Most vacationers who visit the Cancun/Riviera Maya areas of Mexico already know about VISITAX, or departure tax which became law in 2021. This requires all visitors ages 4+ who stay in this area of Mexico up to 180 days to pay their departure tax prior to leaving the country to return home or go to their next travel destination.
Just returned from my trip to the Riviera Maya where I stayed at Wyndham Alltra Playa del Carmen, Secrets Tulum, and Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I purchased my VISITAX prior to leaving for my trip and made a print out to take along with my QR code verifying purchase.
This is what part of the park’s boundary looks like. Photo courtesy of Fonetur
I just found a recent video done by a videographer (formerly Two Expats Mexico, now known as QRoo Paul and Linda) focusing on common Mexico scams. If you are a vacationer who likes to eat or drink at Mexico restaurants and bar, rents a vehicle when in Mexico (scams involving filling up at gas stations), or likes to take taxis to get off a resort property, then take a look at the video posted below. It will give you practical tips on how to recognize scams and what to do if you encounter one.
Ok, I will admit it, like so many other international tourists I have not been paying Quintana Roo’s VISITAX fee since it was established in 2020. Up to this point there has been no enforcement of paying this tax, so I figured I could get away with not paying it.
Karisma Hotels and Resorts has introduced the world’s first Autism Concierge at most of their Mexico resort properties. An Autism Concierge will be the dedicated contact for all resort guests who either have autism themselves or are traveling with someone who has autism.
For those of you who didn’t know (that included myself until I accidentally came across the info), Grand Palladium Kantenah has been closed since April 15, 2023, and is planning on reopening Dec. 15, 2023. The resort has been closed primarily for room refurbishments and the addition of rooms and amenities for the resort chain’s successful Family Selection program. The Family Selection program is considered to be a “resort within a resort” and has already been implemented at both the Costa Mujeres and Puerto Vallarta resort chain locations. Kantenah resort is part of a mega-resort complex also consisting of the adults-only TRS Yucatan (you can read my resort review here), the Colonial, and the White Sand family resorts. It’s a very large mega-resort complex but is very popular with all it has to offer vacationers since all family resort’s amenities and services are available to one another. The adults-only section, of course, is only for guests who stay in that particular resort, and the Family Selection will only be available for upgraded Kantenah guests.
If you love techno music, then perhaps you already know about the famous (infamous) Afterlife electronic music festival. It is now a worldwide event with annual shows in Barcelona, Ibiza, and other international destinations including Tulum. The very first Tulum Afterlife event was held at Zamna cenote in Tulum in 2017, Jan. 4, 2023 was the sixth time the event has been held at the same Tulum location.
Exhausted and frustrated in trying to find the right all-inclusive resort for your next vacation in Cancun or the Riviera Maya in Mexico? There is a LOT of info out there for vacationers who don’t want to use a travel agent’s help or suggestions–most travel agents truly do work hard to find just the right vacation “fit” for their clients, but some agents will push resorts which offer the most commission.
Goodbye spa, hello new 2 Bedroom Presidential Overwater Bungalow! The Palafitos overwater bungalow section has gotten rid of its private spa area to make way for their brand new 2 bedroom suite. In case you don’t know the overwater bungalow general layout, it’s shaped like a “T” with regular overwater bungalows nearest the beach on both sides of the pier, and Elite overwater bungalows nearest the end of the pier where the horizontal part of the “T” is…the new bungalow is all the way to the right at the end of the pier.