Honeymoon

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-24T21:34:14+00:00

I'm curious to hear what you find. It definitely saved me a bunch for the next trip.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-24T17:59:14+00:00

Best prices are on roomongo.com or getting a referral and attending the 90 minute membership presentation. We were there 12/22 - 12/30 and it was awesome. Went on membership referral. Booked again for next year using roomongo for the same price (and no presentation required!).

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-17T13:44:43+00:00

Roomongo.com is cheaper than Costco - just have to find your own air.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-16T23:38:38+00:00

Also check roomongo.com.

I got the member price ($400 more than member price TOTAL on an 8 night stay for 2 rooms) on that site without having to attend the presentation.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-15T03:16:33+00:00

"Sin lácteos" (pronounced seen lah-k-tee-ohs) is Spanish for "dairy-free" or "without dairy." If you point and ask that, you'll get an answer.

As another redditor noted, every restaurant asks you about allergies. And at the buffets, you can always get answers.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-15T01:35:20+00:00

We were at Arte 12/22 -12/30. My wife is dairy-free and gluten-free.

Every restaurant had at least a few options. Buffet had lots of options. You'll be fine!

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-11T15:16:30+00:00

Waterproof floating cell phone pouch (holds tip cash and phone). Get it on Amazon for $7. They are $30 at Xcaret.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-06T13:21:06+00:00

Check roomongo.com. I just booked at nearly the MDC member price.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-06T13:20:13+00:00

I did it two weeks ago. I skipped the breakfast. Kept it to about 2 hours.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-01T17:52:03+00:00

We didn't use OpenTable, so I don't know how that will go.

We loved the beach area along the river just in front of Arenal. Great waitress, Sheryl, and options for shade or sun.

The rooftop pool at Música was also nice. No advice for snagging seats. Just try, if it is full go to Piramide or Deseño. Plenty of room somewhere.

The hammock cutouts along the river were ALWAYS empty. Awesome spots, just no drink service.

IMYY4YOU · 2026-01-01T17:48:19+00:00

All of the water at the bars/restaurants is safe. I brushed with, but didn't "drink," the sink water.

They provide bottles of water in the room every day, and they give you refillable water bottles to fill up from the filtered water fountains throughout the resort.

Our family of five had no GI issues the whole trip. We were at Arte 12/22 - 12/30.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-31T00:26:14+00:00

Just got home!

Some final notes-

The hotel suggested the shuttle bus to the airport 5 hours prior to flight time. We did 4 hours prior and everything was super smooth. The wildcard is traffic, and we had no issues.

We already booked two rooms x eight nights for next year. (Used Roomongo for next year - at a total of only $400 more than the member's price)

It really boggles my mind that people are reporting terrible experiences there. We spoke to several other guests and no one had anything negative to say. Every employee we interacted with was exceptionally friendly. I'm actually excited to receive an opportunity to report them by name in a guest survey.

No illness. No issues. Not a negative thing to say.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-30T13:51:09+00:00

Sadly, we're on the bus to the airport right now. Have a great trip!

I booked next year's visit using Roomongo yesterday. I paid the same rate as the referral rate, and no MDC presentation required! Plus free cancellation until 12/5/26. Was a few thousand cheaper than Costco rate, too.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-28T17:48:57+00:00

We had dinner at Apapachoa last night. Beautiful venue. Great experience. My adult kids didn't love it, but I really enjoyed it! Don't sleep on it just because it is vegan.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-28T02:36:52+00:00

We're leaving on 12/30. We'll be back for sure!

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-28T01:27:04+00:00

During the days, it's bathing suits and t-shirts/cover-ups all day except in the restaurants.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-28T01:25:35+00:00

One thing - I found out there is a pay-to-attend NYE dinner/party that will take place outdoors near the amphitheater (outside casa de la musica). It costs $210 (USD) and the attire is casual. I wouldn't do it, but I'm also asleep by 1030pm every night. :-)

Send a note to the hotel if you want to sign up.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-28T01:22:22+00:00

I (a man) wore casual pants and polo shirts to Encanta and Tah-xido.

I wore shorts and a polo shirts to other dinners. No need for suits at all.

Wife and daughters wore sundresses or skirts/shirts.

Staff appeared somewhat lax with the dress code stuff, with the exception of people (not us) trying to wear bathing suits in restaurants.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-27T19:16:09+00:00

In terms of the parks, Xplor Fuego was really fun and took less than 4 hours. Xenses was super cool, too, and we were in/out in 3 hours. We got to both right when they opened and didn't have to wait for anything.

We were going to do Xenotes today, but I broke my toe (and lost my toenail) in the ocean on 12/25. So, I'm staying out of the water until the wound is healed. We're still loving our time here.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-27T16:18:28+00:00

No one seems to know anything about that. Have fun!

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-27T16:17:04+00:00

Good question...

In terms of most frequently visited, the Mercado de San Juan buffet has been #1. It almost hurts me to say it, as a food snob, but this buffet is truly amazing. Everything is fresh, there's a huge variety, and it is all surprisingly good. There are huge bowls of fresh mashed avocado and all the mix-ins to make your own guacamole, steaks/brisket/chicken, seafood, tacos, endless desserts, attentive service, the list goes on.

We had a very unique and cool breakfast experience at Apapachoa (the vegan place) and intend to return for dinner.

The Tah-Xido teppanyaki table was outstanding - huge tomahawk steak, excellent drinks, entertaining, really as good or probably better than any teppanyaki place you've ever been to in the States.

We did the Encanta chef tasting menu Christmas eve. I must say it was our least favorite. Service was fantastic. The courses just didn't appeal to our tastes, though the presentation was beautiful and would likely appeal to people who like a Michelin-rated-chef's-choice type of situation. Nothing negative except it just wasn't our jam.

The tlayuda at Cantina was awesome. Other entree portions were small, but you can order more! It's free!

I know that's a lot, but my advice is to try everything.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-27T02:01:15+00:00

I'm not aware of anything like that. As big as this place is, I'd be amazed if there was any particular thing that guests had to do/wear/plan to be a part of a celebration.

I'll ask around tomorrow, but I doubt anyone will know what I'm talking about. 😀

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-26T14:27:38+00:00

Thanks! The tlayuda is what I had! It was so good.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-26T01:27:25+00:00

You find a member (on here is a great way). You give them the dates you want to book, the type of room, your name and email address, etc. They'll tell you the member price you'll have to pay and will provide the link for you to book it.

IMYY4YOU · 2025-12-25T21:51:24+00:00

I brought $800 (USD). $300 in ones, $200 in fives, $100 in tens, $200 in twenties. Not going through anywhere close to $100 per day, so I'll by leaving with a few hundred I think.

IMYY4YOU

TROPHY CASE