AI's With the Best Beachfront

[sharkbait]

I am planning a Group trip to the Riviera Maya for the first week in March. Everybody's excited because of the great reputation for the outstanding beaches in the area. This will be everyones first visit to the area so I would really like to "Show Off" the beaches. I know that the beach conditions change daily but no doubt some areas are consistantly in better shape than others.

Looking at the El Dorado Royale in Puerto Morales, looks like a great place except for the beach errosion that has been present for some time. Is there an area where the beach errosion isn't quite as prevelant, like south of PDC. Any specific resorts you would like to recommend would be helpful as well. As far as our requirements go, with so many people traveling it would be diificult to meet everybody's needs so everything is on my list to take a look at.

Thanks.

[Joni102]

Grand CoCo Bay has a very nice beach, just north of Mamamita's . The resort is small but nice and clean, nothing fancy. A very reasonable price. good Luck
We go there for the beach and the very nice people.
Joni

[TeeZet]

You might wanna have a look at Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal.
Great beach and a recommended AI by many.

[Phil in Ottawa]

The IB* Tucan does have a very nice beach and the most beautiful turquoise water you will ever see. Highly recommended if all you want is a sandy beach and nice water.

The Barceló has a very beautiful beach as well, but with the addition of excellent snorkeling right off the shore. The colour of the water is not quite as breathtaking as in Playacar, but I personally prefer the Barceló beach to the IB* Tucan beach.

I have pictures of both in my galleries at the link below if you are interested.

Hope this helps

[rainbow]

...just back from the riu yucatan a few weeks ago...you can take a look at my pictures...shots of some of the resort beaches south of playa...
Picasa Web Albums - Carol - Playa fall 2007

[sharkbait]

I knew you guys would come through. Thanks alot. I will start looking into all of the above mentioned resorts. Thanks again.

[sharkbait]

Originally Posted by TeeZet

You might wanna have a look at Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal.
Great beach and a recommended AI by many.

Thanks TZ. I have heard IB has a good reputation. Do you know if Tucan and Queztal are two seperate resorts and if so, are they both beachfront? Would you recommend one over the other?

Also, did I read somewhere that this is an "Adults Only" resort? Don't think this would be a problem but just in case anyone is planning on bringing the kids along.

Thanks.

[sharkbait]

Originally Posted by rainbow

...just back from the riu yucatan a few weeks ago...you can take a look at my pictures...shots of some of the resort beaches south of playa...
Picasa Web Albums - Carol - Playa fall 2007

Rainbow- we stayed at a RIU resort in Nuevo (Puerto) Vallarta last April and loved it. From your pictures the beach condition looked pretty darn good. Unfortunately they aren't showing any availability for the dates we need.

[sharkbait]

Originally Posted by Phil in Ottawa

The IB* Tucan does have a very nice beach and the most beautiful turquoise water you will ever see. Highly recommended if all you want is a sandy beach and nice water.

The Barceló has a very beautiful beach as well, but with the addition of excellent snorkeling right off the shore. The colour of the water is not quite as breathtaking as in Playacar, but I personally prefer the Barceló beach to the IB* Tucan beach.




Thanks.

I have pictures of both in my galleries at the link below if you are interested.

Hope this helps

Phil it appears that Barcelo has several resorts listed with varying prices. Is there one that you would recommend.

I see you are from Ottawa, this trip is being planned with my family from Canada. London, Windsor, Toronto area's. I'd ask your opinion on the travel agent I'm using for the Canadians but I'm not sure if that is allowed.

Thanks.

[Phil in Ottawa]

Originally Posted by sharkbait

Thanks TZ. I have heard IB has a good reputation. Do you know if Tucan and Queztal are two seperate resorts and if so, are they both beachfront? Would you recommend one over the other?

Also, did I read somewhere that this is an "Adults Only" resort? Don't think this would be a problem but just in case anyone is planning on bringing the kids along.

Thanks.

IB* Tucan/Quetzal are the two sides of the same resort. They are therefore one and the same for all intents and purposes. So, yes, they are both beachfront.

And, no, the IB* T/Q is not Adults-Only. The only area that is Adults-Only is the small separate pool where the swim-up bar is.

Hope this helps

[Shammy]

The Iberostar Tucan/Quetzal is one resort - different tour operators book different sides but you can use all the facilities regardless of which side you're booked on - makes no difference at all. And it's a very family friendly resort, not adults only.

The thing about the Playacar beaches is that they can be crowded, especially during peak travel times, and that would be March. There are a lot of hotels along this stretch of beach so lots of people walking back and forth. Often the only way to tell where your resorts beach ends and another one begins is by the color of the lounge chairs. Some people don't mind this one bit, but some prefer a more secluded type of beach. Only mentioning this so that you can decide which works best for you.

As far as the El Dorado Royale, it is adults only but to my knowledge, there is no beach erosion there? Did you read that somewhere? I'll have to go take a look to see if this is correct info. The beach at the EDR is fine, there's nothing wrong with it. People get all bent out of shape about this beach because there are large sand bags offshore that they use as a wave break. Some think they are an eyesore, others don't pay any attention to them. So while the beach isn't tip top perfect, it just isn't that bad. Besides the sand bags, I can't think of any other major complaints about this resort - it's pretty nice actually.

The Barcelo beach is one of THE nicest in all of Riviera Maya. You really can't go wrong with that beach, and they offer great on site snorkeling too.

[Mrsfuzzmo]

Originally Posted by sharkbait

Thanks TZ. I have heard IB has a good reputation. Do you know if Tucan and Queztal are two seperate resorts and if so, are they both beachfront? Would you recommend one over the other?

Also, did I read somewhere that this is an "Adults Only" resort? Don't think this would be a problem but just in case anyone is planning on bringing the kids along.

Thanks.

They are 1 resort (one side is Tucan one side Quetzal). Both are iterchangeable, it's just set up that way (some tour groups book Tucan, some book Quetzal). They are identical, just left side and right side, and both are on the ocean/beach. (Though only the suites are actually oceanfront).

No, it is not an Adults-only resort. The beach is very nice, but it is definitely no the biggest one we've seen. We've booked the Barcelo for May because of the huge beach but mostly for the snorkeling .

[Phil in Ottawa]

Originally Posted by sharkbait

Phil it appears that Barcelo has several resorts listed with varying prices. Is there one that you would recommend.

I see you are from Ottawa, this trip is being planned with my family from Canada. London, Windsor, Toronto area's. I'd ask your opinion on the travel agent I'm using for the Canadians but I'm not sure if that is allowed.

Thanks.

The Barceló now has five sections to its resort complex.

From the least upscale to the most, they are: Barceló Beach and Barceló Caribe, Barceló Colonial and Barceló Tropical, Barceló Palace (opening Dec. 07).

Any of the five will give you access to the same beach and pools. The main difference is decor, and access to buffets and à la cartes restaurants. So look at the differences and compare prices.

For more info on the Barceló Maya, visit the Unofficial Barceló Maya website. There is a fabulous message board where you can get all your questions answered.

And so you know, I use SellOffVacations to book my trips from Canada. They are online but I book over the phone through their office here in Ottawa. They have offices in many other Canadian cities.

I again hope this helps

[realzed]

Originally Posted by sharkbait

I am planning a Group trip to the Riviera Maya for the first week in March. Everybody's excited because of the great reputation for the outstanding beaches in the area. This will be everyones first visit to the area so I would really like to "Show Off" the beaches. I know that the beach conditions change daily but no doubt some areas are consistantly in better shape than others.

Looking at the El Dorado Royale in Puerto Morales, looks like a great place except for the beach errosion that has been present for some time. Is there an area where the beach errosion isn't quite as prevelant, like south of PDC. Any specific resorts you would like to recommend would be helpful as well. As far as our requirements go, with so many people traveling it would be diificult to meet everybody's needs so everything is on my list to take a look at.

Thanks.

To get good views of many of the resorts and what the their beaches look like from the air and to compare each, check out the link below - it lets you scan along the coastline from just South of Cozumel to Tulum - pretty interesting!
locogringo.com
Stayed at the El Dorado Spring of 2006 and the beach was pretty pitiful - but that was 6 months after the big hurricane which nearly wiped the place out.
Randy

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by sharkbait

Rainbow- we stayed at a RIU resort in Nuevo (Puerto) Vallarta last April and loved it. From your pictures the beach condition looked pretty darn good. Unfortunately they aren't showing any availability for the dates we need.

...the beach is lovely along that stretch!...