Latest news with #Yucatán
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Travel + Leisure
12-07-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Iconic Mexican Beach City Has Award-winning Resorts and Restaurants—Plus Pyramids and Crystal-clear Cenotes
With ocean views and private plunge pools in every room, Waldorf Astoria Riviera Maya elevates the very best of the classic Cancun experience from a quieter stretch of sand in Costa Mujeres. Age-old ruins emerging from the dense jungles of the Yucatán are just as mystical as you'd imagine, from wonder-of-the-world-worthy Chichen Itza to little-visited pyramids you'll have all to yourself. Start the day on Cancun's powder-fine sands and end it with a plunge in a crystal-clear cenote , one of the region's countless sinkholes surrounded by lush forests. , one of the region's countless sinkholes surrounded by lush forests. Kiosko Verde may have started as a simple food stall, but it serves seafood so good that it ended up in Mexico's Michelin guide. Sail away to Isla Mujeres, a tranquil escape just minutes from central Cancun, for a day spent sunning on palm-fringed sands or swimming with whale sharks. Cancun has always seemed to live in a world all its own. Cancun's singularity is no mistake; it's by design. In the 1960s, in a bid to supersize the nation's tourism industry, the Mexican government first identified a particularly pristine stretch of postcard-perfect sand on the Yucatán Peninsula, the ideal destination to draw in travelers. The plan worked. Cancun now lives large in the minds of travelers, whether they've been there or not. The reality of Cancun is much more varied and infinitely richer than most visitors realize. "Cancun stands out from other destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean due to its unique blend of stunning natural beauty, world-class amenities, and rich cultural heritage, like pristine beaches, and a variety of accommodations and natural attractions," says Marisol Calderon, director of sales and marketing at Paraiso de la Bonita, one of Cancun's buzziest new resorts. Countless Mayan ruins and crystal-clear cenotes hide among dense jungles that surround the city, but Cancun itself boasts immense opportunities for cultural connection that resort-bound travelers might miss. There's nothing like Cancun for a fly-and-flop vacation spent shuffling between beach and pool and back again. But in all the trips I've taken to Cancun over a decade of travel, the best experiences have always come when I've allowed myself to peel back the layers and discover a different side to this iconic destination. Lounge in one of the poolside chairs or cabanas. Courtesy of Waldorf Astoria Riviera Maya When the Waldorf Astoria Riviera Maya debuted a few years ago, it instantly raised the level of luxury in Cancun from its prime spot on a calm stretch of sand called Costa Mujeres. Each of the 173 rooms and suites at this It List property features a spacious private balcony and an outdoor soaking tub, all complete with uninterrupted ocean views. In over-the-top Cancun fashion, the property boasts a 40,000-square-foot spa, though its deep grounding in the traditional treatments and ancient wisdom of the region gives it purpose and peace. For the wellness-minded and connection-curious, there is nowhere like SHA Mexico. Nestled along the ocean in Costa Mujeres, SHA Mexico is more of a wellness clinic than a classic Cancun resort, offering multi-day wellness programs that "invite individuals to embark on a journey of self-discovery and optimal health," says Alejandro Bataller, co-founder and vice president of SHA, which first originated in Spain. Guests start the SHA experience with a full health and wellness analysis before working with experts to design a tailor-made stay, including yoga, sound healing, and acupuncture, along with more high-tech treatments. Excellence Playa Mujeres has long been considered among the best all-inclusive resorts in Cancun, but with the February 2025 debut of a second Costa Mujeres property, the Excellence Collection somehow outdid itself. Excellence Coral Playa Mujeres offers 470 stunning suites in every shape and size, some offering swim-up access and others with private pools and two-story rooftop terraces. The striking luxury of its rooms matches the rest of its amenities, which include seven different pools, an oversized spa, and an array of restaurants offering everything from contemporary Mexican fine dining to Mediterranean fare and a beans-to-bar chocolate-tasting experience. When Paraiso de la Bonita, The Luxury Collection debuted in January 2025 just south of Cancun, it was the second Luxury Collection property to premiere in Mexico in just a few months. A collaboration between Playa Hotels & Resorts and Marriott, this adults-only, all-inclusive property has just 100 oceanfront suites, seven restaurants and bars, and a 22,000-square-foot spa center. Even the standard suites start at a palatial 1,130 square feet in size, with soaking tubs from private terraces or balconies offering ocean views of a tranquil strip of sand. The brand-new SLS Playa Mujeres in Cancun's Costa Mujeres is the first SLS property to take on an all-inclusive model, and I hope it's not the last. I have yet to find a resort in Cancun that does a better job of cultivating the refined cool factor of an adults-only property while still catering to families; I could easily see coming here with a group of girlfriends or with my toddler and somehow having just as much fun on both trips. With eighteen different drinking and dining destinations, a kids club, and the 20,000-square-foot Ciel Spa, there's plenty to love, whether you're here with family and friends or on a solo getaway. A crowd visiting Chicen Itza. Gautier Houba/Travel + Leisure Chichén Itzá, with its iconic pyramid El Castillo, is one of the most popular day trips from Cancun, but the jungles of the Yucatán hide numerous Mayan ruins worth exploring. If you've already visited Chichén Itzá or want to skip the crowds, "one of the more under-the-radar gems is a visit to the nearby Mayan ruins of El Meco—an intimate archaeological site rich in history and ideal for those seeking a quiet, cultural excursion," recommends Bataller. Visits to the beachfront ruins at Tulum and the soaring pyramid at Coba are also popular. Sprinkled throughout the jungles near Cancun, cenotes are tranquil, water-filled sinkholes that feel nothing short of mystical, capturing the imagination since the days of the Maya. Today, the cenotes sprinkled across the Yucatán Peninsula are the perfect place to cool off during the heat of the day. Rent a car and follow the Ruta de los Cenotes to check out over a dozen cenotes like the impressive Cenote Siete Bocas and Cenote Kin Ha, or join a small group excursion for an even more hassle-free experience. Whale sharks migrate along the coastline near Cancun every summer, offering travelers a rare opportunity to experience one of the world's most unforgettable marine animal encounters. Swimming with these gentle giants is a seasonal phenomenon that travelers will need to plan for. Whale shark season runs from June through mid-September, but sightings are most reliable in July and August. Local companies offer excursions departing from either Cancun or nearby Isla Mujeres, the most renowned destination for swimming with whale sharks in the region. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef that borders Cancun is second in size only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, making the Riviera Maya one of the best destinations for diving in the Caribbean. Beginners can get PADI-certified at dive centers like Scuba Cancun before heading out to explore colorful reefs or at wrecks like El Frio. A must-visit destination is the Underwater Museum of Art (MUSA), where over 500 submerged sculptures make for a one-of-a-kind dive experience that also promotes reef conservation. Patio seating at Delphina inside the Marriott Cancun. When Kiosco Verde started as a simple, family-run seafood eatery in 1974, no one would have guessed that 50 years later, it would be featured in the Michelin Guide. Today, the kitchen at this Cancun staple is headed by Octavio Santiago, the son of the original owner, who prepares local fish and seafood using traditional methods. Dishes like ceviche, grilled octopus , and lobster empanadas steal the show. Fresh Mediterranean flavors are a favorite at Delfina. This casual ocean-view eatery offers a diverse menu featuring mezze spreads, pasta, and delicious seafood dishes like seafood rice a la marinera, paired with chilled white wines and craft cocktails. This fresh beachfront concept is tucked away off the sands at the impressive Marriott Cancun, An All-Inclusive Resort, the first-ever branded all-inclusive resort from Marriott that opened in late 2024. "Lorenzillo's, a lobster house that opened in 1979 with sunset views of the lagoon, never disappoints," raves long-time Cancun local and writer for The Excellence Collection, Kristin Busse. Located in the Hotel Zone, it's easily accessible and features the freshest catches you can find, brought in daily from fishermen near Isla Mujeres. Navíos crafts a menu it calls Mexican fusion seafood and feels like fine dining without being fussy. Despite its location in the heart of the Hotel Zone, it's tucked away overlooking the lagoon. Its oversized waterfront dining room feels surprisingly intimate, so much so that OpenTable recently named it one of the most romantic restaurants in Mexico. Drop the pretension at the door at Mar-Bella, a waterfront seafood market and eatery where diners can choose their own freshly caught fish and seafood before sending their order off to the kitchen. Navigate through the shop aisle to the breezy oceanfront dining room in the back, set on a surprisingly chill stretch of sand. Exterior of Coco Bongo in Cancun. If there's one place to know when it comes to nightlife in Cancun, it's Coco Bongo. This Cancun institution is part nightclub, part entertainment hub, hosting live music and shows with performers ranging from Michael Jackson to Queen. Coco Bongo also has a waterfront pool and patio that spills out onto the beach, keeping the party alive any time of day. Leave your beachwear and flip-flops at the door at D'Cave, one of the largest nightclubs in Cancun's Hotel Zone. This upscale club features a regular schedule of themed parties and lively events, hosting local and internationally renowned DJs for sets showcasing house and electronic music. Aerial view of the famous shopping mall named 'La Isla' in the hotel district of Cancun city. RobertoLocated in the heart of the Hotel Zone, La Isla Shopping Village is an upscale shopping center with an impressive range of luxury and boutique brands and upscale dining destinations, as well as attractions like a Ferris wheel and an aquarium. La Isla is worth a visit, even if only for a bit of window shopping or a break from the beach; the twists and turns of its canals and walkways that sit alongside the Nichupté Lagoon are quite pretty. Stop by Mercado Coral Negro for local finds, ranging from textiles and ceramics to leather, wood, and silver artisan products. Sure, Mercado Coral Negro has its fair share of kitsch, but it's also a great spot for a thoughtful souvenir or art piece you'll cherish. Hotels along the coastline of Cancun. Gautier Houba/Travel + Leisure Connected to the mainland by bridges on both ends, Cancun's Hotel Zone clings to over 14 miles of pristine white beaches along a barrier island that first drew development to this region of Mexico decades ago. Nowadays, this stretch of sand is an unending strip of seaside resorts, restaurants, and shops catering to a diverse range of budgets. It's conveniently close to central Cancun and attractions further afield for those who want to explore, though most visitors will be content with staying put for their entire trip. "The Hotel Zone is the heart of Cancun's tourism, offering beach clubs, nightlife, and shopping, but Downtown Cancun provides a more local flavor with markets and traditional cuisine," says Mourad Essafi, general manager of Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets. Highlights of the heart of Cancun include markets like Mercado 23 and Mercado 28, and Parque de las Palapas with its food stalls, vendors, and events featuring live music, dancing, and entertainment. North of Cancun's Hotel Zone is Costa Mujeres, "a tranquil, mostly residential stretch of coastline characterized by natural lagoons, quiet beaches, and nearby cultural sites such as the ancient ruins of El Meco," says Bataller. With beaches just as beautiful as those in the Hotel Zone, it has drawn increasing development, quickly becoming the destination for Cancun's newest and most luxurious resorts. "Far removed from the sensory overload of the more touristic zones, Costa Mujeres offers a deeper sense of place and connection to nature," Bataller affirms. New oceanfront resorts in Costa Mujeres look across the waves to Isla Mujeres, a white-sand island about eight miles off the coast of Cancun that has long felt like an escape from the liveliness of the city. Most visitors make Isla Mujeres a day-trip destination, whether for swimming with whale sharks or sunning on more tranquil sands, but in recent years, it has become a destination in its own right. Luxe new all-inclusive resorts like Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets now tempt visitors to stick around past sunset rather than take the ferry home at the end of the day. "My favorite under-the-radar experience is spending the day in the beach town of Puerto Morelos," says Busse. Puerto Morelos is connected to Cancun by a strip of beachfront resorts and hotels that bridge the two destinations, though it maintains a "relaxed, bohemian vibe" that Cancun is missing. Aerial view of Cancun. Itzel Garrido/Travel + Leisure The best time to visit Cancun for pleasant temperatures, sunny skies, and low humidity is from December to April, when conditions are perfect for long days on the beach. However, the tradeoff for such wonderful weather will be higher prices and larger crowds, especially during the spring break season in March and April. Prices start to drop and tourists head home toward the end of April, but "May is the sweet spot for great prices and weather, without the crowds," affirms Busse. By June, expect warmer weather, with hurricane season in full swing from June through November and greater chances of swaths of sargassum seaweed descending on the region. Seaweed, like tropical storms, can be hard to predict, and its impact varies greatly from year to year. "For cultural experiences, time your visit with Día de los Muertos in late October and early November to experience this deeply meaningful celebration where families honor their departed loved ones with vibrant altars, marigolds, and traditional offerings," recommends Essafi. Although Cancun's Día de los Muertos celebrations don't quite compare to those in Mexico City and Oaxaca, they offer a unique cultural experience that travelers will remember. Reflection of an airplane landing at Cancun of the near-universal appeal of Cancun comes from its unmatched accessibility. Almost every major airport in North America offers direct flights to Cancun International Airport (CUN), making this resort destination a dream for a quick beach getaway. After touching down, it's just a 20-minute drive to the Hotel Zone or just over 30 minutes to the Costa Mujeres area. Visitors can also access Cancun via the new Tren Maya, the long-awaited train system that made its debut in 2024, connecting destinations across southern Mexico. The Tren Maya links Cancun with popular beach destinations like Tulum, complex colonial cities like Mérida, and remote ruins like Campeche and Chichén Itzá, making it a fascinating way to reach the rest of the region. Overlooking a busy street in downtown Cancun. Gautier Houba/Travel + Leisure Navigating Cancun is relatively straightforward, if made more complex only by the sheer number of options travelers have when it comes to moving around the city and the region. The arrivals area at the airport is notoriously chaotic, so whether you gravitate towards taking the affordable ADO buses to downtown Cancun, waiting for a resort shuttle, or taking a private taxi, come with a plan to avoid overwhelm. Most visitors tend to rely on taxis throughout their stay, especially those who plan on staying close to their resort for most of their trip. There have been conflicts between rideshare drivers and taxis in the past, so consider sticking with a reputable taxi or car service, However, the more adventurous can rent a car to explore nearby cenotes, ruins, and regional highlights. An array of local tour companies offers every type of small group and private excursion under the sun, cutting out the hassle of renting a car for visitors looking for a more seamless experience.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Tiny night lizards survived dinosaur-killing asteroid strike, despite being close enough to see it happen
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Mysterious night lizards survived the giant asteroid strike that ended the reign of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, and they still live there today, a new study finds. Thanks to a new evolutionary analysis, researchers discovered that the little lizards, in the family Xantusiidae, were living around the Gulf of Mexico before and after the asteroid struck what is now Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. This makes night lizards the only group of land vertebrates known to have survived close to the impact location, and still have members living in the region today. The dinosaurs' doomsday asteroid was around 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) wide and caused widespread devastation when it hit at the end of the Cretaceous period (145 million to 66 million years ago). The impact was catastrophic for much of Earth's wildlife, triggering the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event, in which around 75% of all species died out. However, two lineages of night lizard managed to persist through the disaster, despite likely being close enough to see the impact. "They would have been all around the margin of the asteroid impact," study lead author Chase Brownstein, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University, told Live Science. How did night lizards survive amid all the devastation? Researchers aren't sure, but Brownstein noted that they have slow metabolisms, so they wouldn't have needed to eat very often. The researchers published their findings Wednesday (June 25) in the journal Biology Letters. Related: Iguanas sailed one-fifth of the way around the world on rafts 34 million years ago Night lizards grow to only a few inches in length. Often very secretive, the lizards live in specialized microhabitats, like inside rock crevices and dense vegetation, or beneath bark and logs. Some previous studies suggested that night lizards' "crown" group — the group containing the last common ancestor of all living night lizards — evolved during the age of dinosaurs, which would have meant the animals persisted through the K-Pg devastation. The new study put that hypothesis to the test. Brownstein and his colleagues reconstructed the ancestry of the three living night lizard genera (Lepidophyma, Xantusia and Cricosaura). They used molecular clock dating to estimate when the night lizards evolved, based on their mutations and the rate at which mutations occur in DNA over time. The researchers found that the most recent common ancestor of living night lizards emerged during the Cretaceous around 90 million years ago and that night lizards have been living in North America and Central America since around that time, well before the asteroid struck 66 million years ago, according to the study. The new findings suggest that two night lizard lineages survived the asteroid strike. One of these lineages then gave rise to Xantusia, which ranges from the southwestern U.S. into Mexico, and Lepidophyma, which ranges across parts of North America and Central America. The second lineage then gave rise to Cricosaura and its only species, Cuban night lizards (Cricosaura typica), in Cuba. RELATED STORIES —Newly discovered Cretaceous sea monster named after world-ending Norse serpent —Surprise discovery of snake-like lizard feared extinct leaves scientists amazed —Watch chameleon erupt in color 'as if uttering her last words' in her final moments before death Night lizards weren't the only animals to survive the K-Pg mass extinction event. We wouldn't be here today if some of the mammal family tree hadn't lived through the asteroid impact. Avian dinosaurs (birds), fish and plenty of other animals survived, too. However, night lizards are the only known surviving group of terrestrial vertebrates that have remained endemic to — living only in — North America and Central America since the asteroid hit. Brownstein noted that some lineages of turtles and other lizards in the region probably survived the asteroid in a similar way as night lizards (scientifically named xantusiids) did. However, these other lineages have since disappeared. "The problem is that they just aren't there anymore," Brownstein said. "So, what's interesting is that xantusiids have persisted and have remained endemic to the region."
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Travel + Leisure
22-06-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Adults-only All-inclusive Resort on Mexico's Isla Mujeres Is One of the Best New Hotels in the World
Marriott Luxury Collection's first all-inclusive resort was named to T+L's 2025 It List of the best new hotels of the year. A long list of activities allows guests to explore the island and learn about its ancient roots. Boga, the resort's main restaurant, serves elevated Mayan and Yucatecan flavors. The guest rooms and suites are spacious and airy, and feature private balconies and natural materials like tropical wood paneling and stonework. The hotel's location—along the island's tranquil southwest coast—brings a sense of serenity (a rarity in this part of the Yucatán) and excellent sunsets. I was in a downward dog position when I noticed the school of little silver fish darting beneath me in the water. This was the daily yoga class held at Almare's dock, and in the cracks between planks of wood, I could see the celadon shallows of the Caribbean Sea. I had arrived at the new resort on the island of Isla Mujeres, Mexico, a day earlier, having been dropped off at the same dock after a 25-minute ride from Cancun on the hotel's 42-foot catamaran. Eight miles away in the distance, the popular vacation metropolis was barely visible, its concrete towers and sprawling all-inclusives a grey smudge on the horizon. The two settings couldn't be more different, even in cosmic terms, as I learned from Enrique Solari, Almare's general manager. The coastline of Cancun and the Riviera Maya faces east; Almare, on Isla Mujeres's western side, faces towards the setting sun. 'The island Mayans were different from the earth Mayans from the rest of the peninsula,' Solari explained. 'Isla Mujeres stands looking at things the opposite way. It allows for many of our visitors, after experiencing the activities and the parties of the Riviera Maya, to come to a place where they can look more introspectively and actually spend time with more of the Mexican culture without leaving the Cancun area.' Opened in November, Almare, the first all-inclusive entry from Marriott's Luxury Collection in Mexico, offers a fresh approach to luxury vacations in this region: this is not the kind of all-inclusive where you bake all day on the beach and eat from a buffet at night. A daybreak walk arranged by the hotel takes guests to the rugged cliffs of Punta Sur, the island's southernmost point, steeped in Mayan history, where Mexico's first sunrise takes off from. Golf cart rentals—the preferred way to get around the island—are easy to book at reception, as are boat trips on various vessels. On a recent Friday, I splayed out on the netting of a sailing catamaran with a michelada in hand, before diving into the waters off of Playa Norte, the island's main white sand beach crowded with palm trees. While the island can be lively, with Corona and lime bars that are best enjoyed in small doses, Almare offers a respite. In pockets around the hotel—on a daybed along its private sliver of beach, dining on the rooftop as a local flutist performs, in the golden-lit lobby bar where I took a nightly digestif—the tranquility returns. On the dock, my yoga teacher Maru noticed it, too. 'I normally play music in class,' she told us one morning, 'but the sounds of the birds, the wind, and the water right here, I thought, were enough.' Keep reading for a full review of Almare, A Luxury Collection, All-Inclusive Resort on Isla Mujeres. Oceanfront views and balcony from inside a Grand Suite bedroom. Ione Green Productions/Courtesy of Almare, an All-inclusive Luxury Collection Almare's 109 guest rooms and suites are light-strewn and sand-toned, with modern decor that pulls influence from local techniques without feeling folksy. Many of the walls are plastered with chukum, a protective resin used by the ancient Mayans that adds a wispy texture to the concrete. 'It gives you this velvet sensation that I find very warm in the hotel,' Galo Rosas, a principal at Design Positif, an interior firm that collaborated on Almare's renovation, told Travel+Leisure. My second-floor room had a large whirlpool tub and beautiful travertine surfaces in the bathroom. Its broad balcony sat just above the beach club, with the water a stone's throw away. 'When you step out on the balcony, you feel almost like you're on a boat because you're so close to the sea and the contact is so direct,' Rosas said. Almare also has seven impressive duplex suites with private sea view plunge pools and the 1,485-square-foot presidential suite, which has an oversized marble bar and a tropical wood dining table perfect for entertaining. It was easy to forget that Almare is all-inclusive with its dining spread out over seven stylish spots, each offering à la carte service. I started my mornings at Botanik, the all-day cafe, for an espresso and a gluten-free cookie, before a full breakfast at the main lobby restaurant, Boga. The morning menu here is filled with Mayan-inspired dishes, like papadzules, a hand-pressed tortilla stuffed with lobster and poached eggs and drowned in green salsa. For lunch by the pool, I ordered from The Breeze's menu, which has the kind of snacking plates you want while reading a magazine: guacamole, ceviche, or a poke bowl. The day I was at sea on a charter boat, the hotel packed a box lunch with a chicken baguette from Botanik, fruit, and a chocolate oblea, a delicate Mexican wafer treat. The beachfront AlPaso food truck serves up bites, bowls, and smoothies. Courtesy of Almare, an All-inclusive Luxury Collection During my visit, I enjoyed dinner at Seasalt, the rooftop restaurant with a more relaxed menu, and downstairs at Boga. Both have great service and are the kind of places where you'll linger long enough to get hungry again. My favorite dish was a tender short rib chilmole, a regional sauce blackened with charred tortillas, that I had at Boga. There's also AlVento, the palapa bar on the beach with a signature dark rum cocktail; AlPaso, a beachside food truck; and the intimate lobby bar, perfect for a nightcap. Guests can spend some time in the ocean in one of the resorts available kayaks. Courtesy of Almare, an All-inclusive Luxury Collection The hotel offers a full schedule of daily activities listed in their app. They range from wholesome—coconut painting on the beach—to emboldening—new friends were made at the mezcal tasting. A sunset barbecue, usually held weekly, was especially memorable. On a westward-facing table set up on the beach, chef Carlos from Boga passed out the ingredients to prepare tikin xic , the island's signature fish dish: fresh filets of mero, a local grouper, along with spices, sliced vegetables, and achiote paste, a peppery blend of dried seeds that looks like wet clay. With gloved hands—the achiote can stain—we dusted the fish with salt, pepper, and garlic, and coated it with the paste. After a quick pass on the grill, the earthy tikin xic was returned to our table as dinner, just as the sun dipped below the horizon. Excursions, including to the incredible Underwater Museum of Art just off shore and the nearby uninhabited island of Isla Contoy, a national park, are available to book on-site. The hotel also has a well-equipped fitness center, a spa, and two pools—one on the rooftop and one just off the beach, complete with a swim-up bar. A relaxation area at the ALMA Spa. Ione Green Productions/Courtesy of Almare, an All-inclusive Luxury Collection Almare has a large spa with an extensive list of services, including a 50-minute shaman consultation. There is also a full hydrotherapy circuit—steam room, sauna, whirlpool, and cold plunge —along with a set of soft cocoon chairs with warm water running through them meant to simulate the sensation of being in the womb. I had a 60-minute detox and lift facial with volcanic glass and activated charcoal that left my skin looking 'movie star' good (my boyfriend's words, not mine). There is one ADA-certified room at the hotel. Almare's renovation was conducted with sustainability in mind. The beams around the resort were made from recycled materials, the lighting is LED, and a special HVAC system was designed to reduce water use. Drinking water is provided in Tetra Pack cartons, and guests are gifted an Almare-branded water bottle to refill at fountains throughout the resort. Lounge chairs lay around the Seasalt Roof Top Pool. Courtesy of Almare, an All-inclusive Luxury Collection Almare is located near the less-touristy southwest side of Isla Mujeres, resulting in exquisite sunsets. It's next door to La Casa del Tikinxic, a beachfront grill rumored to have popularized the island's signature tikin xic fish dish. A 10-minute drive—or a 30-minute walk—will take you to Punta Sur, the island's southernmost lookout with a sculpture park that honors local history. Playa Norte, a lively public beach, and Calle Miguel Hidalgo, a hub for the island's nightlife, are about a 15-minute drive. Taxis are available for hire, though many people rent golf carts. Cancun's international airport is the closest to Isla Mujeres. From there, I took a car service arranged by the hotel to the Renaissance Cancun Resort & Marina in Puerto Cancun. At the Renaissance, I was escorted to the slip where Almare's private twin-engine boat was waiting to whisk me and other guests to the hotel. Almare is part of the Marriott Bonvoy program, so members can book a stay with points and receive special rates, as well as room upgrades, late checkout when available, and free spa services for guests at certain status tiers. Nightly rates at Almare, A Luxury Collection, All-Inclusive Resort, start from $774. Every T+L hotel review is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed at the property, and each hotel selected aligns with our core values.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Heineken to invest over US$2.7B in Mexico through 2028
MEXICO CITY — Beer maker Heineken will invest US$2.75 billion in different projects in Mexico, the company's CEO in the country said on Wednesday. Oriol Bonaclocha said during Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's morning press conference that the investment will include the construction of a new factory in the country's southeast. The new plant in the state of Yucatan will have an initial production capacity of 4 million hectoliters and that amount is expected to be doubled in the future depending on the company's needs, Bonaclocha said. 'We do not plan to close any factories, this is an expansion,' he added. In April, Grupo Modelo, the producer of Corona and other Mexican beer brands, announced it would invest more than $3.6 billion in Mexico, despite concerns over water shortages in the country. The relationship between beer makers and other industries like agriculture has been a longstanding issue in Mexico. Almost three years ago, the construction of a Constellation Brands brewery in Mexicali was halted to protect local water resources and moved to Veracruz in eastern Mexico. (Reporting by Raul Cortes and Aida Pelaez-Fernandez. Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Mark Potter)
Al Bawaba
04-06-2025
- General
- Al Bawaba
Body of beauty queen and bodybuilder found inside hotel pool in Mexico
Published June 4th, 2025 - 06:17 GMT ALBAWABA - The body of 'carnival queen' influencer, Luz María Barrera Agatón, was found at the bottom of a swimming pool inside a hotel in Mexico, local media confirmed. According to the Daily Mail, the bodybuilder's dead body was found weeks after she allegedly was threatened outside her gym. In detail, Agatón received a threatening banner outside her gym in Merida, Yucatán. Agatón, 36, from Mexico, had been staying with family and friends at the Coco Resort & Villas Hotel in Motul, west of Cancun, when she was found dead inside the pool last Sunday morning. — Fuerza Informativa Azteca (@AztecaNoticias) June 2, 2025 Bodybuilder Luz María Barrera Agatón had spent the evening with loved ones around the cenote-style pool before they all left to their rooms at around midnight, and she stayed alone. After she failed to return to her room, her friends started to search, and when she was found inside the swimming pool, paramedics tried to save her, but she was already dead. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
