Riviera Maya Archives - Shared Adventures

An All-Inclusive Mexico Adventure

September 9, 2024 by Liz Picurro Leave a Comment

Maria and Tom wanted a relaxing week-long adventure somewhere sunny and beachy. We knew the perfect place to relax was an all-inclusive on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. Here’s their report card for their rejuvenating adventure:

Ann planned a week getaway for me and my husband! I truly wanted to rest and rejuvenate after a busy year of planning a wedding and changing a job. She recommended a couples retreat in the Riviera Maya, Mexico! Right in our budget and an all inclusive resort, as we requested.

We took a nonstop flight from Boston to Cancun and then had a private transfer with AMSTAR from the Cancun Airport to the Blue Diamond Luxury Resort and Spa. Our travel day went a bit haywire with many delays and we arrived 12 hours late to the resort. Exhausted but excited we entered this dreamy spa-like atmosphere under a large palapa. It felt like the entire resort was floating on top of decks with a jungle like atmosphere.

The Suite

Our junior suite had a large king size bed, with what felt like a living room in the front of it. We also had a large walk-in closet and another room attached to it that was our bathroom! Double sinks, a large vanity area and dressing area with a humongous shower with 2 large shower heads one on each side of the shower area! We also had a cold plunge tub outside of this area! The resort was PERFECTLY set up for our retreat in Mexico.

We had full access to the spa, which had indoor pools with pool beds in the water, a sauna (which was too hot to use for us but it was JULY!), and another outdoor pool for us to use. It also had a “quiet area” with beds to lie on, and a fountain of water trickling as you lay on the beds and read! The Spa amenities, massages of all types and skin care was available for an extra charge, however we did not use these services.

We traveled throughout the resort either by bicycle (which my husband used) or by golf cart. We simply had to use the phone to request the golf cart service or tell a resort staff member and they requested the golf cart for us.

Tips for the Day Trip to Tulum

We did take a day trip to Tulum, and the Cenotes. The ancient ruins in Tulum were amazing to see, but I think it was hotter than hell! Thank God we brought water with us and wore our swim shirts and swim bottoms as it was truly a scorcher. We finished the tour and ate at the marketplace outside of the ruins at a restaurant that the tour guide recommended. It was delicious and authentic, but costly! I did some shopping around the marketplace in the larger stores but did not buy anything from the vendors on the sides of the stores as I got a bit spooked out by them shouting at me and calling me over to their stands.

We left Tulum and headed to the Cenotes that Mexico is famous for. My husband loved jumping into the Cenotes, while I took photos, as I was scared to jump or even slide into the water.

Amazing Food

We ate at the Aquamarine hotel for breakfasts and lunches, which is adjacent to 2 infinity pools. Along the side of the pools there were large king sleep beds draped in towels and large lounge chairs. Perfect for relaxing, and of course an open bar.

We also had our meals at the Ambar restaurant. To say that this food was 5 STAR is an UNDERSTATEMENT! I have never ever had such delicious food at an all-inclusive resort as we had our week at this resort!

Along with our dinner meals, we had entertainment! A saxophonist, violinist, pianist and a singer entertained us! We also had a live Mariachi Band and a Mayan dance troupe entertain us one evening!

Every meal was prepared with delicious spices, served by kind waiters and waitresses who were willing to do anything to make our meals enjoyable. Sushi, homemade breads, authentic Mexican food, Caribbean food and even a good ole American hamburger were available for us. The food was top notch. And we doubt we will go anywhere else that we will get such high quality delicacies!

What I appreciated most was that this resort was totally different from anything else I have ever experienced. I RELAXED! so did my husband! Which in itself is remarkable!

Overall

A few downfalls for the resort were the following: Hurricane Beryl had just landed in Mexico 2 weeks prior, so they had to close one of the 3 restaurants. And the beach erosion from the hurricane was clearly visible. This did not affect our trip but was devastating to see. Also, the resort had air conditioning inside the bedrooms but not inside the bathrooms. Lastly, it seemed that the resort had become a bit run down with knobs for faucets not working, chipping paint and finishes around the pool area, and broken furniture. This may have been from the force of the Hurricane.

All in all I give our resort food an A+, Room B+ ( would have been higher if there was air conditioning in the bathroom). The resort itself an A (Loved the couples only, live entertainment geared towards adults, excellent service). The Tulum Tour was an A, Marketplace shopping was a C+ (too expensive for what we bought, but was afraid to go elsewhere). Finally, Cenotes was a B+.

Thank you so much Ann! Hopefully, we will talk soon about our next adventure!

The Truth About Travel to Mexico

February 2, 2013 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

The US media has done a great job scaring people about Mexico, and I get asked at least once a week whether it is “safe” to travel there. I always explain the facts behind the misleading headlines, and reassure clients that the unfortunate drug violence is taking place thousands of miles away from the tourist areas of Cancun and the Riviera Maya, and that as long as they don’t plan to seek out local sources for drugs or prostitution while on vacation, they should really be okay! It’s kind of like worrying about traveling to San Diego because you heard there were drug-related killings in New Orleans.

But they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so today I’m sharing a first hand report (and photos) from some clients who had an amazing vacation in Cancun last week. They stayed at the Gran Caribe Real, which is right in the middle of the hotel zone, but they also got out and explored the area a little bit, and loved what they saw. I should add that I was also in the Riviera Maya the same week, at the NOW Jade Riviera Cancun with my 17-year-old daughter, and we had a blast. If you’re crossing Mexico off your travel list, you’re missing out on a real gem!

Hi Ann,

The trip was just what we needed – sunshine, tropical breeze, the ocean, food and drink! Certainly couldn’t have picked a better week to go. It rained a little bit, but almost not worth mentioning. The hotel was wonderful, clean, the suite was big and we had a great view over the lagoon. We did have a little problem when we arrived (not anything of your planning). They gave us a room – jr. suite – but it had bunk beds in it instead of a couch/sitting area and it was in the middle of the “family friendly” zone on the first floor. Paul went to the desk and told them we needed to change rooms and they told us they couldn’t until the next day. Paul was very nice about it but was firm and by 5:30 that night they had the third floor jr suite overlooking the lagoon. We both understand that you can reserve a type of room but they aren’t guaranteed – but in the end we got the room we wanted. That was the only hiccup. Once we were settled in the new room, we enjoyed the beach and dinner.

We decided to stay at the resort on Friday because we were both beat from the travel day on Thursday. Early on Friday, I went to speak with the representative from Lomas Travel who was in the hotel – Jose “Tito” Cicea – and he helped us choose an excursion to Chichen Itza which was a trip we definitely wanted to do. We booked the excursion for Saturday and it was awesome. We swam in a Cenote and drank tequila in the museum and then moved on to visit the temple. The tour guide was fantastic – he is a professor of anthropology and 1/2 Mayan – and you could tell this was a passion of his. It was a long day – but well worth it and we would highly recommend it.

Tito from Lomas Travel was at the hotel every day that we were and he was a great source of information for us. I will be emailing Lomas directly to let them know how happy we were with Tito’s help and guidance!

We went out and did a little shopping but not in downtown Cancun – the experience at the flea market was enough for both of us. Shopping isn’t our thing anyway. The “hard sell” as other people were calling it was not as relaxing as the beach! 🙂 We took a bike tour from the hotel one day and basically relaxed on the beach Sunday and Monday. I used the gym facilities to run on the treadmill, but in hindsight I’d probably run on the beach next time – just because I love running outside – but the gym worked out great for me.

The food, the restaurants, the beverages and the staff were fantastic. Paul and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this trip or the Gran Caribe Real to anyone. Also, I’ve been telling everyone about you and the trip you put together for us – so anyone who asks I will provide your name and number or email. We can’t thank you enough. I’ll just put this out there – we want to travel to Europe at some point and when that time comes I’ll call to get your help again!!

One other thing, the transportation you set up was wonderful – the flights were great and the transfers to shuttle to the hotel and back to the airport were seamless – and now that I have a feel for what to expect it will be less daunting the next time. Your excellent instructions and planning helped reduce my stress level! 🙂

Yes – now it’s time to slowly get back into reality, but just this morning Paul asked “so when’s the next trip?” Thank you, thank you, thank you again!

Kim

Mexico is on the rebound

August 18, 2009 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

After the one-two punch that Mexico suffered this year (the drug violence and the swine flu scare) their tourism business was really hurting, so it’s nice to see some good news in the media:

The Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau recently reported that hotel occupancy for July was at 81%.

I guess the word is getting out that Mexico is still a great vacation destination, and there are some amazing deals to be had this year as hoteliers try to lure travelers back to Cancun, the Riviera Maya, and west coast destinations like Cabo and Puerto Vallarta.

I know I’ve been seeing rates at less than $1,000 per person (including air) for a one week stay in a nice all-inclusive in the Riviera Maya. How can you not jump at that?