Barcelo Maya Riviera: Day 7
Good morning. I have my COVID test in three hours.
I do like the empanadas downstairs. I decided to try to be first to the empanadas today.
The thing about the empanadas is there isn’t much to the inside. The first time I had them they were cheese. The next time they were bean and cheese. Now they are cheese again. It’s mostly hollow inside. It reminds me of when I was a kid. I’d tear up a Kraft single, put it on a plate of tortilla chips, and melt it in the microwave. That’s what the cheese part reminds me of. But the pastry itself is really good.
I ordered two mochas. He brought one. But it doesn’t taste like chocolate at all. Even if you stir it. It just tastes like hot milk.
Now I have two “mochas” and neither of them are good.
I decided just to make regular coffee in the room.
Then I thought “I’m on vacation and if I want a good mocha I should get a good mocha.” I decided to head to the Palace for my mochas. They’re always good over there.
While I’m here I might as well grab a couple churros.
After that I stepped next door to the Coral Grill for a change of scenery and a Bloody Mary.
I have 30 minutes until my COVID test. It’s time to catch the shuttle back over to the Riviera.
Impeccable timing. All of the people on the bench expected the shuttle to pull up in front of them but it went to the other side. The same thing happened to me and some others at Riviera the other night. It’s much funnier when it happens to someone else.
Something that is very important to me in a shuttle bus driver is a good oral hygiene program.
The shuttle pulled in at 10:05. My COVID test is at 10:15 in this monstrosity.
I did think ahead and bring my passport and wallet so I wouldn’t have to go back to the room. I’m pretty sure they only take credit cards for this and it’s about $20.
It looks like they have two rooms.
My slip said room 1.
I have heard people talking on the shuttle throughout the week and it sounds like everyone not staying at Riviera gets their COVID test done at the Palace. So I would imagine there is a lot more people getting theirs over there.
This is my third COVID test in as many months but this is the first time I’ve seen a tip jar in the COVID lab.
I was definitely most nervous for this one having spent a lot of time on public transportation with all kinds of characters this week.
They said it would be $20 but it looks like $17.55 is what went on my card. I guess technically it’s $15 + tax but they just tell you $20.
I finished that at 10:45. I wanted to get the important documents back in my safe and get out of the room quickly because the cleaning people were just two rooms down.
A parasail attempt is happening out in front of the resort.
I wanted to get out of the room so the cleaning people can do their thing. I headed down to Coco for drinks.
Spicy bloody mary.
I wonder what those are chocolate drinks or just chocolate shakes. If they’re chocolate drinks I’m interested.
They were just shakes.
Beergaritas?
I switched from a bloody mary to a rum punch
And another
Back to the spicy. We keep getting hit with light rain drops or something. It feels like it’s about to rain but there’s nothing showing on the RADAR map.
Malibu and pineapple. That’s really good.
I’m going to walk over to the Palace in a bit for lunch. It’s right over there. I need to find their restaurants. I’m at their French place tonight and their seafood place tomorrow night.
There are definitely some heavy pourers here. This one is like 2/3 Malibu, 1/3 pineapple.
A lady just ordered like 8 drinks. The guy used what looked like an entire bottle of Absolut.
A lot of the rooms in the non Riviera hotels are like this. You have a pool view or a garden view.
But you’ve got your ocean view as well. Then these corner rooms that have the pool on one side and ocean on the other.
I wonder if the trees block their view of the ocean. I want to go up there and see if I can see what they see.
This is like second floor Palace view. It’s probably not a bad view.
Your pool view would be something similar to this.
This is the courtyard.
There didn’t seem to be a public area on the third floor. I wonder what that big space in the middle is.
It’s time to rehydrate before I head over to the Palace for lunch.
When I walked up here a couple of older Italian ladies were standing here debating which bathroom to go in based on the signs. I had to point them in the right direction.
Beef fajitas.
Blackberry cake and strawberry mousse.
After lunch I decided to go lobby bar hopping. The Palace lobby bar is closed. I’ll have to catch it one of these nights before dinner.
I think this is the Tropical resort bar. This bartender went to the back to get fresh oranges to put fresh squeezed orange juice in my drink.
This is vodka, pineapple juice, orange juice and apple liqueur.
I am moving to the bar at Colonial.
This bartender is really good as well. They need to move these guys over to Riviera.
This is a vodka mojito with mango.
Heading back to the hotel. Here are a couple clips from the Dolphin area. They sell all of the swim with the dolphins type packages here.
I worked my way back to the room. Great. Housekeeping just left me decaf. That’s it.
It’s looking a little darker outside. I think I saw lightning on the other side of the Palace.
I decided to change into a swimsuit and try the swim up bar.
It’s crazy logic to me that this side of the bar is fine. The other side you have to wear masks and there are no bar stools. Get your drink and go. But it’s not bad here you can actually get in and not even get your upper torso wet.
The water is only about three feet deep in the bar area
This pool is huge and there are not a lot of people in it.
There are two other pools over there. The middle one doesn’t have a bar.
There’s like this hot tub portion of the pool you can hang out in. It’s not really hot but it has bubbles.
Then behind that are these things which feel really good on the back.
This bartender knows what’s up as soon as I got back he was pouring a Modelo.
I’ve been at the bar behind the bar for a couple beers but every time I walk over that one bartender is on top of it. He knows I got the wet ones in my pocket
My phone died but I’m back in the room getting ready for dinner. I grabbed a couple drafts to go.
You do maintain the view from inside the shower
Dinner is way over at the Palace so I’m going to be taking a shuttle.
I came out and the shuttle was here. I had to jog and he closed the door just before I got here but I made it. I think I would’ve been late for dinner otherwise
There’s no way I would’ve made it in time had I missed this shuttle. Four minutes until my reservation and we still have one more stop before mine. And I don’t even know where the restaurant is. I know where all three buffets are. I got that down.
Drone.
I found their restaurants downstairs.
I know what that cream cheese bread is all about. The croissant is an upgrade over the onion bread at the other French restaurant.
It looks like I have a selection of butters instead of that plastic Land O’ Lakes package at the other French restaurant
I’m reaching in my bag looking for the right golf club for each item here.
Oysters
Lobster cappuccino. Here he brought me the bowl with the bread and cheese in it and poured the soup on it.
Breaking out the 1 wood for this
Okay no that was totally different. At the other place the cappuccino came with cheese bread. Here I thought that was cheese bread cut up in the bottom of the bowl before he poured the soup in. It was actually shrimp. But the soup tasted the same. So the question is shrimp or cheese bread? I’d like both.
Rack of lamb.
Creme brulee
That’s a really good creme brulee. All of it was good here.
I haven’t been to The Palace lobby bar yet so I wanted to stop there.
I can have any beer I want here as long as it’s Corona.
I’m going to head over to the Maya Mall. I’ll grab a drink in what I guess they consider the Caribe lobby bar then I will have hit all of them except for the Beach which is closed.
Looks like they can close this roof if it rains.
I’m guessing this mall bar would be considered the Caribe bar because there is no bar in Caribe and the lobby is right here.
This is off of their cocktail menu. It’s called Coconut Island and it’s really good.
White rum, coconut cream, blue curacao.
Now I’m heading to the show. This is where I usually get off of the shuttle and walk to it so I can just walk it from here.
I’m guessing they’ll have services here on Sunday.
I’m heading to the casino.
It looks like UFC is on as well. It is Saturday.
Well I don’t have to worry about paying any taxes on any winnings today.
I think some of the entertainers from the show are performing in the lobby.
Here is a little bit of that.
I’m going to call it a night. Tomorrow is my last day here.
Continue to Barcelo Maya Riviera: Day 8
