Tell me about Las Hadas in Manzanillo....

[surkos]

thanks

[jones391]

Is it $30 or 300 pesos? Anyone pay in pesos? Has anyone used a credit card to pay the pesos? The exchange rate is good now and we live in San Diego, so its easy to get pesos.

[karfest]

I typically pay 50 pesos (about $3.80 US)to get from downtown to the Las Hadas vicinity. This is for a taxi that can take 4 passengers. I'm sure I could do better but my Spanish isn't very good for haggling! I have never taken a van but I would think 80 (about $6 USD) pesos is reasonable.

The taxis will take USD but life is much easier if you have some pesos, especially with the great exchange rate. When using USD with a taxi or other cash transactions, they typically use 10-1 to make it easier but it is not in your favor right now.

Reminder- you do NOT tip the taxi driver, they build the tip into their fare. And make sure you agree on a set amount before you take off to avoid any issues at your destination. Be clear that the fare is the total for everyone, not each!!

 

Have fun:)

[Ray&Sara]

Smokeyhillmom - did you just show up at Las Hadas or did you contact them first? Does anyone know is it always open to visitors?

Thanks

[smokyhillmom]

Ray&Sara ~ We jsut showed up at Las Hadas. I had a different plan for Manzanillo, but at the last minute we changed our minds. I had read about and researched Las Hadas before we left, but I never contacted them in advance.

 

Jones391~ It is $30. They told us $30 and never mentioned pesos.

 

Like many people have said we paid 10-1 for virtually everything in Mexico.

 

I don't know about van taxis. I am sure they have some. As you can tell there is a huge range of fares people have paid for taxis. Make sure you confirm the price in advance.

[Ray&Sara]

Thanks smokeyhillmom!

[Joe5]

We have someone going with us that uses a handicap scooter. Can they get around at Las Hadas? Is this the same resort as Carinval's EXCLUSIVE RESORT & BEACH BREAK? There will be 12 of us and looks like it is way cheaper to go on own than use Carnival.

 

Thanks

Joe

[jones391]

Joe5

 

Carinval's EXCLUSIVE RESORT & BEACH BREAK is to the Karima Palace, they charge $75 per person at the gate if you go on your own.

[alberta_cruiser]

We are planning to go to Las Hadas on December 26 from the Carniva Spirt. I had read from a previous post that they were unable to get in because it was Christmas. emailed the hotel and this was my reply.

 

 

We do have day passes and it is true that is worth 300 pesos, in order for you to use the facilities as well as for paying food and drinks inside the property. We do not have any information regarding the cancelation for the requested dates. In my opinion there won´t be any problem.

Be sure to contact me if you have any further questions . . .

LLI. Rodolfo Sánchez Valdovinos

Gerente de Recepcion / Front Desk Manager

Las Hadas Golf Resort & Marina

Av. Vista Hermosa s/n Peninsula de Santiago

Manzanillo 28867 Mexico

Tel: 011 52 314 331 01

01 Fax: 01152 314 331 0121

e-mail:rodolfo.sanchez@brisas.com.mx

www.brisas.com.mx

[iancal]

We were in Las Hada in Feb. and enjoyed it. It is an older resort but has a very nice pool area. We paid $30. but it would have been better had we had pesos as the price would have been $20. (ie 300 pesos). We would to back. There were a few staff members from the ship who also went. We paid $10. to go, and $8. to come back. The first cab wanted $20.....we declined. It was not crowded.

[jones391]

We were in Las Hada in Feb. and enjoyed it. It is an older resort but has a very nice pool area. We paid $30. but it would have been better had we had pesos as the price would have been $20. (ie 300 pesos). We would to back. There were a few staff members from the ship who also went. We paid $10. to go, and $8. to come back. The first cab wanted $20.....we declined. It was not crowded.

 

Thanks for the info on pesos. Were there any restaurants open? How much was the drinks? Did you use all of your tickets?:)

[SDPadreFan]

I'm currently posting a complete review of our Carnival Spirit cruise from last week. I'll be including a review of Las Hadas (including food/drink prices) in probably 2 days (sometime on Thursday).

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1102028

[SDPadreFan]

Here is my complete review of the Las Hadas Resort. Full review of Carnival Spirit cruise (27 Nov - 05 Dec 2009) is located here as well as eventually in the cruise ship specific area of cruise critic.

 

Full review (in process)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1102028

 

Las Hadas Review

 

Day 5 (02 Dec 2009) – Manzanillo Visit

 

Today was a really nice day. I forgot to mention earlier that as we sailed north, each day’s weather was a little nicer. Acapulco was the hottest and most humid. Acapulco was not bad by any stretch but you did notice the temp/humidity a little more.

 

Our plans for the day were to just take a cab over to the Las Hadas Resort and pay for a day pass. If you have never been to Manzanillo before (we have), you can take the ship’s shuttle bus into town ($4 each – bring cash). The town is worth seeing a little before heading to the beach or a resort like La Hadas. Things you will see in town – a giant metal sculpture of a sailfish/marlin (40’ – 60’ tall), the town square (Zocolo) with a Snoopy sculpture that is cute. George Shultz (Peanuts creator) loved Manzanillo. Another thing worth noticing is the little garden shrines built on the side streets. If you walk down one of the main streets and look up the side streets going up a hill, you will see them. I believe they are religious shrines and seem to be very well maintained. Interesting to see anyway.

 

If you do not want to go into this part of town but still want to go to the beaches or to Las Hadas, there is a way to save some money. When you get off the ship, you will have to turn right and walk to where the bus is parked. You can pay to go into town ($8.00 for 2 people – round trip), or walk past the bus, turn left and you will find cabs waiting. If you go into town, 2 people ($8.00) + the taxi from town to Las Hadas ($10) for a total of $18 for 2 people to get to Las Hadas. Skip the bus and get a cab around the corner, $7 - $8 total for 2 people to get to Las Hadas. Same price coming back if you skip going to town. No need to tip the cab drivers as this is already calculated in your fare. I normally do anyway because I figure I may be helping to buy some kid a pair of shoes, or school supplies, or a present. Your decision to make.

 

Las Hadas is a very nice “older” resort. I feel it is pretty well maintained. It doesn’t have all the frills of the newest whiz bang resorts, but it’s very nice. We had a great afternoon there. Price for a day pass is $30 per person. Actually it’s 300 pesos which is about $24 - $25 currently IF YOU HAVE PESOS, otherwise you will pay $30. They have a nice outdoor (covered) restaurant by the pool, or you can have pool side service from the bar. When you pay the $30 entrance fee (per person), you will get coupons worth 300 pesos to spend. We ate from the poolside service, not the restaurant. Here are some of the prices, IN PESOS/Dollars).

 

Nachos & Cheese ($70 pesos = $5.60 US), Guacamole & Chips ($60/$4.80), Shrimp Cocktail Colima Style ($140/$11.20), Chicken Wings Buffalo Style ($90/$7.20), Fish Fingers ($90/$7.20), Wings & Ribs ($105/$8.40), Club Sandwich & Fries ($105/$8.40), Hot Dog & Fries ($80/$6.40), Beef Hamburger & Fries ($105/$8.40), Chicken Hamburger & Fries ($95/$7.60), Meat Skewers: Chicken ($105/$8.40), Beef ($105/$8.40), Fish ($125/$10) – special note: the skewers come with coleslaw & potato w/spices (?). There are also a couple of pizzas in the range of $90 (small) to $145 (medium). The most unique was the “Marinera” with tuna, shrimp, surimi, onion, chili, and olive.

 

Sample of Drink prices: Pina Colada w/Amaretto ($90/$7.20), Margarita ($80/$6.40), Coco Loco ($110/$8.80). All in all, the alcoholic drinks “on the menu ran in the range of $80 - $140 ($6.40-$11.20 US). Not sure of the prices for sodas or beer, but I’m sure they were reasonable for a resort.

 

What we had. We each got the Beef Hamburger w/fries. The hamburger is very large (at least 1/3 pound or larger, I'm guessing closer to 1/2 pound). We had cheese added (not sure the cost). The cheese is shredded white Mexican cheese so don’t be looking for a slab of American or cheddar. It was good though. Holly had a diet coke and I had (2) Pacifico’s. Holly also ordered the Guacamole & Chips (it’s a large order so you would only need one for two or three people). Our total at that point was around $395 pesos (remember you have $600 to spend for two people. We added 2 Pina Colada’s at that point and just gave the waiter the whole book of coupons.

 

The swimming pool is very nice. Water is a little cold getting in but you get used to it and then you are fine. It’s a very large pool. There is a rope bridge that goes across it but you can also walk around the perimeter of the pool instead. One set of bathrooms (not the best, but workable) The lounge chairs closest to the resort are plastic. On the far side of the pool, they are metal framed (sturdier) so that is where we went. There is a lizard around the pool area (completely tame and about 18 inches long). It was bigger at one time but part of its tail is gone :(. Really likes french fries. Bring your towels from the ship (or pay to rent from the resort). Beach area is very calm and nice. You have to pay to rent a palapa on the beach so we just stayed around the pool.

 

All in all, it was a great day. There were quite a few people from the ship that went to the resort. Our cost’s because we used pesos; Shuttle to downtown (didn’t know about the taxi’s right around the corner), $4 each (US). Cab to Las Hadas from town $120p/$9.60 (US). Las Hadas day use fee $600p/$48 (for 2 people). Cab back to the ship $100p/$8. Total for the day for 2 people was $73.60 using pesos. Paying with US dollars brings the cost to $86 instead. Skipping the shuttle to town and just using a taxi from the pier will save you @ $10. If you’ve never been to Manzanillo before, I’d still recommend spending the $10 to go into town for a quick look around.

 

So we spent less the $75 for the day. Carnival’s “beach break & resort” is at a newer (whiz bang) resort and includes a buffet lunch and complimentary domestic drinks. It costs $90 each or $180 for 2 people. So I guess it depends upon how much you drink as to whether you get value that way. $180 vs. $75 is a no-brainer to me. We had lunch, Holly had a soda & a pina colada. I had 2 beers and a pina colada.

 

Catching a cab when you leave the resort is easy. Just ask in the Lobby and they will send for one. One final note. To get from the Lobby to the pool area requires going down stairs. I’m sure they probably have a plan for handicapped people (elevator or outdoor shuttle) but I didn’t think to ask.

 

Back onboard the ship. Dinner was great (as always). Evening show was “The Prop Comedy of Marcus Raymond”. We chose not to go. 7:00pm: Late Seating, 8:45pm Early Seating. They also have a late night Mexican Buffet & "Dance Party Under The Stars" up on the Lido Deck. Starts around 9:30pm (the party), buffet at 11:00pm.

 

Final note. All of my peso calculations for this thread are done using a conversion rate of $12.5 pesos to $1.00 dollar. Exchange rates change daily but this is a current ball park figure.

[Swann5]

This sounds like a great place to spend the day. We are a family of five (3 young adults, Mom & Dad) and will be there on Jan 7, '10 :). Are taxi vans readily available or is it more likely that we will have to take two taxis.

[SDPadreFan]

I don't remember seeing any inside the port area (just past Carnival's Shuttle Bus). In town, at the taxi stand right by where the shuttle bus drops people off, I know there were people requesting a "Taxi Grande" but I don't know how many there are or how long you would have to wait (or the cost).

 

If you are just going to the resort (not to town), the easiest way maybe to just get 2 cabs in the area just past the shuttle bus that I mentioned earlier. You would save the shuttle bus cost $4 each times 5 plus the cab fare would be a few dollars less.

[3 gals and a buoy]

SDPadresfan

 

Thanks for the great review! We are heading there at the end of next month with our 2 little girls. I think we will definitely check out the Las Hadas. I know you weren't traveling with children, but do you know if there is a kid rate or if they are the same $30? I guess I don't really mind since you get the entrace charge back as a credit. Also, did they provide towels or is that something we would need to bring from the ship? Do you need an advanced reservation or could you get one if you would like?

 

Thanks!!

Susan

[SDPadreFan]

SDPadresfan

 

Thanks for the great review! We are heading there at the end of next month with our 2 little girls. I think we will definitely check out the Las Hadas. I know you weren't traveling with children, but do you know if there is a kid rate or if they are the same $30? I guess I don't really mind since you get the entrance charge back as a credit. Also, did they provide towels or is that something we would need to bring from the ship? Do you need an advanced reservation or could you get one if you would like?

 

Thanks!!

Susan

 

Sorry I don't know if they have a cheaper rate for kids. If they want to charge you the same rate, I would try a nice smile and beg poverty because the girls are young. You buy the day pass coupons from the gate guard and when we were there, a couple got in on a reduced rate because they got there after @ 2pm so they begged down their rate. So be nice to the gate guard and you may get lucky. You won't need a reservation, it was very quiet when we were there. We were on Carnival Spirit and they provide you with towels for taking ashore so we took those in a backpack. I think that without them, we would have had to rent them at the resort. Don't forget to tell your girls that the lizard likes small pieces of french fries (if you happen to see it).

 

If you are going to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, there is a Club Med there that is supposed to be really nice (we didn't go). I believe the entrance there is $50 each and then it's all inclusive including non motorized water sports and I think they also have a trampoline or something like that. Even at that price, I believe it's still a bargain compared to anything the ship will offer.

 

Have a great cruise!

[3 gals and a buoy]

We are going to Ixtapa and I think the club med option sounds like a good one. With the girls ages, we are really limited with what tours we can sign up for. Thanks for all the good tips!

[SDPadreFan]

Found my Las Hadas Information Sheet that they give you when you buy the day pass. Here is some updated information. Important stuff first.

 

Adults - $300.00 pesos, per person, per day. CHILDREN 6 to 12 $200.00 pesos per child per day. Note: only 1 child's rate extended for each paying adult (so 2 paying adults could get the child rate for only 2 of their children). So I'm guessing that under age 6 is free, and over age 12 pays the adult rate. To me that seems fair.

 

Coupons are good at any of the open restaurants and bars, you will not get credit for coupons you do not use. They are not refundable. They will not be accepted as a tip, nor are they to be used as such. I'm guessing that if you were to leave early, you could always try to give away your remaining coupons to another cruise ship passenger who is staying later.

 

Keep in mind that if you pay in American cash they will probably charge you $30 per adult (300 pesos at a lousy exchange rate). If you have pesos and the exchange rate is like it is now @12.5:1 then paying in pesos means you are only paying the equivalent of about $24 American (saving you about $6 by paying with pesos). When we got our pesos during the Spring of 2009 the exchange rate was closer to 13:1 so we only paid @ $23 per person for the day pass.

[3 gals and a buoy]

Thanks so much for the info - it is a huge help. I am really looking forward to this trip. Let's hope I can keep the surprise for 4 more days!

[louloubelle69]

I'm currently posting a complete review of our Carnival Spirit cruise from last week. I'll be including a review of Las Hadas (including food/drink prices) in probably 2 days (sometime on Thursday).

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1102028

 

Wow, Padre, that was a great review. My DH and I are on the Spirit 1/22 and I'm trying to figure out what to do in Manzanillo. We've never gotten off the ship there so I really want to this time. I was also thinking that we might want to go fishing there. Do you have any experience with that or know anyone who has? I know the ship has an excursion but $150 seems a big pricey. thanks again for the Las Hadas info, we might do that instead. Only 30 more days!!

[SDPadreFan]

Fishing in Manzanillo is supposed to be good. Not a fisherman though so I don't have any experience there. You might try and go to TripAdvisor's forum for Manzanillo. TripAdvisor is the parent company of CruiseCritic. You will have to join there just like here, but you may be able to use the same screen name and login (that's what I do). On the Manzanillo board, they will have a "destination expert" who should be able to at least clue you in on what kind of fish they have in the region. I know they have a huge blue sailfish sculpture in the port area. I also know that the late Charles Schultz (creator of the Peanuts comics) loved Manzanillo and nearby the big sculpture is a smaller one with Snoopy holding a fish.

 

Here is the link to the TripAdvisor board.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g150791-i474-Manzanillo_Pacific_Coast.html

 

I see there are a least a couple of questions and replies regarding fishing so scroll through a couple of pages worth on the forum and you'll at least have some recommendations, etc.

 

Have a great trip!