While some Tren Maya sections are still being worked on, the section between the Cancun airport and the famous Chichén Itzá ruins is finished and already taking international visitors and locals to this well know destination.
The Royal Sands is another Cancun all-inclusive resort perfect for accommodating families of 5+; it is approximately a 20-25 min. drive north of the Cancun airport. This resort is part of Royal Resorts (a timeshare/vacation club or whatever it may be labelled these days), so just keep that in mind when booking this resort. That means that if you are staying over on a Saturday (and you are not a timeshare owner) you just may be asked to change rooms due to owners having first dibs on particular rooms for their dates of stay. Other than that, this is a good choice for basic pool and beach fun in the sun for larger families/parties traveling together.
Kind of in a rush to get to work this a.m. so I’m not going to say much except here’s a video on what the brand new SLS Playa Mujeres looks like…it was supposed to be a Melia property (Paradisus Playa Mujeres) but that never opened, so here’s what it looks like with new owners.
Well, at least it’s something…Marriott has several very nice pics posted of what some rooms and restaurants will look like when the renovations are all completed. Marriott’s website also states that this resort is projected to reopen January 2025, but no specific date yet has been mentioned. I haven’t even read anywhere they are accepting any bookings. I attempted a couple of dummy bookings online for various dates in Jan and Feb 2025, but I kept getting “Your selected hotel has no available rooms”. So I’m thinking that it may be longer than Jan. 2025 before the resort is reopened.
Here’s another all-inclusive resort to add to the list of those that cater to larger families–Seadust Cancun Family Resort. This resort is located on an eastern-facing beach in Cancun’s Hotel Zone between Iberostar Selection Coral and what used to be known as the Royal Islander–an excellent location in terms of being fairly close to the Cancun airport (a 15 min. drive) for those families who don’t want to spend another hour getting to a resort after a potentially long flight with children in tow. Vacationers should be aware that this resort, in a way, looks like a cruise ship, both interior and exterior-wise. It’s rather cavernous once you step inside the lobby area, and the sound may carry upwards to some interior hallways which lead to guest rooms. Best to request rooms on higher floors if noise bothers you.
In case you’re wondering what the rooms look like at SLS Playa Mujeres, here’s a short video done by Shoreline Destinations to show you! This seems to be a Captivate Swim-Out King room category; interesting concept with the short walk to the actual swim-out pool and the very private terrace. I can’t tell for sure, but it looks like the bathroom area may be able to be closed off entirely by a sliding door.
Isla Mujeres is just a short ferry ride away from Cancun–there are several ferry piers within Cancun’s Hotel Zone as well as two in the area just south of Playa Mujeres, so it’s fairly easy to get over to that small island.
I guess SLS Playa Mujeres owners found something in the fine print to overturn the Mexican government’s denial of entry to the resort due to safety risks–some issue with the entrances and exits…They officially opened and let in their first guests yesterday.
FYI: The resort did indeed open Nov. 10, 2024. I guess they found a way around the safety issues…
Cenotes are infinitely beautiful, interesting places filled with Mexican history. There are between 6,000-7,000 of them in the Yucatan Peninsula alone (most likely an underreported number) with only around 150 that are currently open to visitors. In case you don’t know, cenotes are basically limestone sinkholes that form when limestone bedrock partially or totally collapses and exposes fresh groundwater. Cenotes are practically everywhere in the Riviera Maya, and more are being accidentally discovered all the time.