Recently my wife & I spent eight wonderful days at Hidden Beach Resort. Last year at the same time we went to Grand Lido Braco, the year before that to Couples Ocho Rios, so this may be something of a comparison. I’ll try to focus on info that you don’t get on their website.
HBR is located about 1.5 hours south of Cancun. The Cancun airport was very chaotic, compared to Sangster. We arrived on a Saturday, which some veterans said they avoid, that during the week is easier to deal with. There were about a million people screaming at us, asking if we needed a taxi ride. Somehow we found the Lomas Travel people, and they took good care of us from there.
The ride from the airport to the resort is boring, compared to the same trip in Jamaica that takes you through some colorful villages. But we got there in one piece, and the subsequent check-in was very smooth.
Our room at HBR was nicer than the other two resorts, maybe the main difference being the in-room Jacuzzi. I’d say the only problem with the room is that it’s very difficult to control the water temperature in the shower. It’s either too hot or too cold. Since we didn’t have that problem with the sink or Jacuzzi, I attribute it to a cheap water-saving shower fixture. The in-room booze dispenser and well-stocked fridge were nice, which GLB and COR didn’t have when we were there.
The grounds, service, and quality of food and beverage were great, just as they were at COR and GLB. The only complaint would be that the big hot tub was way too cold. They finally fixed that the last night we were there. The main pool, which is unique in design and winds its away around the property, was also very cold all week. Someone said they had installed a heater for it, but it sure didn’t seem like they used it. Except for the daily pool volleyball games, very few people ever went in the water. This also made me happy that we didn’t spend all that extra money for a swim-up room on the lower level. In fact, the upper level rooms seemed preferable in that they had a better view.
The resort web site lists a lot of daily activities, most of which never happened. The only one that occurred with regularity was the pool volleyball, which was a lot of fun and always ended with tequila shots. I’m not saying the activity coordinators did not do their jobs, quite the opposite. They spend a lot of time talking to and getting to know each guest personally, which really gets to the point of what is so special about HBR. Much more than the other resorts, they set things up so that you talk to other people, which lead to friendships and fun. You’re certainly not forced into socializing, but we did and seemed to spend the whole week just laughing and having a great time, and my wife and I are not really outgoing people.
Some message boards have discussed the problem of theft at HBR. I can say that, with one small exception, this was not an issue with us or anyone we talked to. The exception: One night in the disco someone paid my wife 20 pesos to take off her shirt. We left the bill on the table in our room, and a day or so later it was gone. Maybe someone thought we left it as a gratuity, so we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Sadly, this is the only income my wife has received in the last 15 years, and she had planned to frame it.
Speaking of gratuities, this is one area we were not prepared for. In Jamaica the “no tipping” rule is strictly enforced. Resort employees can lose their jobs for accepting them. Not so in Mexico. Although the website says gratuities are included, tipping is common and seems to be expected, although the hints are very subtle.
A lot of discussion on the message boards deal with overt sexual activity, or lack thereof, at HBR, especially compared with places like Desire or Hedo. It’s usually said that there is none of this at all at HBR, but that’s actually not the case. The last day we were there a large group came in, we heard that they had booked most of the resort. The disco that night got downright raunchy, and my wife dragged me out of there, but not before I got quite an eyeful. So if you want to watch, join, or avoid that sort of activity, you should pay attention to what groups will be there when you are.
The disco is the only nightlife at HBR, unless you wander over to Eldorado next door (which hardly anyone did, it seems very dull by comparison to HBR, though the restaurants are excellent). We were at the HBR disco almost every night, and had a great time. There are supposed to be theme nights, but nobody paid much attention to that. There is a casino night, and somehow everyone won large amounts of play money which could be redeemed for prizes. A couple nights some local dance teams came in and did shows which were very well done, considering the small space they had to work in. But they play good dance music every night. It usually got a little wild but nothing over-the-top (except that last night that I mentioned above).
It might be good to mention how people tended to dress. For breakfast most wore the resort-supplied bathrobes. It was chilly early in the day in February, so this might be different during warmer months. For lunch people were mostly naked or wore small cover-ups. They make lunch poolside and everyone at lunchtime is naked anyway, so they get lunch and go back to their pool chairs or to the dining area. At dinner most men dressed as they would for any decent restaurant, basic resort clothes. Women at dinner usually wore more revealing clothes, not like you’d see at any restaurant at home. People dressed for the disco about the same as at dinner. There were always exceptions, some people could be found completely naked almost anytime.
Cell phones are another issue people talk about. Ours worked fine there. We use Cingular, and had it activated for international roaming before we went. We were able to call out and receive calls for 99 cents per minute. This also avoided the potentially embarrassing problem of having to give the resort’s phone number to our family in case someone needed to contact us.
If there is anything else you like to ask, feel free to send an email.
Alan