Mindy traveled to the Cancun/Riviera Maya region in October to attend meetings with our travel agent consortium, the Traveri Group, as well as attend one of our supplier’s trade show and summit.  Her stay began at the family-friendly Finest Resort on Playa Mujeres for two nights.  This property is just north of Cancun.  She thought the rooms were spacious and beautiful with a modern style.  She really enjoyed staying at this property and meeting our representative for the hotel chain (see photo).  The resort offers a wide variety of activities for children and teens including a well-equipped children’s compound.  She also toured several other family resorts including Hyatt Ziva in Cancun and Dreams Playa Mujeres.  The Hyatt was a pleasant surprise with a great range of activities and 3 calm beaches.  The food was excellent and there are large family rooms including a two-bedroom villa that can sleep up to 8.  Dreams is a new property that has a fun waterpark and lazy river, well-equipped teen area and nice dining options.  The resort is also showcasing the Broadway show Rock of Ages through January 15.  Family accommodations include a two-bedroom suite on the club level that can accommodate up to 8 people.  The adult-only properties she toured include the boutique-style Beloved located on Playa Mujeres for a quiet getaway and Excellence Playa Mujeres for adults who seek a wider variety of activities and recreation.  Both received high marks for rooms, dining and beach.

Mindy then called the newly renovated Grand at Moon Palace home for the next three nights.  The service and amenities of this elevated section of the Moon Palace property offers a bowling alley, movie theater, waterpark and more.  The section has over 1,300 rooms and suites with golf cart shuttles to get you around.  She also got to see the Cirque de Soleil show, Joya, which draws on Mexico’s history and heritage.  The show has its own theater in the Riviera Maya and is also a dinner show.  She thought the story line was a little confusing, but with great acrobatics.  She also attended The Mark Travel Corporation Summit that showcased 200 of the travel industry’s top suppliers, including hotel and resort companies and destination executives along with 650 travel agents.  The learning opportunities included academic level workshops, seminars and courses along with keynote speeches about the state of the travel industry, advancements in technology and more.  The Summit is one of the largest travel industry events of the year.