As a couple who travel solely to locations and resorts that cater to adult-only atmosphere’s, it seemed to be only a matter of a time till we tried checking out a clothing optional resort. Enter Intima, a boutique resort in the heart of Tulum that separates itself from the competition by only allowing adults to stay and giving them the option to dress or undress as they see fit. So what can you expect when you stay here? Read on and we’ll share everything there is to know about this hidden paradise in Tulum.

Getting there

Unfortunately, there isn’t an airport in Tulum. The closest place you can fly is in to Cancun, which is about 80 miles (130km) from Tulum. This begs the question, but how do I get there? Our method of choice is to rent a vehicle in Cancun and drive down. Car rentals are relatively affordable and this gives you the most flexibility to do things on your vacation, though we understand not everyone likes to drive in foreign countries. You can take a bus or get a private transfer to take you directly to Intima as well. If you choose this route, then you will be needing to use taxis while in Tulum, or you can walk to parts of the city or even use bicycles that Intima will lend to you free of charge.

Location

There are two main areas in Tulum. The main city and the beach road. Intima is located in the main city, which is closer to affordable shopping and dining. There’s also plenty of convenience stores and grocery stores nearby. The biggest benefit to staying in the city is the price. Everything from food, to shopping to your stay at Intima are very reasonable and sometimes downright cheap. Staying on the beach road can be very costly, but come with the convenience of being on the beach. Utilities aren’t quite up to par though on the beach road and many places don’t have air conditioning, or cut power off during the night. There isn’t proper infrastructure there so much of it is run off of generators.

When you get to Intima , the last 100 feet can make you second guess where you’re going. Unfortunately, the last part of the road could use a bit of work and is full of potholes. If Intima could fix one thing about their place, my suggestion would be to get this “driveway” fixed.

Rooms

First, Intima is very secure and safe. The entire complex has a wall around it keeping onlookers out. When you first walk in it’s hard not to take notice of the pool. Immediately you’re looking at the main pool along with the swim up bar. This isn’t your average pool though as it snaked off in 4 different directions into what looks like rivers that connect to the rooms. This brings us to the actually rooms…

• 1st Floor – Every room on the first floor is a swim up room, but not your average swim up . When you walk out onto your back porch, you’re walking into what feels like a rainforest and can just step in to your own pool cove. Your cove then connects to a river that eventually will take you out to the main pool. Every room is both connected, but completely private.
• 2nd Floor – The rooms on the second floor are the same as the first floor but instead of having a swim up cove, they include a hot tub on the porch. For those wanting complete privacy and a hot tub, these rooms are for you, but there’s one that’s even better, the penthouse.
• Penthouse – Identical to the 2nd floor rooms with a hot tub on the porch, one added benefit to these rooms is that they have a stair case that leads to the roof and a private pool.

The studio suites are standard suites with a mini fridge and all one main room, but get a junior or master villa and you’ll get your own bedroom, plus living room and full kitchen. There is also the option to combine the two and have a 2 bedroom master villa.

Based on our time there, we prefer the penthouse suite followed by a swim up villa.

Food/Drinks

Intima isn’t all-inclusive, but to be fair, there aren’t any all-inclusive resorts in Tulum. If that’s what you’re looking for, you may want to stay closer to Cancun. There is a restaurant/bar there called Passions though. If you book your trip directly with Intima , they will include made-to-order breakfast with your reservation which alone is completely worth it. They do offer an all-inclusive/full board add on if that’s really what you’re looking for. If you plan on staying there the entire time, then this may be a good idea for you. I do have to say though that the food at Passions is amazing. We’ve stayed in other nearby resorts that don’t compare. Everything was fresh and cooked exactly as we asked. Even the drinks where incredible. Our favorite waiter, Joe, took the time to make us some fantastic drinks, both with and without alcohol that we’re still craving now that we’ve made it home.

The best part though is that you don’t have to eat everything here. There are some great places to eat within walking distance or a short bike ride. Pasha has some great Turkish food, or La Hydra by Gigi up the road has amazing pizza.

About our trip

So, besides the facts, how do we really feel about Intima ? On this last trip we felt like we owned the entire place. It was down season and to say Intima was Intimate would be an understatement. This place truly is intimate and we felt very relaxed and comfortable. We stayed at another all-inclusive high end resort after staying here and wish we were back at Intima . There really isn’t anywhere else we’ve stayed quite like this and we highly recommend trying it.

About the clothing optional aspect part, we didn’t even really we were naked half of the time. No one bothered us, no one stared, though hardly anyone was there. We could simply roll out of bed in the morning, walk outside and jump in the pool without ever having to even think about what to wear. And let’s be honest, we didn’t have much laundry to do when we returned home! There’s no feeling like skinny dipping and blending those tan lines away is always a plus.

Melody Maker, a “multi-sensory experience” as they self-proclaim this resort to be. Read this entire review to find out everything you could ever want to know about this refreshed resort in the heart of Cancun’s hotel zone. There are some positive points here, but for the most part, this resort is claiming to be something it isn’t and most people we talked to, including ourselves were extremely disappointed overall.

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First of all, this isn’t the “Melody Maker” they claim to be. Their EDM concerts span a few weeks during Spring Break only. The fact that they give free concert tickets to their bookings doesn’t mean anything unless you’re actually going during Spring Break. The resort gives off the vibe that you can expect a lot of EDM/dance music during your stay, but in reality they play the same elevator music most family resorts will have playing. We weren’t the only ones thinking this as we met lots of other EDM fans extremely disappointed with the music or lack there of at the resort. Also, bear in mind that Melody Maker is an adult-oriented resort. There were some kids there, but they shouldn’t have been. MM needs to limit this, but they aren’t. Please do your children and all the other guests a favor and don’t bring kids here. But, let’s get to the nitty gritty of the resort and what you can expect.

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Check-in/Out

Our check-in went relatively smooth, though we did arrive late in the evening when there was hardly anyone else checking in and definitely no one checking out. Like most resorts, you’ll be given a wrist band to indicate that you belong there (that carries a $150 charge if you lose it). The problem with their bands it that they keep getting tighter with no possible way to loosen them. So everyone ends up with a band that’s strangling their wrist by the 2nd day. When we did check out, it was during the busy time and while it wasn’t horrible, it did take 25 minutes of waiting to get through the line just so they could cut off our band.

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The Rooms/Suites

Obviously all rooms aren’t equal. Reports before we arrived were complaining a lot about how the rooms wouldn’t cool down and that the A/C just couldn’t keep up. Our room, an Ocean View Junior Terrace Suite had no problem staying cool, as long as we kept the sliding glass door closed. It would cool to 22C (~72F) though. All of their rooms are very spacious and have a few nice touches. New LCD TV’s, rainfall shower heads and for our room, a large balcony with Bali bed and Jacuzzi. The issue here though is that the Jacuzzi does take about 30 minutes to fill up, and you had to refill it regularly because the drain leaked. On top of that, the jets didn’t work at all, so it was really just a tub. Overall, Melody Maker put a lot of polish on an aging building and tried to clean it up, but cut corners in many areas. The rooms also had a mini bar which was restocked occasionally. When they did, they’d remove our own items that we put in there, which was really annoying. On top of that, people from MM would sometimes just come in to your room, unannounced, so we never quite felt like our belongings were safe.

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Food

The food we’ve enjoyed while in Cancun has been one of the highlights of all of our trips, until now. If you care about the food at your resort, this is reason enough to never go to Melody Maker. Ignore all the amazing looking restaurants that they advertise on their site. Let’s talk about reality.

• The Social Buffet Marketplace – This is the buffet at MM and it was open, most of the time. Unfortunately, it was about as hot in here as it is in direct sunlight and the A/C units were constantly dripping in the room, including on some of the food laid out. Breakfast was probably the best option here, though having the same thing ever day does get a little old. One night, it was so hot in there, they set up tables outside by the pools to feed everyone at.
• Talavera Mexican Restaurant – We only got to eat here once, as it was often closed or serving food from a different restaurant. The beef was surprising good though and probably the best meal we had.
• Melody Maker Restaurant – This place doesn’t exist. As a restaurant that is. You can go here later in the evening and wait for a single bartender to make a drink for you, but again, expect to wait quite a while. It is not a restaurant, so I don’t know why they have it advertised as one.
• Botanico – Somehow this “Asian Inspired” restaurant ended up being what we had every night. It was closed one night for a private party, but served in Talavera instead. Our first night eating here we really enjoyed it. The 2nd night it was ok, and by the 3rd night we couldn’t even bring ourselves to eat anything from the menu.
• Delirio Beach House – We can’t speculate on this as it’s an extra up-charged place to eat but wasn’t even open during our stay.
• Nespresso Coffee Shop – Usually a huge hit with us, but here expect to pay extra for anymore more than coffee or an espresso. Yes any Nespresso products cost extra, even though it’s the name of the place.
• Room Service – This is available 24/7 though with a limited menu. Room service is free, but there is a delivery charge of $5 each time you order something. What caught us by surprise is that they expect you to pay that charge on the spot in cash. I was expecting to charge it to the room and had to scramble to find cash when they arrived.

One place not listed on their site is a food truck by the pools during lunch time. This was a nice option, but you could only get as much as a hot dog or hamburger here. Once day they had fries as well, but it wasn’t ever enough to satisfy you.

Pools

There are three pool areas, one up on the first floor of the building that’s difficult to get to as it’s not marked anywhere. Though, once you take the elevator to the 1st floor, head left about 50 feet. On your right will be an unmarked door. One of the ones that doesn’t have a room number. That will lead down a hall to these pools. Unfortunately, they’re mostly for looks, as they’re all cold water and range from a foot deep to 2 feet deep. Kids are not allowed in this area though.

The top pool in the main area is for everyone. This pool is the quieter pool though kids are allowed in. The lower pool is the party pool. It’s kind of quiet during the week and a bit more packed during the weekend, but see below as to why that is. Don’t expect to get served drinks here though. On average it will take 15-30 minutes for you to get served. After watching the bartenders just shift stuff around over and over, not really doing anything it gets really annoying. You’ll have better luck at the top bar. Also, if you want food by the pool or at the beach it comes with a hefty up-charge, something we’ve never experienced in any other resort in Cancun.

One thing we didn’t think of ahead of time is the sheer heigth of Melody Maker. Since the sun sets behind the hotel, the top pools are in shade by 1pm, the middle area by 3pm, and by 4:30pm there is no sun anywhere on the grounds. You have to walk out to nearly the water to get any sun after that.

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Entertainment

This is going to be a short section because honestly, there in no entertainment. Nothing is organized, there is no entertainment crew and there is no nightclub. Melody Maker publicizes that they have a “Champagne Bar” and they do, but it was never open once during our stay. This is just another part of the resort that’s just there for looks.

During Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there is a DJ by the pool from noon-10pm. The catch here is that you can’t use any of the beds or lounge chairs as a result. You can however get one of the beds by buying a $20 bottle of liquor for $200. No problem, we just got a bed on the beach and used the pool. Unfortunately, when we tried opening our own bottle of Prosecco (which they don’t offer), we were asked to leave or pay $100. So we took a few steps further onto the beach and drank it on public property. This was after being promised a bed to use, but then being told that they were fully booked. We spent the day around here and noticed nearly half of the beds were never used, while security pushed anyone out who tried sitting on them. Overall, Delirio, their pool club is a complete failure and something the Melody Maker needs to fix before we could ever recommend staying here.

The Beach

The Beach is an area even Melody Maker can’t screw up. Cancun has some of the most beautiful beaches and that hasn’t changed. They did work on making sure seaweed was cleaned up. I actually saw them around 5:30am clearing it, while waiting for the sunrise. The water is still blue and turquoise as ever and it actually wasn’t that rough. About 50 feet from the shoreline is a sandbar, so the waves that do come in there aren’t too bad. They did have a life guard as well that was whistle happy, making sure everyone stayed directly in front of him. I never figured out why that was.

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Overall

This was a difficult stay for us. We absolutely love Cancun and have never had a bad visit until now. In the future we will be wary of the paid reviews that are out there. Melody Maker is spending most of their efforts on advertising instead of making their customers happy and it’s showing in Trip Advisor. We almost booked elsewhere the days leading up to our trip as negative reviews were coming in, and wish we would have now. We even saw a promotional company there during our stay and were made quite aware when we were told we couldn’t sit at the only tables that were made up with clean silverware, since they were doing a photo shoot. Melody Maker has a lot of work to do before we can recommend staying there. We don’t often tell our audience to avoid somewhere, but this is an exception. Of course we did find some time to get some great photos, so head on over to our Instagram page and follow/comment on what we have there.

If you have any other questions, feel free to comment below.  And as always, check us out on Instagram for more pictures and video of our adventure to Haleakala and other cool adventures around the world.

Out in the middle of the Pacific, 10k feet above sea level, you’ll find one of the greatest places to watch the sun rise and set.  It’s a bit of a drive, but a beautiful one at that.  If you’re planning on visiting Maui, then this is a must do, but make sure you plan far in advance because it’s not just open for anyone to do and will take some preparations.

Plan ahead

If this is something you are definitely going to do, then get on over to the National Parks website and request a reservation as soon as possible.  Reservations only cost $1.50/day/vehicle, but are very limited.  60 days prior to any date, reservations go on sale and may sell out within a week at peak times, or a few weeks other times.  A few extra reservations are available just 24 hours prior to going, but I don’t suggest counting on that if at all possible.  Once you get there, there is also a $30 fee per vehicle to get in to the park.  Most of the reservations seem to be taken up by tours given which will could cost you 10 times more than driving yourself.  

Also, if the Sunrise is happening at 6:00am, be there no later than 5:30am as the best viewing and colors happens prior to the sun breaking through the horizon.  People start arriving hours ahead of time, so the earlier you get there, the better chance you have at landing the perfect viewing spot.

Pack warm clothes

You may be in the tropics, but at 10k feet it’s going to be cold.  Even during the summer, expect the temps to be in the 40’s (f).  A blanket, or pants and jacket is definitely necessary.  The wind can also be a factor so be prepared.  The temperature change from the summit to sea level can be drastic, so dress in layers to be properly prepared for a full day.

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Relax and enjoy the sunrise!

Don’t be in a rush to leave once the sun does come up.  The view from the summit is spectacular and constantly changing over the next hour or so.  There is also a visitor center/observatory that you should check out.  Considering you can see half of Maui on a clear day, the view is something you’ll want to soak up and enjoy.

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Tip: watch out for people biking down the mountain.  This is an excursion many swear by, but it’s also dangerous as people get hurt often. 

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If you have any other questions, feel free to comment below.  And as always, check us out on Instagram for more pictures and video of our adventure to Haleakala and other cool adventures around the world.

Maui is a very beautiful island and there’s one adventure anyone who goes there has either done or heard of, the road to Hana.  The entire road to Hana is only 52 miles, but the drive can take anywhere from 2-4 hours to do.  This is because the road has 620 curves, 59 bridges (most are one lane) and is all over the place in elevation.

Driving just about anywhere on the road to Hana over 20 mph is rare.  When taking into account stops made to take hikes to beautiful waterfalls, or just stopping on the side of the road to check out the view or get some banana bread, a trip to Hana and back will most likely take all day.  The only true way to fully enjoy this majestic side of the island is to stay somewhere in Hana so you save yourself the drive out there and can take your time exploring.  Hana is a small town with a population not more than 1,000 and is fairly isolated, so your options for finding somewhere to stay are far and few between.  The main and only resort on this side of Maui is Travaasa Hana and their prices reflect the lack of competition.  Other options include AirBnb/VRBO and the place we called home for a few days, the Bamboo Inn, a bed and breakfast that much more than we ever expected.

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The Bamboo Inn is run by it’s owner, John, who stays out of site, but lives on sight with his dog.  This bed and breakfast only has 3 suites from the 2 story Nai’a Suite to the smaller ‘Iwa Suite and Honu Suite, which we stayed in.  Each suite has it’s own benefits, but we absolutely loved the quaint feel of the Honu.  Bamboo is everywhere here and covered the entire inn.  The doors to each of the suites are custom made and carved with different designs.  Our room had a queen size bed, kitchenette and an awesome 2-person Jacuzzi on the balcony facing out to the east with a view found only in story books.  Adding to the romance, our shower was actually located outside, under the stars, a feature we love but have only enjoyed once before, on our honeymoon.  The kitchenette had everything we could ask for including a toaster oven, small fridge, blender and basic kitchen utensils.

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Check-in couldn’t have been easier as our key was info was left in an easy to find location and we just checked ourselves in when we arrived.  Checking out was similar with us just leaving our key in the room when we left.  Of our entire trip to Maui, we had the most amazing breakfast while at the Bamboo Inn.  Each morning breakfast is set out for each of the guests to grab and take and includes fresh bread, croissants, fruits and fruit juice.  This, plus a cup of coffee we made in the room, was a great way to start off each day.  

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One of the best things about the Bamboo Inn though is that you have a direct view of a beautiful black beach and unimpeded view of the sun rising in the morning.  The black beach is more of a black rock beach like nothing we’ve seen before.  The “sand” is all black rocks, ranging in size from nearly the size of sand to the size of a basketball.  The sound the ocean makes when waves move the rocks back and forth was really different and something I’ll never forget.  This isn’t your normal type of beach you want to lay out on or go swimming in, but those are within walking distance.  The water here is a little rough and you won’t want to even be barefoot as the rock can be a little tough on your feet.

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Within walking distance is the Hana Bay Beach Park and a little beyond that is the hidden Kaihalulu beach, also known as the red sand beach.  The red sand is created from Ka’uiki Head a cinder cone hill on the north side of it.  Getting to Kaihalulu is a little bit of a hike, crossing private land, but is done regularly and is fairly well marked.

Staying at the Bamboo Inn puts you at just 30 minutes from Kipahulul, where the Pools of ‘Ohe’o (marketed as the Seven Sacred Pools) and Bamboo Forrest are.  Just north of the Bamboo Inn is the state park, Waianapanapa, which has a beautiful black sand beach, long hiking trails and caves to explore.  You’re also not too far from the lava tubes you can walk through as well.  All of things, which you shouldn’t miss, would take hours to drive to each day if staying on the west coast.  This is why we highly recommend staying here at least a night or two.

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If you have any questions about the Bamboo Inn , or Hana, feel free to contact us.  You can find more information and pictures over at Instagram as well.

Finding that perfect place to stay isn’t always the easiest.  Here at Otus, we focus on resorts and hotels that cater specifically to adult’s only.  When on vacation, without children, the last thing most people want to be around is other people’s children running around making noise and splashing you in the pool.  There are thousands of resorts that cater to families which is wonderful, but here we’re doing our best to make it easier for those who want that extra bit of peace and serenity on their next vacation.

The internet is full of the “top xx” lists of resorts, but not everyone is looking for the same type of experience and those lists only report a handful of resorts.  In order to give you more options, we’ve decided to list every resort we’re aware of so you can do better research to find the perfect fit.  These resorts do not allow anyone under the age of 18, though some are 21+.  In addition to that, a few of them only allow couples, so check ahead of time if you’re trying to do a girls-trip or are going with a bunch of friends.

Please check back often as this list will be kept up to date as more information added as it’s changed.  There are new adult-only resorts being built right now, others that are changing from adult oriented to family oriented and reverse.  If you add a comment below, we’ll update you when the list is updated.  If we have missed anything in this list please let us know in the comments below and we’ll get it updated asap.

Resort and Hotels….Contact us if we’ve left you out or if you’d like to get an in-depth review of your resort highlighted at Otus Adventures.

Resort/Hotel	City	Country	All-Inclusive
Azulik	Tulum	Mexico	No
Casa Chameleon	Mal Pais	Costa Rica	No
Club Med Turkoise	Grace Bay	Turks & Caicos	Yes
El Castillo Boutique Luxury Hotel	Puntarenas	Costa Rica	Breakfast Only
Excellence Playa Mujeres	Isla Mujeres	Mexico	Yes
Excellence Riviera Cancun	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Golden Parnassus Resort	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Grand Oasis Sens -> Our Full Review	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Hard Rock Hotel Cancun	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Haven Resorts & Spa	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana	Punta Cana	Dominican Republic	Yes
Riu Palace Antillas Stay – Aruba	Noord	Aruba	Yes
Hyatt Zilara Cancun	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Isla Mujeres Palace	Isla Mujeres	Mexico	Yes
Kore Tulum Retreat and Spa	Tulum	Mexico	Yes
Le Blanc Spa Resort	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Live Aqua Cancun	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Luxury Bahia Principe Bouganville	La Romana	Dominican Republic	Yes
Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Bay	Runaway Bay	Jamaica	Yes
Luxury Bahia Principe Sian Ka’an	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Paradisus Cancun	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Paradisus Playa del Carmen La Perla	Playa del Carmen	Mexico	Yes
Riu Reggae	Montego Bay	Jamaica	Yes
Royal Decameron Los Cabos	Los Cabos	Mexico	Yes
Royal Hideaway Playacar	Playa del Carmen	Mexico	Yes
Secrets Aura	Cozumel	Mexico	Yes
Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun	Playa del Carmen	Mexico	Yes
Secrets the Vine Cancun	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Senses Riviera Maya by Artisan	Playa del Carmen	Mexico	Yes
Sun Palace	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
Temptation Cancun	Cancun	Mexico	Yes
The Reef 28	Playa del Carmen	Mexico	Yes
The Royal Playa del Carmen	Playa del Carmen	Mexico	Yes
The SoCo Hotel	Bridgetown	Barbados	Yes
Villa Buena Onda Hotel	Playa del Coco	Costa Rica	Yes
Villa Lala – Premium Collection	Puerto Vallarta	Mexico	No
Riu Republica -> Our Full Review	Punta Cana	Dominican Republic	Yes

Riu Republica is self-described as…. “Located on a heavenly beach, the Hotel Riu Republica – Adults Only is your perfect option for enjoying an unforgettable holiday in Punta Cana. This adults-only hotel on the Arena Gorda beach has free WiFi, a varied gastronomic offer and the best 24-hour All-Inclusive service.”  So, how does it stack up?  Keep reading to find out.

Arrival – PUJ Airport

First, before you can get to Riu Republica, you have to get there from the airport.  The airport at Punta Cana doesn’t have walls or A/C so dress appropriately, because it’s hot.  Our trip through customs was no less than 2 full hours, though we’ve heard of some people getting through faster during odd times.  Our arrival was mid-day.  So, expect long wait times in lines.  There are reports of having to pay a $10 fee to enter the country and $20 to leave, but that was done away with this year and the fees are included in your flight going forward.

Transfer to Riu

Our first recommendation is to get a private transfer to the resort.  We opted for a shared shuttle and very much regretted it.  Riu Republica is the 2nd further resort from the airport, with the Hard Rock being the only one further, so you will be the last stop.  Our shuttle “tour” took just over an hour to get to the hotel.

Check-In

Checking in at Riu was fairly painless, minus a bit of a wait.  Again, the check-in area is an open building without walls, so dress appropriately.  Rooms are already determined before you get there, so there isn’t much of a chance of changing your room unless you’re willing to wait a bit longer.  The RIU is sectioned into two distinct areas, commonly referred to as the “old” section and the “new” section.  Don’t let this fool you as the difference in their age is less than a year.  The newer section is further from the water and where most of the partying takes place.  It’s also where the water slides are.  The older section is regarded as the quiet section and closer to the beach.

Continuing with the check-in, once you’re given your document indicating your room number and wifi information, you’re on your own.  You can find a bell boy to help with the bags, but the help ends there.  Finding your room is up to you, so make sure you get specific directions before leaving.  There are more than 1,300 rooms at this resort, and while the layout is simple, it’s easy to get lost finding your room.  We found our room to be in the old/party section facing outwards towards Hard Rock/swamps on the first floor.  My first thought was that we had one of the worst rooms possible, but that attitude changed over time, which I’ll explain why later.

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The Room

There are only three room types at Riu Republica, the base room, which is either facing outwards or towards the center of the resort, the Ocean View, which is the same room but faces the beach (even though it’s still 100 yards away) and the Suite, which is truly the only room upgrade you can get.  For $36/day you can upgrade to an Ocean View, or $100/day for a suite.  The rooms are basic as best with the only notable feature being the liquor bar included.  With all the bars around though we never even used the liquor.  They will only refill these bottles every other day and they only fill them half way, so don’t count on them being your only source of liquor.

The rooms have all the basic necessities, including a hair dryer, safe, 20 or so hangers in the closet and even a ceiling fan.  The Shower has an opaque window that lets whoever is in the room somewhat make out who’s in the shower.  Note, the toilet paper is akin to a very thin card board.  If you have a sensitive bum, you may want to bring some of your own.  There is also only one power outlet in the room and two in the bathroom, so bring a splitter if you want to be able to charge up more than one item at a time.  The power is 110v, US adapter style.

TIP: In order for the electricity to work in the room, you have to put a room key in a special slot.  If you want it to work after you leave the room, you have to keep it in there.  Bring a spare card that you can leave behind and you can keep your devices charging while gone.

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The Food

The food at the Riu Republica left a lot to be desired, at least for us, based on our previous experience.  Get ready for a lot of buffets.  There is a buffet in both sections of the hotel with the one in the older section being twice as large as the newer one.  The food is the same, so it doesn’t really matter which one you eat at.  This is your only option for breakfast and lunch and the hours are limited.  When we originally arrived at the hotel, lunch was just finishing up so we were unable to eat for another 3 hours at dinner time.  There are a couple other small options so let’s get into those.

Jerk Chicken Stand – By the beach is a small stand that you can get jerk chicken from.  It’s open most of the day, but they only really have chicken, burgers and hot dogs.  The chicken is really good though and they will wrap it up for you to take back to your room

TIP: Bring Tupperware with you to fill with extra food.  It will come in handy when the restaurants are closed.

The Sports Bar – This place is open 24/7 and has some limited food options.  They have a very of a hot dog that I don’t recommend.  They’re very rubbery and hard to eat.  They also have cold burgers and sandwiches that can be heated up.  The last item available here is chips and queso, though 4 out of 5 times we tried to get some, the queso was all over the place and there was actually none left.  This area was never clean or even close to it.

Room Service – Nope, there is none.  This is a huge disappointment and I don’t believe any hotel/resort should be allowed to claim that they’re 5 stars without offering room service.

Dinner – Dinner is served from 6:30 – 9:00, and you have your choice of 7 restaurants in addition to the buffets.  Get there early to eat without issues.  They don’t have that much seating and if they’re full, you’ll be put on a waiting list and given a pager.  Most of the time, wait times were around 30 minutes, minus the steak house which was much worse.  These are all optional, but worth trying if you want something other than the usual buffet.

• Asian restaurant (buffet)
• Italian restaurant (buffet)
• Two “Kulinarium” restaurants (à la carte)
• Indian restaurant (buffet)
• Spanish restaurant (à la carte, buffet starters and dessert)
• Steakhouse (à la carte) – Get here before 6:30 if you want a seat.  Otherwise, wait times can be up to 2 hours or you simply won’t get in.
• Romantic open air dinner (reservations required, additional charge) – Dinner on the beach.  $150 USD.

The bars

All bars at the Riu Republica have the same options providing you with a basic white and red wine, standard liquors (no top shelf) and a bubbly white that they call champagne (only 7%).  One of the local favorites is Mamajuana, which is often referred to as the “baby maker”.  Be careful with this drink and take it easy, it is very potent.  Fortunately, you’re never too far from a bar with pool bars, a sports bar, lobby bar and even a hidden one on the north side of the beach.  This bar, Coco’s, was our favorite as there was never a wait here, and it was on the beach.  Most people never even know this bar exists and we heard from people over and over again that they didn’t realize it was there until their last day.

Another secret that most people don’t realize is that on the north side of the resort there is a small road that connects the “new” side of the resort with the beach.  During the day, there is a 10 person golf cart that goes back and forth saving you from a 10 minute walk.  Here’s where our room location came in very handy.  The stop for the transfer was right outside of our room and we utilized this multiple times a day.  We got to be where all the action was in the back half, but could get to the beach faster than even the closest rooms on the old side.  Even better, the stop by the beach stops at Coco’s bar!

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Entertainment

Ok, so the entertainment is pretty tough.  If you want to party hard, spring break style, then there is plenty of entertainment for you including foam parties, twerking contests, sliding on the marble bar and the beach party.  The other side of the entertainment, mainly the shows that are put on are half as good as what you could expect from a cruise ship.  The show time for us was really a time to relax, catch up on rest and talk to friends.

The pools

There are a lot of pools at the Riu Republica.  3 of them have swim up bars and all the pools range from quiet to party central.  There is literally a pool for everyone, except kids of course.  No matter how you’re feeling you can find the right pool and enjoy it.  There never seems to be an issue finding chairs or people to meet either.

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The Beach

Let’s be honest, this is why you want to go to Punta Cana.  The beach is beautiful, the sand white, the water clear blue.  Riu Republica takes great care of the beach in front of the resort and it shows.  The amount of beach isn’t quite a much as you’d hope for with a resort this size, but they make up for it by building a huge berm 100 feet back from the water.  You can be out in the full sun, under shade, or under palm trees, it’s your choice.

The second night we were there, seaweed washed up from the sea.  I had walked out early in the morning to find huge holes being dug by the workers every 20 feet or so.  They took all the seaweed, buried it and filled the holes before the crowds arrived.  I don’t see any way this beach will be washing away anytime soon as a result.  There are a lot of people crammed in to such a small area, but you can walk for a mile in either direction as the beach just goes on and on.  To the north there is only one other resort, then the beach is empty.  If you want to be alone, it’s no further than a 15 minute walk.

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Other things to note

There is a gym and outdoor exercise area, though we didn’t partake.  The same goes for a spa, including massages on the beach, though Riu claims it is run by a third-party company and they can’t give much information about it.  We saw plenty of people in the gym, but the spa seemed oddly empty at all times.

The best part of Riu Republica were the people we met and friends we made.  You could be off to yourselves and never talk to another person, or you could go home with 50 new friends.  Making friends isn’t tough as everyone was very nice and finding like minded people is really easy.  Overall, we believe Riu Republica is a 3-3.5 star resort.  Reviews of this resort are all over the place and we can see why.  This could be exactly the place you’re looking for, or exactly the opposite.  Hopefully we’ve given you enough information to figure out that decision for yourself though.  If you wish to know more, feel free to contact us or leave a comment below.  More pictures and video are posted on our Instagram feed as well.

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As always you can find more pictures over on our feed in Instagram.  Follow us to get all of our updates.

It’s that time of year again.  The sun is shining, the water is warm and the beaches are crowded.  This winter seems to never want to end, so our only option is to head to a warmer place and enjoy the sun there.   Miami beach is a popular destination as it’s easy to get to, but can sometimes be costly to actually stay there.  Luckily there are other options such as the Ocean Surf Hotel on the northern side of Miami Beach.  This hotel has fairly poor reviews on most of the web, but they’ve been working hard to change that.  The hotel has recently undergone a complete renovation, updating all of their rooms.  This isn’t a mega resort and doesn’t even have a pool, but who really needs a pool when the beach is 100 feet away?

Versace, Versace..

If this hotel looks familiar, it is probably because you’ve watch the tv series “The Assassination of Gianni Versace”.  This show was shot partially in front of the hotel and on the beach there to recreate what happened as accurately as possible.  During our stay, people would occasionally stop in front of the hotel just to get pictures as a result.

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The Penthouse

The rooms at Ocean Surf include your basic single/double room, 4 balcony rooms and one penthouse suite.  For the sake of our review, we will be reviewing this based on the Penthouse suite, as that’s where we stayed.  If available, I highly recommend the penthouse.  This room has been recently renovated as the pictures on their own website don’t reflect the changes.  Our attempt to check in early was denied because they were just finishing up the renovations, so we were either the first ones or one of the first ones to stay there after the changes.  This isn’t a 5 star suite that you may be thinking of, but it is very large, includes a mini fridge, table and chairs for eating, couch, king bed and plenty of space.  You have the entire 4th floor to yourself, which is pretty cool, and you have a nice balcony with a great view of the beach and surrounding areas.  You can actually watch the sun rise and set from the same balcony as there is nothing to block your view.  The lower balcony rooms will still have a great view of the sunrise, but not the sunset.

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Getting around/Parking

Most of what you could ever need is within walking distance.  On the same block includes a couple convenience stores, CVS, Walgreen’s, a vegan bakery (a must), a boutique, and a few other places to eat.  If you do have a vehicle, you don’t have to worry about the crazy $35/day fee to park it as there are numerous parking spots on the street and in the parking lot next to the hotel that only cost $1/hour for ten hours/day.  So the most you could have to pay is $10/day.  Overnight, parking is free, so if you’re done during the day you may never have to pay to park.  We found that they weren’t too serious about ticketing for parking as we’d wake up an hour or so after paid parking started and wouldn’t pay until then.  You can use an app on your phone to manage your parking.

The Beach

All you have to do is cross the street.  In addition to that, the hotel will give you beach chairs and towels free of charge.  Everything you need to relax and enjoy the day are at your finger tips.  The beach in front of the hotel is similar to the rest of Miami Beach.  But, it isn’t nearly as crazy or packed as south beach.  This is more of a great place to go and relax.

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Everything Else

There was little to complain about except that the hotel doesn’t have an ice machine (though you can get ice next door) and the rooms didn’t have a coffee maker.  There’s nothing worse then not having that first cup of coffee in the morning and we feel that including those in the rooms would be a great addition.

Miami isn’t the most affordable place to stay, especially on the beach.  So, if you’re looking for a place to stay with some history, that’s affordable and convenient, the Ocean Surf hotel is definitely worth a look.

As always you can find more pictures over on our feed in Instagram.  Follow us to get all of our updates.

As we are getting ready for our next adventure, I thought it would be a good time to talk about flights.  The one question we hear over and over is, “How do you fly for so cheap”?  Flights are the last thing anyone wants to spend money on for vacation.  All they do is get you to your destination where you’d rather be spending your money.

1. Flexibility.  The biggest way to save on flights is if you are flexible on the dates you need to fly.  There is always some deals to be had no matter what, but if you are flexible, you can save hundreds or more.  Flying during school times is always a benefit and flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are usually the cheapest.  Most airlines will show you an entire month at a glance to see when the best times are to fly, and some airlines even have special saver months or weeks where you can get a flight for a fraction of the normal price.
2. Mix Airlines.  Nowhere is there a rule that you have to use the same airline to depart and return.  Very often, one airline has a great deal to get you to your destination but raises the price to come home.  Take the time to look at other airlines, or even nearby airports to find a better return trip.
3. Extras.  A lot of airlines try to get you in the door with a low price, but charge fees for extras, like checking a bag, or even a carry on.  Make sure you know all of the fees upfront before booking that trip.  If you have to check a bag, you also want to do it during the purchase process and not wait until you get to the airport.  Prices are much cheaper if you pay for a checked bag upfront.  As always, Southwest still has no baggage fees, but their ticket prices usually reflect the bags upfront.  Spirit won’t even let you have a carry-on without a fee, but most airlines will.
4. Travel Agents – Just kidding, never use a travel agent.  They don’t care about getting you the best deal.  They’ll help you book whatever gives them the best commission.  This may be the easy way out, but will always cost you a lot more.
5. Rewards – There are always rewards to be had for flying.  Make sure whoever you fly with that you sign up for their rewards program and get credit for your flight.  Using credit card miles or even the airline’s credit cards can reap major rewards as well.  About one in 3 of our flights that we take is free from rewards, either through a credit card or frequent flyer miles.  Maximizing those miles can be very lucrative.  We’ll go into these tricks in another article as the features of each airline and credit card different greatly.

When we start looking for a flight there are a few resources that we start with.

1. Kayak Explore – When you don’t really know where you want to go, but are curious to see where the best deals are, this is the site for you.  You can enter in your home airport and it shows you, on a Google Map, all the airports you can fly to and general prices, based on the time of year or month that you choose.
2. Scott’s Cheap Flights – This isn’t really a site to search for flights, but a mailing list that you can sign up for.  They have a free mailing, but don’t expect to get much good info out of that.  For $40/year you can have flight deals sent to your email address on a daily basis.  Scott’s Cheap Flights mostly only deals with international flights, so if you’re looking for something within the county, this won’t help you (with the exception of Hawaii).
3. Google Flights – Leave it up to Google to make searching for flights easier.  This is the fastest site to check across most airlines.  Google Flights gives you direct links to the airline’s sites for booking, so there isn’t a middle-man fee.  Keep in mind that Southwest isn’t represented here, as you’ll always need to check them independently.
4. Momondo – Funny name, but great flight searching capabilities.  Scott’s Cheap Flights has a feature they call “Flight Hacker”, which will mix airlines for your flights.  This can save you a lot of money by giving you the best deal for each leg of your trip.  They link directly to the airlines, so there isn’t a middleman again.
5. Airfarewatchdog – Another great site to show deals on flights as well as set up your preferred locations in order to receive emails when new deals are available.  This is similar to Scott’s Cheap Flights, but for domestic flights instead of international.

So, when is the best time to book a flight?  There are sites out there that’ll tell you a certain hour of the week is the best time, which may be true in general, but each airline has very complex algorithms they’ve put in place to modify flight prices throughout the week in order to get all of their seats booked for the highest price possible.  As a general rule of thumb, the middle of the week (tues/wed) is the best time to book flights.  If you’re looking early enough, you can watch the price of the flights daily for a week or so and see how they compare.  Or if a really great deal pops up, sometimes you just need to book it right away.  Most of the airlines now give you 24 hours to cancel a flight for a full refund, but check the fine print ahead of time.

Sometimes finding a great resort doesn’t mean having to leave the country. Amanda and I have taken a break a couple of times to skip on over to Lake Conroe to stay at La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa. While the overall stay is generally positive there are some things that you need to understand if you do choose to stay here.

Let’s start off with the good though. The rooms at La Torretta are well appointed with plenty of space and luxuries. If opting for a lake view suite, you’ll be put on the 7th floor or higher as the lower floors have their view blocked. They also have cabins for around the same price that offer a quieter and more private setting should you choose. We have stay in both and they both have their own benefits.

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Parking at La Torretta is by valet or by driving around back to another lot and a decent walk back. Valet is $12 or $18 overnight, but you can park for free. Just realize that when you park yourself, you’ll have a 10 minute walk back to the hotel. Also, if staying in the cabins on the golf course, you will be making this walk often.

The spa is very luxurious, but pricey. We did a couples massage and enjoyed it, but there was nothing too special about it. Prices overall at the resort are on the high end because there isn’t much competition for them, but if you look around well, you can often find prices for a third of their normal rates proving just how much they mark it up.

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The highlight of La Torretta is their pools. A kid pool, a lazy river, another pool with slides and yet another pool for everyone to enjoy. On top of that there is an area that is adult’s only with another pool and hot tub, supposedly. Here’s an area where you can expect to be disappointed. When we came to the pool there were no less than a dozen kids under the age of 10 playing and splashing in the adult pool. I asked an employee what was going on and she said they’d make them leave if we put in an official complaint. So, it was up to us to be the bad guy in order to use an amenity that we were excited about having. As you know we tend to stay at adults-only places and having an adult’s only pool means we can listen to music that may not be appropriate for kids, relax and enjoy the pool without kids running around, screaming and splashing us. As we sat there and stewed, I finally called the front desk and was assured that they would take care of the problems. Two hours passed before anything was done. To make matters worse, the waitresses never came around after that to take orders or serve us. We had to walk to the other side of the water park area just to order a drink.

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Some other issues to be aware of include the fact that they have far too few elevators for their size. Expect to wait 5 minutes or more for an elevator. Also, the room keys weren’t working one night and they were having to send someone around to let people in their rooms.

La Torretta has been around a while and is showing it’s age unfortunately. Their lack of concern for their guests is disturbing and needs to be attended to before we can recommend staying there. It’s rare for us to be negative about somewhere to travel to, but our stay at La Torretta is not what we had expected or hoped for.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. And don’t forget to follow Otus on Instagram for more pictures and videos of our adventures.

Thank you hurricane Irma for making us have to extend our trip.  With our return flight cancelled due to the Ft. Lauderdale airport being closed, we had no choice to be extend our trip.  Excited to see more of Costa Rica we quickly decided on heading down to Quepos with the intention of seeing Manuel Antonio Park, more wild life and beaches.  Excited to try something new out, we hopped on booking.com and found Hotel Villas Nicolas for a great price.  We didn’t stay long, but still enjoyed every minute we had there.

About Hotel Villas Nicolas

This is a hotel situated in Quepos, Costa Rica, that caters to adults only, a feature we tend to always look for.  The villas are on the top of the mountainous terrain that overlooks the beaches.  Our view was amazing, set with our own hammock and private porch.  The room wasn’t that large, but had everything anyone could need for their stay.  Included with your stay is a cooked to order breakfast that doesn’t disappoint.  The hotel is also on the bus route for Quepos and Manuel Antonio, so you can get just about anywhere for a small fee.

We were also lucky enough to see some white-faced monkeys running across our view in the morning.  The sounds of the rain forest are very calming, but not too much to overwhelm you to where you can’t sleep at night.

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Our stay was short with no preparation so we wanted to make the most of it.  Everyone working at Nicolas was extremely nice and gave us just about every bit of information we could ask for about Queposand Manuel Antonio.  We spent a day at Manuel Antonio and went down to the local beach, Playa Espidilla, twice.  Keep in mind, depending on how you get to this beach, you may need a 4-wheel drive vehicle.  We choose the tough path on the northwestern part of the beach, which was extremely rewarding once we got there.

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Tip: Supposedly at Playa Espadilla, if you get there early enough in the morning, you can see crocodiles walking out to sea to catch some food and take it back up to the river/swampy areas.  We didn’t get up early enough to see this, but heard from multiple people about it.

We would highly recommend staying at Hotel Villas Nicolas when in the area.  The price for what you get can’t be beat and it’s location to everything there is in the area is great.