Where to stay in Riviera Maya – Hacienda Tres Rios All Inclusive

After spending 3 days on Isla Mujeres island, I was brought to the airport with 3 more bloggers who were on the same trip. From there I had to take a taxi to my next hotel Hacienda Tres Rios. The guy who offered me a taxi was not very pleasant and he made me a little angry with the price and his attitude. At least, instead of paying $100 for a 40-minute drive, after some negotiations I was able to get it for $80. Still a big dislike!

At least then the taxi driver, a very humble local man, improved my mood telling me stories of his life.

”It’s priceless to see a person smile at you all the time, right? You should smile more, you have a very bonita smile.” told me this Mexican guy who was just 4 years older than me but who, for some reason, projected the quiet wisdom of an older man.

Once we reached our final destination, Jose gave me a goodbye smile.

”You are gonna love this hotel, trust me. It’s very unique. Make sure you visit the national park, too and not just the beach. And give that sunny smile to every person you meet.” were the last Jose’s words before Silvestre, a handsome bell boy of my height (not very typical in Mexico) took my suitcase and walked me to the reception.

All of a sudden, Como en casa sign on the Hacienda Tres Rios staff’s shirts was all around me and gave me a smile on my face. Aw, I have a feeling I will feel like at home in here. Let’s see …

Surprisingly, or not at all …

My next 4 days I did feel like in a paradise. I did not even plan any activities outside of the hotel as I could do a lot of adventure and spa right here. Plus the food was delicious (Mexico is all about food) so why would I even leave the hotel if I kept myself busy here?

What I loved about Hacienda Tres Rios:

• fresh fruit was waiting for me on the table in my room when i checked in. What a nice treat!

• Hacienda Tres Rios is an all inclusive resort and I know many travelers prefer not to stay at all inclusive hotels but personally, I do enjoy it. I don’t have to worry about food and water at all when there. For a vegetarian/vegan/raw vegan like me it’s way easier to stay at all inclusive resorts as they usually have a lot of fruit and salads while normal restaurants do not offer these meal options that often.

• high-end restaurants – such as the Italian Portobello with super tasty lasagna and ravioli, or the upscale Mexican cuisine Alebrije with Frida and other Mexican designs on the walls. Don’t forget to make a reservation before hand.

• different kinds of cuisine on certain days in some restaurants

• fresh smoothies at the Juice Bar at the Sports bar every morning – awesome for detox! I just wished you could order a juice like this all day long as most of us put on weight staying at all inclusive hotels all the time and being able to get fresh juices would help a bit.

• a 100% natural repellent was waiting for me in my room just next to the safe – Silvestre, the guy who helped me to carry my suitcase all the way to my room, laughed when he was pointing it out to me ”You will need this, trust me.” And unfortunately, he was so right! The mosquitoes were killing me outside as the hotel is basically built around the rivers with a lot of steady water

• Ya’ax Che spa with a steam sauna and 2 dry saunas of different temperature. I had a massage there at the spa, so relaxing! I fell asleep a few times.

• yoga at the beach in the morning – at 9 am you can join the yoga classes overlooking the sea

• a lot of activities – go snorkeling or kayaking in one of the cenotes (sink holes) Yucatan peninsula is famous for. Kayak can be a bit of a challenge if you are not experienced enough, you might have loads of fun trying to go straight and not to hit the mangroves on each side all the time. I still highly recommend you to do both kayaking and snorkeling in the river, it’s so much fun! And after all the snorkeling I’ve done around the world, this place is very special as you start in an open cenote, swim along the river among the mangroves and then end up on the beach.

• the Sense Adventure Tour where for an hour you will close your eyes and let your 5 (maybe even all 6) senses experience different elements, such as water, smell, fire, sand, plants etc. I’ve never seen a similar tour anywhere else in the world, and less as part of the all inclusive activities in a hotel. Remember to wear clothes that can get wet (or swim suit) as you will get a lil wet. And it’s also important to spray yourself with repellent as the Sense Adventure Tour is right in the jungle next to a cenote which means a lot of mosquitoes that cannot wait to get you and make your life unpleasant at least for a while. The Sense Adventure is a must-do experience, though!

• rent a segway (a paid service) and let your guide take you around Hacienda Tres Rios. You will drive through little bridges around some cenotes and palm trees, and then go from the jungle to the beach. It was my first time riding a segway and had no idea how much fun I could have doing so!

• perfect service – the staff would do anything to accommodate you. They will run around the swimming pools to bring you drinks and will come to your table very often to make sure everything is alright. I just cannot speak high enough of the Mexican service. Really, no sad European faces showing no interest, nor the fake American smiles!

• white beds with pillows along the beach – very romantic to watch a sunrise/sunset here

• wildlife – Tres Rios really focuses on the nature, fauna and flora. Hundreds of trees and plants were planted here after the hurricane back in 2005 destroyed most of them. Nowadays, many species of birds, iguanas and coatis live just next to your rooms. I so enjoyed staring at the coatis between the two pools as they were always hanging out by the bridge and bushes there.

• an adult pool only

• some rooms have private jacuzzis at their balcony – such as mine did :D

• jacuzzis by the pools – if you were not lucky enough to get your own jacuzzi in your room like I did, nor you are going to the spa, you can at least enjoy the jacuzzi by the pool

• room service included – missed breakfast/lunch/dinner or too lazy to go to a restaurant? No worries! Just check out the menu and order something to enjoy at the comfort of your own room

• Coffee bar with cakes – I’ve passed by a few times and each time I saw a chocolate cake through the window, I had to come in. Sorry, chocolate is one of my very few obsessions and vices. It’s both a good and a bad thing that the Pasteleria coffee was between my room and the lobby/restaurants as I had to walk outside of it each time which made me sneak in and check out little chocolate treats pretty much every day. Oh my, heeelp!

• fresh green juice at the Hacienda Grill restaurant next to the adult only pool so I was able to drink it when doing my laps in the pool to stay fit when traveling

• many palm trees around the pools and along the beach. That’s exactly how a proper pool or beach should look like, you agree?

• beautiful lobby – it does look like inside of a hacienda you can see in all the telenovelas :)

My stay at Riviera Maya Hacienda Tres Rios was a press trip organized as part of Adventure and Spa project I have been doing since the beginning of 2013. 

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Posted in adventures, beach, hotels, Mexico, nature, North America, photo, press trip, spa Tags: all inclusive hotel, Hacienda Tres Rios, Mexico, Riviera Maya