Tag: Riviera Maya Hotels
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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 Closings / Mexico Hotels / Mandarin Oriental Hotels / Riviera Maya Hotels / Hotel News / Hotel Renovations / → All Tags
Cara Triste: Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya Closes Its Doors
On the heels of the news that the Mandarin Oriental Marrakech ain't happening, we learn that the Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya closed its doors on June 6, maybe for a little while or maybe forever.
Commenter LuxeSF tells us the property has closed with reports saying the hotel was suffering from a pithy 20 percent average occupancy rate. When it reopens, LuxeSF says, a new company will be managing the property.
Yet when we head over to the MO Riviera Maya website, the official statement is a little different:
Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya is currently closed in order to complete necessary improvements to its facilities. Our re-opening date will be announced in due course.
Yeah, that still doesn't sound good. Guess you will just have to head over to The Tides for your Riviera Maya getaway.
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Spring Break Cancun...For Adults! Inside the Fairmont Mayakoba
Where: Carretera Federal Cancún, Playa del Carmen Km. 298, Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico, 77710
Despite some recent troubles, Mexico is still one of our favorite vacation destinations. There are just so many beautiful (and safe!) places to explore, and on a recent pre-Spring Break trip to Cancun, we got to check out one of them: the Fairmont Mayakoba.
Here’s our exclusive photo gallery and room video, so it feels just like you came along with:
Hotel Scents / Riviera Maya Hotels / Hotel Amenities / Hotel Services / → All Tags
Azul Sensatori Aromatherapy Sure Does Smell Purdy
Where: Carretera Cancun-Puerto Morelos Km. 27.5, Manz. 37 Super Manz. 12, Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, 77580
The nose knows. So say the science textbooks, and the latest group to catch on is...hotels. Hence the popularity of signature hotel scents at places like the forthcoming Chatwal New York and the Montage Laguna Beach spa.
Some clever innovators are going even further to inspire memorable scent-sations: for example the Azul Sensatori Resort in Riviera Maya allows guests to select the scent of their bath soap, linens and even the very air they breathe (in-room, at least.) At check-in, our clerk surprised us by busting out a magical little kit full of swatches and oils, and taking us through a fun—if allergy-threatening—aroma customization session.
We’ve messed around with aromatherapy before (Nor Cal hippies have been into it since the dawn of time) and this isn’t the bells-and-finger-cymbals New Age version. No meditation or medicinal-smelling exotics.
Hotel Deals / Riviera Maya Hotels / Romantic Resorts / Mexico / Mexico Hotels / Mexico Riviera Hotels / → All Tags
The Rosewood Mayakobá Offers Tequila Upon Arrival and a Third Night For Free
"Buy One, Get One Free" offers usually refer to things like magazine subscriptions and ice cream sundaes. In the case of Mexico's Rosewood Mayakobá resort the promotion is a "Buy Two Nights, Get the Third Free" deal at a hotel we once described as "a dash of Venice" with "a bit of Disney's Jungle Cruise, a shot of the Hobbit's Shire, and a touch of Tatooine mixed in for good measure."
Included in the offer, which is valid through December 15th and requires you to stay two-consecutive nights to get that third freebie, is daily breakfast. That early morning "extra" doesn't seem like much of a bonus, though, considering that ye old Continental Breakfast is standard fare at many hotels.
Hotel Deals / Riviera Maya Hotels / Swine Flu Hotels / → All Tags
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.
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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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