any info about Almaplena Beach Resort?

[lexanna02]

Thanks, chilimixx!

 

And yay, Joeybun! I can't wait to hear your review and see some pics, if possible. We leave in 38 days!

[mitsugirly]

:D for the 6 year old! We will be there in a week!

 

:D Just tell them it's an obstacle course! My 4 year old will love it either way. I thought maybe you had maybe elderly parents or something going with you.

 

Can't wait to read your review and take TONS of pictures!!! HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!! :)

[rrobynec]

So do tell. How was your trip and this beach?

 

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[mitsugirly]

I'm not going to worry either. I just booked for October 24! I will be sure to take plenty of photos...

 

 

Yes, come on we want details (and pics) :D

[mitsugirly]

Oh please come back and tell us your experience and share pictures. We can't wait to hear how you felt about it. We will be there in another month. :D

[rrobynec]

Oh please come back and tell us your experience and share pictures. We can't wait to hear how you felt about it. We will be there in another month. :D

 

Since we didn't get pics or reviews is that a good or bad sign? Did the all incluuve drinks affect his memory?:beer::eek: Tell you what mitsugirly, I will come back and let you know....

If I don't succumb to the all inclusive drinks and have a complete blackout myself!:cool:

 

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[mitsugirly]

Since we didn't get pics or reviews is that a good or bad sign? Did the all incluuve drinks affect his memory?:beer::eek: Tell you what mitsugirly, I will come back and let you know....

If I don't succumb to the all inclusive drinks and have a complete blackout myself!:cool:

 

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Yea, I'm kinda disappointed...all this talk about this place and no review. :(

 

Please do come back and report (with pictures too) :D

 

We have 18 more days before our cruise. I will report back NO MATTER WHAT...for any of those that may be going after us. :)

[kurdav]

We were at Almaplena resort on November 15th. It is a beautiful resort. The day we were there it was full--by full I mean 20 cruise guests. The beach area is small but it was not crowded with guests. It was extremely rough that day but we did do some snorkeling. I think DH, Son and I were the only ones brave enough that day to try snorkeling. We were on a non alcohol package as son and DH were diving and I don't drink. We were not treated any differently because we weren't ordering alcohol. The lunch was very nice and very filling. Very peaceful and gorgeous resort. I think you will enjoy it.

[mitsugirly]

We were at Almaplena resort on November 15th. It is a beautiful resort. The day we were there it was full--by full I mean 20 cruise guests. The beach area is small but it was not crowded with guests. It was extremely rough that day but we did do some snorkeling. I think DH, Son and I were the only ones brave enough that day to try snorkeling. We were on a non alcohol package as son and DH were diving and I don't drink. We were not treated any differently because we weren't ordering alcohol. The lunch was very nice and very filling. Very peaceful and gorgeous resort. I think you will enjoy it.

 

 

Thanks for posting with your thoughts. Do you happen to have any pictures you care to share? Was the water crystal blue and clear when you were there? Is there a drop off in the sand to get to the water?

 

We are so excited. We have 15 days before we leave for vacation and the anticipation is killing me. hehe :D

[Joeybun]

Sorry about that guys! I tried twice to upload some photos but it didn't work! I also just got out of the hospital so be nice :)

 

Almaplena was lovely! Secluded. The food is fantastic, best we had while we were gone. They just "served us everything" as the owner said. The day we were there we were the only cruise guests. There were some hotel guests around but only a few. The sea was rough that day as it was very windy so I didn't get to snorkel like I wanted to. That being said, the beach is beautiful! We basically had the whole place to ourselves since their beach is sort of divided into 3 sections. The "section" we were in had no other guests. Just us and all that soft white sand. We loved our day.

 

No drop off in the sand!

 

The cab ride was interesting! The hardest part is finding your way from the pier to the Hard Rock Cafe (which is closed) but intuition helped as did the detailed instructions from Monica. We did not meet her since she had just given birth. I know that because her husband gave me a message from her saying hello and hoping we enjoyed our visit and that she was sorry she couldn't come meet us in person. I thought that was sweet.

 

I recommend Almaplena to anyone who wants a get away from it all experience in the sand!

 

Thank you Almplena for a great day! Wish I was there right now!

[mitsugirly]

Sorry about that guys! I tried twice to upload some photos but it didn't work! I also just got out of the hospital so be nice :)

 

Almaplena was lovely! Secluded. The food is fantastic, best we had while we were gone. They just "served us everything" as the owner said. The day we were there we were the only cruise guests. There were some hotel guests around but only a few. The sea was rough that day as it was very windy so I didn't get to snorkel like I wanted to. That being said, the beach is beautiful! We basically had the whole place to ourselves since their beach is sort of divided into 3 sections. The "section" we were in had no other guests. Just us and all that soft white sand. We loved our day.

 

No drop off in the sand!

 

The cab ride was interesting! The hardest part is finding your way from the pier to the Hard Rock Cafe (which is closed) but intuition helped as did the detailed instructions from Monica. We did not meet her since she had just given birth. I know that because her husband gave me a message from her saying hello and hoping we enjoyed our visit and that she was sorry she couldn't come meet us in person. I thought that was sweet.

 

I recommend Almaplena to anyone who wants a get away from it all experience in the sand!

 

Thank you Almplena for a great day! Wish I was there right now!

 

Oh no. I hope you are doing ok and having a speedy recovery! (Sounds like you need another cruise to relax and get better) :D

 

Thank you so much for coming back and posting your thoughts on Almaplena. We have all been "impatiently" waiting. Sorry about that. :p

 

I do have a few questions if you don't mind.

 

You said that it is sectioned off in to 3 sections. How is it sectioned off? Ropes, landmarks, palpayas? What exactly does this mean? You can't go in to someone else's section? You can't explore there? Or that's just the area you sit in? Just wondering. I found that odd. :cool:

 

I hate that you didn't get to snorkel that day. I was really looking forward to hearing how good or bad the snorkeling was and especially how far out it was (my only concern with having our 4 year old with us is going out too far...it just makes me uncomfortable).

 

Did you find the water to be the crystal clear blue Caribbean water? Or murky at all? It's hard to tell in your pictures. There wasn't too many that was really facing the water up close or just out in to the water. (This is another reason why I picked this place over going back to Maya Chan...looking for that crystal clear blue water instead of murky brown).

 

Was there a lot of sea grass in the water? I noticed some on the beach by the water in your pictures (which won't really bother me too much) and I really don't mind some in the water (since that's where you'll usually find some different types of sea life in like rays, starfish and so on). But just wondering.

 

Glad to hear that the food was that great. Do you mind sharing what they served you? Was there a menu to pick from? Or was it a buffet style? Do you get 1 plate or can you eat as much as you wanted? How were the drinks?

 

What was interesting about the cab ride? Anything special happen? Or are you just referring to the bumpy winding roads at places? I know that Almaplena is suppose to be a little past Maya Chan, so I'm kind of aware of the road conditions (which aren't too bad I thought), but just wondering what you meant by that.

 

Also, how long did it take you to get there? Do you just tell them when you are ready to leave and they get you a cab back? Do you have to wait long for the cab to arrive?

 

Thanks so much for any help you might be able to give me. I'm really looking forward to this place. We leave for our cruise in 15 days. Woo hoo~

[Joeybun]

Since the surf was up it would be hard to know exactly about the clearness of the water. If I had to guess I would say it is the pretty crystal blue you are looking for since it was not that sea grass-ish color that you are talking about. Also, when walking through the water I did not encounter sea grass everywhere, it was just very sandy.

 

If you look at my photos carefully you can discern the "sections" by the names of the pics. Basically, they are only separated by the dunes. I just noted in my head that there seemed to be a bit of separation. Which is actually kind of cool because it is a lot bigger than I thought it was. You can go wherever you like. We sat in every area throughout the day. I like a change of scenery so I chair hop a lot. That being said, if the other chairs had been occupied it might have been uncomfortable :)

 

When we arrived I ordered a mango smoothie and my DH had Corona's. I think my granddaughter had a chocolate smoothie. Basically he said we could have anything we wanted. The food was served sit down family style in the open air restaurant. I honestly do not remember exactly what, but it was what you would expect in Mexico. Very tasty! I do not know if it was all you can eat, but there was plenty left over on the table that we couldn't get to. When you arrive they will ask you what time you want to eat.

 

They will also tell your cab driver what time to come back to get you. We wanted to stay as long as possible so we had our driver come back about 45 minutes before sunset. That way we wouldn't be traveling in the dark. The thing about the ride was that he drove very fast, 70 mph for a good stretch. Uh, I was a bit nervous! We actually ended up hitting several potholes and he apologized. Then on the return trip we didn't go as fast. The owner pays for the cab, like it says in the instructions, but we made sure to ask the cab driver if he knew Almaplena paid the fare. He called someone and confirmed that they did. I want to say it was a solid 20 minute drive.

[lexanna02]

We were there last Tuesday and found it to be very peaceful and relaxing! Several in our group snorkeled, even though it was quite windy with very choppy seas. Some of them even swam out to the reef....two or three times! Some of us walked the beach for quite a way in both directions. There was quite a bit of debris outside of the resort, but nothing could detract from the natural beauty of the beaches. The food was good...shrimp, beef, chicken, & pork tacos with beans & rice, and plenty of delicious guacamole! We don't drink alcohol, but there were plenty of soft drinks served to us! Andreas & Monica are delightful people, who simply want to make their customers happy. We even got to see there new baby girl! She's a beauty! The beach and resort were gorgeous. The water was beautiful, but a bit stirred up due to the high winds. It was much better than Maya Chan...not much sea grass at all...with beautiful, soft white sand, with no drop off to the water. There are lots of places to sit and relax....palapas, pillows, hammocks. The wifi on the porch was pretty good. Some in our group could even use it out on the beach! All in all, we would definitely go there again and highly recommend Almaplena!

[mitsugirly]

YES! So glad all of these wonderful reviews are coming in. I think I'm next on the list to go. woo hoo!! I just had my last final in Nursing school today and I'm so ready to start packing and head to this vacation! :)

[Zippercat]

We were there last Friday and can echo all the other positive reviews. Our party of 4 had the entire beach to ourselves....and it was as nice, or better, than the pics on their website. Highly recommended!

[rrobynec]

Was there last week. It was WONDERFUL . Pics are in my camera. Try the Fruit Cocktail. It is delish

 

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[mitsugirly]

We were there last Friday and can echo all the other positive reviews. Our party of 4 had the entire beach to ourselves....and it was as nice, or better, than the pics on their website. Highly recommended!

 

Was there last week. It was WONDERFUL . Pics are in my camera. Try the Fruit Cocktail. It is delish

 

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WOO HOO. So glad to hear these positive reviews still coming in.

 

Anyone care to share a few pictures before I leave in 4 days. :D

[Joeybun]

Found this fantastic photo on their Facebook page. You can see the three "sections" I was talking about...

[peg013]

We had a wonderful time there on Dec 6. 2012! :)

 

 

 

 

[beachseeker]

We had a wonderful time there on Dec 6. 2012! :)

 

 

Did anyone snorkel while you were there?

[peg013]

Did anyone snorkel while you were there?

 

Two of us did. The reef is not far from shore - maybe 40-60 yards. Lots to see - even 2 lionfish. Chris saw them first and pointed them out to me deep in a hole....they were in the hole not me, lol.:D

[mitsugirly]

Just went here last week. It was very beautiful and just like the pictures you see online. I would definitely recommend it, but I myself wouldn't return (been there done that). I will post a detailed review when I get a chance. I'm beat and our plane just came in a few hours ago and I have to work tomorrow. boo! :(

[weltek]

Just went here last week. It was very beautiful and just like the pictures you see online. I would definitely recommend it, but I myself wouldn't return (been there done that). I will post a detailed review when I get a chance. I'm beat and our plane just came in a few hours ago and I have to work tomorrow. boo! :(

 

If memory serves me right, you've also done Maya Chan before. What are your thoughts on comparing the two? I know sometimes it's not "one is better than the other," but rather "pick this one if you want XYZ, and this one if you want ABC."

[mitsugirly]

If memory serves me right, you've also done Maya Chan before. What are your thoughts on comparing the two? I know sometimes it's not "one is better than the other," but rather "pick this one if you want XYZ, and this one if you want ABC."

 

There is the good and the bad at both and each for different reasons. For a quick short answer without explanation, I would pick Almaplena. I'm working on my review, which will give comparisons between the two in it, but thought I would give you a quick answer.

:)

[weltek]

Awesome-can't wait to read your review.