Interested in the newest Grupo Xcaret properties? Hotel Xcaret Arte has already opened, and on-time, while the neighboring property, Casa de la Playa, is still slated to open Dec. 2021. The drone video below shows a bit of the shoreline for both properties; looks like there is limited space to enter the water at Arte–at least the water color is beautiful now that the sargassum issue has abated for the season.
I re-posted this short video–it’s still one of the best resort videos I’ve seen, lol! Kudos to the monkeys for pitching in to the resort’s efforts to clean up before reopening during COVID…..
For those interested in visiting the Aqua Nick water park at the new Nickelodeon Riviera Maya resort, here are some fun facts: Continue reading
Maybe someone can fill me in on the details, but when did The Reef resorts become all-inclusive optional?? I’m thinking it must have been a couple of years ago when this company left my resort radar…regardless, if you are looking for an all-inclusive option for your next vacation, let’s do a quick rundown of The Reef Playacar to see if this may be the right one for you.
I actually wanted to find a video of how the new resorts are doing which are planning on opening within the next month, but as is typical of this area and new resort info there is not much out there–it’s like resort companies believe they are selling state secrets by giving away some teaser info.
No, I didn’t already recently post about this AI-optional resort–that was the Krystal Cancun. This is its family-friendly “sister resort” right next door to the north and it’s called Krystal Grand Punta Cancun. It has also been known in the past as Reflect, while some third party wholesalers may currently list this resort as Krystal Grand Cancun, or even “Altitude By Krystal Grand Punta Cancun” which refers to certain upgraded room types (Altitude rooms). It’s all the same resort, but it can be confusing.
If you are staying near Playa del Carmen and just want something different for dinner away from your all-inclusive resort, here’s a very interesting option. It’s called Alux, (pronounced a’loosh), a restaurant outside of Playa del Carmen, and it’s located inside a cave cenote.
I’ve decided my next solo trip will include a stay at Catalonia Royal Tulum which is located an hour drive south of the Cancun airport. It is a bit south of Barcelo Maya Grand resort, if readers know where that mega-resort is located in the Riviera Maya. CRT is a smaller adults-only all-inclusive with a great beach which was the deciding factor for me and my next Mexico vacation. I may do Planet Hollywood Cancun later on in the year, but am still on the fence about that resort since I think it would be a much better resort experience without COVID affecting amenity limits/closures.
I thought this was an unusual amenity, so I decided to post a quick video I found which highlights both the Grotto Bar and the Lazy River at the brand new Planet Hollywood Cancun. I’ve only run across one other resort grotto bar and that was at Dreams Playa Mujeres. This one looks like you can float right up to the bar in your lazy river flotation device! That will come in handy during Cancun’s hot summer months where you literally want to live in the water while on vacation.
I love Playacar Beach, it’s one of my favorites in the Riviera Maya. For those of you who don’t know where it’s located, it’s in a gated community just south of Playa del Carmen (the beach can also be accessed by walking south on the beach from Playa del Carmen). Very swimmable with minor wave action overall, within walking distance to Playa del Carmen (and only a 6-8 min. cab ride from Riu resorts), a smaller shopping area across the road from Riu Palace Mexico/Riu Yucatan, and the gated community makes vacationers feel safer in terms of walking in the area.