First visit, just a few questions

[Formuladoo]

Planning our first trip this spring, we chose Pearl over RM based on what I've read here. We mostly keep to ourselves, we're not anti-social but we enjoy our annual vacation to chill out, reconnect with each other and enjoy a slow pace. With that said I have a couple questions that I can't get an answer on.

What's the draw of the foam party? Music, suds and water right?

For dinner, the dress code; what's acceptable? Cover up, towel or we should be dressed?

We're bringing some cash, two cards, books, toys, anything else we should consider?

Thanks

[landw2]

Was just in the foam party yesterday (Pearl) and had a blast. I am not one for group pool activities but we heard so much about it and gave it a shot. Bunch of beach balls being tossed around as the pool fills with foam and gets pretty high - over your head. It was fun to get "lost" in the foam. We highly recommend it just for the experience.

Dinner (any time you are dining or go through the buffet) cover-up is required. Lunch buffet by the pool is a lot of time just a sheer beach cover for her (topless but with bottoms on). Shirts and bottoms on for the guys. Night time dining at the Pearl restaurant is long pants for the guys (no shorts). Sexy dresses for the women, can be sheer.

Bring cash for tips - figure $50 per day for staff and all. Include more for services like massages. We get pesos at the ATM at the airport once we arrive. Hard to get to a local bank and the hotel desk will have a terrible exchange rate. US currency is good too but we heard the locals get taken also on the currency (lose more in the exchange than we would) so we try to stick with pesos. But be sure to tip. They bust their ass for you here and are great.

[tikihutguy]

Nice summary. Agree foam party is a highlight. Takes us back to teen years On the dress issue covered many times elsewhere, but sheer or net is OK by itself for dining at breakfast and lunch whether inside or outside dining room Shoes of course...

[Formuladoo]

Thanks for the replies, I wasn't able to find posts on dress code, perhaps I missed it. I'll recheck.

Also thanks for the tip on grabbing pesos for tipping, we were aware to tip but never thought about the staff getting hosed on the exchange rate.

[K&RinTX]

Also thanks for the tip on grabbing pesos for tipping, we were aware to tip but never thought about the staff getting hosed on the exchange rate.

I read a post recently about getting pesos from your bank at home before you leave, I think I'll try that for the next trip. I just looked up the current exchange rate, it's almost 21 pesos to the U.S. dollar!

[scuba_couple]

Planning our first trip this spring, we chose Pearl over RM based on what I've read here. We mostly keep to ourselves, we're not anti-social but we enjoy our annual vacation to chill out, reconnect with each other and enjoy a slow pace. With that said I have a couple questions that I can't get an answer on.

What's the draw of the foam party? Music, suds and water right?

For dinner, the dress code; what's acceptable? Cover up, towel or we should be dressed?

We're bringing some cash, two cards, books, toys, anything else we should consider?

Thanks

Hi Formuladoo -

You have already been given great answers but I thought I'd throw a little more color onto the thread.

Foam Party: Like you my first time was, 'Huh, really? so what". Well, once the foam started pumping into the pool, the mood of everyone totally changed. The foam is about 6 feet above the surface in places. They throw some pool balls in and really crank the music. Be sure to wear sun glasses because the foam will burn your eyes. My favorite part was sneaking up on Mrs. Scuba and "grabbing" her. Yea, a bit immature, but hey, I'm in a pool full of foam......

Dinner Dress Code: Actually in 8 days, we never made it to Pearl. For Aphrodite, each night I wore nicer shorts and either and either a nice golf shirt or short sleeve button up. As for the females, they go all out. Depending on the mood, one night Mrs. Scuba may wear a sun dress. Other nights, it more like really sexy club wear.

What you are bringing: US Currency is fine for tips. However, if you want pesos, just call your bank. I took 10,400 pesos ($500US). My bank branch did not have it on hand, but was able to get it for me in 2 days. If you do this, get a mixture of denominations. You don't want a lot of large bills. A 50 peso note is about $2.50, a 100 peso note is about $5. You want a lot of these since this is going to be mostly tip money. As I said, US currency works to. I sort of preferred to use pesos.

Credit cards: Unless you plan to leave the resort, you won't need cards too much except when you check out - to pay for things you may have charged to your room. My biggest expense was the Scuba concession on the resort. We spent over $800 there and since they are not technically part of Desire, you can't charge their services to your room.

Anything Else: Well, yup. Get you a couple of inexpensive pool floats that fold up small. An insulated tumbler for each of you. SPF 50 chap stick. Throw in a few packets of Pedialyte (I got sick one day and was really glad I had these). Search around on the forum and you will find good ideas. At 6AM, my brain is not fully engaged yet so that is the best I can come up with.

Have fun!
Scuba

[KenandEl]

We like to bring pesos too, getting them in advance from our local bank branch. We think that it is kinder to tip in Mexican currency, but US dollars are always accepted. If you walk down the beach to Puerto Morales your credit cards will be useless there. We brought debit cards with us and that was a huge mistake. The cards got stolen from our room and thousands of dollars were spent by the thieves. We did get all of that loss refunded to us by the two banks. It's funny that the debit cards were taken but the credit cards were not. Note to self --> use the room safe always! The foam party is great, except for the suds getting in your eyes. Sun glasses help to avoid that, but be sure to have a tether on them around your neck otherwise they will get dropped and stepped on. I am keen on this because I have prescription lenses. Bring you spare glasses with you if you have them. The last two trips we did not bring pool float but this year we might. I saw a double float our first year to Pearl that had the head rests on opposing ends (you know, kinda 69ish). If we can find that model we will bring it and leave it there. The custom is to write your name and stay dates on the float so others can make use of it when you are gone.

[buried20kleague]

Also thanks for the tip on grabbing pesos for tipping, we were aware to tip but never thought about the staff getting hosed on the exchange rate.

I read a post recently about getting pesos from your bank at home before you leave, I think I'll try that for the next trip. I just looked up the current exchange rate, it's almost 21 pesos to the U.S. dollar!

FYI, usually the WORST exchange rate comes from your bank before the trip. Often times US banks just do a transaction with Travelex and get in the middle. It's not even really your bank that changes the money. As an example, I need Yuan and Hong Kong Dollars for a trip coming up in March, and Travelex wants to charge me $100 for $1000 worth. No bueno.

The one exception is Wells Fargo. If you have checking or savings with a Wells Fargo bank, they handle the echange internally and give you the best rate for your exchange.

Beyond that... We've found that like it or not, ATM's at your destination give you the best rate. By far, often times.

Usually we just let our bank know that we will be in "country X" and want to make sure our cards will work in the ATM's there, and they'll notate the account and ensure you won't get any blocked transactions.

[K&RinTX]

Also thanks for the tip on grabbing pesos for tipping, we were aware to tip but never thought about the staff getting hosed on the exchange rate.

I read a post recently about getting pesos from your bank at home before you leave, I think I'll try that for the next trip. I just looked up the current exchange rate, it's almost 21 pesos to the U.S. dollar!

FYI, usually the WORST exchange rate comes from your bank before the trip. Often times US banks just do a transaction with Travelex and get in the middle. It's not even really your bank that changes the money. As an example, I need Yuan and Hong Kong Dollars for a trip coming up in March, and Travelex wants to charge me $100 for $1000 worth. No bueno.

The one exception is Wells Fargo. If you have checking or savings with a Wells Fargo bank, they handle the echange internally and give you the best rate for your exchange.

Beyond that... We've found that like it or not, ATM's at your destination give you the best rate. By far, often times.

Usually we just let our bank know that we will be in "country X" and want to make sure our cards will work in the ATM's there, and they'll notate the account and ensure you won't get any blocked transactions.

Good to know, thanks!

[curious-couple]

we converted $300 into 6020 pesos yesterday at Bank of America. It is close to the going rate and I like to have the pesos in advance'.

Hope this helps.

Rich

[skyviewblue]

Thanks for the questions and advice....we are almost three weeks out and I am still picking up "new" recommendations based on the experience of others....

[Texzuelano]

Colorado? I'm going to guess environment friendly. Make your sun screen friendly for the environment (Pearl is in an environmentally restricted beach area I believe). No one has mentioned insect repellent. Definitely worth bringing. I'm pretty sure all this was on the forum or Yahoo group for our first visit, so you should be able to find asked and answered. In my opinion, if you don't put an effort or attempt to dress for dinner you are doing your partner a disservice. It's not really about you at those times. You will find an equal number of opposite opinions on this sight as well.

Pearl has plenty of room to be alone if that's your preference. We chose it for our first trip for many of the same reasons. Now we return to not be alone, but you'll have a good time.

[scuba_couple]

The one exception is Wells Fargo. If you have checking or savings with a Wells Fargo bank, they handle the echange internally and give you the best rate for your exchange.

Yup, that is exactly what we did. I can't remember the rate but was expecting it to be a lot more. It was next to nothing. ---- See it is possible to say something good about Wells Fargo every now and then....

Scuba

[candjwv]

FYI, usually the WORST exchange rate comes from your bank before the trip. Often times US banks just do a transaction with Travelex and get in the middle. It's not even really your bank that changes the money. As an example, I need Yuan and Hong Kong Dollars for a trip coming up in March, and Travelex wants to charge me $100 for $1000 worth. No bueno.

The one exception is Wells Fargo. If you have checking or savings with a Wells Fargo bank, they handle the echange internally and give you the best rate for your exchange.

Beyond that... We've found that like it or not, ATM's at your destination give you the best rate. By far, often times.

Usually we just let our bank know that we will be in "country X" and want to make sure our cards will work in the ATM's there, and they'll notate the account and ensure you won't get any blocked transactions.

Agreed - I looked at getting Tanzanian Shillings before a trip to climb Kilimanjaro, and the rate sucked, along with a transaction fee. We got a MUCH better rate at a bank after landing, and they gave an even better rate if we exchanged more. I think it was 1500 Shillings per 1 USD to start, but they offered 1800 Shillings if we exchanged $300. So, I got a 540,000 instead of 450,000 - a 20% bump.

That said, I would assume that a US bank can get Pesos much easier than TZ Shillings But don't pay more than 2-3% of the currency value. You can beat that at the airport.