A Break from the Ordinary at the Grupo Mayan Resorts Locations

Exploring Mazatlan while you stay at the Grupo Mayan Resorts



When we hear about Mazatlan, the first thought that comes to our minds is “an unexplored territory ready to be discovered”. This amazing area offers a beautiful glimpse of traditional Mexico.

Better known as “La Perla del Pacífico”, Mazatlan has everything you expect from a beach resort. It is a place where you can relax, enjoy the beautiful beaches and unforgettable sunsets. Grupo Mayan shares with us the following attractions you can enjoy during your stay:

• Island Hopping is another way to see a different part of Mazatlan. Isla de los Pájaros, Isla de los Venados and Isla de los Lobos. Each has its own personality.
• The Aquarium and Botanical Gardens: See the shark tank or the tropical garden with some really big crocodiles. The aquarium also has shows daily with a diving exhibition, Sea Lion show and a bird show.
• The Carnival: It is considered one of the three most important in the world.
• The Immaculate Conception's Cathedral: It is located in the very heart of downtown Mazatlan.
• Plazuela Machado, surrounded by several restaurants and coffee shops, is the traditional square.
• Great Pacific Marathon: An annual event, athletes limber up for the 5km, 10km, half marathon or the whopping full 42-kilometre Mazatlan Marathon .
• Big Game fishing in Mazatlan one of the world's best sport fishing locations.
• El Faro lighthouse is considered the second highest natural lighthouse in the world.

If you are planning your next vacation at the Grupo Mayan Resorts, consider Mazatlan as one your first options.

2010: Sun Season All Year Round at Grupo Mayan - November/December

Mexico has much to offer every month of the year. Check out these interesting events so you can make the most of your next visit.
By Teresa Hein

Highlights
November 1-2- Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrates life and those who lived it, as ancestors are festively remembered with visits to cemeteries, special foods such as skulls and coffins made from sugar, chocolate or amaranth seeds, colorful decorations, and music. November 1 is set aside for remembrance of all Saints as well as deceased infants and children, often referred to as angelitos (little angels). On Nov, 2, those who died as adults are honored. December 16-24- Posadas (procession) of Christmas is a nativity procession leading towards the town square. The festivities also include street fairs, piñata breaking, passion plays called “pastorelas,” and a feast in honor of the Virgen de la Soledad
Puerto Vallarta	70 ºF / 84 ºF
Mid November The Sixteenth Annual International Gourmet Festival, Puerto Vallarta – Rivera – Nayarit will present the area’s world-class cuisine. November 20-22 Vallarta Tuna and Billfish Classic Tournament.
70 ºF / 84 ºF	Riviera Maya/Cancun
Mid November Riviera Maya International Film Festival showcases cinema from all over the world in Cancun.
Puerto Peñasco	54 ºF / 70 ºF
December 11-12 Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, celebrated with processions in which pictures and statues of the Madonna are carried through the streets, participants bring roses to shrines in churches, and children dress as Juan Diego. Music, rides, stalls selling food and souvenirs, and crowds pack the streets.

Grupo Mayan Resorts News & Events

The brands following the Mayan Resorts mission of delivering the essence of happiness are constantly expanding and growing to better serve the needs of their guests. Keep up to date with exciting new projects and upcoming events.

Grupo Mayan as part of the New Era of Mexican Cuisine

The Grupo Mayan Resorts proudly shares with everyone that our corporate chef Alexis Bostelmann, was invited to participate in the MERA’s “Mexican Restaurant Association” annual convention that will be held in North Little Rock, Arkansas from September 27-29 of 2010.

Their theme for the convention this year focuses on celebrating the 200 years of Mexico’s independence from Spain and the 100 years of the Mexican Revolution.

Chef Bostelmann will be a speaker on two different subjects - “The Hibrid Creations of Mexican Cuisine” and “The Cuisine of Emiliano Zapata – Mas vale morir de pie que vivir arrodillado (it is better to die standing that to live on your knees)”, and he will present two dishes of his original creation.

It is really an honour for Grupo Mayan to be able to have such a personality as part of our hotel operations. It is notable to mention that he has been a recipient of the prestigious US Export Meat Federation Culinary Competition Gold medal award.

Another achievement for the Grupo Mayan Resorts! For more information about this non-profit organization and the event, please visit www.mexmera.org.

The Grupo Mayan Resorts Great Escapes

Sightseeing at the Grupo Mayan Resorts – Coba

The Mayan ruins of Coba in the Yucatan peninsula may be one of the largest cities of the area and it had the highest pyramid built by the Mayas. It comprises more than 6,500 structures from which only a handful had been cleared from the jungle and it constitutes a unique legacy.

The Nohoch Mul pyramid, is one of the main attractions in this area. It is the highest pyramid in the Yucatan peninsula, rising up to 138 feet. By climbing its 120 steps you will be able to experience an incredible view of the jungle and the other structures of the site.

There is another pyramid called The Temple of the Church, which is Coba’s second highest building. From the top you will have a great view of the Mazanxox Lake, one of the two lakes closed to Coba. This is quite extraordinary considering the particularities in this region.

You will find several Sac-be’s – roads built by the Mayas, in all different directions. Fifty of them have been discovered and measure 10 to 30 feet wide. One of them is more than 100 km long.

It is located between Chichen Itza and Tulum in the Riviera Maya. There is an asphalt road from both cities through the Riviera Maya jungle, which will allow you to explore the scenery before you get there. If you arrive early in the morning, you can enjoy the jungle and the tropical birds, butterflies and monkeys playing around.

Coba was a huge city, covering over 50 square miles, with a population estimated over 100,000 inhabitants during its peak from 400 to 1100 AD. This is a perfect site for a relaxing day!

Mexico's Playlist for Your Newest Stay in Mayan Resorts Timeshares

Eco-Centric – Grupo Mayan’s recommendations

When visiting Puerto Peñasco, there are several places where you can reunite with nature and discover this land’s charms. The Grupo Mayan travel experts recommend visiting the Moura Estuary which you can tour by kayak through the lagoons. Among other highlights, you can run into any one of the 142 bird species, and oyster farming cooperatives.

Another option suggested by the Grupo Mayan travel advisors is the short ride to the 1.9 million-acre El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve. This volcanic region has a wide range of ecosystems; for that reason NASA used one its lava fields for training for the Apollo mission to the moon because of its similarity to the moon’s surface.

A government-protected habitat near Puerto Peñasco, San Jorge Island (“Bird Island”) is about 25 miles from the shores of Punta Nuevo. Best of all says the Grupo Mayan Resorts travel experts, there’s a good chance you’ll travel over with a pod or two of bottlenose dolphins, which seemingly love to swim alongside the boats.

In the same island, from early October to April, the Grupo Mayan advisors suggest keeping your eyes peeled for fin whales, grey whales, killer whales and an occasional pilot whale. Once you get close to the island, you’ll see thousands of sea lions and a menagerie of birds. Snorkeling and scuba diving among the sea lions is a really unforgettable experience that you cannot miss.

Mexico's Playlist for Your Newest Stay in Mayan Resorts Timeshares

Eco-Centric

The Grupo Mayan Resorts travel experts know that there is much to be enjoyed in and around Mexico’s waters; scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, parasailing, jet skiing, windsurfing and fishing are never more than a splash away.

Eco-adventure seekers will want to visit Acapulco’s Coyuca Lagoon. A fresh water sanctuary teeming with natural beauty says the Grupo Mayan travel advisors is located 6.2 miles north of Acapulco and there are so many things to explore. You can even bird watch at Isla de los Pajaros (“Bird Island”) where you’ll see herons, marabou storks, egrets, penguins, and such - or canoe along the jungle canopied canals filled with floating water hyacinths. This area is very popular for its tropical flora and it has been the location for Hollywood movies.

Also near Acapulco is Bravo Town. An ecological adventure park, Bravo offers everything from rafting the River Papagayo’s Class I, II and II-plus rapids and kayaking to bungee jumping and rock climbing. Recommended as well by the Grupo Mayan travel guides, is a three-hour drive from Acapulco, but worth every minute - the Cacahuamilpa Caves offers a one-mile pathway that winds through century-old caves. The caves, illuminated by a state-of-the-art lighting system, feature chiseled stalactites and stalagmites.

Mexico's Playlist for Your Next Stay in Mayan Resorts Timeshares

Riviera Maya Landmarks

For a glimpse at some of the finest representations of how the Mayans lived from about 100 AD to 900 AD, history buffs will gain tremendous insight by Riviera Maya's ancient archaeological sites. In Tulum, the Temple of the Frescos is where to see the 13th century murals depicting ceremonies.

Interesting fact: it is believed that at one time all the buildings in Tulum were painted red. One of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Chichén-Itzá, is only a 30-minute drive from Tulum. The Mayan’s political and economic center between 750 and 1200 AD, legend has it that people were frequently thrown into the nearby cenotes (sink holes) as sacrifices, and those who survived were believed to be prophets.

Kukulcán, a 75-foot high pyramid also known as El Castillo (“the castle”) features staircases with 91 steps each on all four sides. Also check out the Temple of the Warriors’ 1,000 columns and carved reliefs, the Observatory and the Main Ball Court (the largest discovered from the ancient Mayan world). Derring-doers can tag along for a trip to Cobá, where it’s possible to scale Nohoch Mul, the highest pyramid in Yucatán. For eye-popping views of the surrounding jungle and beyond, you’ll need to climb 120 steps.