Frequently Asked Questions!

Canadian citizens should have a valid passport. As a result of world events, I can't imagine that countries will continue to allow birth certificate and photo identification much longer. However, most of the sunny destinations serviced out of Toronto only require a birth certificate and approved photo identification. Countries like the U.S.A., Mexico, Dominican Republic, Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica, Antigua, and St. Lucia are examples. Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia require valid passports. If you do not have the birth certificate or photo i/d, you will be required to visit a lawyer and swear out an affidavit.

All Inclusive resort or not? The story here is simply that you get what you pay for. Everyone wants to stay at a 5 star hotel but wants to pay 2 star prices. If you go to a 3 star hotel you will normally complain, complain, and complain. Normally any 4 star all inclusive is a good deal if you stay at the resort and drink and eat all the meals there. If you go out and take tours and spend the evenings at clubs downtown, then you will be spending a lot of extra money. Maybe all inclusive is not the way to go. The Mayan Riviera just south of Cancun is a good example. The resorts are beautiful but can be isolated and far away from town. There will be large number of guests and you might get tired of the crowds. It will cost you money to take a taxi to Cancun or Playa Del Carman and go to the local clubs. It really depends on your lifestyle. If you want to relax and like to drink and eat and stay put then all inclusive is the way to go. If you are not a big drinker and like to tour around and go out to different places at night then all inclusive will end up costing you more than a nice hotel without meals.

BEST SELLER!!! Mexico - Cancun and the Mayan Riviera is by far the number one destination out of Toronto followed by Cuba and the Dominican Republic. The rest of the Caribbean follows. I spend considerable time in Cancun and have personally been in most of the hotels in Cancun and a large number in the Mayan Riviera, Playa Del Carman corridor so I should be able to answer your questions in this regard.

Should I drink the water? NO... You should always drink bottled water. Don't worry about the washing of vegetables and salads or your ice cubes too much, as most places use purified water for this. You don't have to leave Ontario to find problems with water, now do you!

Bugs... You are likely to see lots of bugs while on vacation. You might even see the odd cockroach in your room. I have seen some of the biggest bugs in the nicest hotels. It really doesn't matter where you go. One of the largest caterpillars I ever saw was in my kitchen at a 5 star condo in Hawaii. As the tour guide said "hey, bugs love the 5 star hotels too".

Favorite place? HAWAII, without a doubt, but get away from Honolulu after three days. Either spend your time up on the North Shore or go to Maui and Kauai to relax. It is not that expensive when compared to other vacations. Normally airfare is around $900 Canadian and you can obtain hotels on the internet for between 85-100 a night US.

One of the funkiest places I have stayed is located 30 minute south of Cancun, 10 minutes north of Playa Del Carman and on the beach in small cabanas (huts) at Punte Bete. This place is right out of Gilligan's Island with the thatched roof, palm trees, hammocks etc., yet offers ceramic floors and tiled bathrooms with lots of hot water. The owner is the former chef from the Hilton Hotel in Cancun and the meals are just fantastic. Picture a local boy coming up from the beach with his snorkel gear and fresh fish caught at the reef only minutes ago. Now the chef is asking which fish you would like for lunch? It costs about $45.00 U.S. per night for the room. All cabanas come with either a queen or king bed, ceiling fan and mosquito netting. This place is not for everyone as there is no air conditioning, or T.V. To contact Helmut you go to the web site, "www.mayan-riviera.com" and check out "Punte Bete”, "bungalows”. It is called "Coco Cabanas". I have stayed there several times and since he only has 5 cabanas, the group staying is always small. You will meet people from all over the world at this site. On some of my visits there I had the pleasure to share the resort with a Superior Court Judge from Kansas and her husband, the owner of Joso's restaurant in Toronto and his family, an engineer from Italy and his wife, a doctor of psychology and his wife from Netherlands but living on Bonaire and a gentleman from France and his Irish wife. We all had a great time. Did I mention the beach is about 4 miles long with hardly another person on it.

Telephone calls home? Please, Please, Please do not use the phones in the hotels. They will have signs that say you are only paying the regular rate BUT you will get a bill with a "connection fee" of up to $6 U.S. per minute use or the hotels will charge you up to 300% the local long distance rate. They make a lot of money with the phone service in resorts. Purchase phone cards from any corner store and they are very easy to use at any pay telephone.

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