Swimming with dolphins has been gaining in popularity over
the years. Most dolphin-swim attractions are heavily booked, with limited slots
open for visitors to interact with these creatures. Dreams Cancun Resort &
Spa has partnered with Via Delphi to open the first dolphinarium at a resort in
Mexico.
While there are a number of dolphin-swim operators throughout Mexico, including in Cancun
and Los Cabos, this is the first affiliated directly with a resort. This should
go a long way in ensuring that clients obtain an appointment to swim with
dolphins.
Scheduled to open next month, the Delphinus Dreams Cancun
excursion will include roundtrip transportation, complimentary goggles for
underwater activities, lockers for personal items and valuables, showers, towels
and an hour-long dolphin experience. Guests can also take advantage of
photography and DVD video services to provide records of their dolphin swim.
Along with guests of Dreams Cancun, Delphinus Dreams Cancun will also offer the
experience to Cancun visitors and locals;
resort guests will get a discount.
Well-respected Program
Delphinus Dreams Cancun is the fifth dolphinarium operated
by Via Delphi. The company has a good reputation in its specialized field,
earning high marks for its veterinary supervision, training and nutrition, as
well as for providing the appropriate environment for socialization. The Via
Delphi Institute for Research in Water Mammals note that it "offers a
natural, friendly swim with the dolphins." This is important, as some
operators have been known to over-schedule their dolphin swims, which can
stress them. Via Delphi's breeding program has
a survival rate double that of similar programs around the world and more than
triple the survival rate found in the wild. The company is looking forward to
six dolphin births this year.
Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa is part of the all-inclusive
AMResorts Dreams brand. Surrounded on three sides by the Caribbean,
the resort commands the shore point known as Punta Cancún. On property are 379
guest rooms and suites, a spa, the Explorer's Club for kids, three á la carte
and one buffet-style restaurant, and 24-hour room service. For more info,
e-mail [email protected], call 866-2DREAMS, or visit www.dreamsresorts.com.
Riviera Maya Update
New Tourism Director; Visitor Numbers Surge
Mexico's
Riviera Maya powers into 2007 with a new director of tourism and figures
showing strong tourism growth. Last month, Javier Aranda Pedrero became the
director of tourism for the Riviera Maya Tourism Promotion Board
(FPTRM), following work as under-secretary of tourism promotion for the Tourism
Secretariat in Quintana Roo. The FPTRM has released 2006 tourism statistics
showing a 20.7 percent increase in tourist arrivals for 2006. This percentage
is slightly skewed, since the Riviera Maya had a setback in 2005 due to
hurricanes Emily and Wilma. Riviera Maya's hotel room inventory reached 30,705
rooms in 2006, compared to 26,980 in 2005. In 2007, the number of hotel rooms
will increase to 34,113. Visit www.rivieramaya.com.
New Property in Cancun
The all-inclusive Elan Resort & Spa in Cancun officially opened on March 8. The resort has
completed a $15 million refurbishment of the former Club Las Velas, which
closed after a battering from Hurricane Wilma. Resembling a 17th-century
Mexican village, the resort has 95 rooms and 51 one-to three-bedroom villas
with Wi-Fi Internet access, 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets and cable TV.
The 51 duplex villa suites are top-of-the-line for the resort. Of these, the 10
three-bedroom villas on Calle San Jose and the 11 units on Calle Santa Juliana
open directly onto the beach. Villas have a second TV, unlimited wine and beer
and a cappuccino maker. Room rates start at $300 a night through April 7.
Villas start at $450. Elan has six restaurants, three bars, two private beach
areas, two swimming pools, tennis courts and a spa and fitness center. The
agent liaison is Jim Bauer, director of reservations (888-400-ELAN,
[email protected]). Visit www.elanresort.com.