My wife and I had an incredible honeymoon from Oct. 21 through Oct. 28 at EDR. It was perfection - we are still suffering withdrawal pains from having to return home to cold Wisconsin!
Here are a few highlights and tips from our stay at EDR - feel free to email (krades@hotmail.com) with any questions - I would be happy to try and answer them.
Navigating through Cancun's airport went okay - a little confusing and lots of guys in blue shirts (stay away from them) are trying to grab your luggage to "help" you. We had a 20 minute van ride to EDR and we greeted with a cold towel and a glass of champaigne. Check in was easy. We had booked a Oceanview Suite, but because it was our honeymoon we asked about upgrading to a Casita. We got to upgrade for only $100 a night and were placed in an awesome single casita (#2618). We were about 7 steps away from the best swim up bar - Papagayos!
Sunday was spent "partying like a rock star" at Papagayos. We met SO MANY GREAT PEOPLE! I was introduced to a "Mexican Flag" by our awesome bartender Abel.
We were spoiled by Hugo on Monday who was always close by bringing drinks, sandwiches, cookies and ice cream! We were also spoiled by the absolutely wonderful food at EDR. I was worried about some of the reviews regarding getting reservations and the food itself, but we had incredible food the entire time we were there!
Tuesday was our first excersion to Xel-Ha and Tulum. We had so much fun at Xel-Ha we opted to stay the whole day and skip Tulum. My wife and I did the "Sea Trek" and Xel-Ha and loved it - you walk on the ocean floor with a "helmet" on for 30 minutes - lots of great fish and stingrays!!! Snorkeling was great as well - lots of fish!!! The only drawback to Xel-Ha is the Lazy River - it is REALLY Lazy - you do not move if you are in a tube! No one told us you could snorkel down the river - we thought you had to float on a tube. Snorkel it - skip the tube. I jumped off the "Cliff of Courage" and got a great picture taken of me in flight!
Wednesday was our candlelight dinner on the beach which was included in our honeymoon package - we upgraded to lobster and had 2/3 of our meal on the beach plus we enjoyed a great saxophone solo at our table. However, it got really windy and a little rainy so our main course was served to us at JoJos. The lobster was very good, but both my wife and I did get sick from the very rich butter and garlic sauce they serve with it - we both needed Immodium that night and the next morning. The food was fine - just very very rich.
We swam with the Dolphins on Thursday - great experience - I would really recommend it. We chose the Aquarium in Cancun because most Dolphin swims involve 8 people and 1 dolphin. We had 5 people and 1 main dolphin plus another who joined us for the free swim. Lots of one on one time with them!
We spent all day on Friday at Papagayos hanging out with our new friends. A BIG HELLO to Bill and Wendy from LA, our 3 UK couples - Steve and Lisa (who should model), Steve and Heather, Dave and Wendy, Don and Teri from Houston, Jordan and Megan from Kansas, Shawn and Liz from Texas, Mert and Nancy (who saved my sunburn with vinegar), Tom and Heather and Beth and her Hubby from St. Louis. It was so great spending a week with you - send us an email anytime!
TIPS:
All the workers at EDR bust their butts! TIP THEM! We took $150 in $1 bills and tipped anyone and everyone that helped us. They do not expect to be tipped, but they really appreciate it!
You do not need to be in a casita to have a great time at EDR. We went back and forth on whether or not to upgrade - we are certainly glad we did (the outdoor shower was awesome) - however - we went inside an Oceanfront suite and they are very very nice.
Watchout for the sun! I go from Casper to Lobster and stupidly thought SPF 45 would work for me - WRONG! I got torched on my shoulders (the only thing out of the water at the swim up bar!) my first day. SPF 60 did the trick for me or reapply a lower sunscreen frequently. Pack vinegar along to help get rid of the burn if you have fair skin (a mixture of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water on a washcloth works great - hold the cloth on your sunburn for 15 minutes). Also, if you go to Xel-Ha (or any other ocean/water park) you need to prepare yourself to spend $16 on "biodegradable sun screen." They will not let you use Coppertone, Hawaian Tropic, etc.... because it ruins the ecosystem underwater.
Do the timeshare. Yes, you read it right. Everyday you will get a little note jammed in your door asking you to do a 90 minute talk at the "Exotic Travel Club." They start by offering you $100 for your time, the next day they raise it to $150 and we finally did it when we got the $200 letter. It was not high pressure at all - very informative and an easy way to get $200. You can use the $$$ for purchases at the gift shops at EDR or you can apply it to your bill.
Internet service will cost you $8 for 30 minutes, $6 for 20 and $4 for 10.
Prepare yourself that things run slower in Mexico - especially dinner. Dinner at EDR (no matter what restaurant you go to) is an event! It will take you anywhere from 1 hour (La Caretta) to over 2 hours (La Fondue). Unlike Applebee's, there is no rush to eat EDR - take your time and enjoy the experience.
Breakfast at Cocotal is a MUST! The buffet they have is incredible - we ate there 5 out of the 7 days! Made to order eggs and French Toast that is addicting!!!
We cannot wait to go back to EDR. It truly was a perfect honeymoon!!!
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