Renovations at Excellence Riviera Cancun are continuing through November 2, 2014. Phase I began September 1, 2014, and finished September 16, 2014. Phase I included renovations of all Club guest rooms (the Club pool and lounge were also closed at this time). Some of these improvements include new pillow top mattresses, new frosted glass doors in the bathroom, larger seating areas in the room and on the balcony, and more room for suitcases.
The family-friendly side of Paradisus Playa del Carmen La Esmeralda resort will be undergoing some minor renovations from August 14, 2014, to October 22, 2014. The resort will be enhancing the poolside HydroGrill restaurant which will become an a la carte Italian trattoria called Aqua-HydroGrill. During this renovation, the Family Concierge building as well as the current HydroGrill Restaurant and its adjacent pool will be relocated. Continue reading
Since more visuals are coming out of Cancun about the new Riu Cancun renovations, I decided to make this a separate post for everyone’s information. Check out the new video from YouTube.
Word is starting to come out about the completion of the Riu Cancun renovations. The resort was reportedly re-opened as of Aug. 2, 2014, having had a $30 million makeover. Here is a list of the renovations: Continue reading
Canada-based Cirque du Soleil is building a new 600-seat theater next to Valentin Imperial Maya in the Riviera Maya. Its inaugural show, Joyà (meaning jewel, in Spanish), will occur Nov. 8, 2014; tickets are already on sale for USD $65–for $165 you can get a three-course dinner served with champagne. Here’s a video teaser:
Generations Riviera Maya by Karisma has decided to partner with Alexander Weiss (the 13 yr. old winner of MasterChef Junior Season One) to launch a new children’s program called Little Eko Chefs. This program is actually a series of cooking classes aimed at getting children involved in culinary experiences and learning more about what they eat. Here is a sample of some of the classes: Continue reading
As many Riviera Maya “fans” are aware, there is an artificial reef being built along the coast by Puerto Morelos specifically affecting the all-inclusive resorts of Generations Riviera Maya and the neighboring El Dorado Resorts (El Dorado Casitas Royale and El Dorado Royale).
The Riu Cancun resort will be closed from May 2014 through the end of July 2014 for a complete renovation. As is typical for these type of resort renovations, there is not a lot of official word out about the extent of the renovations from Riu headquarters; however, rumor has it that a theater will be added, restaurants will be relocated, the pool will be re-done, and guest rooms will undergo full renovations. As of this date, the outdoor renovations are still being worked on as well as working on room balconies. Given the scope of this renovation, the re-opening date may be in question.
Karisma has done it again, but with even more amenities–an “all suite, all butler, all gourmet” beachfront resort in the heart of the Riviera Maya just 25 min. south of the Cancun airport called Generations Riviera Maya by Karisma. The newest Karisma resort is a six-story contemporary stunner with facilities to accommodate couples, wedding parties, and multiple families in their one-to-three bedroom connecting suites.
During my recent stay at the Riu Palace Riviera Maya , I decided that I wanted to be more adventurous this trip AND save money, so I took the ADO public bus from Playa del Carmen to Tulum to see the ruins. ADO’s are “first class” buses in Mexico and very comparable to American Greyhound buses with comfortable seats, strong A/C, an on-board bathroom, and small movie screens to help pass the time; however, programming is in Spanish. There are two ADO terminals in Playa, 5th Avenue and Benito Juarez which is right downtown, and the other is at 12th Avenue and Calle. 14 which is further north in town. From my prior research on the Trip Advisor Playa del Carmen forum, 5th Ave. and Benito Juarez sounded like my best departure point to get to Tulum, so I took a quick cab to Playa from the resort (USD $6).