Xel-Ha Blog

Traveler Tips

TRAVELER TIPS

Cancun-Riviera Maya destiny is one of the most important in the Caribbean. Its privileged geographical position allows it to welcome visitors from different parts of the world. But to arrive to Cancun by plane can become physically exhausting if traveler is not conscious about time on flight is request to arrive and real implications of jet lag.

Regardless of physic health condition of everyone, it is important to take into consideration the next advises of Aerospace Medical Association of United States (ASMA) aimed to prevent and avoid circulatory diseases in extended flights:

• Stand every hour to walk and stretch about the cabin periodically.

• Do seat exercise: stretch your legs, move your feet, turn your head and breathe deeply. Limiting consumption or alcohol, tea and coffee, and caffeinated drinks because they cause you lose fluids.

• Wear loose, comfortable clothing, loosen belt and shoelaces or take shoes off.

• Do not cross your legs or take comfortable position for seat or sleep.

• Do not place anything under the seat in front of you so you can stretch and exercise your legs.

• Drink reasonable amounts of water in order to minimize discomfort fro dryness in cabin.

• To take an aspirin before, during and after an extended flight can improve circulation. Consult your physician.

Those are simple but useful recommendations, above all if they contribute to arrive to destiny in the best physical condition in order to have the best holydays of your life.

Xel-Ha for “little and big” visitors…

The summer break is the perfect occasion to spend some enjoyable family time, but sometimes, it is difficult to please everybody, especially when traveling with children.

These are some simple tips to make your visit to Xel-Há, as fun as it gets for the young ones:

• Snorkeling for everyone – Xel-Ha’s Inlet and river are fantastic places for snorkeling due to their fish diversity. Children will love to watch all those colorful fish swimming right in front of their eyes. The park has all-sized life jackets, even for babies!

• An “oh so fun” bicycle ride – The Land of Huh (Xel-Ha’s bicycle path) has steep declines and hills… it’s surrounded by an exotic jungle, and with a little luck, one may see coatis and porcupines, sometimes shy, but often not so much, approaching the path to feed. Mountain bicycles are available for adults and children, with adjustable seats.

• The Children’s Playground – This place, especially devoted to the youngest visitors, was built by Xel-Ha, keeping in mind the important balance between safety, amusement, and education that every child merits. A wading pool, a playground area with swings, slides, rope ladders, a rope maze, and a wooden playhouse comprise the children’s playground. Children with an interest in learning about this Natural Wonder and its Guardians can also let their imagination fly with painting and drawing activities hosted by Xel-Ha staff. A few steps away, there’s an exquisitely peaceful hammock area, because parents also need to rest…

• Feats for the great little adventurers – Mo’s flight, the Trepachanga, and the Cliff of Courage, are just a few of the adventure activities that will quench children’s, and why not? everybody’s inner child’s thirst for adrenaline…

• Tailored Souvenirs – The store Palalo’o, offers items specially designed for children that will make your young one remember the amazing day spent in the Natural Wonder. Toys, stuffed animals and clothes, are some of the surprises awaiting in Palalo’o.

• The measuring tape at hand – Children less than 40” enter free, children from 40” to 55” pay only half of the adult price.

So, now you know. Before they go back to school, bring your kids to Xel-Ha. You’ll see the “big ones” enjoying just like children, and the children having “the biggest” fun…

“Green” Tourism

Traveling is one of the greatest pleasures in life, but more often than not we take no notice of how negatively tourism impacts the planet. Many places are socially and ecologically devastated, millenarian cultures are erased, flora and fauna species see their ecosystems disturbed by the human touch…

Countless people think that in order to be a responsible traveler, real rest and luxury must be sacrificed. This is so not true; everyday there are more destinations and attractions offering “green” comfort, and many simple tips to travel, which are not only easy, but also, if turned into holiday habits, will help you make your own contribution to the planet’s preservation:

• Search the web. Look for information and resources on responsible travel, ecotourism, or sustainable tourism. Ecotourism Explorer, TIES’ interactive online directory www.ecotourism.org , makes searching for your perfect eco-holiday easy!

• Consult guidebooks. Choose guidebooks with information on your destination’s environmental, social and political issues, and read all about what’s going on over there before booking, this way you’ll be able to make better decisions to affect the place and its community less.

• Make contact with local tour operators. Either via email or telephone, tour operators have firsthand knowledge of the place you are considering visiting, and they might help you find what you’re looking for.

• Ask questions. Let tour operators/hotels know that you are a responsible consumer. Before you book, ask about their social and environmental policies. For instance; if they use alternative power sources, if they recycle…. Also ask what percentage of their employees are local citizens and if they support any projects to benefit the local community. This will not only help you know if this is the kind of place you want to spend your vacations in, but it will also allow businessmen to notice there is a demand for destinations concerned about sustainable tourism.

• Choose wisely. Double-check if the businesses you’re considering are certified. If they have eco-label ratings, or they have won eco-awards for their deeds towards the community, or environmental actions.

• Look for alternative means of transportation. About 10% of the carbon emissions in the planet are caused by aerial traffic; hence, when you travel, look for eco-friendlier means of transportation, such as the train, or the car. If you choose to fly, try to stay for a longer period of time in the same place, instead of catching several short flights.

• Calculate your carbon imprint. Visit www.pronatura.org.mx/cambioclimatico, where there’s a calculator which will estimate your carbon imprint, and also proposes ways to travel, and live in a more responsible way towards our planet.

All of us can become responsible travelers, because the services provided by the tourism industry every day offer more and more options, and show more responsibility to the planet. So, there’s no excuse, making informed choices before and during your trip is the single most important thing you can do to become a responsible traveler. With a little planning, you can make a real difference to the people and places you visit. It’s really easy, try it!

Online Holidays?

Since Internet showed up in our lives, lots of things have changed. As time goes by, more information becomes available, more procedures can be done online, and more services are offered, but… vacations?

Al right, all right… it is not yet possible to vacation online, but it is definitely possible, and convenient, to plan a vacation with a little help from the Internet, this way, we will be able to organize a “specially tailored” vacation, and if we know how and where to look, book our holiday at an excellent price.

• Don’t look for information in traditional agencies Web pages. You would be only changing the media, but the cost will probably remain the same. Te best would be to deal directly with the service provider.

• Book your flight ahead of time. All the airlines have advanced purchase rates, a day of the week when they offer special fees, or some kind of offer that might suit you.

• For accommodation, it could be a good idea to visit the Web pages of several hotel chains in the destination, perhaps you could find a good deal.

• The most important tourist attractions have special discounts on online purchases.

• If you’re planning to rent a car, book online prior to your visit, so you don’t get last minute surprises, especially if you’re traveling in the high season.

• Search for all the information concerning the destination you’re going to; what is the popular stuff, if there’s a special event some time of the year… you will even be able to check the weather and be prepared before your arrival.

Even though some things are just out of our hands, and there’s always something that doesn’t go as planned. The more informed you are, the less the surprises there will be. The Internet is quite a useful tool for holiday planning….take advantage of it.

Best regards, and…. Have a nice vacation!

Couples in Xel-Ha

Xel-Ha is fun, Xel-Ha is loaded with adrenaline, Xel-Há is relaxing, amazing, unique, unforgettable…but… is Xel-Ha a place for romance?

It is.

Love is “in the air”; you just have to know where to look:

Swing by the Bay of Caprices. A little hideaway where the ocean, the breeze, the trees, and even the fish, seem to be strategically placed to garnish a stage that is undoubtedly able to renew any union.

Enjoy the journey through the river on a double inner tube; they are perfect to spend a nice while together, chatting, and benefiting from the sun and the scenery.

From the Lighthouse, the view is spectacular. Staring to, on one side the waves hitting the rocks furiously, and on the other, the peaceful inlet surrounded by a magical jungle, is not something you experience every day. Gazing at this “postcard” will be definitely something that will mark and reinforce your bonds forever.

Surrender to pleasure at the XPA. Book a Couple Massage, travel together on a rowboat towards a secluded platform in the inlet, and witness how the wind and the rippling of the waves make all the rest go away.

Finish your day by rocking on a Hammock. Delicious cocktails are poured a few steps away, and you might sip them at supreme leisure and relax together.

These are just a few suggestions… As we mentioned before, love “is in the air”, in Xel-Ha every nook and cranny has a special charm that will be deeply enjoyable to visit as a couple, and to honor the truth, in a place like Xel-Ha, romance may take you by surprise, everywhere…

Make the most out of Xel-Ha!

We’ve all been there… In Xel-Ha there’s so much to do in apparently so little time, that we end up rushing our visit, and unawarely we miss some places or activities that could have been unforgettable.

So there’s no place left unseen, nor activity unenjoyed, read these simple tips that will help you make the most out of the park:

• Get there early. The park is open from 8:30 am.

• Upon arrival, find a map, and decide which are the places you’re more interested to see, which activities you’re dying to experience, and plan your route. The park can be crossed like a circuit, find out the best way for your visit.

• If you wish to partake in one of the additional activities (swimming with dolphins, sea trek, snuba…) refer to the IAX module, verify the available schedules, and book your place. Thusly, you will be able to program and distribute the rest of the day.

• Do not fall in the temptation of staying in the main restaurants and bars area. Across the floating bridge there are also some stunning places worth seeing.

• From the beginning of the day, leave all your belongings in your locker, and take with you only and exclusively what you’ll really need. Like so, you’ll avoid coming back and forward unnecessarily.

• Don’t rush your journey through the river. Either if you decide to cross it on an inner tube, or snorkelling, there is some bashy stuff along it. The Trepachanga, the Cliff of courage, ant the Cliff Climb are there just waiting to quench your thirst for adrenaline. Not to mention the hundreds of fish that dwell it.

• On your way out, don’t forget to look at the pictures taken during the day. Don’t leave without that exceptional memory of your visit.

• Take the time to take a glance at the stores, all of them offer different products, and flat out, the perfect souvenir is in one of them.

Even though at the end of your visit you will have amazing memories to keep, and you will have been through a full day of fun, probable you’ll still feel like more. It’s just inevitable. What you should do, is come back soon. Be certain that next time, will be even more of a blast.

Packing?

Before starting your journey it is important to devote the proper amount of time to your luggage.

So packing does not cause you a headache, and you don’t forget something you will probably need, follow these simple tips:

• Bathing Suit, sandals and shorts are basic and necessary at all times.

• Tanning lotions and sunblocks, to make sure you get a nice tan without being exposed to UV light. Try to get biodegradable ones to protect the abundant coral reefs and marine life of the region.

• Light shirts and T-shirts, look for those made of natural fibers, they are fresher.

• Don’t forget to carry a pair of comfortable shoes to walk.

• A pair of casual trousers or a dress, and a pair of semi-formal shoes are always useful. You never know where the day will take you.

• A cap or hat, and sunglasses are the perfect buddies for sunny days.

• Remember your personal articles like deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, hairbrush, body lotion, make up, etc. You know what you need.

• Keep in mind that you’ll be the one to carry the suitcase. Do not overstock it. If you must force the suitcase in order to zip it, you are probably packing way more than you need. Take out some objects and keep some room for souvenirs!

• It would be unforgivable not to pack a camera that will help you remember the awesome things you’ll see, and the amazing moments you’ll live.

If all this is already in your luggage, then probably you are well-prepared, but in case you’re forgetting….keep, in the most accessible pocket of your suitcase, your thirst for fun… For sure you’re going to need it!