One of the many privileges of being a college student is enjoying spring break. I’ve always thought, as a Chicago native, that a vacation between winter and spring is heavenly. This year my boyfriend and I made a deal that this year I could choose a vacation spot, and he could choose the next year’s. At the end of January, on a cold, snowy Friday night, we began searching out the perfect Mexico vacation.
After two weeks of searching, I decided on a three – star resort on the island of Cozumel, Mexico. It was a Wyndham Hotel and Resort which is large hotel chain. Personally, I’ve found that large hotel chains exude credibility with regard to service, and quality.
In general, the Wyndham is an all-inclusive resort located on the beach in Cozumel. The term all-inclusive means that airfare, room, drinks, food and non-motorized sports are included in a flat rate. We paid $1,400 per person for seven days and seven nights.
After arriving in Cozumel, we stood in the Customs line for an hour. Once my passport was stamped, I walked outside to the next chaotic endeavor, finding my shuttle bus and getting a cold Corona. A large white van was our shuttle service. Twelve of us piled in, and the driver took off. In fifteen minutes we were at the resort.
At check-in the staff is friendly and informed us we can only receive one key today, and pick up the second tomorrow. I sigh, “I hope this is the only inconvenience.” Two minutes later a bellhop arrived to show us to our room. Due to our budget I booked a garden view as opposed to the ocean view room. After a three-minute walk we finally got to our room. It’s OK. On the plus side, we had a balcony that overlooked a beautiful garden, and the air conditioning worked fine. On the down side, the bed was a little hard, and the bedding was nothing special. Exactly two minutes later, I was in my swimsuit and ready for the beach
We walked through the open-air lobby to get to the pool and bar area. It was truly breathtaking. The giant family pool was busy, but not crowded, with families enjoying the fun. The pool was the center of the resort. Behind it was the open-air lobby, and to either side were restaurants. I was in heaven.
The restaurants included a buffet, lunchtime grill, a Mexican restaurant, and an Italian restaurant. The buffet was ideal for breakfast because reservations were never required, and the food was very good. My server, Marco, was outstanding and my coffee cup was never empty.
Due to our beach attire, when lunchtime rolled around the best solution was the outdoor grill. Hot cheeseburgers, nachos, and hotdogs were made fresh and were always delicious.
Each night we chose a different restaurant for dinner. The first night was the buffet, plain and simple; it wasn’t very good. The next night we ate at Roberto’s, the Italian bistro. Both the food and service were outstanding. The third night we chose the outdoor Mexican restaurant. A cold pint of Corona and hot chicken fajitas were the best combination. The food was outstanding, and far surpassed my expectations.
Equally important to the food were the drinks. Collectively, the Wyndham had three bars available. The main bar, the swim-up bar, and the indoor bar were open each day and offered individuality. The main bar was located outside and overlooked the ocean. It was OK. Although the resort didn’t seem crowded, the bar always had a line of five plus people. Less crowded was the swim up bar, located in the adults only section. Finally the indoor air-conditioned bar was a night time lounge. As a “sister in the service business,” my biggest disappointment of the trip was the lack of gratuity from the other guests.
A good friend of mine is an avid traveler and advised me to bring $100 in singles to use for gratuity. It was simple and convenient. The dollar bills were ideal to tip for simple services
When I wasn’t complaining about the ignorant guests I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The resort was clean and well kept. The staff was always friendly and hard working. The food and drinks were delicious and plentiful. It seems that clichéd star rating system is reliable. My biggest regret is that I can’t go back next year. Something tells me Marco won’t be there with coffee.