For those of you curious about or following the upcoming changes in Playa del Carmen, here’s a new video showing some of the initial projects (new and better beach access from 5th, changes to the popular Parque Fundadores, not sure about the larger cleared out construction spaces, however–does anyone know what is being done there?).
New remodel in PDC, courtesy Riviera Maya News
For those of you who watched an encapsulated version of the Xcaret Mexico Espectacular show on their YouTube channel, it was quite fun, wasn’t it? Loved the Old Man Dance, especially when they took off their masks and….wait, I don’t want to ruin the fun. You will just have to tune in Sunday, May 3 at 8 pm (EST) on their Facebook page to see it again.
If anyone has a future booking through Bookit.com, please be aware that they have suspended all operations and laid off most of their employees because of the multitude of trip cancellations due to COVID-19. No mention is made whether they will ever be back in business. The 411 is that Bookit has not sent money over to resorts which clients have paid Bookit for the trip in question. As a result, the resort will not let you leave without paying–AGAIN. So, please contact the resort where your booking is at (if you have used this company) and ask them if they have received the money from Bookit. If they have not, you have to make your decision about what you want to do–cancel the reservation in question, cancel and re-book making another deposit directly with the resort, or cancel and use another source to make another reservation. Don’t forget to call your credit card company and dispute the charge if the resort has not received your money.
I’ll admit, I don’t know much about this new resort, Palmaïa House of AïA, which opened Dec. 2019. I do know exactly where it’s located, though, because I walked down to this beach area Aug. 2019 when I stayed at Iberostar Tucan. This resort is located just south of Sandos Playacar in the gated community of Playacar. Obviously the resort wasn’t finished yet when I saw it from a distance, but from what I did observe it was on a pristine stretch of Playacar beach with many rooms having oceanfront views. That’s a great start in and of itself.
There are multiple cenotes across the street from the Barcelo Maya Grand. Courtesy Unofficial Barcelo Maya
I read an interesting National Geographic article which discussed the potential fate of sea turtles due to climate change. In the article, NG sites a dramatic rise in female sea turtle populations around the world including the Caribbean, San Diego, and Australia. Since sand heat ultimately determines sea turtle gender, many sea turtles are being born female due to rising world temperatures (sand gets hotter, more female turtles are born).
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).
If you belong to Facebook you might want to visit the page entitled “Sargasso Seaweed Updates Riviera Maya”. It’s a closed group, but you can ask to join–there are frequent beach pics of various areas in the Riviera Maya and elsewhere in Quintana Roo from vacationers currently visiting at the time of the post. Hope this helps!
FYI: The resort appears to now be open as of Dec. 28th, 2019. There are several reviews on TripAdvisor and other travel wholesaler sites.