I noticed a controversy between simplicity versus sophistication brewing on one of the Isla message boards this past week. We originally visited Isla because it was 'real', in contrast to the slick sterile sophistication of the Cancun hotel zone. We've always lived in cities, so we travel to escape that scene. The attraction of Isla for us is NOT having to make dinner reservations, dress for dinner, stand in line to wait for a table, etc.... We like to slip into flip flops and walk down Hidalgo or Medina, deciding on a restaurant as we stroll the street.
So I admit to being a reverse snob. Something just irks me about people insisting on an A.I. experience when they travel to Isla. I know it shouldn't, but I can't imagine eating every meal in one hotel when there's so much great food on the island. It reminds me of our trips to Bermuda back in Craig's corporate days. The company always put everyone at the Southhampton Princess. All the meals were eaten at the hotel, and most people never ventured off the grounds unless it was a planned guided group tour. Craig and I explored on our own, riding the local buses all over the island, exploring all the nooks and crannies, eating at restaurants with great local food away from the hotel, etc... That was the best part of the trip! The time spent with the corporate group on the hotel grounds eating buffet food was a gigantic yawn. A necessary evil. I remember one of the meals included steaks, corn on the cob, baked beans -- typical Midwest barbeque fare. At the time I thought if not for the view of the ocean down the hill, we could have been in Kansas! It really bugged me that most people in the group never dreamed of leaving the hotel grounds to discover what was out there. They traveled so far from home to experience so little! But I guess some people just prefer the merry-go-round. Different strokes -- each to his own. And I shouldn't let it bother me.
I took a few more photos of Isla and put them through the watercolor machine.
Red and White Regatta Sail
Loncheria
Room with a View
Basket Man 
Coco Man
I agree, Beck, and I did the corporate trips w/ Xman, too. Barbados was wayyyy too foo foo for me. I was sitting around the pool one day (British Royalty often stayed at this hotel whilst on holiday) and I decided I wanted a snack. A lady in a starched maid uniform came over to me, knew me by name - Mrs. XMAN, and took my order. I was then served poolside with fine china, crystal and a white linen napkin. At night we were all whisked away in a fleet of Mercedes and taken to fancy restaurants. That's just too much work for me. LOL. I don't want to get that fancy schmancy on vacay nor do I want to pack that many clothes.
ReplyDeleteMy fave part was when I took the $7 can of Pringles from the mini bar and fed it to the cute little birds on my porch one morning. hee hee
I have hesitated to state this but I do detect a change in the type of tourist being attracted to Isla. Actually, I'm not sure they are even attracted to Isla, they are attracted to the hotel and the hotel/AI experience. TripAdvisor is full of subject lines on Privileges Aluxes. Not sure those types of places are 'stealing' tourists from the local hotels because the local hotels might never qualify as an acceptable place to stay, but...I do think those of us offering a local experience are going to suffer with decreased interest in our accommodations. Which probably also means the local dining establishments will suffer. I actually fear for the small-scale tourist operations - this island feels like a high-class resort some days, and will chase any of us, including locals, away that can't play the five-star resort game. It's so expensive to just live here, and prices just keep going up. And sorry to say, the local young people (some, not all) do not have the same charm in dealing with the tourists as the older ones did - they speak English and flaunt it, but I personally would rather struggle with a non-English-speaker interested in seeing what I want, rather than someone that speaks English but couldn't care less about customer service.
ReplyDeleteSo there's my rant for the weekend!
Sue, I remember in 2004 talking to some people on a street corner by the Convention Center. I was on a bike headed back to Media Luna and they were headed back to The Island. They went on and on about how they were staying out on The Island and had just come into the village to see what was there. They had thick rural (hic) accents and I was having a hard time deciphering what the hell they were telling me. I finally figured out they were staying at the Avalon and thought somehow that would impress me out of my pants! LOL I thought to myself -- JACKASSES! We're ALL staying on an island!
ReplyDeleteI fear you could be right, but hope not. But when I read some woman talking about dressing for dinner and eating every meal at Privilege Aluxes when she's right across the street from Verano and all the great dock restaurants -- you HAVE to wonder!
I do wonder if Moon Palace won't eventually turn into a ghost town. A friend (not R) says he thinks it'll eventually become low income housing for locals because the beach, not to mention the stinky backup water surrounding that place, is atrocious. I can't imagine any high-end tourist coming back there for seconds.
Well I'm with you I prefer the local flavor of Isla. I had never been so brave until my friend Sue showed me around the island.
ReplyDeleteBeck - You already know my take on that whole deal. I gave the Privilege Aluxes a chance...and they blew it. I won't be giving any more chances. Give me the laid back low key places any day. But the island is definitely undergoing a conflict...places like the Privilege Aluxes are going in but not getting business...but who knows how long it will be before the boring people who want those kind of places will overtake the businesses that the Isla lovers want? Makes you wonder. By the way, I love your colorful pics. Can't wait to see what you come up with when you get down there this Fall.
ReplyDelete