I’m in Mexico right now at the Iberostar Tucan, then at Live Aqua to finish the trip. Check out my Instagram pics at “allinclusivegal”–I’m trying to post 3 or 4 a day while I’m here. The rest will be in my blog resort reviews. Let me know what you think of these resorts!
While in theory I was first daunted by the overall size of the Barcelo Maya Grand Resort in the Riviera Maya (consisting of five Barcelo resorts–the Beach, Caribe, Colonial, Tropical, and the Palace with almost 1.5 miles of beachfront), I soon found that this vacation wasn’t going to be as physically arduous as I first thought. Signage abounds, shuttle bus service was frequent, and the beach walkways/primary entrance walkways were excellent ways to get around to the various resorts if one was hesitant to cut across the middle of properties. Both the large, red double decker and smaller white buses were available to transport guests; this service was available from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. While I also did a fair amount of walking, I wouldn’t recommend extensive foot travel around the resort during the summer months (I went in July) unless you are prepared to jump into one of five beachfront resort pools this mega-resort has to offer. FYI–if you’re not at the ends of the property (either the Beach or Palace resorts), be sure to tell the bus driver your destination when you get on because he may be going in the opposite direction; if that is the case, then your best bet is to wait until the next bus comes around.
Following our visit to the Riu Dunamar in February 2018 (if you want to read my review of that property just click here), my husband and I took a private shuttle to another new all-inclusive resort which also opened December 2017. Hotel Xcaret Mexico is the first stage of a six stage project (Destino Xcaret) designed and built by the Mexican firm Grupo Xcaret. The entire project will eventually consist of a multipurpose stadium, a shopping center, and 6,000 guest rooms across 12 hotels. Hotels will range from luxury accommodations to those with four star ratings.
My daughter and her husband (age range 25-30) visited this resort from the dates of Oct. 14-21, 2017. This is a review of their stay at the Valentin.
After closing several months for a complete renovation, Riu Playacar opened its doors Oct. 2015 to a practically brand new resort. I last saw this quaint Mexican beauty Feb. 2013 and there have been many significant changes since then. Here is a list of the most notable additions/renovations: Continue reading
Sea turtle lovers and luxury resort aficionados rejoice! The adults-only Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, a five-star luxury all-inclusive resort which just opened its doors Nov. 4, 2015, has a front row seat and easy access to one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Riviera Maya–snorkeling with sea turtles in Akumal Bay.
Although I had a great time at Riu Palace Riviera Maya when I vacationed there in February 2014, (check out my review), I was curious to see what the other nearby Riu properties were like. Riu Palace guests are fortunate in that they may use all other Riu resort amenities such as the pools, loungers, drink at the bars, eat breakfast or lunch at their restaurants, etc., as long as you eat dinner at the resort with which you’ve originally booked. Since there were several Riu resorts within walking distance to my resort (Riu Playacar, Riu Yucatan, Riu Palace Mexico, and Riu Tequila), I decided to check out Riu Palace Mexico and see what their renovations looked like for myself.
I was eagerly awaiting my first stay at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya. Since my last visit to this part of Mexico was along Cancun’s more commercialized Hotel Zone, I was yearning for a resort with some Old World charm amidst a jungle-like setting of mangroves and coconut groves. From my initial research, I came to the conclusion that this resort was destined to tick most of the boxes for me (well, maybe not the mangroves but I knew they were nearby). I definitely was not disappointed; in fact, I couldn’t stop the Cheshire cat-like grin from spreading across my face as I stepped inside this gracious, beautiful resort. From its gilded picture frames, stained glass ceiling panel, crystal chandeliers, and gleaming wood finishes, I knew I had made the perfect choice.