Join Our Mailing List

Email:

Web Resources

Printable Version of Full Newsletter.

Page 1 | 2 | 3

MAYAN LANGUAGE: The natives down here not only speak Spanish but Mayan. The only Mayan I learned was "Dios botik" -- thank you.

ACTIVITIES & SPA
With all the free food, it’s a good thing that AZUL Blue has an excellent fitness room and studio which offers daily yoga, pilates, martial arts and spinning classes. Mountain bikes are also available to cruise around and explore the surrounding area which is famous for its Cenotes. Cenotes are a freshwater-filled limestone sinkhole with caverns to explore and are ideal to snorkel and dive in. If you prefer salt water, the resort can arrange for you to go out to the sea to dive or deep sea fish. For those who want something more relaxing, then mosey on down to the 10,000 square foot spa for a treatment. I tried the Sacred Stone Massage (50-75 min./$118-$177), in which they use hand-carved obsidian stones that were used in ancient Mayan rituals and then placed on my body to burn my arse, I mean, decrease tension and restore health. Seriously, these stones were so ridiculously HOT that the masseuse had to wrap them in a cloth and they were still burning. However, after the first 20 minutes, when she began massaging my kinks, it felt good -- real good! Oh yeah -- out back there’s a Temazcal, which you can learn all about from the time I went into one of these dark, hot, claustrophobic sweat-houses that cleanse the body, in Cabo San Lucas.

POOL / BEACH
The resort has a beautiful, but if you ask me, too-cold pool. The best part about it (besides the incredible vistas) are the pool butlers who constantly circle, taking cocktail orders or bringing refreshing drinks, cold towels, snacks and treats. A short, slippery walk away are four hot tubs with different temperatures -- the one set at 104F makes up for the chilly pool. As you can see from the pictures, the Mexican Caribbean water is a gorgeous, turquoise blue and a huge bummer is that the resort doesn’t have a beach where you can enjoy it. However, they do have access to one a few miles away and there are lounge chairs, a couple of cabanas and swings along the rocky coast to tease you.

TULUM RUINS
It would almost be a crime to stay at AZUL Blue and not visit the ancient Tulum ruins, which are located just five minutes down the road. The resort even offers trips there with their guide or can arrange a separate trip for you. If you visit on your own, the entrance fee is 45 pesos ($4 USD). What makes Tulum special is that it’s the only Mayan structure built atop a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea and the world’s second largest coral reef. It was built around 465 BC in the Classic period of Mayan culture and was originally named Zama (meaning dawn). It was renamed Tulum (meaning wall) at the beginning of the twentieth century since it’s a walled city and considered an important commercial and navigational port for the Mayas. Below the ruins is a popular sandy beach with huge iguanas sunning and hiding in the rock wall. TIP: Don’t go to Tulum on Sundays. It’s the one day of the week they don’t charge an entrance fee and it’s packed!

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
Naturally, because I visited a month after they opened, there were going to be aspects of the resort that need improvement. Here are my four biggest concerns: the marble floors (especially by the pool) are really slippery – someone could get seriously injured. The room doors are not sound-proofed, so you can hear people talking in the quad area which is a bit annoying. There’s no beach to swim at and lastly, the wait staff needs some more training. Practically all new hotels have this problem and in this case, I think part of the problem was the language barrier. However, the good news is that they’re all very friendly which makes up for their lack of knowledge.

OVERALL
The resort is beautiful. The staff are friendly and the butlers address you by your name and genuinely care about your wellbeing. I wasn’t feeling well one day – too much ceviche - and they offered to bring a doctor and/or chicken soup to my room. I thought that was very cool. From my pictures and video (below), you can tell that I really enjoyed my trip here and would recommend it to anyone looking to experience a luxury all-inclusive and wanting to relax and indulge on good food, drinks and spa treatments. Of course, this is not the real Mexico. It’s a safe haven built for those who don’t want to have to worry about anything (crime, contaminated water/food, etc.) However, I don’t recommend this resort for families; there are no programs set up for kids and there’s nothing for them to do. AZUL Blue should really be an adults-only resort.

COST
I met a lot of well-traveled guests who have been all over the world and have stayed in some of the best hotels. I asked them all if they would come back here again and they all said "no". But that’s because they don’t visit the same place twice – I like that philosophy. However, when I asked if they would recommend AZUL Blue to a friend, they all said "yes". And that’s a great sign! Booking AZUL Blue through their parent company Karisma Hotels will cost you the most. Their prices range from $774 - $1,254 USD, per night, per couple. That’s not cheap but remember: that includes everything and they occasionally have specials. If you book through a tour operator you can get a much better deal. I met a nice Canadian couple from Vancouver who stayed at AZUL Blue for a week for $2,400 USD each and that included air, transfers and taxes. Now that’s a deal – maybe even a steal! Azul Blue Website.

VIDEO
Here’s a 2-minute Johnny Jet Video of my trip to Tulum. It's also on YouTube, so it takes only a few seconds to load (though the quality is not as crisp). We also have all the JohnnyJet Videos ever made on their servers.

NEXT WEEK
Next week we travel back to Los Angeles, spend a weekend in San Francisco and then leave the country again, this time to an island nation that I have never been to and is just 35 miles off the coast of South America!

Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet

*PLEASE tell us what you think of this week's newsletter!

1 | << PREVIOUS PAGE | 3

Note: This trip was sponsored by Karisma Hotels.



Copyright 2007 JohnnyJet, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.