Top 5 reasons why Spa vacations are important for you!

Spa retreat vacations are in style! Now a popular trend among American travelers and other foreign vacationers, many people are discovering the wonderful health benefits of taking a spa retreat vacation.

Here are the top 5 reasons why we think you’ll enjoy a spa retreat!

Reason #1 – Spa treatments are great stress relievers

Many people think spas are just for basic beauty and therapeutic treatments, such as facials and massages. The truth is spas offer not only beauty and aesthetics services but also physical and emotional benefits.

Spa treatments are a great way of releasing tension. Several studies indicate that spa treatments and massages improve mood by reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which helps slow heart rate and reduce blood pressure.

Reason #2 – Relax your body and mind

Spas are terrific places to relax in accommodating surroundings. Moreover, experts can help you improve your fitness, diet, and detoxify to renew your body – all which help to reduce stress and increase wellness.Spas are also wonderful places to commune with nature and take time for personal reflection.

Reason #3- Reconnect with family, friends, and loved ones

Spas provide the perfect environment for enjoying vacation getaways with girlfriends; Whether it’s just for spending “alone” time with your mom or daughter, or for celebrating an event such as a Bachelorette party or Mother’s Day.

Spa hotels are an ideal vacation place for honeymooners and couples who want to add a little “oomph” to their relationship. With all the sensory indulgences and candlelit dinners, they create the ultimate romantic vacation!
Many spa hotels also offer activities and services for the entire family. Supervised programs will keep your children busy while you go enjoy a workout or spa treatment. Large spa hotels, like Hacienda Tres Rios in the Riviera Maya, offer day camps for children.

Reason #4 – Medical and health benefits
Many spa treatments improve physical functioning and alleviate pain (such as chronic headaches and migraines). A basic massage, body treatments, or heat/hydro therapy can help improve circulation and reduce blood pressure, strengthen your respiratory system, increase joint flexibility and boost your immune system.
Reason #5 – You deserve it!

Many people consider spas to be a luxury, not a necessity. A common misconception is that spas are just for the wealthy. We’ve got news for you: spas benefit everyone, and we all deserve to feel good about ourselves.

Besides, spa treatments can help balance mood. Now there’s some ammunition to convince your partner how important it is for a spa visit!
Imagine how much happier women would be if they went on a spa retreat vacation at least once a …?

Published at Cancun Great Vacations

With the Spa Itza’s signature, we can help you to create an atmosphere of serene sensuality and relaxation at the privacy of your hotel or vacation rental in Playa del Carmen, Akumal, Tulum and any other destination along the Riviera Maya.

If you are planning your tropical wedding in the Mexican Caribbean; Cntact us with your questions or reservations.Wedding Packages are also available.

When is Hurricane Season?

Once May rolls around, low rates beckon at resorts in the Caribbean and on Mexico's Caribbean coast (Cancun and the Riviera Maya). Yet every few years, one of these popular spots is pummeled by a tropical storm. Florida, too, is vulnerable on the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts, and in the Keys to the south. Even tourist powerhouse Orlando -- in the middle of the state-- gets an occasional blast. (See more about the Florida hurricane season.)

Officially, the Atlantic hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30, but as the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) notes:

"There is nothing magical in these dates, and hurricanes have occurred outside of these six months, but these dates were selected to encompass over 97% of tropical activity."

When Is the Hurricane Season Most Active?
Again according to the AOML, there's a "very peaked season from August to October," which means this period includes:
•78% of the tropical storm days
•87% of the "minor" hurricane days, and
•96% of the "major" hurricane days

And within this peak hurricane season, early to mid-September is the pinnacle.

Of course Mother Nature isn't reading any calendars, and every once in a while a tropical cyclone hits out of season -- usually in May or December-- or late in the season: Hurricane Wilma, for instance, battered Cancun and the Riviera Maya on October 21 and 22 2005.
-- Wilma was a reminder that October can be risky. (See a graphic of October Caribbean hurricanes over many decades; see also month by month statistics for hurricanes in the Caribbean.)
Even if a hurricane doesn't officially make landfall, its effects can be drastic. Hurricane-force winds can extend 90 miles out from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds might reach 200 miles. (Even "squalls," or heavy thunderstorms, can extend several hundred miles.) Another point: "landfall" only officially occurs when the center of the eye of the storm contacts land. The strongest winds, however, are at the "eye-wall" around the edge of the eye, and this might hit land even if the center does not. (See more about area of hurricane impact.)

Hurricane Season in the Caribbean: Different Areas
Some islands are less prone to violent storms than others, and holiday-goers can try to pick spots strategically. The Dutch Caribbean "ABC" islands -- Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao-- are clustered close to Venezuela, and considered to be out of the main hurricane zone. Trinidad and Tobago, too, are south of the hurricane belt and rarely get hit.

Also, some say that the eastern Caribbean and US East Coast are most at risk from mid-August to mid-September, while in the western Caribbean (which includes Mexico and Belize), the season intensifies from mid-September into early November. Disregarding this conventional wisdom, Jamaica, in the western Caribbean, has mainly been hit during late August and early September...

Unfortunately, Mother Nature isn't reading any calendars or maps.

Forecasts for 2011 Hurricane Season
Still, every year hurricane specialists give their best shots at forecasts for the hurricane season. For example, the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University has ongoing Tropical Storm Forecasts. Their extended range forecast for 2011 is as follows:

"We continue to foresee well above-average activity for the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season. Our seasonal forecast has been reduced slightly from early December, since there is a little uncertainty about ENSO and the maintenance of anomalously warm tropical Atlantic SST conditions. We continue to anticipate an above-average probability of United States and Caribbean major hurricane landfall."

This forecast is dated April 6 2011; check the site for updates.

How To Protect Your Vacation in Hurricane Season
While the likelihood of a direct hit to your beach resort is small, even if your holiday isn't actually in the path of a major storm, weather patterns are disrupted in a wide radius. Some days may be spoiled by rain and wind if you're in an affected area.
Despite the weather risks, hurricane season is a tempting time to travel because it spans the top two months when kids are out of school. Also -- and not surprisingly!-- very tempting discounts are offered at Caribbean resorts during the hurricane season months.

Published by By Teresa Plowright from About.com

How to Make Your Easter Basket

Why not print out one of our simple to make Easter baskets and fill it with goodies to give to your friends at Easter time. All you need are scissors, colouring pencils and a glue stick and away you go. We have three delightful designs for you to choose from. We recommend this activity if you are between seven and eleven years old.

How to Make Your Easter Basket

1.Print out one of the three basket templates listed at the bottom of the page.

2.Cut out the basket and handle along the solid lines around the edge. When you are cutting out the basket it is important not to cut along the dotted lines as these are fold lines.

3.Colour in the design and write your Easter message.

4.Fold along the dotted lines.

5.Apply glue to the bottom flaps and side flaps to stick the basket together.

6.Put glue on the ends of the handle and stick them on the inside of the basket.

7.Allow the glue to dry, then put some shredded paper or tissue paper into the basket and arrange the Easter egg on top.


Downloadable Templates

Download Easter Basket One

Download Easter Basket Two

Download Easter Basket Three


Published at: Topmarks

Easter holiday in Mexico!!

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is the week leading up to Easter. This is the most important holiday in the church calendar because it is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. Since Mexico is predominantly a Catholic country (over 90% of Mexicans practice Catholicism to some extent), Holy Week is a very important holiday.


Travel During Holy Week:
Holy Week in Mexico is both a religious and a secular holiday. Most schools in Mexico have a two-week vacation period at this time, effectively making this Spring Break for Mexicans. This also tends to be the hottest and driest time of year through most of the country, making the beach a magnet for those wanting to escape hot city streets. So if you're planning to travel to Mexico during this time, be prepared for crowds on beaches and at tourist attractions, and make hotel and travel reservations well in advance.

Religious Celebrations:
The religious observances of Semana Santa do not take a back seat to beach fun, however. Processions and passion plays take place all through the country, though different areas celebrate in different ways and certain communities have more effusive celebrations. Among those places where Holy Week is celebrated en grande are Taxco, Pátzcuaro, Oaxaca and San Cristobal de las Casas.

Jesus' final days are evoked in the rituals that take place during the week.

Palm Sunday - Domingo de Ramos
On the Sunday prior to Easter, known as Palm Sunday, the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem is commemorated. According to the Bible Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people in the streets laid down palm branches in his path. In many towns and villages in Mexico on this day there are processions reenacting Jesus' triumphal entry, and woven palms are sold outside churches.

Maundy Thursday - Jueves Santo
The Thursday of Holy Week is known as Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday. This day commemorates the washing of the feet of the apostles, the Last Supper and Jesus' arrest in Gethsemane. Some Mexican traditions for Maundy Thursday include visiting seven churches to recall the vigil the apostles kept in the garden while Jesus prayed before his arrest, foot-washing ceremonies and of course Mass with Holy Communion.

Good Friday - Viernes Santo
Good Friday recalls the crucifixion of Christ. On this day there are solemn religious processions in which statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary are carried through town. Often the participants of these processions dress in costumes to evoke the time of Jesus. Passion plays, dramatic recreations of the crucifixion of Christ, are presented in many communities. The largest takes place in Iztapalapa, south of Mexico City, where over a million people gather every year for the Via Crucis.

Holy Saturday - Sábado de Gloria
In some places there is a custom of burning Judas in effigy because of his betrayal of Jesus, now this has become a festive occasion. Cardboard or paper mache figures are constructed, sometimes with firecrackers attached, and then burned. Sometimes the figures are made to represent political figures.

Easter Sunday - Domingo de Pascua
You won't come across any mention of the Easter Bunny or chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday in Mexico. This is generally a day when people go to Mass and celebrate quietly with their families, though in some places there are festivities with fireworks.
 
See you in Playa!!

Kids Living Abroad in Mexico

It's never easy uprooting your family and taking them halfway around the globe. The first time can be a potential nightmare. Consequently, you would think the second move would be easier. Or is it? In times of geo-political unrest, yes even crisis, many corporations have had to evacuate their expat families. These families are for the most part not willing to accept another posting and other potential candidates are often reluctant to accept offers if they have families.


Yet here are the facts: 45% of the expat population have children and their average age ranges from 5 to 12 years old. Whereas in the past it was often assumed that children were flexible and unaffected by such large lifestyle changes, a new awareness has surfaced that recognizes children's sensitivity and varying level of tolerance for an international move. This hightened awareness needs to be incorporated as an integral part of preparing for relocation.

Families often find that time quickly runs out right before the big moving day. With the pressing need for boxes to be packed and good-byes to be made, there is little time left to search for adequate ways to prepare the children. The young ones often find themselves in a transitional whirlwind that can leave them confused and frustrated with the uncertainties ahead.

Parents, projecting their hopes and aspirations on the children, most often deny the concerns felt by the child. "Yes, you will have to learn a new language, but you will be fine." Or, "Sure, you will go to a new school, but you will make friends." "No, we can not take the dog, but Benny will be happy with this new family." Not wanting to alarm, parents tend to gloss over these issues without helping the children address their concerns or listen to and settle their emotions.

Multiple Changes
Naturally, personality and developmental stage vary from one child to another. Their individual needs, preferences, openness and coping skills will differ, but there remains a large challenge to be met even by the most flexible of children. Let's not forget: a move involves more than just changing schools, there are new systems in place, other learning styles. Foremost is the total loss of reference for the child: the loss of friends. When moving abroad there are the additional challenges of learning a foreign language, adjusting to a new cultural environment and settling in to a house which is not yet a home, all during a period in the children's lives when they are still searching for their own identity. It is therefore not uncommon to see children react in their own unique ways to these changes.
Signs To Look For In Your Child
Anger, a sense of helplessness, and resentment are expressions of unresolved grief in children. Another observed behavior is an extremely passive attitude towards the move and the new cultural environment. Other children are driven by the fear of remaining an outsider, urgently demanding attention, and end up being labeled "difficult" or hyperactive. Some kids may feel hesistant to discuss their struggles with their parents out of concern for adding yet another problem to a parent's overwhelmed agenda. Other children are unable to share their feelings with parents because their concerns may have been initially denied prior to the move.

A Resource to Help You
A child friendly questionnaire is available free online at www.CONSULTus.net/expatkids/welcome.htm. It encourages the child to reflect and express his/her concerns about the upcoming move and helps to facilitate internal family communication. The document is part of an ongoing survey which parents are encouraged to participate in by submitting a parent questionnaire which is available on-line as well.
Virtual Community
Staying in touch with loved ones and sharing life experiences are universal needs. For children the internet has become an important tool to fulfill just these needs. The (non commercial) website www.Ori-and-Ricki.net is specially designed for expat kids. It features special sections where kids write about their experiences abroad. Other areas include country-specific information, great links, recommended books, etc. Ori, the migrating bird, together with his new found friend Ricki host this website. They not only are easy characters to identify with, but are accessible by e-mail, so kids can ask questions, share their resources or contribute to the site.

If you would like further information about relocating to the Riviera Maya, please email us at info@rivieramayaweb.com

Published at: Solution Abroad

Top 10 Family Vacations in the Caribbean & Mexico - Trip Advisor Survey 2011

The warm weather and beaches make the Caribbean and Mexico prime spots for family travel fun any time of the year. This year Paradise Island, with massive Atlantis resort and its myriad kids activities, and Ixtapa, Mexico, which boasts an excellent Club Med family-friendly resort, the prime attractions.
1. Paradise Island, New Providence Island, Bahamas
2. Ixtapa, Mexico
3. Playa Paraiso, Mexico
4. Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
5. Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico
6. Puerto Aventuras, Mexico
7. Akumal, Mexico
8. Cancun, Mexico
9. Bayahibe, Dominical Republic
10. Palm/Eagle Beach, Aruba

What are your favorite family-friendly destinations?

If you are planning a beach vacation soon, be sure to check out http://www.rivieramayaweb.com/ and choose your  favourite your family accomodation in vacation rental along the Riviera Maya.

Read more about the survey at Trip Advisor: Top 10 Family Vacations in the Caribbean & Mexico