77500 Travel Guide
Hotel News / Cancun Hotels / Hotel Crime / Beach Hotels / → All Tags
High Hotel Drama in Mexico Involving Stolen Sand
One time at a beach on a family vacation, we were building a sandcastle and our brother ran up and snagged a big bucket of that good, wet, sandcastle-building sand that we'd had to walk all the way down to the water to retrieve and we threw a hissy in response to the stolen sand.
So we can sort of relate to this story a little bit: environmental enforcement officers and Mexican navy personnel "closed off hundreds of feet of powder-white coastline in front of a hotel accused of illegally accumulating sand on its beach." Yes, a hotel stole some sand.
Facebook / Hotel Contests. Hilton Hotels / Cancun Hotels / → All Tags
Win a Mexico Getaway From Hilton Cancun (Tequila Not Included)
We are all about the giveaways today (have we mentioned we're sending someone to Nashville for free and all you have to do is tell us a bit about your dream amenity, which is something you think about every day anyway?), so here's another one for ya: The Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort is launching a Facebook giveaway and all you really have to do is become their Facebook fan to get in on the action. Yes, kids, Cancun and Facebook can live in happy harmony together — and you don't have to associate the words "Facebook" and "Cancun" with all those horrendous photos of you from Spring Break '07 that you had to go through great pains to remove the tags from.
They're trying to amass a whole bunch of FB fans, we suppose, and once they reach 1,000 fans, all 1,000 of 'em will be thrown into a drawing for a three-day vacay at the Hilton Cancun Golf & Spa Resort. The winner also gets one round-trip flight on Jet Blue airlines.
They're only at 254 fans right now, so roll on in there and tell your friends to get with the program too; hopefully when they hit the 1000 fans and do the giveaway, they'll let everyone know so those of you who like to keep a tidy (read: tiny) collection of Facebook fan pages, you can duck out. Er, not that we'd encourage such.
Club Floors / AQUA Hotels / Cancun Hotels / → All Tags
AQUA Cancun Has Closed Their Club Lounge Until the End of the Year
When we stayed at AQUA Cancun right after its reopening last year (it was formerly Fiesta Americana Grand Aqua), we scored an Aqua Club room upgrade on the fifth floor. Our entertaining ready room came equipped with a private oceanfront patio, living room, a freestanding circular Jacuzzi tub, a spa-worthy bathroom with locally made soaps, and access to the (drum roll, please!) Club Lounge.
Private check-in and dedicated concierge made us feel more Tori Spelling than Joe Average tourist. An endless stream of adult beverages, five food and beverage servings throughout the day, including continental breakfast and a lovely hors d’oeuvre spread timed right around sunset/happy hour kept us happily sated. A styled out entertainment center, telescope, and books, magazines and iPods to borrow were available in case boredom struck (it didn’t).
Killer View / Cancun Hotels / Starwood Hotels / Le Meridien Hotels / → All Tags
A Cancun Killer View That Does Not Involve Wet T-Shirts
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
When we think of Cancun, we typically think of wet t-shirt contests, MTV VJ's, beer bongs and whatever else may or may not belong on the standard roster of Spring Break shenanigans, but sometimes we forget that Cancun isn't all Senor Frogs and rowdy co-eds — in much the same way that we forget that there are better places to be in December than the freezing cold big city we happen to be writing from. Sigh.
This particular killer view comes from Le Meridien Cancun via reader D and, fortunately, there are no rowdy Spring Breakers to obscure the gorgeous beach scene here.
Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Celebrity Chefs / Hotel Packages / Culinary Hotel Packages / Mark Bittman / → All Tags
Vacationing Foodies Can Cook with Mark Bittman in Cancun
After all the recent slipping and sliding on Wall Street, our 401K plans aren't looking too healthy. But the good news is that what's left can be spent on the Ritz-Carlton Cancun's weekend of "Cooking and Conversation Classes" with food writer and chef Mark Bittman.
The one-time-only event will be held from Nov. 13 to 16 and is limited to 16 guests. But for a mere $5,800 per couple, you too can shop at local fish and produce markets alongside Bittman, who then schools participants at the hotel's Culinary Center on how to turn the ingredients into a meal, which is enjoyed by Bittman and the group along with a selection of Mexican wines.
Cancun Hotels / Hotel Deals / Aqua Hotels / Hotel Packages / → All Tags
New Packages at the Aqua Cancun Should Whet Your Appetite
So what if weather.com says it's going to be a sweltering 90 degrees in Cancun today? If you were staying at the Aqua Cancun, you'd be lolling in one of their eight pools, cocktail in hand, thinking about your pending massage.
Indulge in one of the Aqua's cleverly named four-day, three night packages. Each US$1605 package (based on double occupancy) gets you a Deluxe Ocean Front Suite, and airport transfers, but there the extras diverge.
Hotel Openings / Infinity Pools / Riviera Maya Hotels / → All Tags
A New Resort in Riviera Maya Goes Loco for Pools
It won't be ready until fall of 2009 (at the earliest, we guess) but the Nizuc resort on the Riviera Maya in Mexico sounds like it's going to be pretty fancy.
The resort will end up with a combination of properties for sale--about 150 one and two bedroom places and a few larger beachfront villas--and hotel resort style accommodation, including 16 one-bedroom condos and 45 hotel rooms.
Cancun Hotel Reviews / Aqua Hotels / Mexico Hotels / Hotel Pools / → All Tags
Red Parrots and Eight Pools at Cancun's Aqua Resort
Want to doze off in a swing cabana? Want to be welcomed to your hotel in Mayan? Want a red parrot to come when you call it?
Try Cancun's new Aqua Hotel & Resort which opened in February to pretty much instant acclaim.
It's outfitted with eight pools, three restaurants, and three kinds of cabanas (beach, pool, and swing). It's got a rockin' spa with all various offerings of massages, jacuzzis, sauna, and hydrotherapy. Still need to coddle your bod? there's a gym and yoga classes on the beach.
Killer View / Cancun Hotels / Hyatt Hotels / → All Tags
Room With a Killer View: The Hyatt Regency Cancun and the Caribbean Sea
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
The beauty that is the Hyatt Regency Cancun has graced our pages before as a luxury hotel that is quieter than nearby hotels along the spring break strip.
Thanks to holidaymaker and Flickr-lover Chor Ip we now have the romantic vacation version of the Cancun Hyatt. This is the view from their balcony where they also got to devour a delicious-looking breakfast. Unfortunately they say that they never took a dip in this inviting Caribbean Sea but who needs to go swimming when you can stare at views like this.
The Hyatt Regency Cancun offers quite a few interesting packages for vacationers, and our favorite is the "Balance" Relaxation package which includes a full breakfast and a $100 massage credit; the package price varies but with a minimum two-night stay we found deals starting from $337 as a total; but if you want to be sure of an ocean view you'll be starting from $377.
[Photo: Chor Ip]
Party Dispatch / Celebrity Scoop / Hotel News / Cancun Hotels / Hotel Parties / Sex and the City / Kim Cattrall / → All Tags
Party Dispatch: Kim Cattrall Brings Some 'Sex' To the Aqua Hotel Launch Party
The Aqua Hotel Cancun is the newest hotel to open on Cancun but instead of waiting for guests to check the place out, Aqua brought the hotel to the guests in New York City on Feb. 6th.
The hotel's celebrity chef Michelle Bernstein cooked up haute cuisine from her new restaurant MB. Steve Olson, a wine and spirits guru (what, is mixologist so last year?) created signature cocktails from his resort lounge, AKA Wine & Mezcal Bar; and DJs Sky Nellor and Gotardo spun some tunes.
Also on hand were some VIP celeb guests like Kim Cattrall along with Neil Patrick Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, Alan Cumming, fellow SATC-er Mario Cantone and some Top Chef alums like Sam Talbot, Dave Martin and Lee Anne Wong.
Good Rate / Hotel Deals / Cancun Hotels / NH Krystal Hotels / Valentine's Day Hotels / → All Tags
Good Rate :: Valentine's Day Upgrade at the NH Krystal Cancun
[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same region and decide which one most deserves your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quoted here were captured on January 15, 2008 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]
If you're looking for some room rate love around Valentine's Day, avoid the romance packages and just search for a good deal instead. As opposed to this week's Amour Package, the NH Krystal in Cancun offers up lots of goodies for a price that doesn't leave us bewildered.
Renovated this past summer, the NH Krystal gives you a refreshed room on the 7th or 8th floor and throws a lot into its $191 Club Room deal over Valentine's Day, including a biggie that you rarely see in large hotels here: complimentary wireless Internet access!
The club level includes upgraded amenities, access to an exclusive rooftop terrace, and a concierge-staffed lounge with Continental breakfast, coffee and pastries during the day, and "evening appetizers and house wine."
We're not sure if Mexican "house wine" and V-day romance mix very well together, but for only a $33 a night premium over the lowest standard room rate, this is an attractive deal. (If you want a few days of debauchery, you can double down and go all-inclusive.)
We found this $191 deal on Expedia and Travelocity, but not on the company's own site. Like your momma always said, shop around.
Bad Rate / Cancun Hotels / Hyatt Hotels / Romance Packages / Valentine's Day Hotels / → All Tags
Bad Rate :: No 'Amour' for Your Money at Hyatt Cancun
[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same region and decide which one most deserves your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quoted here were captured on January 15, 2008 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]
We've said it before and we'll say it again: any hotel package featuring the words "romance," "honeymoon," "lovers," or "amour" is likely to be a raw deal. This is especially true with the big corporate chains run by accountants. Pull out a calculator and you find that you are paying a serious premium for those extra chocolates or that bottle of bubbly.
Take the current "Amour" package currently being pushed hard by the Hyatt chain. At their Hyatt Cancun Caribe resort the French word for love means paying $42 to $61 extra per night, mostly just for breakfast.
The screen shot here was taken from the Hyatt site's rate details when we went to book a 3-night stay around Valentine's Day. At every room category, the Amour Package added $125 to $183 over the cost of just a regular room with no extras: starting at $264 a night.
For that amount you get an unspecified bottle of sparkling wine, some strawberries, and daily breakfast. Ouch. Book a regular room instead and put that $42 to $61 a night toward some nice romantic dinners. Make your own amour and you'll be better off.
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