The Straight Truth on Mayan Palace - The Restaurants

Dessert at Tramonto

The Straight Truth on Mayan Palace - The Restaurants
The restaurants and wait staff at Mayan Palace are great.

Gong - Gong is Asian Fusion and has a good mix of Japanese noodle dishes, sushi, and other “Asian” food. We ate a light dinner there on our first night and it was delicious. We had steamed edamame and some various maki rolls. The Tabasco roll is simply amazing. I would never have thought to wrap a roll in grilled plantain, but it was nothing short of amazing. There is a sommelier who serves both Gong and Tramonto and he did an outstanding job of recommending a red wine that would overpower the sushi (I wasn’t in the mood for sake and didn’t want to splurge for champagne on our first night). We ended the meal with a dessert of grilled bananas and gingered dark chocolate. YUM.

Creperia – Inside the market/gift shop, downstairs from Gong and Tramonto is a creperia. Most of the crepes are good. The Mexicana (salsa verde, roasted poblano peppers, pumpkin blossoms, etc) and the banana y nutella are out of this world! Don’t miss them.

Balche and Frida’s Mexican Grill – The outdoor café by the pool is called Balche by day and Frida’s Mexican Grill by night. Our beach waiter served us everyday and the food is fine. It’s not amazing, but it’s not bad. The grilled fish sandwich is great. At night, when it turns into Fridas, that’s another story. At that point, they begin serving some of the best Mexican food you have ever had (and yes, I have had great authentic Mexican in Mexico and the US, including going to all of the Rick Bayless restaurants).  The Cochinita pibil is out of this world. It’s basically little chunks of pork shoulder, seasoned with achiote, wrapped in banana leaves, and roasted until it almost melts. The green chile sauce at Fridas is some of the best I have ever had as is the mole. My wife and I joked that the chef should offer a cooking class just to teach those two sauces. Other items not to miss are the tamale appetizer (four different types of tamales) and the tacos al pastor. If you get the The Cochinita pibil, consider pairing it with a Mexican red wine. We had a nebbiolo from the Guadalupe Valley that was really good. Fridas is closed on Thursday – I’m guessing to encourage people to do the “Mexican Feast” at Del Lago.

Tramonto – The Italian restaurant is also great. It was our favorite last time, and we saved it for our last night. Our biggest complaint of our trip is that we couldn’t go to every restaurant twice. We saved Tramonto for our actual anniversary and we had a great meal. Everything on the menu sounds amazing and it’s hard to narrow things down. The bruschetta is great. One thing we noticed all week long is that any time we had peppers (red, green, poblano, fresh, roasted, whatever) they had so much more flavor than the peppers we get at home (even more so than the fancy Whole Foods peppers). I don’t think words can really describe the meal we had. Our server was amazing, our wine (a Mexican Merlot) was amazing. Everything was perfect.

Coconut Curry Shrimp at Havana Moon

Havana Moon – They call Havana Moon a Cuban restaurant, but there isn’t a whole lot of Cuban food on the menu. We felt that Havana Moon was the weakest of the restaurants. My wife ordered the pad thai and it was just ok. I ordered the coconut curry shrimp and they were amazing – coconut fried shrimp with a great curry dipping sauce and an asian slaw on the side. Our dessert that night was also a let down. It was called the Coco Cubico (Coconut Cube). You’d think with a name like that you couldn’t lose, but it was bland and boring. Also, the tables and chair at Havana Moon are not very comfortable, the tables are low and the supports cut into your legs forcing you to sit at odd angles. However, the show was amazing – mostly just because it was crazy and we didn’t know there would be a show. Without much warning, a group of dancers busted in doing what could best be described as a seen from Eyes Wide Shut – scantily clad dancers with animal head costumes. Surreal!

Something Fish – The name of this one is escaping me, but tucked in the pool area in the Grand Mayan is a little cevicheria. We ate lunch there one day and had the fish tacos and the smoked marlin burrito. The fish tacos were pretty good. The marlin burrito would have been good if it didn’t have cheese. Then again, we might have blown our appetites on pina coladas and chips…

The Burger Custom Made – hidden in Luxe is a “hip burger joint” that’s all L.A. and South Beach inspired. We never ate there, but some of the burgers sounded pretty good. Next time…

Coconut - Freshly Cut from the Tree

None of the restaurants are “Mexico cheap.” The maki rolls at Gong are in the $8-15 range and entrees are probably $15-40. Crepes are $8-10 (but 3 for the price of 2 from 3:00-9:00). At Tramonto, Fridas, and Havana Moon entrees are $12-50. But that $50 at Tramonto will get you a Chateaubriand. I threatened all week to get it. But something about eating a pound of beef didn’t seem like what I wanted to do on my ten year wedding anniversary. I settled for a lighter dinner, the first cognac of my life, and a great evening.

So all of these things are great, but what really holds it altogether is the staff. The staff at Mayan Palace is friendly and professional. You couldn’t ask for better folks. From the housekeeping staff, to the bartenders, to the beach waiters, to the waiters in the restaurant everyone was friendly and welcoming.

The Straight Truth on Mayan Palace - The Pools

The pools at Mayan Palace are great. There is plenty of room to spread out, the temperature is great. From around 12:00-3:00 at the main pool they play dreadful music. Seriously, who wants to listen to bad techno and dance music in a tropical paradise. I. Just. Don’t. Get. It. During this time, I stay on the beach, plug in the ear buds and listen to Jack Johnson, Iron & Wine, Calexico, and so on.

The pools at the Grand Mayan are also great. We had no trouble using the Grand Mayan facilities with our “lowly Mayan Palace wrist bands.” Maybe because it was the low-season. I don’t know – maybe because it was the low-season? Either way, there are lots of nice, quiet, secluded spots to relax and take it easy.

The Straight Truth on Mayan Palace - The Beach

The beach is beautiful but it is rocky. If a perfect white soft sandy beach is a requirement for you, you need to scratch Mayan Palace off your list immediately. If you can handle rocks and coral with your crystalline blue water then you should be fine. But be warned, aside from a few small sections, you’ll need water shoes for venturing into the ocean. It’s predominantly rock and corral and there are numerous holes where you can easily trip. That said, once you swim out a little ways, there are lots of fish and other ocean life hanging out in these little holes. And if you venture out to the man-made reef (a long row of hollow concrete spheres) you can see even more fish. The ocean was pretty rough on this trip so we had pretty bad visibility but we still saw a lot of parrotfish and other pretty fish.

Man made reef at Mayan Palace

Man made reef

The Straight Truth on Mayan Palace

Tide Pools and Pier at Mayan Palace Riviera Maya

Here’s the deal, Mayan Palace Riviera Maya is much, much, much better than all of the negative reviews on TripAdvisor lead on. But it’s not quite as nice as some of the folks say. But again, this is just my review, your mileage may vary. Here's my review.

And because every circumstance is different, I’ll lay out the facts. My wife and I visited October 16-21 (low season). We were on the 3rd floor of building five (a nice short walk to the beach, pool, restaurants, etc).

We arrived at 2:00 on a rainy  (deluge) Sunday and the lobby was pretty empty. Check-in was slow for the amount of folks in there. I would hate to arrive when a lot of folks are checking in at once. We had e-mailed in advance to ask for a closer building and a room on the third floor.

The Rooms - When we first checked in to our room it smelled a little damp and musty. Once we turned the ac up a little and turned on the fans the smell dissipated. It may have just been because it was so damp outside. When we came back to our room after dinner on the first night, we didn’t notice the *smell at all.
The rooms at the Mayan are nice. They aren’t amazing, but they are pretty good. The beds are super comfortable as long as you like a firm mattress. The linens are middle of the road. They are not luxurious but they are much better than what you get in a typical Hilton or Marriot level hotel. It’s nice the have the kitchenette although we didn’t do much cooking in our room. We did boil water frequently for use as drinking water. I have a pretty bad water habit and I feel guilty going through multiple water bottles per day.
The bathroom at the Mayan Palace is just ok. There aren’t any soaking tubs or Jacuzzis and there is just a single sink. You can’t win them all…

Also, there are no ocean view rooms. Maybe if you were on the third floor of building one, you might be able to crane your neck and see the beach. Aside from that, your view is going to be of trees and other buildings. Sorry. If the view from your room is really important to you, look elsewhere.

And yes, this resort is SPREAD OUT! The last time we stayed here we were in building 9 or 10 and it was a drag to be so far away from the beach and restaurants. I don’t doubt that my review would be less sunny if I was writing it after having been in one of the “way far away” buildings.

The Beach - Read More

The Pools - Read More

The Restaurants - Read More

Oh, about the time share folks. Just say you are not interested and they will leave you alone. If you’re stupid enough to do a time share pitch (anywhere) you get what you deserve. My wife and I fell for one on our honeymoon in Puerta Vallarta. That’s 3-4 hours we’ll never get back. But the economy was better back then and the sales tactics were probably a little lower pressure. Seriously, just say no. You’re on vacation. Don’t waste your precious time for some discounts and a “free breakfast.”

Looking toward Cancun from the Pier

If I had any complaints, it would be about the quality of tequila and margaritas. I’m in Mexico – I expect access to an insane selection of top shelf tequilas and mescals and to margaritas made with fresh juice rather than mix. The basic margaritas are made with mixto tequila and sour mix and they are not that good. I’m sure we could have tracked down a better margarita but that would have required work. They really should have a tequila list and things drinks like the Paloma. But I understand that in a place that big, making drinks by hand from fresh fruit is a little difficult. Luckily I stocked up at the duty-free store and brought home a lovely selection of tequila and mescal and I can make my own drinks. I just can’t enjoy them under a palapa with my feet in the sand….

* Oddly – when we got home from vacation and went to do laundry, we noticed that many of our clothes smelled like the room smelled on the first day. Weird. No worries – the smell washed right out.

Summertime Rolls

Earlier today, Tales of Two Cities did a post on summer songs.

It got me thinking. Going back to the summer of 1985 and Burn for you by INXS, I’ve always had a summer song. This year it’s more of a summer album, and it’s Nothing is Wrong by Dawes. There’s no way I can narrow it down to one song, but Time Spent in Los Angeles, Coming Back to a Man, How Far We’ve Come, and Fire Away can battle it out.

Aside from Dawes, other votes for my summer song go to:

• Lost in My Mind – Head and the Heart
• Tree by the River – Iron & Wine
• Circuital – My Morning Jacket
• California Wildfire – the Henry Clay People

Other past summer song hits of recent years include:

• Moab and Sausalito -  Conor Oberst
• Here Comes the Sun Again – M. Ward
• Kingdom of the Animals – Iron & Wine
• He’s Gone – The Grateful Dead
• Shoot the Moon – Norah Jones
• California Stars - Wilco

And of course, don't forget Summertime Rolls by Jane's Addiction...

Are You Ready to Rumble?

You might have noticed a gap in blog posts a few weeks ago. What? You mean, you’re not coming here first thing every day to see what’s on my mind? I’m heartbroken…

The reason for the lapse in posts is that I was in Denver for a conference and a painful amount of meetings. I hear there are mountains in Denver. I wouldn’t know, the only things I saw were the giant blue bear in front of the convention center and the interiors of a few hotels and restaurants.

But on the good news front, I ate pretty well and enjoyed some delicious beers. My initial plan was to head out early and visit a few of the breweries (New Belgium in Fort Collins to be exact). However, paying $100+ for a rental car just to visit a brewery or two seemed like a crazy idea (even for me).

I resigned myself to visit a few brew pubs in the evening and then hopefully do a tour at Great Divide Brewery. Sadly, my evenings ended up being work-related dinners and events. Wednesday rolled around and I had yet to visit any of the brew pubs. At the end of the day, I quickly finished up my work and high tailed it to Great Divide.

Maybe it was the pent up anticipation, but a few of the beers blew my mind. I didn’t make it there in time for a tour, but I did make it in time to visit the Basic Kneads food truck. I’m not convinced that a 700+ degree wood fire inside a converted box truck is a good idea, but I am convinced that they turn out an excellent pizza. I forget the name of my pizza, but it had sausage, caramelized onions, and rosemary. And they do the first whole wheat pizza crust that I have ever liked. I’ve been doing some experiments at home to create my own version.

But back to beer. It’s probably sold out locally by now, but the 17th Anniversary Wood Aged IPA is maybe the best beer I have ever had. It’s got hops galore, but it also has a woody/vanilla sweetness that hides the fact that it’s 10% ABV. Best to split this one with a friend. I’m calling it the big bold zinfandel of beers. And I could see it pairing well with the same foods. I have one bottle of this left. I think I’ll be pairing it with ribs. It could be great with steak as well.

The other beer that blew my mind was the Rumble, an oak aged IPA. This beer is like a less intense version of the 17th Anniversary. Less hops, less alcohol, less wood. I need to try the three of them side by side, but I think I might this more than DFH Burton Baton and Stone’s Oaked Arrogant Bastard.  And the good news, the Rumble should be available at both Perfect Pour and IM Wine for a while.

Oh, and back to New Belgium. I’m lucky to have a co-worker that went out early and toured New Belgium. She picked up a six-pack of the Somersault (the replacement for Skinny Dip this year) and a bottle of the 20th Anniversary Super Cru. And luckily, these and a sox-pack of the Rumble all made it home safely in my suitcase. Sadly, both will be long gone when New Belgium arrives in MD/DC/VA in late August.