Finest Playa Mujeres Resort Review

With all the hype about the new Finest Playa Mujeres resort I just had to check it out for myself.  Following my visit to the lovely Riu Palace Las Americas I took a 35 min. taxi ride to this new resort–in fact, it’s so new that my taxi driver had to confirm its location with both the Riu doorman as well as the security personnel at the Playa Mujeres gate.  Since the resort is located north of downtown Cancun and well out of the Hotel Zone district, my taxi had to go through two security gates–one at the entrance to the Playa Mujeres resort area, and the other more lengthy security check at the entrance to the resort itself.  There is a third security checkpoint between the Playa Mujeres and the Finest Resort checkpoints, but this one was still under construction so there were no live personnel to ask me for identification.  With the amount of time it took to actually enter the resort, I was beginning to think the queen of England was a guest as well–this is a very secure location, so guests can feel at ease about non-registered individuals roaming the property.

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Riu Palace Las Americas Resort Review

NOTE:  If you want to read my 2017 post-renovation review with added pics please follow this link.

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Excellence Riviera Cancun Room Renovations

Excellence Riviera Cancun will be working on their next phase of renovations from Sept. 1 to October 31, 2015.  These renovations will consist of the following: Continue reading

Top 5 Best Resort Kid’s Clubs

If you’ve ever traveled with a child or teen you know that keeping them occupied with interesting activities along with the opportunity to make new friends can either make or break a vacation.  With family vacations on the rise again, there is a renewed interest in resorts which offer the most quality child/teen friendly amenities to help ensure that everyone in the family is happy.  Travel Impressions, one of the nation’s top leisure tour operators, has published a short list of their favorite recommendations.  Since this blog focuses on resorts in Cancun and the Riviera Maya, I will only list those recommendations which pertain to this area. Continue reading

Generations Maroma Closing

Generations Maroma is in the process of transferring all of its amenities to its sister resort and adjacent property, El Dorado Maroma.  According to its parent company, Karisma Hotels and Resorts, Generations Maroma is adding its suites, Chakay restaurant, and bars to the pre-existing El Dorado Maroma property due to the “overwhelming demand of El Dorado Maroma”.  Generations Riviera Maya, a family-friendly resort success, will absorb the bookings  meant for Generations Maroma.

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Recognize These Riviera Maya Resorts?

Found a nice video on Vimeo.com which shows several different beach areas and towns in the Riviera Maya.  Check out the video and see what looks familiar to you–I saw Riu Palace Riviera Maya twice within the first 2 1/2 minutes, Gran Porto Real and THE Royal Playa del Carman at around the 4:26 mark, and what I believe is the new Secrets Akumal construction at around the 3:33 mark.

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Xcaret Investing $32 Million in Two New Parks

By the end of 2015, Xperiencias Xcaret (Xplor, Xel-Ha, Xenotes, Xoximilco, and Xcaret Parks) will be opening two new parks in the Riviera Maya.  The first park is scheduled to open sometime this summer and will feature a free-flight aviary with 70 bird species from southern Mexico.  The second park, Xenses, is scheduled to open October 2015.  This park is more of a secret–“it is designed to strengthen the senses of visitors”.  Check out this link to learn more.

Akumal Bay Beach and Wellness Resort New Video Tour

A fabulous new video of the resort was just posted on YouTube–looks like they used a GoPro camera.  Really gives an excellent overview of what the grounds and beach look like–note the absence of loungers around the main pool, only Bali beds.  Have a look!

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Beach Reassignment at Grand Bahia Principe Coba/Sian Ka’an

It is finally official, as of January 17, 2015, the beach areas have been reassigned between the Sian Ka’an and the Coba resorts at Grand Bahia Principe resort in the Riviera Maya.  Guests staying at Sian Ka’an will now be spending their beach time next to the Akumal resort’s beach (the old Coba beach), while Coba guests will now be using the Holbox beach bar and bathroom areas (the old Sian Ka’an beach).  This makes much more sense given the changes which have occurred since the Akumal resort made the switch to the Luxury Don Pablo collection.

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Excellence Riviera Cancun Finishes Public Space Renovations

Excellence Riviera Cancun has added some new and exciting touches with Phase II of its renovations.  An 8th restaurant has been added, Flavor Market, which is a tapas a la carte alternative.

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