In Riviera Maya and Cancun there have been countless, All-Inclusive resorts built on the beach front. Most of them built as close to the beach as the government allowed and then connected to the road with private drive-ways and made into beautiful beach hotels and resorts. But the only downside to all of these beautiful, All-Inclusive resorts being constructed is that the ecosystems in the Riviera Maya have been destroyed and polluted. For instance, there is a plant called the mangrove that grows on the coastlines of most tropical locations that help protect the coasts from erosion, surge storms, and tsunamis and they do this through their root systems that work to dissipate wave energy. This plant has largely been removed from the areas that the resorts have been built to make room for pools, hotels, and driveways.

But as always there is an exception to this enviromental incident caused by all of the construction and tourism. The Mayakoba Resort and the Tres Rios Hotel have been constructed without destrying the enviroment, and have actually been built in such a way that they have helped encourage the aquatic ecosystems found in the Riviera Maya! For instance, instead of removing all of the mangroves and underground rivers that are so vitally important to the ecosystem, the Mayakoba resort has simply uncovered some of these underground rivers and has used them as the center piece of the resort creating an atmosphere of being in the jungle instead of being on the beach. But never fear! The beach is still only a few minutes away, and is actually connected to the resort via the new uncovered river systems.

But in addition to the Mayakoba the Tres Rios hotel has also implemented a new, green design that was created to not only preserve but utilize the natural ecosystem of the Mexican beaches. The Tres Rios has been built on more than 400 piles of permeable rock so that the hotel has about 3 yards of clearance between the ground/lagoon and the hotel floor. This was done so that the rivers and plant life could live on without being disturbed. Both of these hotels have actually seen an increase in animal life since being built because of the aquatic ecosystems that have been created. These hotels also utilize multiple systems of using green energy and not letting things go to waste. For instance they sort all of the garbage before it is recycled and their water comes from the ocean and is distilled in a processing machine instead of using the ground wells and depleting resources.

For more information on booking a trip to the Riviera Maya or either of these hotels please contact us at tropicaltravel.net!

 All travelers know to be weary of cell phone rates and charges when traveling overseas.  Many phone carriers apply expensive charges to their clients when roaming.  Verizon charges $1.49/minute in other countries and $2.49/minute when on cruise ships, Tmobile has roaming charges as expensive as $4.99/minute, and AT&T will charge about $100 for a 20 minute call from Russia.  Many rates can be charged to you even if you are not using your phone to make calls, depending on your phone.  For example, the iphone automatically checks email and performs internet data updates even when you are not using it for calls or using the internet.  These settings are ok while you are in the states, as these features are free for users here, but when traveling these rates can really add up.

 There are many ways to avoid such charges.  One is using Skype; Skype launched in 2003 and has been growing in popularity ever since.  With Skype you can avoid phone costs when over seas by using the VoIP (voice over internet protocols) and it will charge you only a few cents per minute, and if you are a frequent traveler you can add voicemail to your account for $20/year.  Or if you travel often you can purchase one of the new traveler-friendly phones, such as the new phone from Cubic Telecom, which works in 160 countries, and their service plan, MaxRoam, cuts costs up to 75% by letting you set up local phone numbers in several different countries.

 Some more tips for traveling over seas but avoiding the cell-phone costs;  Adjust your settings:  some phones, such as the iphone, have settings like “airplane mode” that you can set you phone to that will shut off the cellular, Bluetooth and WiFi to avoid charges; Get an international number tied to you phone:  services such as Megellan allow you to purchase an international phone number to link to your cell while traveling so people can reach you at their local rates; or you can rent a phone:  there are many locations where you can rent cell phones, and many airports in these places have kiosks where you can rent one.