Playa Del Carmen Travel Guide
Hotel Fashion / Riviera Maya Hotels / Fairmont Hotels / Stephanie Johnson / Hotel Shopping / Hotel Giveaways / → All Tags
The Fairmont Mayakoba Inspired This Designer's New Line of Travel Accessories
Where: Carretera Federal Cancún- Playa del Carmen Km. 298, Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico, 77710
Usually, when fashion designers get inspired by fancy hotels and resorts, it's bikinis they churn out. But in the case of designer Stephanie Johnson, what we get is a new range of travel accessories. And the hotel that took Johnson's fancy? The Fairmont Mayakoba, on Mexico's Riviera Maya.
We haven't stayed at this property but we've stayed at one next door that's on the same Mayakoba development of lush jungle rolling down to the ocean. Can't say we blame Johnson for getting inspired--it is indeed very pretty!
So is the new line of bags, which includes an iPad case and a few small cosmetics bags that double as cute clutches for a night out on the town—or on the beach at the resort's bar.
Playa Del Carmen Hotels / Riviera Maya Hotels / Hotel Renovations / → All Tags
The New-Look Acanto Hotel is Now Open in Playa Del Carmen
All of the big five-star resorts and convention-ready hotels may be off the highway between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, but if you want to experience the activity of a Mexican town and still be a short stroll from the beach, you need to stay in Playa Del Carmen.
You won't find the Fairmonts, Rosewoods and Tides of the world here, but you will find smaller, independent hotels lining the beach and streets off of Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue). The newest--although actually a longtime resident, now coming out of an expansion and renovation--is Acanto Hotel & Suites.
Soap Concierges / Tides Hotels / Riviera Maya Hotels / Hotel Renovations / → All Tags
The Tides Riviera Maya is Looking Good (And Has a Soap Concierge)
Good news: the renovations at the Tides Riviera Maya are this close to completion. We were at the resort last week and saw all of the finishing touches being, well, finished.
The new villas look like places we'd happily swap our apartments in the States for -- hell, we'd even sleep in the new gym with floor-to-ceiling views of the beach. Luckily, we didn't have to resort to that and stayed in one of the Tides' existing villas, which happily looks exactly like the big, glossy photos on the hotel's website. (No switch and bait here.)
Even though we only had a short hop over to Cancun from Miami, any lingering sense of obligations at home vanishes with the resort's welcome ritual--a Mayan blessing performed at the entrance to the spa. And then there is the Soap Concierge...
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Why We (and Celebs) Like Lagoon Suites vs. Beach Suites
Last year, we named the Ocean View Suites at Rosewood Mayakoba one of HotelChatter's 10 Sexiest Hotel Rooms Alive! This is a fact.
However, after returning to the property this fall, we were introduced to a new breed of sexy hotel suite: the Lagoon Suite.
At first, we were all like, "why would we wanna stay here, where we might see a crocodile swimming below our bedroom floor?" Then we had the pleasure of bunking down in a lagoon suite for a few nights and voila! We were converted. And now we know why so many of the celebs who stay at this ritzy Riviera Maya retreat also opt for the lagoon over the ocean view suites. (Said celebs may or may not include: Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp, U2, TomKat and Suri, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.)
Scroll down for a few more reasons to love the lagoon...
Tequila / Hotel Restaurants / Hotel Bars / Mexico Hotels / Rosewood Hotels / Riviera Maya Hotels / → All Tags
Tequila Tastings Are The New Wine Tastings
We've seen a lot of wine-centric events at hotels but after a visit to the glamorous Rosewood Mayakoba, we've been converted to a new breed of booze tasting: tequila tasting.
Forget your frat days and sloppy Day of the Dead celebrations: this is pure class. At Rosewood Mayakoba's tequila bar Agave Azul, a tasting is structured similarly to a wine-pairing dinner. Of course, you can slide up to the bar and order your shots straight if you know what you want--but we highly recommend opting for the pairing that comes with some snacks and little glasses of sangrita--a spicy little chaser.
Hotel Spas / Riviera Maya Hotels / Grand Velas Hotels / Hotel Fun / → All Tags
The Spa Treatment That Relaxes You Before Your Spa Treatment
Here's the thing about spa treatments: in cities like NYC, we could get the best massage ever but our zen totally evaporates when we step out onto the streets or hit the subway. In resort locations, we're often so relaxed by the warm breeze and a margarita that hitting up the hotel spa is an afterthought.
But! We have now experienced a spa treatment that has made our skin sparkle and taken away all our worries in the process--and it all took place before we even stepped inside the treatment room for our massage.
It's called the Riviera Maya Water Journey, and you'll find it at the huge, $15-million Spa at Grand Velas Riviera Maya. The concept of a water journey is not new, but what struck us about this one was how detailed the multi-process step was and how helpful it was to have a spa attendant guide us through the whole thing. (Often when we see all those pools and showers, we just hop from one to the other, willy nilly, which is fun, but doesn't always lead to the desired state of mush.)
Hotel Renovations / Mexico Hotels / Tides Hotels / → All Tags
The Tides Riviera Maya is Giving Itself a Jungle-Chic Makeover
It may feel like a jungle outside with this heat wave, but you can visit an actual tropical forest at the Tides Riviera Maya. Though if you wait until December to stay at the Playa Del Carmen resort, you'll be able to check out its newly renovated digs.
The all-villa resort has a lot of plans for its renovation, which will finish sometime in December. The biggest one is that it's adding 11 private luxury villas to the property and giving its existing villas—which all come with a private patio and plunge pool, outdoor shower and a thatched-palapa roof—a makeover.
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Explosion at Grand Riviera Princess Resort in Cancun Kills 7
Seven people were killed yesterday and 15 more were injured in a freak explosion at the beachfront, all-inclusive Grand Grand Riviera Princess Resort in Playa del Carmen, just outside of Cancun. Five of the dead were reported to be Canadian tourists, including a nine-year-old boy while the other two were hotel employees.
From The AP:
[Attorney General of Quintana Roo, Francisco] Alor described a horrific scene in which the floor of the building was basically hurled through the ceiling by the force of the explosion, blowing out windows and sending fragments of aluminum window and ceiling panels frame over a wide area.
"Everyone said their hotel room shook. The glass at neighboring restaurants all cracked and blew out. The tiki hut that was in the area, that was on fire," said James Gaade of St. Catharines, Ontario, who was walking on the beach when he heard a loud explosion and saw smoke coming from the resort’s premium platinum lounge.
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The Upside of Swine Flu? 'Splurge' Deals at Riviera Maya's Esencia Estate
Hoping for an economic inoculation against swine flu fears, and what it calls "negative media reports and unsubstantiated fears of the H1N1 virus," the "residential retreat" Esencia Estate is introducing a battery of deals right now. The Esencia has dubbed the promotion "Splurge on the House," and it is intended to revive the tourism industry that has been in a slump since the H1N1 scare earlier this year.
The Mayan-themed resort on Mexico’s Riviera Maya is offering guests a daily account credit equal to the amount they pay for their nightly room rate. Rates start at $459 per night, so we’re talking some big money here. The credit can be used at the hotel’s “organic” spa (treatments use indigenous fruits, plants and herbs, many of them grown in an onsite garden), at the poolside restaurant, or on other expenses like airport transfers, room service, in-room babysitting, and even beachside drinks.
Labor Day Hotels / Mexican Riviera Resorts / Mexico Hotels / → All Tags
$49 Mexican Riviera Getaway? Yes, Please.
Barbeques. Chilled Beer. A three-day weekend. These are standard things associated with Labor Day, and while we appreciate a mellow respite from the work week as much as anyone else, we prefer to use the holiday as an excuse to scour for killer hotel deals.
It's said that Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, and, that being the case, we consider it time for one last hurrah before settling into fall's more humdrum pace. We found one holiday rate that we'd normally file under "Too Good To Be True," if the New York Times hadn't been the tip source.
Hotel Cocktails / Hotel Services / Tequila / Riviera Maya Hotel / All-Inclusive Resorts / → All Tags
Along Came a Margarita Trolley and All Was Well Again
It's no secret that we love margaritas at HotelChatter although we have been branching out as of late to try some of the great summer cocktails that hotels have been putting forth this summer. Yet, when a hotel introduces a Margarita Trolley, it's kind of hard to think about anything else.
The Grand Velas in Mexico, an all-inclusive resort, has just announced their Margarita Trolley in the hotel's Frida restaurant. Here's how the heavenly service works:
The Margarita Trolley is wheeled to the dinner table where diners choose from a selection of top Tequila brands - Don Julio, Herradura, Frida and Milagro - and margarita flavors. Tropical mango, tamarind, guava, cucumber and traditional lime juices are kept on ice in silver ice buckets. Once diners choose the Tequila and flavor preferences, the bartenders then prepare the margaritas table side and spice things up by serving it in a chili-salt rimmed glass.
And since the resort is all-inclusive, the margs are included in the room rate which start at around $450 for a master suite that can sleep four people.
Reader Reviews / Riviera Maya Hotels / Banyan Tree Hotels / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
Banyan Tree Mayakoba is 'Simply Stunning'
Every so often we feature a hotel review from one of our readers that we feel should be shared with the rest of you dear hotel guests. These reviews are highlighted because they are timely, about cool hotels in cool places and are relatively level-headed. Think you can submit one just like this? Send it in.
March 1st marked the opening of the brand new Banyan Tree Mayakoba on the Riveria Maya, the first South-of-the-Border property from the chain of super-luxe retreats. With its 132 pool villas and a indulgent Banyan Tree Spa, this hideaway offers a bit more of an adult experience than the boozey Spring Break frat-storm of Cancun — but the peace and pampering is pricey. Could the several-hundred-dollar room rate be worth it? Reader L. from HeWhoTravels, one of the first guests at the property, weighs in:
I have to say, the Spa Pool Villas are simply stunning. The resort is built next to the ocean and linked via a series of lagoons/canals to other resorts throughout the complex. Each Villa is like its own self-contained house...
The rest of the review — plus a couple more snapshots — after the jump.
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