Destinations Travel Magazine chose Vida Vacations and Grupo Vidanta resorts as the cover story for their January issue! The spread is beautiful and we are so pleased they chose to feature our resorts.

“The Grand Mayan luxury hotels are a world apart. These resorts reveal an exotic paradise in which guests enjoy luxury. Find adventure. Pamper yourself. Enjoy world-class dining and fabulous bars and clubs. Modern elegance and plush accommodations provide every possible convenience, luxury and extravagance.”

USA Today featured an article on things to do at The Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta this month! The list includes Brio Spa & Fitness Center, Nayar Golf Course, Wining and Dining, Tie the Knot – Vidanta Weddings, and Accommodations at The Grand Mayan.

“The Grand Mayan resort in Nuevo Vallarta is the perfect combination of sophistication and casual comfort.”

Click on the link below to read the article:
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/things-grand-mayan-nuevo-vallarta-mexico-102046.html

Vidanta Golf was featured in this month’s issue of Golf Vacations magazine! Our courses and resorts are unparalleled and we are honored they chose to feature our recently completed Nicklaus Design Nayar Golf Course in Nuevo Vallarta.

To read the article, Click on the link! Our article is “Finding A Golf Paradise in Mexico”, which starts on Page 16.

http://issuu.com/golfvacationsmagazine/docs/december2011

For thousands of years, natives from what is now Mexico have viewed death in a positive way as a continuation of life. The conquistadors arrived over 500 years ago and viewed the rituals of laughing at death as sacrilegious so they tried to end the rituals but were unsuccessful. In an attempt to make the ritual religious, the Spaniards moved the holiday to coincide with the Catholic calendar days of All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2).

People in Mexico and around the world celebrate these days with family and friends by feasting, throwing parties, visiting graves and building altars filled with food, flowers, incense (known as copal) and photos. Despite the gloomy theme, Dia de los Muertos is a joyful holiday and a great time to share stories about loved ones.

If you see candy skulls or other various skeleton items over the next few days you now know why they are around. For all of those who are celebrating this holiday, “Feliz Dia de los Muertos!”

The Countdown is on! There are only a few days left before we land at Cancun International Airport and head to The Grand Mayan in Riviera Maya! We have been looking forward to this trip and I am in need of some R&R.  Non-vacation to do lists tend to be filled with errands and various tasks I’d rather deal with later while vacation to do lists are filled with fun activities and ideas! I have put together a list of things I MUST do when I’m in Riviera Maya.

My To Do List:

-       Couples Tequila Massage  (I hear they feel amazing and you get a margarita after the massage!)

-       Walks on the beach everyday

-       Lobster Roll and tempura fried dulce de leche ice cream at Gong

-       Pool activities to make up for the fried ice cream!

-       2-3 rounds of golf at El Manglar golf course

-       Release a turtle! We have done it in the past and I still get just as excited every year we return.

-       Try out new mixology cocktails! I think I will start with a Jalisco Dream. (I’m interested in a drink that tastes like red pepper)

-       Dinner at Frida’s to enjoy the amazing salsa.

-       Dancing at Havana Moon

-       A show with buffet at Del Lago – perhaps Fiesta Mexicana!

-       Bike tour of the property

-       Ceviche lunch at Blue Fish

-       Dream Art session on the beach with the amazing turquoise ocean

-       Lots of lounging at the Mayan Sanctuary!

-       Dinner at Tramonto with wine selection help from the sommelier

Now, this is my kind of To Do List! I think I will have no problem checking everything off my list! What do you make sure you do when you visit The Grand Mayan in Riviera Maya?

Do you all like my painting? I took a picture at The Grand Mayan in Los Cabos on my last vacation and decided to paint the picture. The view was fantastic! It took me a little over 3 months because of the intricate palm trees and structural details but I think it was worth it!

Fine, I didn’t really paint this – my computer did! One of the first things I do when I get home from vacation is upload all the pictures from our amazing trip. We visited The Grand Mayan Los Cabos for the first time this summer and our family was blown away with how amazing the resort was. When we got home, I had over 1,200 pictures! I couldn’t help myself – everything was so beautiful, from the interiors to the natural beauty.

We have been traveling to Vida Vacation destinations twice a year for 12 years and I have photo albums of every vacation. Because we have so many albums, I have started to experiment with different picture effects to spice up the already amazing photos. The effect above is called, “painting ”. It turned out great and the contrast looked nice in our ever-growing album collection.

How do you all document your travels? There are so many great resources, which make it easy and fun to make albums of your grand vacations (pun intended)!

Estados Unidos Mexicanos better known to us as United Mexican States or simply Mexico is the fifth largest country in the Americas.  Mexico is made up of 31 states. Can you name them all? Vida Vacations has resorts in the states of Jalisco (Puerto Vallarta), Nayarit (Nuevo Vallarta), Quintana Roo (Cancun), Baja California Sur (Los Cabos), Sonora (Puerto Peñasco), Guerrero (Acapulo) and Sinaloa (Mazatlan). Mexico City is the country’s capital and largest city with a population over 21 million people!

Can you name this Mexican official?

It is the President of Mexico, Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa. He has been in office since December 1, 2006 and is a member of the National Action Party.

The Mexican Flag was created in 1821 to celebrate Mexico’s Independence. Everything included in the design is symbolic of the country’s history. The colors: green represents the independence movement, white represents the purity of the Catholic faith and red represents the Spaniards that joined in the quest for independence and blood of the National Heroes. The shield symbolizes Aztec heritage.

There is a legend that the gods told the Aztecs to build their city where an eagle was seen perched on a prickly pear tree eating a serpent. This was apparently seen at what is now the main square in Mexico City.

Hope you learned something new and interesting! ¡Viva Mexico!

Ingredients

Celery                                                 2 stalks of celery

Spinach                                              2 2/3 cups

Orange juice                                      3 1/3 cups

Cactus leaves or prickly pear           ¾ cup

Parsley                                               ½ cup

Pineapple                                           1 cup

How to Make:

Step One: Make sure all the fruits and vegetables are washed and clean.

Step Two: Chop the celery, pineapple, parsley and spinach.

Step Three: Liquefy the chopped vegetables and fruits with the orange juice in a blender.

Step Four: Once perfectly blended, strain and serve the juice.

Step Five: Enjoy your delicious and nutritious juice!

This recipe serves four.