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There’s a dozen golf courses in the Mayan Riviera, all of them well-equipped and featuring modern designs teeming with amazing hurdles

As a genuine natural paradise bathed by the balmy, crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean Sea, the Mayan Riviera has turned golf and spas into a couple of deluxe complements of a tourist offer that many people in the world select for its excellence and integrity.

In recent years millions of tourists have enjoyed the countless allures embedded in over 75 miles of coastlines between Puerto Morelos and Punta Allen, the northernmost and southernmost tips of the Mayan Riviera, deservedly labeled as Mexico’s most promising travel destination of the 21st century. For many its calm beaches of white sands hedged by breathtaking natural scenery are by far the main attractions of all. Others, though, get there willing to make the most of that rare possibility of feasting eyes on its lavish nature, let alone the chance of taking a closer peek at some of the most important Mayan archeological sites and living a once-in-a-lifetime fascinating experience. Moreover, an increasingly larger number of travelers pick the Mayan Riviera every year as their site of choice to play golf or improve their life quality through numerous treatments to choose from —many of them profoundly innovative and autochthonous— that are delivered in several of its spas.

From Chameleon to the most famous par 3 Today, the Mayan Riviera is dotted with over a dozen golf courses, all of them featuring state-of-the-art designs and well-equipped facilities. Many of these challenging courses are next to the peaceful waters of the Mexican Caribbean, quite an attractive add-on to take into account. However, experts from around the globe agree two of them reveal excellent conditions that can’t just be passed up: The Chameleon —penciled in as a masterpiece by Greg Norman and located next to the Fairmount Mayakoba supreme deluxe resort— and the Mayan Resorts Golf Riviera Maya. The Chameleon is an 18-hole, par-72 golf course perched on the heart of the Mayan Riviera. Its name stems from the unexpected and dramatic change of landscapes it features, ranging from deep jungles and mangrove thickets to white sandy strips that run alongside the sea and long limestone canyons. Thoroughly designed to capture the true essence of a pure and unspoiled natural environment, the course shows off one-and-only hurdles like knolls and ponds. In the same breath, golfers can enjoy such other conveniences as golf carts outfitted with cutting-edge technology —like GPS yardage gauge and golf software— that allow players to electronically keep tabs on their scores and even order food and drinks from the fairway. For its part, the Mayan Resorts Golf Riviera Maya is a spectacular par 3 cleverly designed by Jack Nicklaus and teeming with hurdles and lush foliage, two conditions that make it not only a tough course to overcome, but also an amazingly beautiful playground. This particular course provides a number of unprecedented hurdles, like Hole 3 which stands on a water hazard, or Hole 17, known locally as the Green Donna and featuring a couple of hurdles on both sides and a third one in the middle of the green. Another course worth playing in is the Playacar Golf Club in Playa del Carmen, a par 72 with a 7,202 yard fairway that was designed and built by world class architect Robert Von Hagge and is now considered “the golf heart of the Riviera.” Luxury everywhere in the “Saluti Per Aqua” (SPA) The diversity and quality of innovative and autochthonous treatments —many of which combine natural products and ancestral techniques— have definitely made the Mayan Riviera one of the most sought-after destinations as far as deluxe spas are concerned. The wide array of methods applied here is coupled with just another unmatched value: a lovely and quiet natural environment that turns many of these facilities into legit oases of mental and body health and harmony. Each Mayan Riviera spa has a touch of its own. There are holistic, ultramodern or minimalist facilities to choose from, yet each and every one of them offers guests the chance to share their natural secrets of rejuvenation, beautification and relaxation in the most appropriate ambiences. Based on ancient Mayan techniques of purification, cleansing, rebuilding and embellishment of both body and mind, treatments bank on the popular wisdom of pre-Hispanic civilizations, the use of endemic flowers and fruits, and the application of modern healthcare techniques. There are lots of quality life improvement programs visitors may choose from in this corner of southeast Mexico, but the most coveted ones are Ceiba del Mar, a holistic spa featuring aromatherapy and a blend of ancestral Mayan wisdom with Mexican herbal remedies, not to mention an assortment of over fifty different English essential oils and a sophisticated know-how. At the Willow Stream Spa in the Fairmont Mayakoba, one of the special treatments there is the Chac Rain Ritual that includes the application of a healing corporal mask made of corn flour, clay and oatmeal. The body is exfoliated with the help of a piece of Ayate cloth, followed by lukewarm water and salvia oil massage. For its part, at the Kinan Spa in the Maroma Resort, guests can opt for a number of services in unique ambiences that range from fancy suites for couples to outdoor massage sessions while lying back on beach lounges. The building of this spa was based on the Mayan sacred geometry and astrological alignment principles in an effort to let positive energy flow in. Many of its treatments hinge on old-timed healing methods that cannot be found anywhere else on the face of the earth. Another must-see is the Isla Bonita Paradise, featuring specialized treatment for each and every skin type —quite a shrine of soothing and rejuvenation for many— or the Aventura Spa Palace, a hot spot for couples that delivers a ritual for lovers consisting of a de-intoxication and relaxation process prior to any treatment they might sign up for in the hydrotherapy area. With all these deluxe complements under its belt, the Mayan Riviera continues to be one of those travel destinations that must be in all tourist catalogs worldwide, especially those depicting Caribbean attractions.

Related websites www.rivieramaya.com www.rivieramayaturismo.com/ www.cancun-online.com/Golf/ www.rosewoodmayakoba.com www.ceibadelmar.com www.fairmont.com/mayakoba www.tidesrivieramaya.com www.hotelesencia.com www.palaceresorts.com www.paraisodelabonita.com www.orient-express.com www.mandarinoriental.com www.dobalneariolmas.info www.maya-balneario.com www.xcaret.com www.reservamexico.com