The Hotel Casa Ticul is located at the north end of 5th Avenue, which is a street that is blocked off for only foot traffic. I had arranged airport transfers through the hotel before I arrived. The driver parked the van and helped me to carry my bags to the hotel. Check-in was fast and easy and a gentleman helped me with my bags. The hotel stands four stories tall, and inside the walls are two courtyards. The first courtyard has the main pool that you see in so many pictures. There is also a second-level deck above the pool with artificial grass and beach chairs for sitting or lounging. This area overlooks 5th Avenue below. The back courtyard has a second pool and is quieter.
About taxis - Some taxis knew where Hotel Casa Ticul were, but for others I had to specify 5th Avenue and 38th Street. If you get picked up or dropped off on 5th Avenue, the fares will be doubled. It's half the price to walk to/from 10th Avenue and 38th Street and get picked up or dropped off by a taxi there.
There was some noise and fireworks late at night because of the holiday, but I use a white noise generating app on my phone to sleep.
Breakfast is served from 7:30 - 10:00. At 7:30, nothing was out but water and juice. By 8:00, bread, jam, sandwich fixings, and the toaster were out. When I left at 8:30, they had put out sliced fruit and began warming the stove for cooking. On a different day, around 9:30, I had breakfast at the hotel. The special of the day was Molle Te. It was on a base of crispy bread, such as that used for bruschetta. On the bread was beans, sausage, pico de gallo, cheese, and a drizzled cream sauce. It was delicious. I wish we had been able to eat breakfast there more often. Note: Hotel Casa Ticul will pack a bagged lunch for you if you have an early morning. We did not use this service because we had groceries in our room to make sandwiches and pack chips.
In the lobby, we asked about going to a beach club. The concierge gave us two options - passes to Mamitas or the Blue Parrot beach clubs. Mamitas was closer and had a nicer beach, but the Blue Parrot had a pool. We decided to go to the Blue Parrot. The concierge gave us towels to take with us. We took a taxi from 10th Ave & 38th St to 1st Ave & 12th St for 50 pesos. The Blue Parrot was easy to find and at 10:00 AM, we found beach chairs with no trouble. The beach chairs were sturdy wooden chairs with thick, light-colored pads. Like 4-inch thick pads. They were great. There were little tables interspersed between every few chairs. There were more chairs around the pool.
Part of the deal that allows Hotel Casa Ticul customers to access the beach club is that you must spend at least 200 pesos on drinks or food. There are waiters that come to your chair to take and deliver your order. The drinks were good but not great. Not too strong, not too weak, and only a little watery. A strong rain shower hit the area at noon, so we had lunch at the restaurant. I had the Marlin Samosas and my daughter had a hamburger with potatoes. Her burger was juicy and good, as were her potatoes. The samosas were good. Although dry alone, they were good with the accompanying sauce.
About the pool area - we were there during the week of Christmas. The sun deck begins to get the sun around 10:00 AM. The pool was still in the shade and was pretty cool. I believe that the temperature of the pool was in the mid- to upper-70's.
About the wifi - We were in room 26, which is on the second floor in the back courtyard. When we checked in, the lady at the desk said that we would not have wifi in the room, but we did. Once during our stay, the internet went out, but we called the front desk and they reset something to get it working again. The internet was good enough that we were able to stream Netflix on it and upload photos. There are several wifi connections for the hotel, and they are free.
It's worth mentioning that when we arrived back at the hotel with our heavy dive gear, the bellhop always helped us to our upstairs room. Often, he took off before I could get out a tip. I tipped him well at the end of the week.
Overall, I would classify Hotel Casa Ticul as a very nice boutique hotel. It is small with beautiful decor. The layout is a little quirky. It's quiet and clean. It's located on the north end of 5th Avenue, but still in town with great restaurants and beaches nearby. The room was a little small, but well-appointed. The staff was friendly and helpful overall. We would definitely stay here again and recommend it. read more