Recommend April 2012 - (Page 21)

gertips: 24-hour private concierge service; a private sumptuous pool for adults only (Bali beds, anyone?); personalized check-in with concierge service; daily continental breakfast service in the lounge; afternoon hot and cold hors d’oeuvres; pillow menu, upgraded mini-bar and room service menu and other amenities. Accommodation choices include the 520-sq.-ft. Preferred Club Jr. Suite Tropical View, decorated in Caribbean color tones and dark mahogany furniture, with one king or two double beds; the 520-sq.-ft. Preferred Club Jr. Suite Ocean Front, in the same style as the garden-facing suite but with a private balcony with whirlpool overlooking the ocean; and the 990-sq.-ft. oceanfront Preferred Club Governor Suite, with an added living room with TV, dining room and patio lounge in a double terrace with outdoor jacuzzi. Other accommodation options outside the Preferred Club status include the 520-sq-ft. Deluxe Jr. Suite Tropical View and the Deluxe Jr. Suite Ocean Front. Whether or not clients book the Preferred Club, AMResorts’ Unlimited-Luxury is not shy on its offerings. “Now Resorts & Spas offer daytime and nighttime activities for every age,” stresses Baruth, “from water activities and beach adventures to golf and spa—the possibilities are endless with Unlimited-Luxury. Guests of both Now Sapphire and Now Jade are offered complimentary greens fees at Grand Coral Rivera Maya. And as part of the privileges of Unlimited-Luxury, guests staying at either Now Jade or Now Sapphire have the chance to enjoy dinner and live evening entertainment at both resorts through the Now Resorts & Spas’ Night Out Dine Around program. This includes complimentary cuisine at a restaurant at a participating Now Resorts & Spas of their choice, and the opportunity to take in that resort’s evening entertainment.” Additionally, as part of the Unlimited-Luxury offerings, there are, among other amenities, bottomless fruit juices and soft drinks; top-shelf spirits and premium beer, whenever guests want; Gilchrist & Soames bath amenities; plush bathrobes and slippers; reservation-free gourmet restaurants; nightly theme parties and live entertainment; Explorer’s Kids Club with supervised activities; and all taxes and gratuities. treats all around Or, guests can spend the day enjoying the newly renovated Now Spa by Pevonia. Intimate and delightful, this 7,000-sq.-ft. facility features seven treatment rooms with 15 massage tables. The spa is perfectly situated amidst verdant gardens, literally tucked away in its own intimate space, with a central courtyard that beckons one to forget about all the activities they could be doing because this is what living la dolce vita is all about. There are, of course, the requisite indigenous treatments and the option for an oceanfront massage, but it’s the hydrotherapy circuit that Baruth says guests should not miss. Here, she says, “guests can truly indulge.” For dining, there are six reservation-free restaurants and ﬁve bars, as well as the option for a secluded seaside candlelit dinner. Whether it’s French cuisine at Paramour—where guests can dine al fresco in overwater palapa-styled terraces—or Fresco for traditional Mexican fare, clients are not going to be disappointed. The cuisine is exquisite, and the restaurants charmingly decorated. One of the most eye-popping is actually at Now Jade, sister property to Now Sapphire. It’s the adultsonly Cin Cin restaurant, with an old Flamenco cabaret ambiance all done up in red and black (over the top, indeed, but fun). In fact, for clients itching for a more contemporary style hotel, the 550-suite Now Jade is the place to book. “Now Sapphire and Now Jade both offer the Unlimited-Luxury experience to their guests,” says Baruth. “Where they differentiate is in design style. Inspired by the magniﬁcent ancient Mayan culture, Now Sapphire is highly inﬂuenced by Mayan architecture and breathtaking ocean views, whereas Now Jade has a more contemporary decor and feel.” getting there Both Now Sapphire and Now Jade are on prime locations, says Baruth, “that are easily/quickly accessible from Cancun International Airport, yet not in the middle of the hustle and bustle.” Major carriers offer numerous ﬂights from gateways in the U.S. and Canada to Cancun. The hotels offers hotel/air packages. Summer rates, land-only, at Now Sapphire, start at $203 pp, per night and summer Preferred Club rates start at $264 pp, per night. At Now Jade summer rates start at $195 pp, per night, and summer Preferred Club rates start at $273 pp, per night. n hanging out And when it comes to that multitude of activities for kids, teens and adults, they do run the gamut. There’s a whole area just for kids ages 3 to 12, where they can “run wild,” under supervision of course, and do things like hang with their friends for big screen movies under the stars; get silly on the ocean trampoline; participate in sandcastle contests; jump in at the free-form pools and kids’ pools or go on a weekly campout adventure. At the Core Zone Teens Club, for ages 13 to 17, there are activities such as video games, foosball, and ping-pong, as well as beach volleyball, biking tours, archery, tennis and beach soccer. And for parents with little ones who want to get away to an adult-centric dinner, babysitting services are available for an additional charge, starting at $10 per hour. Beyond getting a little R&R pool- and oceanside, guests have access to sailing demos, indoor soccer, merengue dance lessons, martini time at the lobby bar, casino night, and Zumba lessons, to name only a trickle of the offerings. Of course, hanging poolside or oceanside isn’t too shabby either as the resort lines an enviable stretch of shoreline and the main pool—there are four in total—is a beauty, with in-pool loungers and palapas. agents, take note AmResorts’s Master Agent education program offers such beneﬁts as personalized ID card for exclusive Master Agent rates; Complimentary resort day pass access; offers, rewards and booking incentives year-round; exclusive invites to private events and FAM trips; insider tips and latest news before the rest of the industry; and graduate kit. Archived related articles (available on recommend.com): The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun (February 2012) contact information Now Resorts & Spas: (877) NOW-9953; nowresorts.com or amragents.net april 2012 19 http://www.recommend.com http://www.nowresorts.com http://www.amragents.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend April 2012

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Provenance Hotels
Tour Talk: Trafalgar
Sailing the Galapagos Islands
Now Sapphire
Paradisus Playa del Carmen
Treat Yourself to Brussels
Panama Specialist Program
New Zealand
Turkish Delights
Women Wellness Retreats
The Still-Single Mingle in Vegas
Club Med Sandpiper, Florida
Hawaii: Escaping to the Islands

Recommend April 2012