CAN'T BELEIVE SOME OF THESE REVIEWS, WHAT DO PEOPLE WANT, SOME PEOPLE ARE SO FUSSY, IT DOES'NT STATE ITS A 5 STAR HOTEL, SO IF THATS WHAT YOU WANT THEN PAY FOR A 5 STAR HOTEL AND STAY THERE INSTEAD !
My firend and I stayed at the Hotetur Beach Paradise for 2 weeks from 17th April - 1st may and we can honestly say we had a brilliant holiday. So heres a little run down, its a bit long but we hope it helps -
HOTEL - The hotel is'nt as posh as the other hotels but then it is'nt as expensive as the other hotels, it could just do with a lick of paint, but for the price we would say we got excellent value for money, The hotel is set at the quieter end of the strip but this was not a problem. The hotel itself is spotless, the rooms are cleaned daily with fresh towels and bedding, the maids here work continuously, forever cleaning, we didnt see a bit of dirt or dust. Credit to them all.
ROOMS - We were in the 1st block on the 8th floor. Lovely large room with balcony and view of both the lagoon and the sea. Rooms complete with A/C working perfect, shower, tv, kettle and cups, fridge, iron and ironing board and towelling dressing gowns, perfect for my friend as she never had her dressing gown off !!!!
FOOD - There was always plenty of choice of food, my friend is a bit fussy with her food but she always found plenty to eat.
BREAKFAST, freshly made omelettes, fried, boiled scrambled eggs, bacon ,sausage, hash browns, toast cereal, selection of meats, cheese, bread, fruit etc.
LUNCH, To be honest we did'nt have lunch at the hotel too often as we were generally quite full from breakfast but there was plenty on offer. Lots of salads, pasta, chicken, beef, potatoes, rice, veg, an assortment of cakes and ice cream etc.
TEA, Once again plenty to choose from, they also had theme nights eg. Thai, Spanish, Chinese, Indian, Mexican, French but if you didnt like any of this food, there was also plenty of other choices. We couldnt complain at all. There was also a snack bar by the pool area which was open from 10am-5pm then 10pm-6am where you could get the usual burgers, hotdogs, nuggets, fries, salads, friuts etc.
There are 2 other restaurants there too, where you had to book to eat. But we did'nt try them because a few people had said that they were not very good and you also had to pay for your wine and certain meals, which we thought was a bit unfair considering it was an all inc. hotel.
POOL - IT was o.k but a bit on the small side, we spent most of the days on the beach. They did play a few pool games and bingo, which was a laugh !!!!
BEACH - The part of the beach at the hotel is by far the best along the stretch, large white sandy area and flat sandy bottomed sea, further along was quite rocky with not as much sand area, also beware of the sea it can get quite rough but they do have lifeguards at the hotel and along the stretch, we did see on 3 different occassions the lifeguard have to go into the sea to rescue people.
ENTERTAINMENT - Could have been a bit better. Mainly a few shows, Mexican Night, 60's 70's and 80's night, Karaoke and live band nights, which was the same band each time, which got a little boring. They did have a Casino Night which was really good fun. You played with pretend money and then with your winnings, at the end of the night they held an auction where you could bid for items like T- shirts, bags, etc. A good laugh !!!
BARS - 2 bars in the hotel, not too bad to get a drink but there are also waitresses who will go from table to table to take your orders, we found that a small tip goes a long way, try the cocktail list, you wont be disappointed, the Pina Coladas are gorgeous. Theres also the pool bar as well from 10am-5pm.
TRIPS - Can be quite expensive.
We went on the Captain Hook Pirate Ship which was a really good night and the food was excellent. We also went to Wet & Wild and swam with the dolphins. To be honest the waterpark was a bit disappointing and the food was awful, it was much better for the kids than adults but the dolphin experience was what made the holiday for us. 45 mins in the water with the dolphins and they take photos and a video but they are very expensive, but you dont have to buy if you dont want to.
We did book a trip to Chichen Itza but unfortunately this trip was cancelled due to the Swine Flu outbreak which came to light during our 2nd week there, but it did'nt spoil our holiday.
BUSES - Theres a bus stop right outside the hotel, they run 24 hrs a day every couple of minutes to take you downtown, only 8 peso's where ever you go.
Downtown was very lively, lots of clubs, bars, shops, market, , we also managed to see some crocodiles at a lagoon bar in the crocodile zone and when your on the beach at the hotel if you take a walk to the to the end of the beach towards your right you will come to lots of rocks, walk across these rocks and you will see lots of iguanas, some of which were quite large, trouble is you can hardly see them at first, its not until you find your stood right next to one, that you realise that they are there, they just blend in with the rocks so well, i had quite a fright on a few occassions !!! but they didnt bother at all.
We would also like to mention one of the porters " VICTOR ", he is a lovely man, very helpful and always smiling " Hello Victor "
And also, " GABRIEL", who worked around the snack bar , pool bar and beach area. This man never stopped. on the go continuously, yet he always had a smile and time to have a little joke with everyone, " Hello Gabriel ".
If you would like a good value all inc. holiday with a gorgeous beach, glorious weather, great staff, good selection of food and you dont try to be POSH !!!!, then go to the Hotetur Beach Paradise and you wont be disappointed, we certainly was'nt , we would go back tomorrow if we could, but theres always next year.
If you want to go away to pick and moan then i would suggest you stay at home.
A holiday is what you make it. See you next year Beach Paradise.
Sally & Carol xx
