My boyfriend and I travelled to Imperial Las Perlas and I must admit I had a few reservations due to some of the reviews posted on Trip Advisor. Even though my boyfriend had stayed here a couple of times and had only good things to say about it I was worried about the comments about the dirty bedding and the state of the rooms etc , but upon arrival all those doubts disappeared. The receptionist and porter were friendly and welcoming, even offering to change our room if we didn’t like it but it was fine, ok , so we didn’t have a room facing the sea as such but we had a good view of the pool, bar and part of the sea. The room was very clean, basic but clean ,and the shower worked fantastically. In fact this room was better than a lot I had stayed in in Greece. The air con was pretty powerful but the kitchenette was a bit dated and basic but who cares – we were All Inclusive any way!!! The maids came in every morning and cleaned the rooms and if you were still in them they came back later.
The hotel beach was fine and about 50yrds from our room as was the restaurant. Ah the restaurant – there were a lot of disparaging remarks on here about that but please remember this is a 2* hotel and you are probably thinking about going here because you are trying to go on a cheap holiday to Mexico. If you want 5* food and facilities go and book in at the Riu and spent an awful lot more money in doing so. I found plenty of things to eat every meal time and ok maybe Gordon Ramsey might not have rated it but you get what you pay for. Its buffet style and you can have as much as you like. For breakfast the Chef will cook you fresh omelets or eggs to go with everything else on offer. The waiters are quick to bring you drinks and clear your plates and the setting for restaurant is awesome – where else in Cancun can you sit in a restaurant on stilts’ in the sea with fish swimming around below you and pelicans diving for fish and a cool sea breeze wafting through the windows. So much better than some of the regimented air conditioned tightly packed restaurants I have been in.
The sea has quite a bit of seaweed in places and it is washed up on the shore during the night but the one of the hotel staff is out there first thing in the morning and when necessary raking and disposing of it. The sea is perfect for snorkeling and there are many fish especially around the restaurant, we saw lobsters, sting rays etc it was great. (Tip: If you haven’t brought a snorkel and mask with you, a short bus ride to Wal-Mart on the R2 from outside the Holiday Inn next door and you can pick a decent one up for under a tenner plus all your toiletries, food and cigarettes are cheaper here than anywhere – as I write £11 for 200 marlboro cigarettes!!). Beach towels are supplied by the hotel so you don’t need to bring any. There are plenty of sunloungers around the pool and on the beach.
Plenty of drinks at the bar which is almost on the beach and the bar staff are friendly and sociable , only downside is when there are inclement weather conditions as there were when we stayed there it can be a bit wet and windy in the evenings sometimes.
There is a water sports hut on the hotel beach and the two guys in there, Carlos and Jorge were fantastic. We learnt to sail a catamaran and my boyfriend learnt to kite surf all at a reasonable cost. Carlos and Jorge went the extra mile every time so we didn’t mind spending most of our money with them !!! They also set us up on the Jungle Tour where you drive your own speedboat out past the lagoons for about an hour to another part of the island where you then get to snorkel before returning – well worth the money - about $60 for both of us.
But if there is one thing you must do while you are staying here its visit the Isla Mujeres (which is the island you can see in the distance from the hotel beach). Take a bus from outside the Holiday Inn next door, the R1 Puerto Juarez to the Ferry Terminal downtown and for $7 each roundtrip and a 20min fast ferry ride you will discover slice of paradise. This island is not as built up and commercialized as Cancun is and there are miles of white sand and azure blue sea. As you get off the ferry on the island, directly opposite the terminal you can hire a golf cart (everyone drives them over here!!) for the day, $40, and explore the island . North beach is fantastic and so cheap to eat and drink on the beach unlike Cancun Hotelzone where prices are quite frankly a rip off !!!
Back in Cancun if you take a bus up to the Hotelzone (any bus from outside the hotel on the opp. side of the road) there are plenty of bars and nightclubs and shops but we found these quite expensive and you have to tip for everything. Night out at Coco Bongos is a must though – fantastic show and the Hotel entertainments team will arrange it for you (about $50 per person).
We came straight home and tried to book Las Perlas for Xmas and the New Year but unfortunately it is fully booked so we are off to Gambia instead but we will definitely return next year.
