Hi,
We have planned to stay at the JW the week of Feb. 18. It is our anniversary and we have been looking so forward to the trip. Has anyone heard/seen how badly the hotel, pool and beach are? We would hate to go odwn there and for everything to be a mess. We already have purchased first class airline tickets (we got a very good deal) to Cancun.
If Cancun is out, does anyone have a reccomendation of another luxury hotel that we could drive to from the airport in an area that would be ok? How far a drive is Puerta Vallerta? All help is appreciated. Thank you.

hi,
there's just one pic I can find of the JW Marriott right now & it's on cancunvalet.com -- and it's a front view, so haven't seen any pics of the pool or beach erosion yet...it's a wonderful hotel and hopefully by Feb. 18th, things will be good, but it really is hard to say. I think the official re-opening will be December 31st (not 100% sure).
If you want to keep your tickets to Cancun, it looks like Playa del Carmen may have come out in better shape...you could check out the Riu Palace, for instance, or the Royal Hideaway, or Royal Porto Real.
(Puerta Vallarta is on the other coast, too far to drive for a weeks holiday.) Hope your anniversary works out!

Thank you for the response. I started looking for resorts on the Mayan Riviera. Has anyone stayed at Maroma or Ikal de Mar? We usally like staying at large fancy five star resorts, but are thinking of trying a smaller luxury hotel. Any thoughts or comparisons?

Maroma is not taking any reservations at this time. It has been hit by Wilma and there is no re-open date as of yet. I know this because I just had to cancel our upcoming trip. We were also going for our wedding anniversary...we switched destinations and are now going to Biras Creek, BVI.

After much research however, we booked Maroma this past May for this Nov. The resort looks absolutely wonderful, upscale but casual on a beautiful stretch of beach. The day the hurricane hit they just finished a multi million dollar renovation. The resort was due to re-open Nov 1st. There were no guests there at the time of Wilma. The extent of the damage is not yet known - as of the other day they still could not get a crew to the property.

If you go to their website www.maromahotel.com, you will get updates on a re-opening. I do not know anything about Ikal del Mar. In comparing the two properties pre-Wilma, while both beautiful, Maroma was our choice.

Thanks Annabel. The Maroma looks great. I called the 1-800 number and they said they believe it will reopen in January, but they are not taking reservations yet. I also checked out the Royal Puerto Real. It looks nice, I just haven't heard much about it. Has anyone stayed at The Royal Puerto Real? Is it on the beach?

Look at some of these opening dates.

http://www.differentworld.com/mexico/news/wilma.htm

Different World has all of the small luxury hotels. Ikal is great, but I would choose Escencia for the beach alone!!!

The Royal is very new, and it is right on the beach in Playa, next to the famous Mamitas beach club. I doubt this hotel will be in quite the same quality level of Maroma or the JW, but it's in a great location, and so new that I think it would be very nice.
It looks like Playa's beach fared much better than Cancun's.

I have many friends in Cancun that I keep in touch with almost daily. I understand that repairs are progressing rapidly, so don't give up yet.

Try www.cancunassist.com/specialreports.cfm

The site has photos and videos of many of the hotels, restaurants, beaches, etc., post-Wilma, and is updated every few days.

Thank you. I'll check the website out right now. I have been doing a lot of research on the internet. I read one report that said the JW lost it's roof! We are thinking about switching to Maroma, but not sure if we will like such a small resort. Anyone have any comments on Maroma or things to do around it?

Wow! I just looked at the pictures and it does not look good! It looks like the beach is totally gone! We will definitly need to find somewhere else to stay. What are the resorts like in Riveria Maya? Are any of the large ones "luxury" like? What are the Palace resorts like? I'm not trying to be "snobby," I just really like staying a 4 star/5 star resorts on vacation.

Hi, Jallard,

Keep in mind a lot of the photos were taken a day or two after the hurricane. Clean-up and repairs are happening rapidly and by February, things will be back to normal there. Several hotels and restaurants are already open for business. If you prefer luxury hotels, you may want to consider Fiesta Americana Coral Beach. It's a beautiful hotel. For the last 17 years, we've been going to Cancun every February for our anniversary and will do the same this coming February. I check the site I mentioned on a daily basis. The videos are fantastic, as well as the photos, and progress of repairs/reopenings is posted almost daily. So, don't give up on Cancun yet. As of now, they hope to have almost everything up and running by mid-late December. We were in Cancun the February after Hurricane Gilbert hit in 1988. That one was just as bad if not worse than Wilma, and when we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised.

The area will not be suitable for vacationing for at least the next 6 months. Don't be deceived by shills for the local travel industry who are promoting the place as "getting back to normal." Normal is a relative term, and, as I said in my opening sentance, it'll be a long time before "normal" is used in conjunction with Cancun and the surrounding areas. There are many other places to vacation in Mexico, including Acapulco, Huatulco, Zihuatanejo, Vallarta, Los Cabos, etc. Check them out if Mexico is what you want.

not sure I agree with you completely, gomexico. After looking at pics over at Playa-maya.com, it looks like much of Playa del carmen is ok.
I'm a picky traveler, and I'd check out the Riu Palace in PDC. I think February is a reasonable time to visit this area.
Also, the FA Grand Coral Beach's beach looks fine, and it should be back in the swing by February. That's a very good recommendation. LeMeridien is open now, but there's no beach, would love to hear a trip report from anyone who's staying there now!
I also think Maroma may have been badly damaged, but haven't seen any pics or reports on this resort.