Peggy Thorburn Royal Hideaway Resort & Spa THIS SUMMER WITH THE KIDS AWAY AT CAMP MY HUSBAND AND I FOUND OURSELVES WITH A PERFECT WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE AN "ADULT VACATION" WE CHOSE THE ALL INCLUSIVE, ROYAL HIDEAWAY RESORT AND SPA IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN. ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT AN ADULT ONLY PROPERTY CHILDREN ARE NOT ENCOURAGED. FROM THE MOMENT WE ARRIVED WE WERE IMMEDIATLEY WELCOMED WITH A GLASS OF CHAMPAIGNE AND INDULGED WITH ATTENTIVE SERVICE. WE RESIDED FOR A WEEK IN LUXURIOUS VILLA ACCOMADATIONS, COMPLETE WITH TERRACE 24HOUR ROOM SERVIE AND A PRIVATE CONCIERGE TO INDULDGE OUR EVERY WHIM. ALL THIS SURROUNDED BY 13 ACRES OF LUSH LANDSCAPE WINDING RIVERS AND WATERFALLS AND A BEAUTIFUL STRETCH OF WHITE SANDY BEACH. REALLY THE ONLY DECISIONS WE HAD TO MAKE ALL WEEK WERE WHAT TO DO, OR NOT DO, WITH OUR DAYS, AND AT WHICH GOURMET RESTURANT WE SHOULD DINE. FROM ITALIAN TO MEXICAN, ASIAN OR CONTENTIAL, THE FOOD WAS OUTSTANDING AT ALL FOUR ON SITE RESTURANTS, WE WERE ABLE TO TEAR OURSELVES AWAY FOR A DAY TO TOUR THE MAYAN RUINS AT TULUM AND THEN SNORKLED THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY IN THE NATURAL POOLS AT XEL-HA. LAURA LEWIS HILL OFFICE Although my husband and I have been to Cancun, we had not been to the Riviera Mayan area, which is about 60 minutes south of Cancun. In August my husband and I decided to take advantage of Apple Vacations great deals and we left on a 7-day trip to the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula. We arrived August 21, the day the hurricane was to hit land, but instead there was only a tropical storm and it passed by the next day and the weather was perfect. We stayed the first 4 nights at the all-inclusive Barcelo Maya Beach Resort. It overlooks a long, private white sand beach with clear blue waters and a natural coal reef. We ate great food, learned the newest dances, learned to catamaran, and windsurf - all with great instructors and great equipment - all at no additional cost of course. The next 3 nights were spent at the luxury all-inclusive Xpu-Ha Palace, a new resort that is designed with bungalow-style buildings situated on 38 acres of tropical garden overlooking a spectacular sandy beach, a great coral reef, a lagoon, and an estuary - all on the property. We snorkeled and kayaked in pristine, clear water in both the lagoon and estuary, walked through the aviary, the reptile zoo and the botanical gardens and ate the most wonderful food with exceptional service. The Xpu-Ha is for nature lovers, couples from the age 18-90, people who appreciate good food and service. (Children are also welcome, but the rooms are designed with the couples in mind - large Jacuzzi in the rooms) You could do a lot of walking at this resort or take a ride in the golf carts that are there for your connivance. The Barcelo would be great for couples, or families. There are many activities day and night that would appeal to all ages. Most appealing is that teen-agers would not need to leave the resort and have discos, etc. all at their disposal. . The staff at these resorts all spoke at least 3 languages as their clientele comes from Europe and South America as well as from Canada and the USA. Stephanie Ryan Bahia Principe Tulum As my husband and I walked into the lobby of the Bahia Principe Tulum, the waterfalls, flowers and a large sculptured column that rose through the center of the high and open thatched roof above us captivated me. The hotel staff kindly greeted us with smiles and we were off to explore the rest of this excellent, all-inclusive resort. I was pleased with our comfortable, spacious sea-view room that offered beautiful views. One of the nicest features at this resort is a complimentary, stocked mini-refrigerator. The resort is located one hour south of the Cancun airport and is situated on a private beach, partly protected by a natural coral reef and surrounded by 275 acres of tropical vegetation. I enjoyed relaxing and walking on the beach exploring interesting pieces of coral along the way. My husband and I went on a full day, guided tour of the Mayan Ruins of Coba, located approximately 45 minutes from the resort. This educational tour through the rain forest and various ruins includes a history of the ancient Mayan civilization. Following the tour of the ruins, we visited the local village of Punta Laguna, and observed spider monkeys nearby, in their natural habitat. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to learn about the local culture. My husband and I are looking forward to the next time we get to visit this spectacular region of Mexico and I will certainly be returning to the Bahia Principe Tulum. Diana Puzio Riu Yucatan Never having been to Mexico I recently went to Playa del Carmen, which is a 40 minute drive from the Cancun airport. We arrived at the Riu Yucatan a 5-star all-inclusive resort, and it was breathtaking. You walk into an open air lobby with tropical gardens. Everything has been carefully attended to, to ensure that your every desire will be met. As we were checking in a young lady brought us a glass of champagne, and we were on our way to 3 wonderful pampered days in Mexico. It has 9, 3-story units surrounded by beautiful gardens, and this resort is located right on the beach. The staff speaks English so we had no problem communicating. It has 3 restaurants to choose from. You can go to any of the restaurants but only one served breakfast, and what a breakfast. Absolutely everything you would want, all cooked fresh for you. Then lunch we ate at the restaurant by the pool, and then for dinner we went back to the main restaurant, each night with a different cuisine. The restaurants serve Caribbean, Mexican, Continental, Asian and Italian dishes. The rooms were very nice, with a balcony overlooking gardens. This resort is for singles, couples and families with children of all ages. They have an array of water sports, land activities and fun classes for the kids. It has a poolbar and a soda machine that you can go get drinks whenever you want them. On the beach, which is just yards away from the pool, you will find people in the ocean and playing volleyball and then of course those strolling and sunning topless. Evening entertainment every night in the theatre, and if you want there is a disco for the young at heart. Each day presents an opportunity to be as active or as relaxed as you would like to be. However you choose to spend your days and evening you will wish you never had to leave. This beauty was truly a 5 star resort, that I can hardly wait to get back to again, the hard working staff was absolutely wonderful and treated us like royalty. An all inclusive is the only way to go. Lynn Lojkovic Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar Last April my best friend and I lazed away four glorious days at the Iberostar Paraiso in Playa. We loved being at an All-Inclusive, the first time for both of us. Here the mini-frig is stocked daily with beer, water and sodas for the taking. An iced coffee machine at the pool station kept me cool and happy as I lounged at the meandering pool. Evening cocktails at the airy flamingo pond lobby bar before dinner were mixed right with premium liquor. The choices for dining were incredible, two rotund palapa-style cafés near the beach, two extensive openair buffet dining rooms, where the menus change daily -breakfast, lunch and dinner, and five distinctive restaurants where advance reservations are required if you want a change of pace. Our favorite were the desserts, scrumptious, light little cakes. Still miss 'em! Of course there are the activities. A perfect place to go back to with the entire family. The shore is great for swimming and beachcombing. Non-motorized sports are included from sailing to archery. A beautiful spa and fitness club is set on the grounds. Pool tables, pingpong and an Internet café round out the menu. The gardens are beautiful, the architecture stunning, accommodations roomy and well appointed. Most of all we were impressed by the level of service and attention to details. I would highly recommend it.