Riviera Maya Travel FAQs

I found this site with some good general info on travel to the Riviera Maya. Check it out--there may be something useful or new for you.
Riviera Maya FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on LocoGringo.com

Everything's going well preparation-wise. We have lots of things marked off of our to-do list, and all of our necessary legal documents are currently being processed and should be arriving in about 6-8 weeks or so (we hope!) Hope all of you have your planning underway! Just let us know if you have any questions. (You can email, call, or post any questions or comments here, too, as I check this often!)

XEL-HA Ecological Water Park

Xel-Ha is an ecological water park, where an inlet creates a natural aquarium, and you can snorkel, swim, float down a lazy river through the jungle on an innertube, swim through a partly underground river, or even just relax on the beach. (You can "SNUBA" here, too, but that's a whole other story!) We had a lot of fun here, even though we were only here for half a day. (We did the combination tour of Tulum and Xel-Ha when we stayed in Cancun a few years back.)

I learned to snorkel here, and I think it's my favorite snorkeling experience still. Since it's a natural inlet, there are no waves, and you can swim to the shore anytime you want (it's surrounding you on three sides.) Very relaxing, very stress-free. (No fearing of being left behind like in that freaky Dark Water shark movie!)
Swimming in the underground river was pretty neat, and the innertube ride was an activity for everyone to enjoy (just be sure to wear the really strong sunscreen!)

This is one of the places where you can swim with the dolphins (these places are popping up all over the Riviera/Cancun area) if you're interested. It does cost a pretty peso to get up close and personal with the dolphins, but some people just love it. (I've always had to pass on this one.):) You can find more info on their site.
Check out the XEL-HA MAIN WEBSITE for more detailed info on all of these fun things to do!

Mayan Ruins of TULUM

Tulum is one of the most popular Mayan ruin sites, and it is the closest to where we'll all be in the Mayan Riviera (about 55 miles south of the Iberostar hotels.) It is the only ruin site located on the coast, and is really a breathtaking sight with the turquoise ocean as its backdrop. I found this link containing some good general info about the TULUM RUINS. The site isn't very big, and you can choose to wander through it on your own or with a guide who can explain what they have figured out so far about the buildings and lifestyles of the people who lived there. It only costs a little over three dollars if you go it alone, or you can get tours that will drive you there and show you around for various costs. I think it's well worth the visit, no matter how you choose to see it!

Honeymoon--Here we come!

Finally--here's Our HONEYMOON Registry! It's a really neat new form of wedding registry, in which people can purchase parts of your honeymoon for you through a unique. secure, and personalized website instead of more traditional wedding gifts like place settings and vacuums. Since we are already well-established and have so much STUFF (well, at least I do!) we thought this would be the ideal way for us to have the honeymoon of our dreams! There are items in all different increments, from candlelight dinners to tours of the Mayan ruins of Coba, and from massages to room upgrades. We love this idea, and are very excited about it. Check out the link and let me know what you think!

And for you more traditionalists out there, we have started working on our registry at Target, too, which can be viewed at the Club Wedd kiosk booth at any Target store, or online atwww.Target.com.

The wedding planning is all starting to fall into place, now, and I'm getting so very excited for all the fun to arrive. Time is flying by, though, and I know it will be here before I know it! I can hardly wait!!

Check out XCARET!

Xcaret (pronounced "Ish-ka-ret") is a beautiful ecological park not far from where we'll all be staying in the Riviera Maya. There's lots of tropical animals, mexican history, snorkeling, snuba diving, another version of scuba where you wear an air-filled helmet and don't have to use a breather at all (seen on the left,) a circling viewing tower, nice beaches, and an AWESOME nighttime show that covers every stage of Mexican history--even a real live game of Mayan poc-de-poc in full Mayan ceremonial costume (see below)! It was the most fun, and I'm hoping to talk Rob into going back there again. Here's a very cool link to an XCARET VIRTUAL TOUR MAP. Check it out!

Travel Guide and Review

I found this Article Review of One Couple's Trip to the Iberostar Paraiso Maya, and thought some of you might be interested in how their trip went. She describes the whole process and hotel at great length, and has lots of general info in it.

Also, here's
The Mexican Tourist Board's Riviera Maya Travel Guide. It has lots of good general info about things to do and see.

Here's a map of the Riviera Maya. The Iberostar Hotels are at the Playa Paraiso.


Hope you all find these useful!

Success!

It was a whirlwind weekend-but very successful! The dress is custom-made, brand-new--thanks to my mom and grandma. Thank you both so much! I'm very excited, and very exhausted.

There's no new news on the reservation front. All the "best deals" still stand as is--so let me know if any of you need any help or info.