On September 3, 2007 The Hotusa Group announced its acquisition, via rental agreement, of the AZUL Blue Hotel & Spa, by Karisma, in the Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The hotel has changed its name and will now be known as Eurostars Blue Tulum.
On September 24, 2007 Playa Hotels & Resorts announced that the Barceló La Jolla de Mismaloya hotel is undergoing an extensive $7.2 million renovation to its public spaces and guest suites, including the addition of a new indoor/outdoor European-style Spa. The hotel also recently completed a beach restoration project, which added 50 feet of new beach in front of the hotel. All renovations are scheduled to be completed by late December 2007, in time for the busy winter holiday season.
On October 2, 2007 Playa Hotels & Resorts, S.L., announced its acquisition of the 249 all-suite Grand Baja Resort & Spa in San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The resort will be operated by Barceló Hotels & Resorts and will now be called The Barcelo Los Cabos Resort, a Barcelo Premium branded hotel. Over the next two years the property will undergo major renovations including the construction of two new towers, 476 new guest rooms, new conference facilities, resort amenities and several new restaurants. The renovations are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2009.
This morning Hurricane Dean landed in the Yucatan Peninsula near Costa Maya, south of Cancun, with the strength of a Category 5, making it the first Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
As the storm moved inland it was downgraded to a Category 3. Currently Dean is making its way toward the coastal city of Campeche, which is expected to be hit later this afternoon. Dean is expected to still be a hurricane when it reaches the Bay of Campeche.
According to the US National Hurricane Center the storm is expected to dump 5 to 10 inches of rain, and can potentially cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides. There is no word yet on the extent of the damage caused in Mexico.
US National Hurricane Center
The state of Quintana Roo in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is under a state of emergency as Hurricane Dean barrels toward the country after hitting Jamaica on the weekend. This morning the US National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The storm is an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane, with the potential to reach a Category 5 within the next 24 hours. The Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale rates hurricanes from 1 to 5, Category 5 being the most dangerous with winds of over 156 mph. Hurricane Dean is currently packing winds of nearly 150 mph.
The Yucatan Peninsula is watching the storm carefully and evacuating the thousands of tourists from the luxury hotels along Cancun and the Mayan Riviera to beat the storm, which is expected to make landfall in Mexico within the next 24 hours. One source reported that as of today nearly all tourists have already left the region. The storm is reminiscent of Hurricane Wilma, the Category 5 hurricane that devastated Cancun and the Mayan Riviera in October 2005. Wilma was the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin and some hotels in Cancun are still recovering from the storm, which caused $3 billion in damage.
The US National Hurricane Center is predicting an above-normal hurricane season this year, estimating between seven and nine hurricanes in the Atlantic, with three to five of them becoming a Category 3 or higher. Hurricane Dean marks the first major hurricane so far this year. Hurricane season usually peaks between August and October.
The luxurious Hotel Esencia in the Mayan Riviera has just added another service for guests to make their vacation experience even more memorable. As part of the new "7th World Wonder" package, the resort allows guests to travel by private plane to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, which recently was voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
The "7th World Wonder" package makes for a romantic escape, including an exclusive private tour of Chichen Itza and a picnic lunch for two, with a total travel time of only three hours. Package prices start at $3,455, which also includes a 5-night stay in a garden suite with a private plunge pool, daily breakfast, and round-trip transfers to and from the Cancun International Airport. Offer is valid until December 20, 2007.
For more information on Hotel Esencia, visit http://www.strayweddings.com/find_resort_details.php?resort_id=23
Read the press release: "Mexico Resort Offers Private Jet to Newest World Wonder"
Image: Chichén Itzá, Yucatan, Mexico, copyright www.StrayWeddings.com.
Over 100 million people voted, and on July 7, 2007, the New 7 Wonders of the World were officially declared in Lisbon, Portugal. In no particular order, here are the New 7 Wonders of the World:
Have you heard great things about the luxury boutique hotel, Ikal del Mar, in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, but can't find any information about it? You might have better luck searching under The Tides Riviera Maya. The hotel changed its name in conjunction with the international expansion of The Tides brand by Kor Hotel Group.
With only 30 villas, this boutique hotel offers intimacy on one of the most sought-after beaches in
Other Properties by Kor Hotel Group
Kor Hotel Group is increasing its presence in
Upcoming Mexican properties include The Tides Playa del Carmen and Viceroy Resorts & Residences, both located along the Mayan Riviera coastline. The Tides Playa del Carmen will span eight acres along the beaches Playa del Carmen, and will offer resort residences, a private beach club, and a 10,000-square-foot spa. Viceroy Resorts & Residences will be located in the newly-developed Mayakoba region, with rooms situated along the beach, and woven around lagoons and waterways. This property will feature beach and lagoon clubs with swimming pools, restaurants, lounges, cabanas, and activities, a spa and fitness center, gourmet and casual dining, water taxis for transportation, and a kids club. And for golf lovers, the Greg Norman golf course El Camaleón is just steps away.
For more information on these properties, visit the following sites:
Image: Cancun Hotel Zone, copyright Cancun Convention & Visitors Bureau www.cancun.info
According to
Since Hurricane Wilma devastated tourism in
For more Mexican tourism statistics, visit www.sectur.gob.mx.
Image: Camino Real Zaashila, Huatulco, Oaxaca.
Located along the southern Pacific shores of Mexico in the state of Oaxaca, Huatulco is starting to grow in popularity among tourists. This Fonatur resort area is surrounded by nine bays and 36 beaches, with the town of Santa Cruz as its main center. Tangolunda Bay is well-known for its high-end resorts including Las Brisas Huatulco, Gala Beach Resort Huatulco, Barceló Huatulco Beach Resort, Camino Real Zaashila, and Quinta Real Huatulco. Weddings are currently available at most of these resorts.
As Huatulco grows in popularity, so too will its destination wedding industry. AMResorts plans to open two new resorts in the next couple years - Secrets Huatulco and Dreams Huatulco Resort & Spa. Secrets and Dreams resorts across Mexico have become prime destination wedding choices, offering affordable and even complimentary wedding packages. For more information visit www.amresorts.com.
Although still in its early stages, the Huatulco area will continue to develop and grow, and will likely become an excellent location for weddings in Mexico. Magnificent beaches and spectacular scenery provide a romantic setting, and while the area is still largely undeveloped, you can enjoy an unspoiled habitat. We will be sure to keep up to date on Huatulco over the coming months.
Club Med Ixtapa is now closed for renovations, and will reopen in December 2007. The StrayWeddings.com team learned about the renovations after visiting the property in March. Currently, the resort has 374 rooms and some of the largest grounds in the Ixtapa area. Over the next seven months Club Med Ixtapa will undergo some major changes, and will be a completely new resort once it reopens in the winter. We will keep everyone posted as we learn of new developments at the resort. For more information, visit www.clubmed.com.
Image: Swimming with dolphins in Xcaret © Mexico Tourism Board, photograph by Bruce Herman
One of Cancun’s most popular resorts, Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa, is now home to the first resort dolphinarium in Mexico. In partnership with Via Delphi, the resort opens Delphinus Dreams Cancun this April 2007. Resort guests and other Cancun visitors will be able to observe and interact with the dolphins in the new full-service facility. The Delphinus Dreams Cancun experience will include a 1-hour dolphin experience, complimentary goggles for underwater activities, and digital photography and DVD video services. In addition, Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa will offer new room categories, including Deluxe Dolphin View Rooms where guests can watch the dolphin shows from their balconies.
Via Delphi also operates other popular dolphinariums, including the Escollera Dolphin Facility at Xcaret and the Xel-Ha Dolphin Facility at Xel-Ha, both of which are located in the Mayan Riviera. For more information about Delphinus Dreams Cancun or Via Delphi’s dolphinariums, visit the following sites:
For more information on getting married at Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa, including wedding packages and photographs, visit www.strayweddings.com/find_resort_details.php?resort_id=1
Image: Chichen Itza © Mexico Tourism Board
In January 2007, Copacabana Beach & Spa Resort - a popular beach resort in the Riviera Maya of Mexico - changed hands and is now operating under the ownership of the Spanish hotel chain, Hoteles Catalonia. Subsequently, the resort has changed its name to the Catalonia Royal Tulum. Other hotels in the area owned by Hoteles Catalonia include Catalonia Riviera Maya, Catalonia Yucatan Beach, and Catalonia Playa Maroma. For more information, visit their website at www.hoteles-catalonia.es.
Attention all U.S. citizens – get your passports!
As of January 23, 2007, under the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), all individuals traveling by air between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will need to have valid passports. This new initiative will also require all individuals traveling between the same countries by land or sea (including ferries) to present valid passports starting January 1, 2008. So if you are an American citizen, be sure to take your updated U.S. passport with you when traveling to Mexico.
For more details, visit http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
