walked across the floating bridge to the far side of the lagoon, where there is about a 2-mile nature walk. Don’t go on this walk if you have a lizard phobia, because there were iguanas everywhere! It was a good opportunity to see the distinctive vegetation, limestone formations, and cenotes of the Yucatan. Cenotes are deep holes in the limestone that go down to groundwater, and were one of the main sources of water in the area since there are few rivers aboveground. At some of the cenotes and other formations, you can swing on ropes. It was a very scenic walk which took us to the mouth of the lazy river, another Xel-Ha must-do. You can also take a tram from near the park entrance to the lazy river, if you don’t care to walk.

We stashed our cameras and shoes in a locked bag, got the key and a couple of tube floats, and set off along the mangrove-lined river. The current carried us along briskly at first. The water was refreshingly cold from its time underground, and a striking shade of deep bluish green. There are places where you can stash your float and jump off a cliff back into the river. Eventually, the river ends up in the lagoon, where the current becomes very lazy indeed. Either plan on spending a long time paddling through the lagoon, or take your fins along. Eventually we ended up on shore, where our locked bag was already waiting for us.

Then we just relaxed and enjoyed the hammocks and breezes until it was time to meet the bus. It was a fun and leisurely day, and we were glad we hadn’t tried to cram the Tulum tour into the day, too. We loved Xel-Ha and would recommend it to nature lovers, and especially for anyone who snorkels.

C. Mayan Palace golf course

One reason we chose the Iberostar Paraiso Maya for this trip is that my husband was attracted by the onsite golf course, which at the time we booked, was advertised to open in March 2005. Unfortunately, it was still not finished by the time of our visit at the end of May. Oh well, we’ll be returning to this lovely resort when they finish their next hotel addition.

Then he tried to play the Moon Palace golf course, but they would not arrange transportation even with 5 hours’ notice. Apparently you have to book a day in advance to get transportation, and it’s pretty far. So then he decided to play the Mayan Palace course, right next door to the Iberostar complex. Here’s where our concierge really came through! Our regular Funjet rep was away, and the inexperienced substitute told my husband that he couldn’t book the Mayan Palace, it was private. Well, we talked with our wonderful Iberostar concierge, Amanda, and she immediately set up a tee time and return transportation on less than 2 hours’ notice! My husband was very happy to be able to golf, and enjoyed the Mayan Palace—a nicely landscaped par-3 Jack Nicklaus course with lots of water.

D. Xcaret

On our last day, Friday, we visited Xcaret (“Shca-RET”) park. We purchased the “Plus” plan for $110 each, because the inexperienced Funjet rep told us it was only $8 extra and included a buffet lunch. I later realized it was actually $25 extra, but it did include lunch and also snorkel equipment and 10% off one additional activity (which we didn’t use). Unlike Xel-Ha’s AI plan, I don’t think most people would necessarily get their money’s worth from Xcaret’s Plus plan, since it is not a true AI and doesn’t include beverages other than lemonade with lunch. It was convenient, though.

The company that ran the Xcaret excursion was not nearly as well organized as the Xel-Ha one! They picked us up on time at the Maya in a small van, but then they drove us to the Iberostar Paraiso Beach to load some more passengers, then backtracked to the Lindo for more people. Then they drove us out to the highway, where they exchanged some of our passengers for some on a large bus that was waiting. Our van was overfilled, but only for the time it took to drive a few hundred feet down the highway, where we got out and walked across the highway to yet another waiting bus. After that fire drill, we drove about 40 minutes to Xcaret. There was no orientation talk on our bus. We then disembarked at Xcaret and waited at least 15 minutes in the heat for our guide to give a long orientation to an air-conditioned busload, after which that group joined us and we were admitted to the park. By this time, I was wishing we’d just gotten a taxi.

Fortunately, Xcaret was well worth the trip. It’s a huge park with all kinds of interesting exhibits. We walked around for hours looking at the orchid greenhouse, mushroom farm, replica Mayan village, colorful Mexican cemetery, cool underground aquarium, natural bat cave, manatee lagoon, bee farm, and various animal exhibits. We especially enjoyed seeing the gigantic sea turtles, some more than 7 feet long. The butterfly pavilion, a jungle of colorful flowers and thousands of butterflies, was also unusual and beautiful. We took a quiet, peaceful river raft ride through limestone canyons, during which a pair of wild red and yellow macaws flew overhead. They have several authentic Mayan ruins onsite, as well as a reproduction of a Mayan ball court (where a game is played on Sundays). We especially enjoyed going up in their rotating observation tower, which gives you a good view of the park, the adjoining Occidental Grand Xcaret resort, the Yucatan jungle, the ocean, and Cozumel island on the horizon.

Lunch at the Laguna buffet was included in our package. Xcaret also has several other restaurants, but we were happy with the buffet. Like Xel-Ha’s, this buffet was just as good as the Maya’s. It was mostly Mexican in its theme, featuring delicious grilled skirt steak, cochinita pibil, barbecued chicken, spicy fish, fantastic fire-grilled vegetables, and a wonderful dessert spread of cheesecake, orange cake, flan, fruit, and many other choices. Like Iberostar’s, Xcaret’s chocolate cake was desert-dry. Must be a local thing. Lemonade was served in elegant handmade blue glassware, similar to Xel-Ha’s.

The signature attraction at Xcaret is the underground river. After walking around in the heat and dust, we were ready for a nice cool river swim! We returned to our locker (not included in the package, but only $2 plus a returnable $5 deposit) and stashed a few things. The locker is quite small compared to Xel-Ha’s. At the entrance to the underground river, we traded our Plus package voucher for snorkel equipment. We used the fins, but ended up just clipping the mask and snorkel to our vests, since there wasn’t much to see in the water. Anything we didn’t want in the river was stored in a locking bag for us to claim at the other end. Then we started our river tour. The cold water felt great! (It might not be so fun in January….) The river occasionally surfaces, or takes in light from holes in the limestone, so you’re never really in complete darkness. But it has a mysterious, peaceful feeling (or would have, if we weren’t unlucky enough to follow right after a gaggle of squealing, singing, poorly supervised schoolchildren who kept kicking water in our faces). It was a unique experience that most people would enjoy, as long as they were good and hot to begin with.

Xcaret also has activities available for additional fees, including swimming with dolphins and an offshore reef snorkel trip by boat. (They have a free snorkel inlet onsite, but it’s not nearly as striking as Xel-Ha’s lagoon. The coast of Xcaret park is rocky and not suitable for swimming or snorkeling.) They have a night show which is said to be wonderful, but we will have to see that on a future visit, since we had to travel the next day. Even if we didn’t, we were tired after our enjoyable full day at Xcaret, and were happy to go back to the Maya for one final evening.

VI. Overall impressions & Xel-Ha/Xcaret comparison.

Iberostar Paraiso Maya: beautiful, clean resort, with the most gorgeous hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. Great staff, pool, and beach. Good value for the price; highly recommend. Wish they’d air-condition the gym.

Iberostar food: Very good overall. Buffets (except for breakfast) a little disappointing, a la carte restaurants excellent.

Funjet: did a good job as our tour operator. The only flaw was the inexperienced substitute rep in our lobby part of the time. In addition to being incorrect about the Mayan Palace golf course and the Xcaret price, he also misinformed us that we couldn’t get breakfast before our 6:30 AM airport pickup on Saturday. In fact, the breakfast buffet opened with “limited” service (actually plenty of choices) at 6:00 AM, or we could have gotten room service. But he was nice and I’m sure he’ll learn these things.

Since many people debate which ecopark to visit, here is my Xel-Ha/Xcaret comparison: both are worth visiting. Xel-Ha is probably better for people who love to snorkel. If you're not a snorkeler, Xcaret offers more variety. There is more walking at Xcaret, and more educational exhibits. My favorite features of both, in order, include features from each park:
1. Xel-Ha snorkeling
2. Xcaret underground river - unique and mysterious
3. Xel-Ha lazy river - fun!
4. Xcaret Mayan village and ballcourt
5. Xel-Ha nature walk with cenotes, iguanas everywhere
6. Xcaret observation tower

Overall, a wonderful trip. The Mayan Riviera is a beautiful location with activities that almost anyone would enjoy. We love Iberostar and will definitely return to their properties.

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