The city of Playa del Carmen is no longer the sleepy fishing village it once was until the mid ’70’s. It now has a population of over 304,942 (2020 stat) and continues to be a thriving hub for vacationers as well as expats–there is estimated to be over 186,000 expats living full-time/part-time in this city.
If you want to stay close to vibrant 5th Ave. in the city of Playa del Carmen while on vacation, check out Wyndham Alltra Playa del Carmen. This property has fairly recently changed its name twice–Gran Porto became Panama Jacks, and Panama Jacks has now become a Wyndham Alltra property.
If you’re vacationing in Cancun’s Hotel Zone or staying in Playa Mujeres/Costa Mujeres north of downtown Cancun, you may want to consider taking a day trip over to Isla Mujeres. It makes a a great change of pace if you are becoming bored with staying at your resort as well as a way to see a great beach and beautiful water you can actually swim in (the east-facing beach areas in Cancun’s Hotel Zone are often red-flagged making swimming conditions impossible).
There are now additional modifications Mexico has released about the new smoking ban and how these modifications affect resorts.
If you or your family is looking for a resort with a lot of vacation fun options, check out Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun. This resort originally was being built as The Senator Riviera Cancun, but was bought out by Marriott and opened Dec. 2022. It is located next to Dreams Natura close to Puerto Morelos.
I was so impressed by my breakfast experience at Hotel Xcaret Arte that I felt like I needed to write a separate blog post about what the buffet has to offer guests. I’ve stayed at all-inclusive resorts for many years now, and have to honestly say that the buffets at both Hotel Xcaret Mexico and Hotel Xcaret Arte are superlative with the most food and drink offerings I’ve ever experienced. I stayed at Arte from March 8-11, 2023.
FYI: The new opening date is scheduled for June 1, 2023.
For those of you who were looking forward to the opening of Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Maya please be aware that the date has changed to June 2023. Since there is no specific date in June mentioned, it is a possibility that the opening could be delayed further. You may want to book this resort for July/August 2023 to be on the safe side.
If you’re interested in what the new addition is like at Haven Riviera Cancun, take a look at the video I found on YouTube. It shows the new restaurant, Tahani, and the two new pool areas. I was beginning to wonder whether it was actually fully open, after all it’s been since Nov. that the resort advertised the new addition to be open…
I always read up on resorts that I will be staying at, and that includes info from the resort’s website as well as resort reviews. Remarkably, it has paid off over the years in that I have been able to take advantage of amenities like secret menu items, where to find hard to locate resort amenities, the “don’t miss” aspects of the resort, as well as “what to miss” so that I don’t waste my precious vacation time.
