End Of The World!: Playa Del Carmen

Monday, December 14, 2009

Riviera Maya Vacation - Part Twelve

There you have it, folks..............could I have written more about the Grand Palladium Resort?..........well, sure..........but I think I covered the more important stuff. Finally, I can wrap this report up and start blogging about other stuff such as Christmas. Would I come back here to this resort?......... absolutely.

Whenever you read up about a travel destination, you never seem to find anything about the trip to and from the airport...........what is it like?........how long did it take?...........what will you see along the way?..............what are the roads like?................not that it is all that important because you want paradise and you don't really care what surrounds the place since you might not be planning to venture off of the resort property. How can I describe the Mexico that I saw between the Cancun airport and the Grand Palladium Resort?..............I saw no indication of a middle class portion of society. I got the impression that there are only the haves and the have-nots. The main highway appears to flow well and is fairly well maintained. On the other hand, as I would look from our transport van...........the side roads were a display of blight and squalor. Yet mishmashed amongst that are car dealerships and world class resorts.

There is one thing that they do in Mexico that should be done here in the USA..........or at least in Baltimore. Speed bumps........or as they call them "topes"..........without a doubt the most effective method of traffic control.......guaranteed to slow down the traffic between point A and point B. I wouldn't necessarily use them on the Beltway, but this is exactly what should be used in school zones instead of the money-grabbing speed cameras that were recently approved of and installed.

Every single vehicle slows down for these.

As I said, the main highway appears to be well maintained and a smooth ride.........except for those "topes".........hehehe.

Playa Del Carmen is the largest town between the Grand Palladium Resort and Cancun. We just cruised on past without stopping, except for the traffic lights.

It is a growing area and eventually I can imagine the area looking like Daytona. Still..........I could see quite a bit of rubble and squalor.

Poor infrastructure..............okay, we had some heavy rains........but they just don't have the sewer and drainage systems that we enjoy in the States.

You pass by many assorted resort properties...............and they look impressive.............and you can count on them to be well taken care of as well as being well planned with good infrastructure.

The "collectivo"...........it's not a cab........it's not a bus...........but it is how alot of people get to work.

It took us about just over an hour to get to the resort and just as long to get back to the airport. We had direct transportation..........non-stop. Other vacationers, who do not do their "homework", end up on a huge bus that will stop at just about every resort between the airport and their particular vacation spot...........and that could take up to two and a half to three hours each way..........not to mention a higher price for the ride. If you plan on a trip to the Grand Palladium Resort, make sure that you visit the Palladium Addicts website and read everything.

As you ride along, you are reminded that "paradise" isn't really "paradise".

The resort should be thought of as a diamond in the rough.

As you approach the airport..........suddenly everything is similar to being at home.

There are those "topes" again.........well..........that's about it.

The trip was great, I thoroughly enjoyed it.........Supernurse enjoyed it............and we felt appreciated for being there. I look forward to returning........maybe even next year.

If you have any questions about the resort, feel free to put your question in the comments.

I may have a thing or two that I will mention here on the blog about our trip that, for some reason, I may have overlooked.

Now lets get Christmas out of the way..........next trip : The Bellagio in Las Vegas!........in January.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Vacation Time Again

As I write this, it is Halloween night and I am preparing for yet another trip to Mexico. This time, me and Supernurse are heading to the Riviera Maya.......not very far from Tulum and south of Playa Del Carmen. We will be staying at the Grand Palladium resort complex. Our flight leaves Baltimore at 8 a.m. and we will not return until November 10th.

Originally, we were booked to go to Belize but we thought hard about it and decided that we really preferred going to an all-inclusive resort somewhere. Somehow we chose the Grand Palladium. There are a few webcams on the Palladium Addicts website for those of you who might have a bit of voyeurism in your blood. Maybe you can spot me on the beach.

So what will we be doing?

The answer?.........everything we couldn't do at home............now let your imagination have at it.

Of course, I will give a full review and report once the vacation is over and I return home. If, for any chance, I happen to find some free wi-fi access, then I will see if I can put something here on the blog every couple of days.............but no guarantee............I have no intentions of doing anything that even resembles work in any way, shape, or form.

As it is, both me and Supernurse have been chomping at the bit in anticipation of this trip. Our co-vacationers, Smiley and Captain Morgan, are going with us. The Chesapeake Medical Staffing group will be in Belize without us.............but that is okay........I am sure that they will enjoy their trip. Maybe next year we will go with the group.............that is......if they decide on someplace we really want to go to.

Meanwhile, I will get to miss the beginning of the fraud trial of Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon................awwwww............and I will most likely miss two Ravens games..........arrrgghhh. Needless to say, I will be looking for a tv on Sunday. I also get to miss out on dealing with a few personal problems, which......if they haven't been resolved while I am away..........I will be well rested and very pissed off and will unleash my fury when I get back to Baltimore.

So...........if you don't hear from me awhile..........don't panic..........you now know why.

By the way.............for those of you who are my personal friends and relatives............I did try to call everybody before I left, but everybody must have been out having a good time for Halloween. Those folks can call ME on the 11th.............unless "I" am too busy recuperating......hehehe.