Gran Bahia Principe Akumal/Tulum/Coba - POST HERE!

[waybuloo]

Hi Girls,

 

Thanks for warning about ATM Nikki......I was going to ask about money.....in the UK it says that Mexico is no longer excepting dollars but then a few people have been & said they spent dollars????  What did you do??  Do the prefer dollars in resort?

 

Any help would be great please

[Danibunny]

hey Waybluoo,

Not long till we go!! excited!!

 

hope your all ready and excited too !

 

It's my understanding that the resort is still working with dollars even though a lot of the tour operators are advising pesos, we have decide to take a bit of both we found it easier to tip with dollars when we were there last time.

besides you can change dollars at hotel if you needed to.

 

**oh yes does anyone know what the departure tax is now my paper works states $50-$60?? again in dollars so they must be taking dollars stll ha!

 

hope this helps,

[sunnyee]

Waybuloo and all concerned about US dollars...

 

Rules have changed regarding amounts that can be EXCAHANGED...US dollars can still be spent/accepted in Mexico...we purchased items in US dollars, dined in restaurants/bars using US dollars, paid for the Collectivo/taxis in US dollars, tipped in US dollars....so unless you plan to exchange more than $1500 US per month into Pesos all is good....no worries!  See the statement below:

 

MEXICO BANKING SYSTEM CAP ON
EXCHANGE OF DOLLARS FOR PESOS
 
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
September 13, 2010
  
In order to regulate the quantity of dollars entering the Mexican banking system, beginning September 14, 2010, the Mexican government will cap the amount of dollars foreigners can exchange for pesos in Banks & Money Exchange Establishments to no more than US$1,500 per month.
 
The measure WILL NOT AFFECT purchases made with credit cards or debit cards in Mexico.
 
The measure WILL NOT AFFECT the amount of CASH (in Mexican pesos) an International Tourist can withdraw from an ATM machine on a daily or monthly basis.
 
It is recommended that all travelers bring Mexican pesos as well as their credit and/or debit cards to minimize any inconvenience the exchange cap at banks may cause. 

 

Hope this helps!!!

Sunnyee

[Sunshine2680]

Sounds good to me - I never exchange down there anyway - I usually just bring US cash and spend it via tips or shopping - so if they still accept it that way - all is good.
Either way its fine for us - as our CAD is above par with the US
 

Originally Posted by sunnyee 

Waybuloo and all concerned about US dollars...

 

Rules have changed regarding amounts that can be EXCAHANGED...US dollars can still be spent/accepted in Mexico...we purchased items in US dollars, dined in restaurants/bars using US dollars, paid for the Collectivo/taxis in US dollars, tipped in US dollars....so unless you plan to exchange more than $1500 US per month into Pesos all is good....no worries!  See the statement below:

 

MEXICO BANKING SYSTEM CAP ON
EXCHANGE OF DOLLARS FOR PESOS
 
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
September 13, 2010
  
In order to regulate the quantity of dollars entering the Mexican banking system, beginning September 14, 2010, the Mexican government will cap the amount of dollars foreigners can exchange for pesos in Banks & Money Exchange Establishments to no more than US$1,500 per month.
 
The measure WILL NOT AFFECT purchases made with credit cards or debit cards in Mexico.
 
The measure WILL NOT AFFECT the amount of CASH (in Mexican pesos) an International Tourist can withdraw from an ATM machine on a daily or monthly basis.
 
It is recommended that all travelers bring Mexican pesos as well as their credit and/or debit cards to minimize any inconvenience the exchange cap at banks may cause. 

 

Hope this helps!!!

Sunnyee

 

[waybuloo]

Danibunny......I know 20 sleeps!!!!....lol....can't wait to just be there!!  Thanks for info on dollars, as for departure tax my paperwork says the same as yours, I can't believe we have to pay that much for kids as well!!

 

Sunnyee - Thanks for info on dollars I am definitely going with that now!!  Can I also ask do you know if the dolphinarium is open?  According to some reviews on trip advisor it is however Gemma 'Babyshaws' has just come back & has told me that it is still being built? so slightly confused??

[Jemma]

sorry if this is a silly question...... but what is 'departure tax'??

[Danibunny]

Waybaloo, i Know and counting so excited!! i know it's alot to pay especially if you have children too!!

Have i missed something is there a Dolphinarium in resort now?? think i read somewhere maybe here or trip advisor that they have built one in resort but the review was not great asking people not to use as it's far to small to accommodate the dolphins which is just awful i do hope this is not the case!!

 

When we were in Mexico a few years ago we visited both Xel ha and Puerto Aventuras and we defiantly felt that Puerto Aventuras was best for the dolphins they had much nicer surroundings and seemed to be looked after very well-I was actually surprised at how bad it was at Xel ha given it's a natural Aquarium etc... -everything else was amazing at Xel ha and would recommend going for sure, but would say if you are wanting to swim with the dolphins opt for Puerto Aventuras! Of course this was a few years ago so things could have changed since my  last visit.

 

Jemma- The departure tax is to be paid when returning to a international airport after visiting Mexico -it must also be paid in Cash, at the moment it seems to be between $50-$60 per person, i think pesos can be used to but not sure what the correct amount is -I'm travel representative will confirm once we are there the exact amount.

 

hope this helps ladies,

 

Danielle x

[sunnyee]

Waybuloo,

 

Sorry, I don't know if the dophinarium is open...it was still being built when we were there in March. Based on the progress at that time, I would be surprised if it was up and running by now. The most recent brides would be best to answer this.

 

Congrats to all the recent brides and best wishes to all of the upcoming brides!!

 

Sunnyee

 

Originally Posted by waybuloo 

Danibunny......I know 20 sleeps!!!!....lol....can't wait to just be there!!  Thanks for info on dollars, as for departure tax my paperwork says the same as yours, I can't believe we have to pay that much for kids as well!!

 

Sunnyee - Thanks for info on dollars I am definitely going with that now!!  Can I also ask do you know if the dolphinarium is open?  According to some reviews on trip advisor it is however Gemma 'Babyshaws' has just come back & has told me that it is still being built? so slightly confused??

 

[fraggle42]

Hi All,

 

I am new to the forum, I am from the UK and am in the early stages of planning a wedding to GBP in Nov 2012. I have begun trawling through all of the extremely useful posts but one thing I would like and havent come across yet is a price guide for the wedding extras as I am trying to draw up a budget. If anyone has price list or can just let me know how much they are paying for flowers, photographs, video and any other wedding extras then could you send them to mammpy@hotmail.com please. Also I am interested in the poolside reception so if anyone knows the price of this then let me know.

 

Thank you in advance.

[nikki&owen]

Ya the whole, not accepting US dollars is BS. In fact many vendors will only accept US dollars. I used Fernando to do my make up and hair (he did an amazing job) and he would only accept US dollars. For all of the stores in Playa del Carmen, you would actually get a better deal if you paid in US dollars vs Pesos (if you are Canadian at least), cause they would rip you iff in the exchange. The only place that we found it a better deal to pay in pesos was on the island of Isla Mujeres.