Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Grand Velas Riviera Maya; hotel review + restaurant review

Grand Velas Riviera Maya  

U.S. 877-418-2963, Mexico 01-800-831-1165.  491 suites.  All-inclusive.  8 restaurants; 24-hour room service and minibars are included. 

Located on a property encompassing 80 acres of protected mangroves, jungle, and cenotes (natural freshwater wells), this impressive resort features a long white sand beach.  With three separate and self-contained hotel areas, accommodation options are diverse—choose an exotic garden suite, an ocean-view suite, or an oceanfront suite with private plunge pool.    

guest room view at Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

The main cafeteria restaurant offers a large variety of delicious options, including chilaquiles for breakfast.  The don’t-miss special restaurant is Frida.  Named for Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, this sleek spot offers Mexican fine-dining in a contemporary setting. The menu is upscale and fussy—perhaps a grilled flank fillet with roasted cactus leaves and a chipotle chili pepper stuffed with cheese, or duck tacos with anise and mole poblano.  Frida also offers a margarita menu, and a roving mixologist visits every table with a top-shelf tequila trolley. 

mural at Frida restaurant at Grand Velas Riviera Maya
in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

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images c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Fairmont Mayakoba; hotel review

 

Fairmont Mayakoba  

(800) 441-1414.  401 rooms; most are casitas; 34 on beach.  5 freshwater pools; 4 restaurants; full-service spa; 18-hole golf course; powdery white beach. 

beach at Fairmont Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Mayas believe that if you lead a good life, you will become a crystal.  Be careful or you might turn into one here.  Canal boats and golf carts transport guests through the 47-acre Fairmont Mayakoba jungle resort.  All rooms are beautifully decorated and have deep soaking tubs and private terraces.  The spectacular clean-lined spa has a signature coconut-orange fragrance, sells a line of mineral make-up that doesn’t melt, and provides a fitness room with ergonomic Italian equipment. 

It’s a good idea to take time to observe the colonies of rare stingless Melipona bees, and I’m glad I didn’t miss a beer tasting (this is the only Riviera Maya hotel that offers this).  I had the pleasure of experiencing a beer tasting/food pairing led by Luis Garces, a certified beer server (as a sommelier is to wine) from Veracruz who speaks flawless English.  We tasted Calavera brand beers distinguished by a skull logo and produced in Mexico state near Mexico City.  Made for Mexicans by Mexicans, only the hops are imported.  My favorite was a Dubbel that originally, long ago, was made by monks in abbeys.  The brew is dark, tastes of prunes and chocolate, and was deliciously paired with a blue-corn sope stuffed with pork and plum sauce.

beer tasting at Fairmont Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

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Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Esencia, A Seaside Estate; hotel review

Esencia, A Seaside Estate  

20 minutes south of Mayakoba & Playa del Carmen, and 25 minutes north of Tulum, (984) 873-48 30.  41 rooms.  2 pools; full-service spa with temazcal.  1 restaurant. 

Located along a mile-long stretch of prime beach, the 50-acre private Esencia, A Seaside Estate resort was once the exclusive beach-side retreat of an Italian duchess.  It is an indulgent and beautiful places, with a low jungle cover throughout.  Guests are greeted in a lobby fragrant with incense that is inside a rustic mud hut with a palapa roof, then delivered by a rickshaw bicycle cart to their room.  The fragrant spa is inside a palapa with high ceilings and rounded, natural-colored stucco walls. 

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image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Viceroy Riviera Maya; hotel review

Viceroy Riviera Maya

Playa Xcalacoco, Frac 7, 6 miles N of La Playa, +52 984 877 3000, US 888 230 7330.  52 villas.  Full-service spa; fitness room.  2 restaurants.  

Tucked into the jungle, this luxury beachfront resort provides tranquil refuge.  Each villa features a palapa roof, an outdoor shower, and a private patio with plunge pool and hammock.  Those who are patient will see monkeys in the trees and mini-dinosaur lizards scurrying upright on two legs across pathways.  Cooking classes celebrating Maya cuisine and a temazcal steam cave are available.    

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video c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Yaxche; restaurant review

Yaxche 

(pronounced jag-shey)  On 5th Ave., 984 873 3712. 

Decorated to resemble a Maya temple, atmospheric Yaxche serves a menu featuring traditional Maya dishes such as tamales cooked in banana leaves or corn husks, and nohuc lemon-seasoned prawns served on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes and accompanied by grilled vegetables.  The house specialty drinks--chayanada (a deep-green spinach lemonade) and cuzamil (a fresh orange-pineapple-chaya blend)--make a good accompaniment, and the flaming magic Maya Coffee (made with liquors, cinnamon, and vanilla ice cream, and prepared dramatically tableside) makes a spectacular conclusion.  If you have room for dessert, try the Sweet Virgin (frozen cookies swimming in lemon cream).

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video c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Muyil, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve; things to do

Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve  

Just south of Tulum.  With a name that translates in Mayan as "Where The Sky Is Born," the vast Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve nature preserve and UNESCO World Heritage site is composed of more than one million acres of lush jungle and beaches.  It is on a small peninsula but is home to nearly half the world's flora and fauna species, including monkeys, jaguars, pumas, ocelots, rays, crocodiles, and more than 400 bird species.  Here, you’ll see mangroves, ancient Maya canals, and miles and the Great Maya Reef.  Additionally, this reserve houses the rustic, mostly undeveloped Muyil pre-Columbian archaeological site. 

Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in Muyil, Mexico

 

●Community Tours Sian Ka'an  

Office in Muyil.  Ecologically responsible technologies are used by this tour cooperative that makes a strong effort to be community-centric.



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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Diablito Cha Cha Cha; restaurant review

Diablito Cha Cha Cha  

On Calle 12/5th Ave., 984 803 4507. 

Located on a side street known for its popular clubs, this bar (and restaurant) is famous for its Mango Diablo—a pretty drink composed of mango, lemon, and chamoy with tangy and colorful chili on the glass rim.  Things don’t get going around here until after 10 p.m. 



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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: La Cueva del Chango; restaurant review

La Cueva del Chango  

Calle 38/5th Ave., 984 147 02 71.  M-Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 8am-2pm.  

La Cueva del Chango restaurant in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Featuring a jungle garden atmosphere, popular La Cueva del Chango is primo for breakfast.  The menu then includes fragrant fresh papaya, fresh-squeezed juices, huevos a la Méxicana (scrambled eggs with onion, tomato, and chiles), a selection of chilaquiles (I especially like the one with pasilla salsa), molletes (like melted cheese sandwiches), and warm tortillas as well as empanadas and cappucinos. 

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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Aldea Corazon; restaurant review

Aldea Corazon  

5th Ave., next door to Hacienda Tequila, 984 803 1942. 

Aldea Corazon restaurant in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Delicious contemporary Mexican cuisine is served here at Aldea Corazon in a lively interior.  In back, an exquisite garden seating area with strangler figs is adjacent to a dry cenote.  It can be very dark at night, when it is also hopelessly romantic. 

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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  

Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: The Royal/Playa del Carmen; hotel + restaurant review

The Royal/Playa del Carmen  

Av. Constituyentes #2, (984) 877 29 00, US 800-760-0944.  507 luxury suites.  3 pools; 2 hot tubs (+ 4 in spa); full-service spa (with temazcal).  7 restaurants, no reservations needed, gluten-free and vegan menu avail.  All-Inclusive; adult only (16+). 

Guests at the The Royal/Playa del Carmen beachfront luxury resort are greeted by staff members holding a hand over their heart.  It is a beautiful, calming gesture that evokes a smile.  Each guest room has its own terrace--90 percent with a hammock—and indoor turbo tub whirlpool with sports car-like seats for two.  The resort is especially popular with young couples in their 20s and 30s who like to drink and party, and sometimes the communal hot tubs sometimes seem to hold more people than water.  Tequila and more flows at the swim-up bar, at the swing bar, and also in each room’s included mini-bar.  On-property activities include:  scuba diving school (the introductory class is included); daily yoga, pilates, and spinning classes; an escorted morning and afternoon bicycle tour; a weekly cooking class, tequila tasting, and wine tasting.  A different show is scheduled every evening, and special events and theme dinners are sprinkled in.  When you want to explore, you can rent a Mini Cooper ($40/hr., $130/day) or sign up for a day trip to one of the spectacular Maya archaeological sites found in the area. 

chefs at The Royal/Playa del Carmen in Mexico

This hotel has been rated the highest in the region for food safety preparation.  It has the very strictest standards for food hygiene (more hotels with stellar kitchen sanitation).  This means you can eat lettuce and unpeeled vegetables without worry.  Additionally, the fare is gourmet quality.  Among the many restaurants are beach-side Pelicanos and buffet Spice, which has a special corner for vegans.  Exclusive Chef’s Plate--where diners watch their seven-course gourmet dinner being prepared—is available only to guests staying in Royal Jr. Suite Ocean Front and higher categories.  A romantic dinner on the beach with violins—perfect for popping the question or celebrating something special--is available at additional charge.  A coffeehouse and evening tequila bar with 50-plus brands are also available.



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Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Ah Cacao; restaurant review

Ah Cacao  

5th Ave./Constituyentes, 984 803 5748.  Daily 7:15am-11:30pm. 

Ah Cacao coffeehouse in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Reputed to be the best coffeehouse in town, Ah Cacao is where chocoholics come for goodies prepared from the best chocolate, vanilla, and coffee.  Rich, spicy 70% Mexican chocolate is offered in pastries, ice cream, and drinks.  Try the popular dairy-free, spicy Chocolate Maya--the chocolate equivalent of espresso--or an exquisite soft brownie.  Seating includes an open-air patio and a cool little glass box in the back with a.c. and jazz. 

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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

near Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Xcaret; things to do

Xcaret 

(pronounced “ISH-kah-RET”)  Puerto Juarez Hwy., 3 mi. S of Playa, 984-206-0038.  Tours.   Free parking. 

This eco-archeological park displays sea life as well as scale models of the area’s major ruins.  You can see local wildlife up close, snorkel and swim in a manmade lagoon and underground river, and sunbathe on a child-friendly shallow beach.  Swimming with dolphins or sharks is available at additional charge.  The park also has a botanical garden, a mushroom garden filled with pods that bring to mind those seen in the film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” a butterfly enclosure, a Maya museum, and a replica Maya village.  Inside Hacienda Henequenera, a folk art museum is set up as if a family is living there. 

Food is good, especially at the buffets.  The evening folklore show in the Grand Tlachco Teather is very well done and includes a Maya ball game (called pok-ta-pok); dining while watching is an option.  Vino de México Wine Cellar promotes the culture and history of Mexican wine.  Here you can taste wines from the first winery in Mexico, which is also the oldest in America.  (Mexico had the first winery in the New World, in Baja California—Casa Madero, opened in 1597.  There are 87 wineries in Baja, and 3 wineries in Guanajuato.)



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images c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

near Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Blue Diamond Riviera Maya; hotel review

Blue Diamond Riviera Maya  

Km. 298.8 Carretera #307, 10 min. N of Playa, 984-206-4100. 128 suites + 5 beachfront casitas; 2 stories.  Minimum stay 5 nights.  Adults only.  All-inclusive.  all-adult, all-suites. 

Blue Diamond Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

The 36-acre Blue Diamond Riviera Maya hideaway features a white sandy beach and is surrounded by lush tropical jungle.  First up on the long side lane from highway to sea is the gigantic open-air reception palapa--which just might be the world’s largest and, with its expansive polished marble floors, certainly is one of its most beautiful.  Then comes the spa, a cenote, and the room complexes--each with a unique courtyard.  Finally come a few lagoon units and Ambar restaurant, the oceanfront units, a pool, the beach, and two more restaurants.  Golf carts act as taxis.  One of the all-inclusive amenities at this tranquil boutique property is world-wide free calls! 

The spectacularly beautiful and spacious spa is constructed with typical local white limestone blocks throughout and features the latest fitness machines (in fact, the Yucatecan limestone and zapote wood used throughout the property are the same materials the Mayas used to build their temples).  Treatments are a mix of Maya and Asian, and all guests get a complimentary temazcal experience. 

Sedate Ambar restaurant features haute cuisine and a spectacular namesake chandelier made with giant slices of local amber.  Slightly livelier Aquamarina has a lovely water view and sometimes mariachis sing at lunch.  Special dinners are prepared for French, Italian, and Lebanese nights, and sometimes a cook-out occurs on the beach with shrimp and lobster. 

Rooms are large and luxurious, with marble bathrooms accented by tiny iridescent tiles and with glass-enclosed his/hers Swiss showers with sunflower heads looking out to the jungle.  Call a butler to fill the room’s exterior plunge pool (though the water can be quite cold).  The walk-in closet has its own air circulation system so that your clothes stay dry in the moist air.  Top-of-the-line casitas have private beach access and rooftop infinity pools.  This was formerly the Mandarin Oriental. 



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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Río Secreto; things to do

Río Secreto  

3 miles south of Playa.  Operated by a local cooperative, this cenote was discovered in 2007.  It is the longest partially-flooded cave in the Yucatan and a protected nature reserve.  Most caves here are completely underwater, requiring specialized training in cave diving to explore, but Secreto has more than 7.5 miles of semi-sunken cave that can be explored by walking and swimming.  Water shoes, a wet suit, a life vest, and a helmet with light are all loaned to you as part of the admission package, and changing rooms, towels, and snacks are included.

Río Secreto cave tour in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

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Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: 5th Avenue/Quinta Avenida; things to do

5th Avenue/Quinta Avenida in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen’s pedestrian-only main street--5th Avenue/Quinta Avenida--runs parallel to the ocean.  It is lined with open-air bars and restaurants and shops and for pedestrians only.  You’ll find everything from designer clothes and upscale jewelry to Maya carvings and colorful Mexican handicrafts.  More shops are found on cobblestone side streets.

clothing stand on 5th Avenue/Quinta Avenida in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

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Riviera Maya, Mexico: Coba; things to do

COBA  

Is about 40 miles/30 min. inland from Tulum. 

This sprawling, atmospheric ruin is right in the jungle amid lush vegetation.  Most of it remains unexcavated.  The main pyramid, Nohuch Mul, is 138 feet tall and the highest Maya pyramid in Mexico.  You can still climb it, and a safety rope is strung along the steps.  Visitors can walk between the ruin sites, but it is more fun to ride a bike (they are free) or take an inexpensive bike taxi for two.  You’ll see beautiful peche trees with multi-colored thin trunks that match the tones of the stone ruins, smell the citronella from insect repellent, and hear loud, loud birdsong.  Coba is estimated to have had at least 50,000 inhabitants at its peak.  The site has two ball game courts. 

 








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videos c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
updated 1-14-18

Tulum, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Ana y Jose Charming Hotel & Spa; hotel review

Ana y Jose Charming Hotel & Spa  

In hotel zone, 4 mi. S. of Tulum archaeological site, 011-52-998-880-60-22.  23 rooms + 1 villa.  4 rooms with TV.  Pool; full-service spa.  No smoking; no pets. 

guest room patio at Ana y Jose Charming Hotel & Spa in Tulum, Mexico

Begun with just four guest rooms in 1984 and still owned by the same family, this aptly-named hotel was then a simple palapas-on-the-beach-style lodging that attracted an alternative clientele.  Located off the main highway, down an ungroomed, jungle-edged side street, about four miles south of the Tulum archaeological site, the Ana y Jose Charming Hotel & Spa remains simple but has upgraded to subtle luxury.  The hippies are gone now from this area, and it has become a favorite of celebrities.  Politicians from around the world have stayed at Ana y Jose’s, as did one of the Fab Four not too long ago.  Because the hotel is located in a natural national park, strict policies require hotel staff to do many things themselves, including produce electricity both by a generator and solar energy and to use a water treatment plant.  Guests check in upstairs in an open-air, tree house-like lobby.  The answer to a problem seems to always be “no problem.”  The bulk of the resort is located across the quiet street, right on the sand.  The sand-floored restaurant has an ocean view and plenty of good wine.  The specialty is Mexican cuisine and sea food--chilaquiles for breakfast, a great ceviche.  Flaming dishes and Cuban cigars are also on the menu.  Italian and Argentinean restaurants are nearby off property.  A communal freshwater swimming pool is surrounded by full-size beach beds, and beach equipment includes palapas, chairs, and netted lounge beds.  Guest rooms have thatched palapa roofs and both a ceiling fan and air conditioning.



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Riviera Maya, Mexico: Tulum; things to do

Tulum

Built on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean waters in 900 B.C., well-preserved walled Tulum is the Maya’s last major city and only seaside city.  It was still inhabited when the Spanish arrived, and Cortez described it as larger than Seville and unfriendly.  Of the more than 60 well-preserved structures, the most noteworthy and the highest is El Castillo--the main tower and temple that is sometimes referred to as the lighthouse.  Local Maya used the temples until late in the 20th century. 

Tulum is a gorgeous, magical place, with well maintained gardens.  Get here early in the morning—for the spectacular sunrise if possible (the Maya called the site Zamá, meaning “city of the dawn”).  It is also glorious on a sunny day, when the water turns a gorgeous turquoise.  Sea breezes cool visitors on the often hot days, and you can also plan for a dip in the warm sea below (stairs lead down the hillside to a sandy beach and crystal-clear water).  A tractor-pulled train transports visitors from the parking area to the archaeological site; an average visit takes one hour.

This company has a good tour of the area.  

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video c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Valladolid, near Riviera Maya, Mexico: La Casona de Valladolid; restaurant review

La Casona de Valladolid  

Calle 44, centro, (985) 85 6 0207. 

dining room at La Casona de Valladolid in Valladolid, Mexico

Housed in a spacious old building, La Casona de Valladolid restaurant serves a delicious buffet lunch featuring many Yucatan specialties as well as other Mexican dishes.  Walls are decorated with an impressive mask collection, and large shuttered windows open from the dining room to the street. 



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Valladolid, near Riviera Maya, Mexico: Cenote Zaci; things to do

Cenote Zaci

Located on the edge of town in a small park, Cenote Zaci invites swimming in its very clear, very cold, and very deep water.  Swallows nest here and can sometimes be seen flying in formation in circles under an overhang.

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video c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers