I'm looking for a 5 star resort for my honeymoon. not interested in Ikal or RH, will be staying at palmilla in los cabos for a few days and want to experience the gulf coast also. any suggestions? want beautiful beach and upscale accomodations. thanks!

Maroma?

Or maybe the Le Meridien, Ritz Carlton, JW Marriott or Fiesta Americana Aqua in Cancun....

thanks frankie, are all of these located in cancun?

Maroma is just south of Cancun (maybe an easy 20 minute drive), the others are all in Cancun.

You don't say when you are going....but Rosewood Hotels and Four Seasons are both building south of Cancun.

There is a small place (4 rooms) on Xpu-ha beach called alcielohotel.com. They have the best beach!!! You can also book them through locogringo.com.

thanks, how can i find out about the new developments? i know rosewood resorts are great. we'll be leaving for our honeymoon the last week in june 2005. i also heard that mandarin oriental is building in that area. could you tell if there are currently any resorts that could be compared to these "better" hotels. i'm not sure that the all inclusive royal hideaway really does it for me. thanks!

I have to ask...what are you trying to avoid at RH? Are you just trying to get away from people? Be more specific and we can help you better. Are you avoiding Ikal because of the beach?

Did you look at Al Cielo? It looks very nice; although it obviously is not a full scale resort. Xpu-ha is really the best beach.

Just go on the hotel chains websites to find out when they are opening. I'm having a hard time picturing when they are building-since they don't say.

I wasn't too impressed with Ikal, and I think Royal Hideaway is nice, but I feel like AI's aren't as upscale. Am I wrong? I really want a beautiful beach and I'm unsure which resort/area is the best, along with having a amazing resort. Please help if you can...thanks!

Even the best Al's don't have the best food...and I think the RH is the best you can find when it comes to Al's...but I have no desire to stay there, myself.

I think Maroma or a high end Cancun resort will offer you the best beach...
the PDC resort beaches are not quite as nice, (although still fantastic) as the other 2 places I mentioned.

It's tough sometimes to have the best of both worlds. We stayed at Ikal after it first opened and were bummed-out about the beach. I have to agree in regard to the AIs. Now we skip all the way down to Tulum were we've found a great spot at Ana y Jose. Their new suites are very nice. But it is not a resort, just an intimate hotel with great service.

I would take frankie's advice. Also check out aerial views on cancunmap.com and locogringo.com to get idea of the quality of the beach.

oooh, I'm going to have to check out Ana y Jose...
thanks Pepper!