Not every traveler can afford a $5k+ vacation for two for a week at a luxury 5-star resort. So I’ve decided to do a series of suite reviews in Cancun/Riviera Maya all-inclusive resorts (or all-inclusive optional resorts) which will give you the most “bang for your buck” (vacation dollar/euro/peso, etc.).
Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancun resort in the Hotel Zone is part of the impressive Grupo Posadas hotel chain which also runs Live Aqua properties. If you know anything about Live Aqua resorts, you expect the Condesa Cancun to be something beyond the typical all-inclusive resort experience. A guest’s stay begins with entering the property under the impressive palapa roof which covers the lobby area (the palapa roof rises up to a height of 118 feet tall). One’s stay only gets better with the resort’s terraced pools which include cascading waterfalls, multiple poolside Jacuzzis, a beachfront swimup bar and small kid’s water park with slides, a separate beach bar, and varied dining choices including four a la carte restaurants, a sushi bar, poolside grill, ice cream shop, dessert carts, and poolside BBQ’s options. There is evening entertainment, and both younger children and teens have their own spaces for socializing and scheduled activities.
I recently stayed at Live Aqua Beach Resort Cancun to check out their renovations (read my resort review and see my pics if you are interested), and here’s a video of my Aqua Club room.
This resort is just about ready to reopen its doors after a complete renovation which was done in stages; it is slightly behind schedule, and when I confirm a reopening date I will post it. (FYI: I just got confirmation as of Oct. 19 that the resort has now reopened).
Live Aqua exterior from the street
Now Sapphire has given its fans a preview of a new guest room category, the Preferred Club Master Suite Oceanfront. This Master Suite has a total of 1,040 sq. feet and includes a separate bedroom with king bed, a living room with a sofa bed, two 55 inch flat screen TV’s, an additional guest bathroom in addition to the main full bathroom, and a balcony with a Jacuzzi–with an oceanfront view.
Now Emerald Cancun used to be called Grand Oasis Sens–it is located on the east side of the “7” in the Hotel Zone. While some renovations were made, the resort itself looks very similar with cosmetic changes and re-naming of public spaces. The resort opened with its re-branded name in June 2019 and is fully operational at this point.
AM Resorts (re. Secrets, Now, Breathless, etc.) is going to take over two Oasis brand resorts–Grand Oasis Sens will become Now Emerald Cancun, while Grand Oasis Tulum will become Sunscape Akumal Beach Resort and Spa. Renovations will be done and the rebranding is supposed to take effect June 1, 2019.
Interested in the Barcelo Maya Grand Resort’s swim-up suites? I recently returned from this resort and am starting to post pics and videos. The first posted video is the swim-up suite at the Maya Caribe section of this mega-resort. What do you think of the room?
Riu fans take note–Riu Tequila is now reopen for business since its closure in April. There have been lots of major renovations including the pool areas; take a few moments and read the Riu blog post complete with pics. Click the link here.