Trip Report - Will be more descriptive in official reviews of some things. Sorry for the delay. Life hugely interfered with my timing.
PHL Airport- Supposed to be at airport 2 hours in advance, per airline confirmation. Got there at 330AM. Our flight was to leave at 600AM. Almost sailed through check-in. They will get you for overweight on USA3000. You can see that they love it, too! They actually grin, & you can imagine the cartoon bubble over their heads with the word "$ucker!" Accept only cash for overweight charge, which seems odd, since you can purchase a ticket with a credit card at the counter?? They did not measure carry-ons.
Boarding was to begin at 500AM - plenty of time to go up, relax & eat, right? Security screeners did not arrive & go on duty until 445AM. Don't see how you can be late if they are not there. No other problems with security, as everything questionable was packed - THAT is contributing to a lot of the overweight people have to pay.
Airline - Good crew. PIA fellow travelers. Thurston Howell III types trying to squeeze ahead of people in the security queue & at the gate. Kids running amok everywhere, including on the plane. Attendants had to tell people more than a few times to contain their kids, keep seats upright, not block the aisles, etc. During seatbelt sign & HEAVY turbulence. Couple of small babies & toddlers screaming non-stop. Had a foreign gent in the aisle seat next to me (not Mexican) who was traveling with a large group of relatives. He was the only one who spoke passable English, & understood the customs/tourist forms. They were not seated together, having arrived last. They shouted back & forth for almost 45 minutes getting the forms done.
Seating was awful re leg room. Worst I've seen yet. Jerry's knees were against the seatback, when it was fully upright. He's only 6' tall. My camera bag didn't fit under the seat in front of me. Some people had 3 pieces of carry-on. Jammed up the overheads. Nothing said about limitations. Movie going south was "Home Alone." About then, that's what I wanted; another kid screaming! Seats needed repair. Never mind about the food, or cleanliness. Fahgeddaboudit.
CUN Airport- Arrival & transition through security was quick & easy. Green lights, no inspection, out within an hour. Sharks have a new line - "I need to see your documents. Come with me now!" Of course looking very official, but you know I knew. So I let him start his routine, because I wanted to have a little fun. I "appeared" very unsure, at 1st, then started to firmly counter everything he said. At 1 point he tried to tell me he was the Omni Transport Rep. Finally he said, "You been here before. You know everythings!" I laughed. Shoved his tour map back at him & said, "Hasta Manana." I wouldn't have laughed if he had not misrepresented himself so blatantly.
Transport - Transport was Caracol travel. Strictly for Omni services. On time, efficient, courteous, clean, drinks in a cooler, reasonable $$. Some transport folks are not allowed to stay near the exit, but must wait on the other side of the fence & the driveway. Caracol is one of them. They also have an arrangement that ASUR's transport services will honor your voucher & take you to the hotel without additional charge if they are delayed. Omni Club members do not have to prepay, only reserve via email. They told us not to worry about paying until we arranged for the return trip.
Omni Hotel - Excellence from ALL staff, at every level, from the 1st minute to the last. I will not specify names, since all were working hard to rebuild confidence in the area & the industry. Your needs & desires are anticipated before you can form the thoughts in your head. They make the visit one of the very best. Makes you want to go out of the way to show appreciation for some of the finest treatment in the area. Whomever have said the treatment is royal are so correct. The smallest glitch will be rectified as fast as yesterday. Concierge service is available 24/7, as is the reception staff & room service. I initially mentioned that I am a "regular" poster on TA, & that I had "corresponded" with a few members. I saw everyone being given the same quality service, as I expected. I might have been disappointed to see them step it up for me, due to my comment. Don't know the occupancy, but it was EMPTY.
Member services staff are cordial, informative, personable & generous. As previously stated, they are not at all "sharkey" about the sales. They simply tell you what discounts/amenities they offer if you want to attend the presentation & tour. If you see them throughout your stay, they will not pressure you to "join." We didn't do the presentation. If you attempt to compensate them for superior services rendered, they are embarrassed, & protest that they are only doing their jobs. Genuinely. I'm a decent judge of character & body language. In some places, you can feel the running undercurrent of it all being about the "buck." Extremely rare to feel that at the Omni, at any level.
The premises are opulent & classically beautiful, with some minimalist modern thrown in for accent. The grounds are well manicured, & always clean - day, or night. Hard pressed to tell that a lot of the vegetation is new. Still some minor issues regarding paint, caulking, & renovation. Nothing "heavy" being worked on at the Omni. However, the pyramid being built on the Oasis property is almost in your lap. The sound of the surf is such that you can't really hear the workers. Does spoil the balcony view toward the top of the 7. Throughout most of the hotel zone the resorts are on top of one another. It's like a housing development where you are so close to your next door neighbor you can hear him breathing at night. In front, at ground level, sits an empty lot that employees use to park cars, bordering the Oasis mini-golf course. Told it used to be a playground which had not been redone, yet. A little unsightly, if you have a Lagoon-view room, unless you keep your eyes on the beautiful sunsets over the water, or use binoculars to watch the folks at Captain's Cove, or Laguna Grill! Many stairs, front & back. Not so difficult because the flights are no more than 8 steps each, & are staggered up the hills to provide for level walking surfaces between flights. I do have some health issues, but this didn't incapacitate me. Adequate lighting at night, everywhere. Constant patrols of housekeepers & security folks.
3 Pools - are large & accommodating. Open for use til 1000PM. Unfortunately none are heated, so I did not use any of them.
There is a large, well heated Jacuzzi on the upper outdoor level. There is a sign stating regulations, some for children, & for alcohol consumption in this particular jacuzzi. Though it's visible, there is a large concrete planter pushed in front of the sign. I did manage to use the thing a few quieter times, as it is open til 1000PM. Otherwise, it is full of mostly kids, complete with inner tubes, floaties, snorkel equip., etc. Sometimes parents are in attendance, (required) but mostly not. On our last night, it was almost full of a contingent of adults from the southern US, armed with 6-packs of beer cans & a portable CD player. And their cigarette butts, plastic 6-pack rings, plastic cups, napkins, empty cans & "other" stuff just bubbling around in there. Lot's of beer poured in to top up the water level, too. A couple Canucks in there with a few kids. Not so bad for us, except for the kids doing "cannonballs." Not so good for the kids was the cursing, crude, intimate terminology being used, & overt, intimate physical activity performed by the crowd from Dixie. By the end of our trip, several of the jet controls were missing, or broken, & 1/2 the jets were clogged. Coulda been diapers, donuts, or who-knows-what, outta Dixie.
The other large Jacuzzi borders 1 side of Kuku's bar. Water is more tepid & not as many jets. Typical precautions, since alcohol is allowed. No kids there, when I was in. Nice, comfy, & they will laughingly work with a "bubba keg."
Restaurants - 3 of them. Menus differ in all. Food is good, buffet presentations kept filled, clean, & fresh. A la carte ordering available at all 3. Breakfast/lunch with your toes in the sand (if you want) at Pina Colada, or a view of the activity pool & ocean from the upper level La Paloma. Never a problem of any kind, except for 1 rude, American patron who stated she was in the restaurant business. She loudly castigated the hostess in DaVinci because she received double servings of an item she had ordered. She was disruptive enough to halt the music of the nearby harpist, & deep-freeze the atmosphere. Obvious that her "companion" could not quiet her, & was very embarrassed. To their credit, several other American patrons were itching to step in, until she stormed out. Food was above buffet quality of those in the states. So was the staff! DaVinci, the high end eatery, was more intimate, smaller, & reserved. Presentation superb, as was the staff. Reminiscent of the staff in some finer European restaurants. Food was very good to really great. The menu is not quite what we think of as Italian, but is more continental in cuisine. Ain't all spaghetti. Could use a menu with a greater range of selections.
There are swim-up bars, snack/lunch bar & pool/beach wait service. I did not use these, but did see that outside service & quality equaled that of inside, as closely as it could for transporting things through the sand!
Room - The room was spacious enough. Beautiful, clean, inviting. High points are the lighted magnifying mirror, pillow top mattress, pillow "menu," & the pair of fixed, cushioned lounges on the balcony. Room service was good, accurate, & never took more than 20 minutes. We did use the AI option, making sense for 24hr access. although we don't drink so much alcohol, we would have spent much more total. Still inexpensive enough to feel comfortable dining away from the hotel several times.
I requested specific rooms 1750, 1850, or 1950, more than 2 weeks in advance. No guarantee, & the concern was my exchange included some kitchen facilities which those rooms did not have. I preferred the smaller room since a suite was useless for the amount of time a couple spends there, & the location was important to me. I got room 1850 & couldn't have been happier. Marisol Sanchez, from member services is a gem! She answered all questions & provided detailed, correct info prior to the trip. Meeting her in person only reinforced my opinion of her. She is the epitome of a perfect client services representative. I had to chase her down to "reward" her. What an asset!
Beach - was clean, lots of palapas, chairs, lounging beds. The sand has receded, but not to the extent of conditions immediately post-Wilma. A small sand ledge in some spots, no more than 12 inches. Nothing like the ledge I have seen pictured in other areas. Flat in other areas. The water was rough continually, & worthy of the red flag. I saw few braving the surf. We did have rain, off & on, for most of the trip. Not much of a factor for me because I have to limit sun exposure. Jerry is fair & freckled, so that's OK with him, too. Eating breakfast & lunch on the beach, & being able to gaze at the ocean/hear the surf was enough for me since my goals were quiet relaxation & change of scene. We didn't use any entertainment services, but did observe that the staff does work at keeping participants happy.
We are really not bar people, & actually didn't want to socialize this time except with the folks we pre-planned to meet at specific times, so only used the lobby bar once. Clean, cordial, efficient service. Top shelf liquor, everywhere. We were always asked what brands we wanted.
We did venture out, using taxi & bus. Convenient & no problems. Concierge will have a taxi for you in 2 minutes, with a pre-trip price quote.
We ate Sunday brunch at Captain's Cove, which is directly across from the Omni. Beautifully decorated, unique interior structure & design. Expanded, I'm told, since Wilma. Food was plentiful, with many American & Mexican selections. Eggs to order, pastries, etc. Clean, good quality & presentation. Attentive wait staff. Seating, outside & in, is comfortable & spacious. View of the lagoon is nice, deck side. Prices are quite reasonable for brunch. Wouldn't break the bank to feed a family breakfast there. Get up fashionably late, do the brunch, no need for lunch if you are going EP. You won't leave hungry. Don't know about the alcohol, or lunch/dinner menus. Does big business. We had lovely breakfast companions, Max & his parents, & wanted to have pictures taken on the deck. A staff member quickly offered to assist, sensing that we all wanted to be in the pictures. Beautiful, happy, priceless shots, with new "family!"
Our 2 trips to Laguna Grill were indeed pleasant occasions. It does live up to Danger's glowing review! Unique décor, individually designed to create a fusion of Mexican, Asian & South Pacific feel. A work of art. Terraced seating, woven throughout, layering down to deck level. Beautiful lagoon views, exotic, intimate atmosphere in the evening. Unfortunately, Tragara Lounge was not open during our visits, but I will make it a point to be there next trip. Absolutely prime food & beverages. Staff is impeccable, intuitively attentive. Well worth the visit, or 2, or 3. Had the great pleasure to spend an evening with Penny Penguin, ZsaZsa, & their respective significant others on Saturday. Met there again, on Wednesday, with Cunspin, CancunGringa, Theresa from Detroit (MUCH love) & her Man! Only had drinks & dessert, but no disappointments! Superb company, enveloped in an atmosphere that entices you to never leave. More in a separate review.
My Place made our Monday night! Meeting up with so many TA folks, & those dear to them was much fun! KaraokeJoe & Janet, Manateeboy, PennyPenguin, EJC83, Neverwenthome, Bridgenut, Twointhelou, KansasCityKid, Gringa, CancunSusan, Backus2006, ZsaZsa, GJP, LPP, along with some partners and/or friends. We have some really super folks who post here! In person can be even better! Seeing some of the piles of toys, for Nancy's kids, was a joy. Joe & Janet have put so much heart into the place. Quality food & top shelf drink. "Be yourself" atmosphere. Melting pot of cultures, nationalities & personalities in "your" neighborhood. Big stage, lots of seating, & not enough patrons to worship the Place, IMHO. High point is the staff members that are Joe & Janet's acquired family. The area establishments are known for hospitable, attentive service, but there is no comparison to these guys. Within 10 minutes you believe you have known these people all your life. Karaoke is a big part, sure, but there is a special feel that brings you back. We made 2 more daytime trips in, & will never regret it! I do have some pictures of the Monday night contingent, but will not publish them anywhere without express permission of those photographed. Some folks, including me, are funny about that. More in a separate review. I will email them to attendees, if asked, as long as they are not distributed to others, or posted anywhere without permission of the subjects.
Our only excursion - was to Isla Contoy. We booked through Do Cancun. The trip from dockside, adjacent to the "family" Blue Bay resort, took about 2.5 hours. We used the Kolumbus outfit, riding on the Pinta, so the trip is a little longer. We wanted less hectic, or could have used Asterix boats, which is more of a "party" trip. The island is beautiful, & empty enough that if you could spend unhurried time you would feel it was private. Pleasant experience all the way around. Snorkeling was impossible during the trip, due to heavy currents, waves, winds & murky water. Mostly like this all of the season. There is always tomorrow. More, separately.
The trip home was uneventful, except we both had luggage hand-searched. People were pulled from the flight list, at random. Different plane with a bit more leg space. Not a newer plane & upholstery was a little ragged. Same kids going wild & same babies screaming the whole flight. Same shouting down the aisles about the customs forms. At least they got off in Baltimore, so we had 20 minutes of semi-quiet. Caracol told us that being at the airport 2 hours in advance would suffice since the USA3000 counter would be just opening. They were correct. We were some of the first in line. Seats in Row 2. We did get to eat breakfast in La Paloma on the last morning, & took a few more pictures.
Construction is ongoing, as it will always be in an evolving city. If the plan truly is to go super-expensive mega-resort, this will never stop what with tearing down to be bigger & better. For the most part, things are such as I remember, & do not look so much a "war zone" as some would say it is.
As I have previously stated, travel to Mexico can be a bargain, the weather & scenery can be wonderful, you can party non-stop, shopping can be a dream. The biggest reward is the people. Treat them with the respect, pleasant demeanor & monetary compensation they truly deserve. The TA Locals & TA regulars are added bonuses. How pleasurable can it get? Not much better, except for missing a few that couldn't make it for meetups. Jerry does not post, or even read the boards. He might look at a few pictures I shove in his face. He's never paid any attention to my travel "hobby." He trusts my research. He was amazed at the genuine, great, friendly, truly nice folks I've "met" here. He didn't know what to expect, since I only told him he was "meeting" some people, at the last minute. Don't you just love surprises? So do I! He's very glad to know them, now, as am I. Salud!
Open for questions……………
Individual reviews up in a few days.
