Hi piranha and thanks for your reply. There really aren't any other restaurants within walking distance of Tres Rios. From the beach you can walk past a few other resort properties - I think the Mandarin Oriental was very close. But it's a bit of a walk just to get to the main road, and you don't want to walk the beach at night. Playa del Carmen is 15-20 minutes away by taxi. Many restaurants there, although it's a major tourist area. So many choices for places to stay in this area! Combining LL packages gives you so many options. You could pick one property on Isla Mujeres or closer to Tulum, and one closer to Playa del Carmen. I'm interested to see if some packages will show up for the Mayakoba properties. These were in the same area - we walked past them on the beach. I'm sure you'll have a great time.



Wishing you a happy holiday and new year, and safe travels!

Thanks for the great writeup on Hacienda Tres Rios, Disneygal. I've been keeping my eye on the property since we're headed to Cancun/Playa del Carmen/Isla Mujeres in March. I have a question about the property. One of the things that we really enjoy doing when we vacation in Mexico is eating at palapas on the beach and discovering hidden restaurant gems in town, away from tourists. Are there any dining options that are within walking distance of the hotel? Any suggestions about staying in Playa del Carmen, Isla Mujeres, or somewhere else in the area? We'd like to explore the ruins, spend time on the beach, go to some small towns, etc.



Incidentally, you write very well.



Have a happy holiday season and a great new year.

Hi kyshel, good for you! I'll look forward to your updated review! We did take advantage of the couples' massage included in the package. The spa area is still in a temporary location, on the 2nd floor of the main building. It didn't appear "temporary", but that's what we were told. They set up a bubble bath for us beforehand, out on a balcony. It was sort of comical, since the tub location was front & center of the resort, and we were there in a bubble bath with minimal privacy. Good for a laugh! The massage was very good though - something I wouldn't normally opt to do. They also had a functioning steam room and sauna.



All of the food and drink was really good - recalling it all makes me want to go back too. Or at least try to recreate that tamarind Margarita....

Great coverage for two properties, DisneyGal!
We've been hunting for a good opportunity to get back to Riv Maya. We nearly capitulated to mediocrity and went to a different place this past week--very last-minute decision--and glad we stayed home. Saw the Tres Rios deal pop up today--at a better price. Auction just ended and we're going back next year--likerly for our anniversary.

I am now really looking forward to the chipotle creme brulee!!

The boss has declared we will not do the dinner at the pool (it was so awkward, even tho quite excellent). The guitar music was good but we were waaay too close to the grill restaurant and other diners. Hardly "private"!

Did you enjoy the Spa? It wasn't completed when we went so we plan to take full advantage this next time.

Maroma Beach is supposedly the best in the immediate area--much of the "explosion" you mention was start almost ready last year but with the swine flu situation, some places were closed and others put on hold. Glad to hear HTR is back to expansion.

It's a lovely property with some really special attributes--semi quiet is one of our faves!! The food and bubbly don't hurt at all...

Hi disneygal,
Just discovered you excellent post on Squaw Creek in the Sierra Nevada. Sounds like you had a wonderful time with little to complain about. Ah the soft snow out West. I too skied the "hardpack" of the Northeast for too long and remember looking like a "pro" the first time we skied in Aspen. Since then, we have ventured over to Europe where, especially in Val Thorens, France at 3000 meters, the white fluff stuff is a dream. I am happy for you that your hotel was good. It's wonderful to sink into a hot tub after a day of hard skiing. - Ski-Heil!

The real snow of the Rockies and Tahoe Basin is a joy to ski on... I call it ego skiing and I like to think I look great skiing on those wonderful slopes. In the Northwest, I look like a jerky, uncoordinated skier who's trying to avoid killing myself over the rocks, the ice and hard as gravel slopes!
cmdavilacli

Hi CMDAVILACI! On our first trip to Tahoe 2 years ago, we skied at Kirkwood. Loved it there! My husband's dream trip for next time is to ski Kirkwood and then drive north to ski Alpine Meadows. I know what you mean, if skiing in the northwest is anything like the northeast! We have many nice ways to describe the "hardpack", but it's basically ICE. I enjoy the soft stuff so much more!

hi Disneygal... thanks for the update on the resort at Squaw Creek. As a child, we used to spend our summers in Tahoe and would go up to Squaw Creek to hike and ice skate on the rink.. and of course, inner-tube down the Truckee River. I learned to snow ski in Tahoe and during college would drive up for the day to ski at Kirkwood (south side) or head off to Alpine Valley. As a starving student, I couldn't afford Squaw Creek! My daughter learned to ski in Northstar on their gentle slopes and eventually graduated to the hardcore, awful skiing and snowboarding of the Northwest. I miss the wonderful skiing of Tahoe and find it difficult to ski here in the Northwest where we live. It's just not the same!
cmdavilacli

Hi disneygal

We've never been to the Mayan Riviera yet. But after reading your thoroughly fascinating blog on the Royal Hideaway, I'm very eager to head to that part of Mexico when next we crave some sun and relaxation by a marvellous stretch of beach. The Mayan temples and courtyards at Tulum also beckon. Thanks for the intriguing information.

Curt

Hi Marla

Wonder if Lonesome George is still alive and kicking at the Charles Darwin research station on Galapagos? I really enjoyed your excellent blog on this really "off-the-beaten-path" destination. Next time I visit my sister in Lima, Peru, I'll make a point to see about getting over to the Galapagos Islands to check on old George and the other amazing inhabitants of the place Darwin made famous.

Curt

Hi disneygal

Reading your fascinating blog on your stay at the Snake River Lodge at Jackson Hole, Wyoming takes me back to a similarly wonderful and relaxing stay my wife and I recently (Sept. 2007) enjoyed at another superb LL property. Our accommodation for four glorious days and nights was the Cathedral Mountain Lodge inside Yoho National Park in British Columbia. We used it as our "base camp" for several journes on foot and by car to explore the amazing natural wonders of the Canadian Rocky Mountains which surround the Lodge. What a glorious experience that was. See my blogs elsewhere on the LL Community for details on these travel adventures.

Curt

Hi curtiejoe, The name Guana comes from the shape of the island that is reminiscent of an Iguana. There is a rock outcropping that looks like an Iguana's head, with the hill behind as the body. I was lucky enough to get an LL auction package. That particular auction was a "best shot".

Hi lhb, Yes Norman Island is also owned by the Jarecki family. April, the former bar manager at Norman Island, is now at Guana to make sure you have a wonderful time. Now, if we could just organize that LL trip to Necker Island... :-)

Hi Marla

I read your terrific blog on the cruise from Rome to Barcelona with great interest. In May 2008, my wife and I will be taking a Mediterranean cruise with friends of ours from Barcelona with stops in Malta, Italy and France. One of our ports of call is Civitavecchia/Rome and another is Nice/Monaco. So, thanx for sharing your cruise and land excursion experiences. I'm sure they'll be very helpful to us in preparing for our European adventure.

Curt

Hi disneygal

Guana sounds like a wonderfully laid-back island paradise. Did you use an LL auction or the "Buy Now" feature to get your 5-day vacation? A bit of an odd name for the island. Any idea how it got its name?

Curt

Hi disneygal,
Thanks for this wonderful and informative post. I enjoyed reading about your experience at Guana Island, especially since one of the Nature channels on TV just recently did a full documentation on Guana and Necker Islands. Seemed like a wonderful and layed back place. From what I remember from the TV show, the owner of Guana island just purchased Norman's Island and is trying to turn this island and the caves into a more exclusive and upscale vacation spot.

Thanks Syrene-1 for the info. on Young Island. It sounds wonderful, and I will keep it in mind for a future trip!

Yes, we were there a couple years ago and I really loved it - which is funny because I'm not a "beach person" and I don't really like to socialize on vacation. But something about this place changed me completely. We made so many friends there but yet felt free to have our "couple time" too.
I know what you mean about the "laid back atmosphere - we felt like the whole island was ours to do with whatever we wanted. There was no one to tell us that anything was off limits.
Your description of Guana sounds like you could have been describing Young Island. I'm adding it to my ever growing list now.

Hi disneygal & syrene. We spent our 10 year wedding anniversary on Young Island. It was lovely. The food was excellent. Each "casita" or stand alone unit was different. Some were high up a hill while others were lower to the beach. The property has tennis courts. We did the sail/stay package so spent 5 nights on YI and then sailed on their boat to Bequia and Mustique. GREAT EXPERIENCE.

I just noticed that the couple we met who were staying in the North Beach cottage posted a review on TripAdvisor. If you're considering such an option (it would be amazing for a honeymoon or other special occasion) you may want to check out their review also. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...n_Islands.html