Travel Agent - January 21, 2008 - (Page 32) DESTINATIONS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 a shower, garden-style tub and double sinks. All suites have ocean or garden views and large patios or balconies. For more information or reservations, call 800-BARCELO. Agents may also contact Beatriz Bustos, director of sales for Barceló Maya resort, at 011-52-984-875-1522 or ventas@barcelomaya.com. El Cid Expands As part of a recently completed $50 million expansion, Hotel Marina El Cid (www.elcid. com) on the Riviera Maya has added 150 suites, a gourmet restaurant, a 13,000-square-foot Maya-inspired spa, a beachfront bar and a convention center. The 617-acre all-inclusive resort is 15 minutes from the Cancun airport and Playa del Carmen. El Cid’s 342 junior, one-, two- and threebedroom suites occupy 11 low-rise buildings overlooking a 22,000-square-foot freeform pool. The property has four restaurants, four bars, a 120-slip private marina, a business center and an activities program. Call 800525-1925 or 888-733-7308. Master bedroom of a Casa Dorada suite Meanwhile, in Acapulco As for the place that helped establish Mexico as a hotspot for vacationers, Acapulco is planning hotel developments and enhancements in an effort to return it to the front of the pack of Mexico destinations. Acapulco’s Best Western Playa Suites (www.bwplayasuites.com) is constructing a building, slated for completion in 2009, that will house 60 Deluxe Suites. The property is also updating amenities, with the addition of free wireless Internet throughout the property and a new lobby bar and front desk area, as well as refurnishing Las Gaviotas and El Morro restaurants. Palma Sola is a new venue for small meetings and groups. The Ritz Acapulco Resort (www.ritz acapulco.com.mx) completed refurbishment of its 240 guest rooms and suites last summer. Accommodations received rich wooden furniture, fresh and glowing painted walls, new window treatments and colorful bed linens. Additionally, La Fiesta restaurant underwent a face-lift, getting new flooring and furniture to create the feel of a large beach palapa where guests can dine and enjoy ocean views. Las Estrellas ballroom has enhanced its theater lighting. Shows are performed nightly in the space. 32 | TravelAgent January 21, 2008 The Fairmont Acapulco Princess (www. fairmont.com/acapulco) and the Fairmont Pierre Marques in Acapulco (www.fairmont. com/pierremarques) were acquired by Goodman Hospitality Investments, a private real estate company, toward the end of 2007. They will undergo $50 million in enhancements, including complete guest room renovation, addition of a conference center, expansion of the Willow Stream Spa and refurbishments to restaurants and shops. Two golf courses are being redeveloped, and an exclusive golf and beach club is slated for construction within a year and a half. area or wander to the resort’s private beach club, La Concha. Private Golf Course Looking ahead to late 2008, Capella Hotels and Resorts, the group started by former RitzCarlton chief Horst Schulze, will offer the only private golf course in the Yucatan at Capella Bahia Maroma (www.capellalivingmaroma. com), a resort with 86 suites in oceanfront villas that’s scheduled to open next winter. Designed by Rees Jones, the course is the final one that was permitted to be built on the Riviera Maya. The 18-hole, par-72 course will weave through the natural vegetation within Capella Bahia Maroma’s 254-acre setting, opposite the world’s second-largest coral reef (the Great Maya Reef). At about 7,000 yards, the course will feature varied elevations that take their cues from the natural terrain. Many holes will have views of the Caribbean Sea, with the 9th and 17th holes finishing directly at water’s edge. Contact Al Sneeden, sales director, at asnee den@traditionsmgt.com or Mark Yarborough, sales principal, at myarborough@traditionsmgt. com. The resort’s number is 866-448-0151. I Changes on the Menu Hotel Mirador Acapulco (www.mirador acapulco.com) has finished its renovation of the Don Carlos restaurant, which updated furnishings as well as the menu. Only local culinary resources such as fresh fish, tropical fruit and other ingredients native to the state of Guerrero are now used in cooking. Renovation of the hotel’s guest rooms is scheduled for completion in August. Las Brisas (www.brisas.com.mx) invested close to $20 million in a makeover completed in July. The project included an overhaul of the 28 luxurious suites that offer a view of Acapulco from their perch on the mountainside. Guests can rent one of Las Brisas’ signature pink-and-white striped Jeeps to explore the CONNECTING YOU For more news from these properties, visit www. travelagentcentral.com/mexresorts http://www.elcid.com http://www.elcid.com http://www.fairmont.com/acapulco http://www.fairmont.com/acapulco http://www.fairmont.com/pierremarques http://www.fairmont.com/pierremarques http://www.capellalivingmaroma.com http://www.capellalivingmaroma.com http://www.bwplayasuites.com http://www.miradoracapulco.com http://www.miradoracapulco.com http://www.ritzacapulco.com.mx http://www.ritzacapulco.com.mx http://www.brisas.com.mx http://www.travelagentcentral.com/mexresorts http://www.travelagentcentral.com/mexresorts
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