Hogan

El Camaleon Mayakoba
Maya Riviera, Mexico

Just returned from Mexico where I stayed at the Fairmont Mayakoba, 45 minutes south of Can***. Beautiful resort, fantastic food and perfect weather if you are looking for a terrific vacation in Mexico.
Played El Camaleon, a Greg Norman signature design course. While not usually a big fan of Norman designed tracks this was a good resort course. The conditions were excellent. The fairways were perfect and the greens were pristine. Traps were consistent throughout. The course reads 7024 from the tips with a 71.1/131 slope rating, 6562 from the whites. Like other Norman courses, this one had, for the most part, wide fairways and huge greens. You could find yourself with 80 foot putts on a number of occasions. Course meanders through thick vegetation and is bordered on a number of holes with hotel suites. Two holes, both par 3’s are right on the ocean providing beautiful views. There are 6 par 4’s over 425. This is good because with the wind you are hitting long approach shots to greens. The 4 par 5’s averaged just over 540 yards.
If you are staying at any Mayakoba resort the 18 hole rate is $181 per round with carts. There is a twilight rate of $77 that works. Many players choose to play 9 holes at around 2PM when the weather is nice and the shadows start to fall across the course. The staff, outside of the pro shop, were terrific and helpful. Pro shop staff needs to get their act together and do a better job of coordinating with the hotel front desks. The often have conflicting information regarding rates, especially for junior players under 17. All in all a good week of golf and sun. If you are planning to go there are 8 courses in the area and two more being built. Maya Riviera is the new in place in Mexico and getting built up fast. Nice part is that there are no high rises to speak of. Most of the resorts are set back from the road with large areas of vegitation so you don't feel like its Can*** or Alcapulco. There are Mayan ruins to visit in Tulum and the town is terrific to visit at night with many good restarurants and shops. Very clean and secure.