UPDATE ON THE RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO

Playa del Carmen, Mexico (July 23, 2009) – The Riviera Maya is thriving with new hotels, events, real estate developments, attractions and other novelties to enjoy. The latest of them is Xplor (www.xplor.travel, irodriguez@xcaret.com), a theme park located next to Xcaret, which opened its doors just this month and which offers four activities to lovers of nature and adventure: ziplining, cavern rafting, jungle exploration and underground river navigation.

Here are some more of the many examples of what is new to the Riviera Maya:

Recent Hotel Openings:

• Azul Sensatori by Karisma (www.azulhotel.com), located along the beautiful Bahia Petempich, caters to families, wedding parties, groups, honeymooners and couples with 438 spacious suites in 12 different categories, all featuring private marble bathrooms with rain forest showers and jacuzzis. The hotel boasts an adults-only restaurant, tennis club, 10,000-square-foot spa and fitness center and more. As a gourmet-inclusive property, enabling guests to savor every detail of their environment, Azul Sensatori is aligned with Sensatori’s mantra to feed the five senses and reach a “satori,” a Buddhist term meaning “the wow moment”. For more information, contact Jennifer Myres at (619) 234-0345.

·         Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts (www.banyantree.com) opened the five-star Banyan Tree Mayakoba Hotel & Spa Resort in February 2009 in the Riviera Maya’s beautiful Mayakoba development. The hotel takes luxury resort living to new heights with the Riviera Maya’s first resort in which all villas have private pools. The resort features Asian hospitality, 133 secluded villas, the award-winning Banyan Tree Spa, a variety of restaurants and bars and a design complementing and conserving the natural local landscape of low jungles, dunes and reefs.

• Dreams Puerto Aventuras Resort & Spa (www.dreamsresorts.com/drepa), which opened in December 2008 and is located 20 minutes north of Tulum, offers 305 suites and features crystalline pools, hideaway beach spots, water sports, a golf course, six restaurants, an Explorer’s Club for kids and more.
• El Punto Bed & Breakfast (www.hotelelpunto.com) is an early 80s-era elementary school transformed into a unique bed and breakfast. The hotel is located on a majestic piece of land surrounded by lush trees, providing the perfect setting for several tourism developments also in progress. Rooms feature lofts and rustic minimalist furnishings, including traditional beach rocking chairs and hammocks, and they are decorated each day with fresh flowers from the garden.
• Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort Riviera Maya (www.grandvelas.com), which opened in November 2008, is the newest resort to distinguish the Riviera Maya. Hugging the pristine white shorefront of Playa del Carmen, it offers 497 spacious suites as well as 91,547 square feet of elegant and flexible event space for conventions, weddings, reunions or special events. The hotel’s extensive menu of spa services features signature treatments, holistic packages and traditional services including massages, body wraps, facials, manicures and much more.

• In Fashion Hotel Boutique (www.infashionhotel.com) is an exclusive but fun boutique hotel located in the heart of Playa del Carmen’s entertainment district, just steps away from the beach. Combining art with elements of art deco, retro-pop and minimalism, the hotel is an architectural and design landmark. The property offers 42 comfortable suites in six categories as well as a spa, bar, restaurant and sky lounge.

Future Hotel and Golf Course Openings:

·          Azul Fives Hotel (www.azulhotel.com) by Karisma, set to open in late summer 2009 in Playa del Carmen, will offer 360 luxuriously designed one-, two- and three-bedroom suites (1,125–1,900 sq. feet), each with private marble bathrooms featuring rainforest showers and oversized balconies or terraces. Penthouse suites and presidential penthouse suites will boast private rooftop lounge decks featuring deluxe double jacuzzis and large lounging areas. Glamorous two- and three-bedroom penthouse suites (1,300–1,500 sq. feet) with separate living rooms, kitchens, powder rooms and more will accommodate up to eight people.

• Capella Bahia Maroma Riviera Maya (www.capellabahiamaroma.com) from Capella Hotels & Resorts will feature individual villas opening out directly to the Caribbean, an Auriga Spa, a beach club, gourmet restaurants and luxurious residences as well as the only private, championship 18-hole golf course by renowned golf architect Rees Jones in the Yucatan.
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