Ilean's Trip to Club Med - Playa Blanca
"View from the top level above our rooms"
Getting There
Playa Blanca is something like 120 miles south of Puerto Vallarta which is where our plane landed. The brochure says nothing about the trip from the airport to the club. They do meet you at the air port and take you on the Club Med bus to the club. Somebody mentioned something like 2 hours on the bus -I may have got that from another web page. Try more like 3.5 hours and the roads look like somebody bombed them - there are so many pot holes. We were lucky, though. The bus we were on had some air conditioning and a bathroom (despite the fact that the interior reading lights and the bathroom light had shorted out). Flashlights are always handy to carry. Other buses had one or the other, and some had neither. The other route is through Manzanillo. The bus trip is only about 1.5 hours that way but the road winds back and forth just as much.
When we got there we were all going 'where is the bathroom' but they handed us a drink, gave us a welcome spiel and took us up for a light buffet (with good desserts). We managed to find the bathrooms on the way to eat. Then we got taken to our rooms. As you come off the bus, you are asked to identify your luggage. This not only makes sure you and your luggage get to the same room, but also makes sure that all of your luggage arrived at the club.
Money and the Exchange Rate
At the time of our trip (October 98) the exchange rate at the club was
US 9.4 pesos to the dollar (1000 pesos= $106.40 USD)
CDA 5.9 (1000 pesos = $169.50 cdn)
What we were told at the boutique was to take the pesos and divide it by 10 to get US dollars. To be on the safe side, I would rather divide it by 9. Then multiply by 1.5 (1 1/2) for Canadian. ie: 100 pesos = $11.00 US = $16.50 Cdn. This way you get no big surprises at the end.
You pay all your bills at the end of your stay. You can pay in pesos, US or Canadian, cash, travelers cheque or Mastercard or VISA.
When you arrive, they will take your airline tickets and you are given white card with your room number on it, and a lock and key for a safe in your room for all your valuables. SIGN the card so no one else can use it. They no longer keep the valuables in the office safe. Anything you buy you will pay for by signing for it. You don't get your air tickets back until your final bill is paid for. If you lose the safe key it will cost you 500 pesos to get it opened for you. You don't need to carry money unless you go on the shopping trip to the fishing village - then you get pesos from the on-site bank. You can not change this back to US or CDN dollars at the club, but you can use leftover pesos to pay your bill at the end.
Communication!
I don't know if its changed since then, but when we were there it was NOT easy to call home. There was only one (1) room where there was access to telephoness and I understand you had to book a time to call. It took a long time. Don't expect to be able to check on the kids. Don't expect people to be able to get hold of you short of a major emergency. There was no cable or phone access for computers- so unless you have a satelite link.......
Also, I have heard that if you take a computer to Mexico, you better have it well marked and make sure you claim it on the way down - or you might not be able to bring it back. (rumours)
"view from the other side of the cove - looking at the rooms we stayed in"
What is there to do?
Included
There is LOTS to do. You should never be bored (unless you want to be) - especially if you are there to relax. If you want to keep busy, there are tons of activities. The free daytime activities are kayaking, archery, circus(trapieze and stuff and if you are good enough they include you in the shows) , basketball, volleyball, bocceball, tennis, sailing, climbing wall, arobics, water arobics, weightlifting in the gym, swimming in the pool or ocean, and the snorkeling trip which is available morning and afternoon every day but Monday.
The brochure says scuba but there wasn't any. They say they are going out of scuba diving because they are required to have a doctor on site if they do.
Evening activities are watching the live show, dancing in the nightclub (disco) , swimming in the pool, and participating in the pre-dinner games (usually trivia type stuff) which are a lot of fun.
Most of the sporting activities have a tournament or a race at during the week and medals are given out before the Friday evening meal.
The shows in the theatre (free) are a hoot! 3 out of 5 were excellent. One of them uses volunteers from the guests. This is one of the best shows you will see. I missed the gang of 8 show, (everyone gets into teams for fun stuff) and it was supposedly hilarious and worth getting involved in. I understand half the people ended up in the pool - fully clothed. (of their own volition)
There is a drinking party on Monday. This was a free trip. The sign said "no snorkling, no sleeping, no books. Free Food. Free Drinks. Books will be burned. Intelligent People Stay Home". This was fun! They bus you to a nice beach where there are regular toilets (bonus!) There were two big plastic garbage containers full of Sangria. This is supposedly a mix of fruit juice, coke, lots of red wine and lots of Tequila. I think they just tell you that to make you think you are getting drunk. If there was that much booze in it, you would have had to be carried on to the bus to go home. Nobody needed to be carried. Nobody got sick. Therefore - not much booze. However - where Sangria got splashed - we got burned. Sangria removes water proof suntan lotion. Remember to reapply this right after the games, before you start eating and dancing and playing in the water. There were some small jelly-fish at this beach, and a few people got some minor stings. (Break out the Caladryl cream). They did call everyone out of the water for a while but most went back in again.
We spent a lot of time just floating around in the ocean at the club. The water has a very high salt content that makes it easier to float than on the BC coast. It is a little hard on the eyes until you get used to it. I don't know how clean (pollution wise) the water is, but the place (again) is quite far from any major town. The surf at the water's edge really stirs up the sand and gravel, and if you idle there you will get your britches full of it. There are shower towers both by the pool and at the beach to rinse of chlorine, salt, sand and sun tan lotion. Remember to slather it on folks - you'll still get a nice (and probably longer lasting) tan - and be less likely to peel.
Excursions - not included
This is what they don't tell you ahead of time so those with budgets don't have a chance to plan for it. All they say is additional cost. I didn't ask how expensive the massage was.
While snorkeling and the Monday Beach Drinking Party are free excursions, none of the others are. I thought they were a bit expensive and didn't go on any....
Horse back riding is also Expensive. I had planned to do a lot- I did none. ........
Trail Rides - Beginners and Intermediate $32 US/hour ($48 CDN) Experienced - $42 US/ 1 1/2 hour ($68 CDN)
Margarita Trail Ride - Beginner's $52 US ($78 CDN)- Intermediate $62 US ($93 CDN) for 3 hours.
Lessons (english) - $36US/hour ($54 CDN) on flat - $40US/hour ($60 CDN) jumping
Prices are per person. Most of these are only available on one day each week. Lots went on the shopping trip to the village, but I didn't think it was worth the cost. What I saw come back wasn't THAT cheap. The Margarita party was cancelled because nobody signed up for it. I didn't talk to anyone who went on to Bird Island or the Sunset Cruise. At the time of my trip, their excursion flyer (they gave me the US prices and I put in the Canadian approximate and anything that says "Note:") read:
BIRD ISLAND - 1/2 DAY - $45 US (about $67.50 CDN) - Discover this bird sanctuary untouched by man. After the cruise you may wish to go hiking, swimming or simply relax on the beach (Don't know if they are talking about the beach back at the club or not. . )
BARRA DE NAVIDAD - 1/2 DAY - $29 US (about $45 CDN) - Explore the delights of this colorful Mexican fishing village. Enjoy shopping and bargain hunting for handcrafted silver jewlery, blankets, pottery and typical handicrafts (Note: up to 40 people on a bus @ $29 US= +/- $1000 US for one trip and you have to get some awfully cheap deals to make the trip worth while.)
SUNSET CRUISE - 2 HOURS - $33 US (about $50 CDN) - Cruise along for a picturesque and colorful sunset. As the sun goes down, enjoy music and drings amidst fun and laughter.
DEEP SEE FISHING - 3 HOURS - $65 US (about $98 CDN) or 5 HOURS - $91 US (about $137 CDN). Always wanted to catch the Big One? Troll for Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Sailfish, Marlin, Snapper, etc...
VIRGIN MARGARITA PARTY - 1/2 day - $28 US (about $42 CDN) - Come and join the party of the week!!. Enjoy great music and fun with drinks and munchies down by a secluded beach for an awesome party you won't soon forget. (Note: the virgin part of the margarita party)
"view from the other side of the cove - from out on the water"
Food
There were two restaurants open for breakfast and lunch. The main restaurant was open every evening for dinner from 7:30 till about 9:30. The Pelican restaurant was open 3 days and served fish meals. No major crab, lobster or shrimp dishes though there supposedly was a Lobster Feast for lunch on Fridays that you can pay to go to. Breakfast was from 7 to 11:30. Lunch from 12:30 to about 3:30. Breakfasts were good with just about everything from scrambled and fried eggs and bacon to pancakes and crepes with canned fruit, fresh fruit, croissants and rolls, breads, cereals, etc.etc. Lunch was good with tortillas, hot and cold meats, hot foods, salads, breads, etc. and cookies and some other deserts. Dinners varied in quality. The French Cuisine night was the best both for meal quality and variety and for deserts. The rest of the nights the desserts were good (but not as good) and the meals were adequate.
Alcohol and drinking
Beer on tap and wine are available at meal times and are included in your stay. There is white, rosay and red wine. The beer is local (Corona?)
The Bar is open after about 10 am. It is run separately and you have to buy bar coupons. (These are easily lost. We lost $13 worth of tickets and our friend lost a whole small book. You might want to write your name and room number across the back in BIG BLACK LETTERS - but you still might not get it back) They can be bought in books or separately. If you buy the large book for $47 USD ($71 CDN) you get $50 US worth of tickets. Drinks are expensive. Local beer is about $3.50 US ($5.25 CDN) per bottle. Margarita slushes are $5 US ($7.50 CDN). Pina colada and other drinks are $6.00 US ($9 CDN). In the local villages (not easily accessable) the same beer is 5 pesos (about 60 cents US or 90cents CDN). Only local beer and Margaritas are included in happy hour. Tequila is 1/2 the price to buy by the bottle in Mexico but the drinks at the bar are double what we would pay at home. So you can see the mark up.
I suggest that If you want to drink much, it is definitely worth stocking up on duty free when you catch the plane on the way to the club. Then you can buy your duty free to take home on the way back. There seems to be no restriction on bringing your own booze. Next time, this is what we will do.....
What you need to take-
in the way of clothes
Don't need long pants or long sleeve shirts. Don't need sweaters. Don't need to bring a beach towel.
The club supplies each person with one beach towel which you can exchange for clean ones as often as you wish between 8 am and 5:30pm
Ladies could use cotton tops, t-shirts, shorts, cotton or rayon loose dresses and skirts. Bathing suit(s). Beach cover up or pereo (long or square piece of cotton or rayon that you can wrap around you in of about twenty different ways).You can make your own pereo by getting a piece of light cotton, rayon, or blend 45" wide x 1 1/2 to 2 yards long. finish the edges and tie it around you any wihich way you want. If you want long pants make sure they are light weight, loose and cotton.
Men could use lots of short sleeve t-shirts and shirts. Lots of shorts. Bathing suit(s) Maybe one pair long pants.
Everybody could use sandals or those really light weight runners to walk around in. Your feet will be too hot in socks and shoes.
Nothing dries out completely and nothing stays dry in October. The humidity was HIGH. When we got home all the stuff in our suitcases were wet.. Multiple pairs of shorts and tops are nice because you can at least pretend to be dry for a while.This supposedly changes as the rainy season ends The dress is CASUAL. There is Elegant Night on Friday night when the G 0's dress up and some guests do to - if they brought it. This is not manditory, but could be fun.
I think someone said European rules exist for on the beaches. Anyway, there was one person from France (female) who went topless. Mostly it was regular bathing suits or bikinis.
If you are there on a special day - ie: Halloween, Christmas, etc they may have some sort of fancy dress or theme party. You may want to fax or phone to ask about this (or have your travel agent do this so you can be prepared.
in the medicine chest
There is an infirmary at the club, but remember that anything you get from there in the way of medicines, you will have to pay for. There are two nurses on shift which are on call 24 hours a day which you don't need to pay for. There is a doctor on call which you will be charged for the use of.
Immodium or other anti-diaretic (take extra for your friends who didn't bring any)- the whole club is on a water purification system. This is the water that is used for cooking, water dispensers, bathroom sinks and showers - but lots of people came down with mild diarea anyway. Drink the bottled water if you can. They do charge $3 US for each litre bottle
antihistamines (for bug bites) such as benedryl tablets and antihistamine cream or lotion such as caladryl - The moisquitos (and some other small biting bug) were a problem, but this was the end of October and the end of the wet season. I am told it dries up in December. I believe its better to expect the worst and be prepared.
bug spray - though this didn't stop me from being bitten.... I at least wasn't as bad as some people.
lots of sun screen (15 or better) - we used 30 and got a good tan. Remember the water reflects sunlight. You can still get a bad burn when sitting in the shade or on a cloudy day.
and whatever you would normally take along such as:tylenol or aspirin: bandaids, antibiotic ointment, etc.
For the ladies - they do have a limited supply of Kotex tampons & pads- but don't look for any other brands. I didn't check the prices.
Don't forget to take along any special medication you have to have. You are probably about two hours away from a regular pharmacy.
What Went Right
The people there - both the staff (G Os) and the guests (GMs) were really friendly. We met lots of really nice people. We were for the most part well fed, and if the food wasn't always top quality, there was a lot to choose from. I got a tan. I forgot what home looked like.....
What Went Wrong
When we first got there, the room they gave us had twin beds and we had ordered a king size. We complained before we went to bed and they did move us.
The bathroom in our room stank, but we weren't going to go through a room change again - especially with so much else going on (water) - so we suffered. In hindsight I should have complained and had something done......
The water went out for a day and a half. We were on the bottom level so we got our water back fairly quickly one they had things fixed. It took almost another day before those on the top levels were able to use their showers and toilets. Supposedly a water pipe broke. In the evening of the first day they gave out free bottled water - unlimited and extended the happy hour from one to three hours. (A coupleFREE drinks would have been nice) We were very understanding about this, (things happen) but it would have been nice if they had been consistant about their story about what was happening. They kept saying it would be fixed and then they extended the time a bit. They didn't tell us it would be off for the whole night. And they didn't give us a new time in the morning. Stories varied from the cause being 10 to 15 miles outside of the club to being in the water processing plant and the exterior pressure coming on breaking the pipes for a second time. Confusing....
When the water went out - so did the Air Conditioning. This was uncomfortable. With no shower and no air, it was a very sticky night. We took a dip in the pool but couldn't rinse the chlorine off afterward. While the appologized about the water, they didn't warn you about the air conditioning......
DEMOGRAPHICS There was a wide range of people there. Club Med , I gather, has tried to change its reputation to interest a wider range of ages of people. Some of the clubs allow minors, this one doesn't. There were people from early twenties to mid seventies, all body types. Most came from Canada, the States and Mexico, with some from Europe. Lots of the staff were from Canada, the rest from just about everywhere in the world. There was pretty much an even split of males/females/singles/couples. I don't think anyone would feel out of place regardless of whether you went alone, part of a group or as a couple.
All in all we had a good time. The people were excellent. If you're nice - they're nice. If you're not - they try to be.
If you have any questions, or comments, please email me (below) with them. I will be happy to help (and add any info to my page that may be of interest or of benefit to others). I like to hear if this has been of any benefit to you on your travels or even just making up your mind whether or not to go.
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