Well what do you know. I guess Hilton found out that the “trial period” of having an all-inclusive package option for resort guests at these luxury properties would pay off mightily for them thus resulting in them changing their entire resort meal and drink setup at both the Conrad Tulum and Waldorf Astoria Riviera Maya resort locations…
I’m working backwards with my resort reviews since I spent a year on another project apart from my blog (if you want to read my most recent resort reviews from late April/first part of May 2026 then check out Riu Ventura, Majestic Mirage Costa Mujeres, and Ocean Allure Costa Mujeres reviews). This resort stay occurred early Dec. 2025 when I visited the adults-only Riu Latino on a solo trip; it was followed up by an additional resort stay at Krystal Grand Cancun which will be the next review to post. One resort review at a time!
I’ve recently had multiple individuals email me inquiring about my resort recommendations for a great honeymoon. Some give me info about what they want from their honeymoon stay (re. romance, choice of activities, setting etc.) while others just ask an open-ended question.
In case you haven’t heard, Riu Palace Mexico reopened Sept. 19, 2026, following an extensive renovation. While Riu hasn’t disclosed the amount of the renovation, they did redo all guest rooms, common areas, bars and restaurants–they even put in swim-up suites but have reserved them for guests booking the new Elite upgrade (I knew there had to be a catch). Also, they have switched up the demographics in that this resort is now adults-only.
At this point in my all-inclusive travels I have sampled quite a few resorts–some stays have been with well-recognized brands and a few have been with lesser known or less regarded brands. While I do tend to love Riu resorts because of the vacation value they provide, there are some luxury/higher end resorts I also hold in high esteem due to their architecture and decor, service, ambiance, and things as simple as in-room liquor besides beer cans in the mini-fridge. Others might say they value the presence of a swim-up bar or two as well as whether privacy is provided in their bathroom and don’t care as much about the brand. To each his/her own.
This has certainly been a long time coming…Kimpton Tres Rios Riviera Maya has opened reservations starting Sept 22, 2026 in the resort brand’s first venture into the all-inclusive market.
Surprise, Grand Hyatt Cancun Beach Resort has decided to open their brand new resort as an all-inclusive.
At this point in my travels to Cancun and the Riviera Maya I’m so used to grand resorts with impressive features and extensive amenities that I sometimes lose track of the more “funky” properties that this part of Mexico has to offer. When I say funky I mean in this instance “pretty darn cool”, not weird or strange that you would want to avoid. Many grand resorts in this part of Mexico look very nice but some of them could be placed anywhere in the world, including the US which kind of defeats the point of some travelers who want the chance of experiencing other cultures and experiences outside one’s own country.
Hyatt has decided to turn Dreams Vista Cancun into Hyatt Vivid Cancun. Probably the biggest change in this turnover which occurred Aug. 14, 2026 is that the resort is now adults-only; Dreams resorts are all about family experiences while Hyatt Vivid properties are more about casual adults-only vacation vibes in more luxury resort settings.
For anyone thinking about staying at UNICO 20° 87° or for those who already have an upcoming booking, there is currently some very noisy construction going on which may interfere with your stay.