Another All-Inclusive Optional Resort–Krystal Cancun

Krystal Cancun Hotel is a family-friendly all-inclusive optional resort right in the heart of the Hotel Zone at Punta Cancun and across from Cancun’s convention center.  Fortunately (or unfortunately–it depends on how you look at it), the resort is situated a stone’s throw from Cancun’s famous clubs so the sound and activity level can go up a notch or two late in the evenings.  The closest club is Mandalay, so their Tuesday night beach party can go until 3:30 a.m.  Guests staying in Tower B should be forewarned that you will get the brunt of Mandalay and party zone noise.

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Live Aqua Boutique Resort in PDC Rebranded…

Playa Hotels and Resorts has bought Grupo Posadas’ boutique resort, Live Aqua Boutique Resort Playa del Carmen.  It is now called The Yucatan Resort Playa del Carmen.  It is now under the Hilton brand–points can be accrued and used here.  It looks a bit different in terms of decor, but the rooftop area makes in difficult to mistake it as anything else.

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Another All-Inclusive Optional–The Fives Oceanfront

Here’s a newcomer to the Puerto Morelos hotel market–The Fives Oceanfront is an all-inclusive optional, family-friendly luxury boutique hotel located on the outskirts of Puerto Morelos in the Riviera Maya.  There are several “The Fives” resorts, so be careful if you decide to book since you may wind up staying at the wrong hotel/resort.  It became kind of confusing when Karisma removed their name brand from Azul Fives Resort a couple of years ago (that resort is now rebranded as a “The Fives” resort), but that’s a different blog post.

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Secrets Silversands to Become…….

Finally got official word that Secrets Silversands will open as Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun sometime in 2021.  There is no specific date set yet, however.  I double checked the old SS address with the new Hyatt address and they are both the same, so there’s no doubt this is the replacement.

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Having Trouble Getting Resort COVID Tests in the Hotel Zone?

I recently received an email from a reader who was having difficulty getting easy to book and reliable COVID testing from the Omni resort in the Hotel Zone (around Km. 16.5).  Reportedly there are appointment scheduling difficulties, computers crashing losing your data, and just general annoyance at this resort when it comes to COVID testing in order to return home.

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Another All-Inclusive Optional–Marriott Cancun Resort

Not many vacationers know about this (with maybe the exception of Marriott loyalty members), but Marriott does indeed have an all-inclusive optional resort right in Cancun’s Hotel Zone.  It used to be called CasaMagna, but now it’s just called Marriott Cancun Resort.  It’s located on the south side of JW Marriott Cancun (the resort with the awesome meandering pool), but Marriott Cancun Resort guests no longer have exchange privileges with its sister resort.

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Another All-Inclusive Optional–The Viceroy

Vacationers used to the “best” while traveling typically consider the Viceroy brand as a potential contender in places to stay.  Well, the Riviera Maya has its own Viceroy which is an adults-only all-inclusive optional resort located just north of Playa del Carmen.  The Viceroy Riviera Maya offers one and two-story villas, some of which are very private, in a jungle setting.  Vacationers wanting to be closer to the beach have the option of booking a villa which has an ocean view.  Villas have heated plunge pools, indoor and outdoor showers, Bose radios, hammocks, and upgraded in-room amenities from Italian-made robes to handmade artisanal soaps–once you are checked-in you will be receiving a visit from the soap concierge in order to pick out your favorite bar of soap from their collection.  This resort also has its own resident Shaman who performs smoke blessings for new guests.

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All-Inclusive Optional–Villa del Palmar Cancun

I’ve decided to do a series on all-inclusive optional resorts in Cancun and the Riviera Maya–not too many people know all the options in this category and may be interested in trying out one or two to see how they compare to resorts which are totally all-inclusive.

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