I spent a week at the hotel. About the second or third day the maid did not leave as many towels as had been left before, then the next day the same happened. When I called the front desk to ask for additional towels I said -- rather incorrectly -- that maid service had gotten worse each day. When I returned to my room the next day after an all-day trip to Chichen Itza I found what is shown in the attached pictures. One new problem was that the maid had turned the room temperature very low to keep the flowers from wilting. I thought I was going to freeze to death. I didn't complain about anything else afterwards.
For the record the room, the beds, the bathroom, everything was very clean, the beds were very comfortable, the towels large, the breakfast each morning adequate. Each room has a patio and I used mine to dry clothes that I washed, since I had only brought about 4 days clothes for the seven days trip.
To get to the hotel from the airport I had reserved a shared shuttle online from BestDay. The Cancun International Airport Web site also has approved shuttle services. I used the latter from the hotel to the airport, but that was a minor problem, one reason being, I believe, that people usually reserve a round trip and they were not set up on their Web site to serve someone trying to make a reservation TO the airport.
There were many companies to choose from for the Chichen Itza tour, most of which seemed to have the same itinerary and a similar price. I ended up choosing Best Day -- a known devil. It was fine, but I guess I had "bus envy." All the other tour buses towered over the Best Day bus. There was a company, I think called Cancun Fun Tours, that looking back I wished I had chosen.
All the hotel employees were very helpful. The only area where they were usually lacking was in responding to requests for information on restaurants. They didn't seem to know or to be known as knowing about what was available. They did recommend a restaurant about a block away which gave a 20% discount to anyone staying at the hotel, but they only mentioned it when asked. The golf club along the street leading to Avenida Kukulkan serves breakfast on a rather strange schedule: from 6 to 7, and then from 8 to 11. After that it serves a light (sandwich type) menu from 11 until closing around 6 PM.
There is a "concierge operation" in the lobby that is unrelenting in trying to get one to visit time-share properties. I was never lonely, because they sent notes to my room almost everyday asking me to stop by. The only time any of them was actually helpful was when my transportation to the airport didn't arrive on time.
To get to the beach club used by the hotel one must take the van that leaves either at 9 or noon. Supposedly one returns every hour. I never used it, being not much of a beach person. Also, I found the beach area at Playa de Tortugas, along the bus line towards town, to be lively.
There is a well-stocked little grocery store across the street from the hotel. It had the best prices for drinks, including beer, and snacks that I found anywhere. There is also a small deli a few doors farther down the street that I never tried.
I used the city buses to go back and forth to the Zona Hotelera and downtown. The walk to the buses is a good half-mile and was rather daunting in the mid-day heat, but still good exercise. There was always a breeze which made it tolerable.
This has become much longer than I had intended. I only meant to tell about the maid story.
