Mexico Golf (Playa Del Carmen Area)

[OneFootShort]

Anybody familiar with golf in this area? We are going to Puerto Morelos in March and was looking to bring the sticks down and get a round or 2 in.

El Camaleon is on the list of potential plays. PGA did the Mayakoba Classic down there.

Any other stand outs? Any tips?

 

[Doubleb21]

Going to follow this heading that way in Nov.

 

[DaBuckBoys]

Was down there a couple years ago but didn't play golf. Going in a couple months and staying at an Iberostar property. The Paraiso Beach course is right there and looks nice. I think our travel friends have rounds of golf included in their membership package. Hope to play once or twice...

 

[Drumdog]

I've played Riviera Maya, The Hard Rock and Moon Palace and all were good courses.
I did hear that the Hard Rock was in rough shape a few months ago though.

 

[Lou W]

Was down there a couple years ago but didn't play golf. Going in a couple months and staying at an Iberostar property. The Paraiso Beach course is right there and looks nice. I think our travel friends have rounds of golf included in their membership package. Hope to play once or twice...

I played that course years ago. I don’t recall much about it at this point except that I enjoyed it and found the course interesting and well kept.

 

[DaBuckBoys]

I played that course years ago. I don’t recall much about it at this point except that I enjoyed it and found the course interesting and well kept.

Awesome... its got some great recent reviews. Looking forward to it (as long as the CDC doesn't screw it up for us...)

 

[ArmyGolf]

I've played Mayakoba, Playa Paraiso, and Grand Coral (now called Gran Coyote I think).

They're all fun, solid courses. Mayakoba was probably my favorite but also the most expensive.

 

[OneFootShort]

Update:

We changed resorts due to some COVID policies and moved to one closer toward Cancun. The resort concierge informed us they have a partnership with El Tinto Golf Course, part of Cancun Country Club. So, that's where we'll be teeing it up. I will try to take pics and make a write-up after playing it. Looking forward to it, it looks like a nice course.

 

[DaBuckBoys]

Awesome. We are still on track to go in early April. Fingers crossed that they keep the flights open to US. I guess getting a negative test will be a hassle before coming home but it sounds like they are doing them at the resort.

 

[ohthehumanity]

I've played down there a couple of times at Riviera Cancun Golf Club, and it was nice. One time we had a big gator off to the side of a green just sitting there with its mouth wide open. Needless to say we all putted quickly and got out of there fast. It gets dark early so try to tee off before noon if possible because we ran into issues getting the round completed because of darkness.

 

[OneFootShort]

Awesome. We are still on track to go in early April. Fingers crossed that they keep the flights open to US. I guess getting a negative test will be a hassle before coming home but it sounds like they are doing them at the resort.

Yea, the negative test will be a little hassle. That was why we moved areas and to a resort (only 40% occupancy). This resort gave us a guarantee that if someone got COVID while there, they would let 2 of us stay until we had a positive result at no-cost. That was pretty appealing.

 

[BoilerCLE]

Yea, the negative test will be a little hassle. That was why we moved areas and to a resort (only 40% occupancy). This resort gave us a guarantee that if someone got COVID while there, they would let 2 of us stay until we had a positive result at no-cost. That was pretty appealing.

I heard about the resorts doing that, which is really enticing. One question though - if they're allowing anybody testing positive to stay for an extra week or two, doesn't that ramp up the likelihood that more people at the resort have Covid since they'll have to stick around for awhile? Or do they have a Covid-wing that you move into? I think that's the only thing keeping me from taking advantage...

 

[OneFootShort]

I heard about the resorts doing that, which is really enticing. One question though - if they're allowing anybody testing positive to stay for an extra week or two, doesn't that ramp up the likelihood that more people at the resort have Covid since they'll have to stick around for awhile? Or do they have a Covid-wing that you move into? I think that's the only thing keeping me from taking advantage...

That's a good question. I would assume one would have to quarantine if found positive. I doubt they'd let you roam the grounds. But yes, I'm sure it would spread around a hotel rather quickly if one person did test positive. They're trying to do whatever they can to make it work (taking temps at the restaurants, kids clubs, etc.), which I can appreciate. There are 5 of us going, my 8 year old daughter being the only one that won't be vaccinated, so we feel ok about it. The only thing that would prevent me from going at this point is if my job would force me to quarantine for 2 weeks after coming home. I don't have that kind of time to be away from clinic for that long.

 

[SHOWBOAT12]

Hard Rock Golf Club Riviera Maya was enjoyable and in good condition when I played it in 2018.

They nickel and dime you for everything, which is not an issue if you are bringing your own set of clubs (and everything else required to play).

 

[OneFootShort]

Ok, so we just returned from our trip to Mexico.

We ended up playing El Camaleon at Mayakoba. We were able to play that or El Tinto (Cancun Country Club) and elected to play Camaleon after hearing some pretty poor reviews of course condition at El Tinto.

Both courses had green fees included in our stay. What was funny, is we had no green fees but the "cart fee" for each person was $135. So all said and done, with clubs and transportation, it equaled about $225 per person.

The course:

- Great condition. Nice to see the Fed Ex "stage" where they do interviews and all that still set up. This course is back in a swampy area with a river that runs through it. It had some very challenging approach shots with well guarded greens. Lots of bunkers and water surrounding the greens. There were a couple of holes that bordered the beach but not too many. One particular Par 3 had a SCREAMING wind into us. I hit my 195 club from 155. Greens were in nice condition, not overly fast but nice. Always a challenge coming from the midwest to those types of greens where reading the grain is important. I wouldn't say the course is overly difficult, but the wind and guarded greens are definitely it's defense.

It wasn't a terribly long course (7000yds) from the tips but the wind off the gulf made up for some lack of yardage. I rented clubs (Titleist AP2s) and I wasn't too upset about it. They performed fine for not being set up to my specs. The toughest part of the clubs process was the driver (draw bias), not good for me. I had quite a few big pulled left shots into the jungle. They did offer PXG's to rent at a premium price. Not going to lie, I was tempted but decided against.

Careful at the bar. We had a guy playing with us that purchased two "double" Titos and it totaled $60. Evidently the breakdown was a single was $15, so they just doubled the price of a single for a double. We did see a lot of wildlife there as well (iguanas, crocs, monkeys, etc).

Overall, I would definitely recommend you check it out if you're in the area. It's always cool to be where the pros play. Well worth the price, IMO.

 

[DaBuckBoys]

Thanks for posting! We'll be down there in two weeks. Really want to play. We are staying at an Iberostar property and they have a course right across the road. Friends we are travelling with have a resort membership so we'll see how that translates into $$$, playing-wise. I really am hoping its closer to half that.

Reviews from a couple months ago were pretty good... Hope to get a round with wife & friends and maybe again by myself if its nice.

 

[DaBuckBoys]

They nickel and dime you for everything, which is not an issue if you are bringing your own set of clubs (and everything else required to play).

Yeah... I'll pack some balls and a glove but will rent clubs. I think food & drinks are included since we are staying on the resort.... which surprised me but will be awesome.

 

[OneFootShort]

Yeah... I'll pack some balls and a glove but will rent clubs. I think food & drinks are included since we are staying on the resort.... which surprised me but will be awesome.

That's what we did as well. Glove, shoes, balls, rangefinder went in the suitcase with me. Hope you can get out and play!

 

[Graups33]

Anyone stayed at the moon palace in the Cancun area? Looking into a trip doen this way and would love to bring the sticks, but can’t get a clear answer on whether the course and/or practice facilities are included as part of the ‘all inclusive’ or if you have to pay round-by-round. Any other thoughts on this course/resort are much appreciated

 

[DaBuckBoys]

My limited knowledge of resort golf in Cancun is they are going to make some money off you somehow. Whether its greens fees, cart fees, club rentals, range balls, drinks... whatever. The three 1st hand accounts I've gotten from the last month all had people paying around $200+/per round/per person. All had included or comped greens fees but they are going to make up with cart & club rentals.

 

[Drumdog]

Anyone stayed at the moon palace in the Cancun area? Looking into a trip doen this way and would love to bring the sticks, but can’t get a clear answer on whether the course and/or practice facilities are included as part of the ‘all inclusive’ or if you have to pay round-by-round. Any other thoughts on this course/resort are much appreciated

I stayed at the Moon Palace a few years ago with the wife. I bought the package through an eBay seller and it included the golf, but from what I understand, that is not the norm. You should be able to call them and get the golf details. 1-800-986-5632
I can say that we had a real blast there. When you play at the MP course, tip the cart guy a $20 bill on your first drink and he'll never leave you alone. The drinks are included in the round and that first tip will guarantee that you will never be thirsty! (see pic 1) The Coati Mundi are plentiful so watch the food in your cart. The 3rd pic is Mrs. Drumdog and the fourth pic is the view from our room. I would love to go back there once the Pandemic settles down. Enjoy !

 

[captaincaution]

Anyone stayed at the moon palace in the Cancun area? Looking into a trip doen this way and would love to bring the sticks, but can’t get a clear answer on whether the course and/or practice facilities are included as part of the ‘all inclusive’ or if you have to pay round-by-round. Any other thoughts on this course/resort are much appreciated

Adding to those who stayed at Moon Palace. I have stayed there twice. Once on my honeymoon, and once for my brother's wedding. Played on both trips.
Part of the "all inclusive" package is an amount of "resort credit" for amenities, like the spa, golf, tours, etc. So the pricing for the amenities is high because you are using this nebulous resort credit to pay for it. You are on the hook for sales tax for whatever resort credit you use. The length of your stay determines the amount of resort credit you have. I don't recall exactly, but I think it ended up being something like $50 in tax and cart fee for the golf out of pocket. Like @Drumdog said, watch your food, the animals are not shy.

The course was fun, though I've never had so many balls land in the fairway, only to have them careen off into the jungle before.

The resort was nice. Tips go a long way, especially when going elbow to elbow with teenagers at the bar trying to get a virgin mudslide when all you want is a beer.