Well, December is here and my promise to post more than once a month has not been kept but at least today I will post. I am just not that good at long term commitments I guess and do better one day at a time!

Here in Cancun, the long-awaited beach restoration project has begun with–as is to be expected–problems and arguments and slow downs but it is going. They have rebuilt from Punta Cancun (Hyatt Regency at the point) down to about the Flamingo so far with a minor “gap” due to legal and ego problems. The two hotels that were “skipped” are the Gran Caribe Real and The Royal Cancun–two hotels owned by Fernando Garcia Zalvidea.

For almost two years he has been pressuring everyone who will listen about the beach erosion problem and often during evening hours–illegally–built his own little artificial beach there with a breakwater that stuck out 100 yards or so into the ocean to protect the beach.  He didn’t get permits to do that and he has had problems with the environmental folks all this time. Now they are pumping sand onto the beaches–well, every beach but his. He had to remove what he had built and drop some legal suits and cancel some court orders he had gotten before they would put sand on his beach. He removed the breakwater and piled up the rubble in front of the foundation of his hotel to protect it but he won’t withdraw the legal suits and court orders soooo–no beach for him–at least today.

Yesterday he led a demonstration of about 150-300 of his hotel employees on the beach (unless you read another paper that says he saw them and asked them to disband!) against the government agency in charge of NOT giving him sand. (Of course one of the court orders he has states that no one can put sand on the beach or make changes to it until the legal issues are settled. Catch 22.)

And then there is the other issue of where to get some of the sand from. A small part comes from a sand bank out by Isla Mujeres and they are (finally after many protests and discussions) taking sand from there for the Cancun beaches. The other sand bank where they are getting the majority of the sand is out by Cozumel and the environmentalists are fighting the use of that tooth and nail to “save the pink conch” that lives there. The government says that after months of litigation on both sides, there is now no impediment to them taking sand from there but the other side says there is.

Can you say Mexican Standoff? Mexican Standoff (I have actually been to the street where #2 happened. It is by the original Sanborn’s in Mexico City. )

Other than that, the process is fascinating to watch and the results remarkable. Here are some pictures and videos.

Other than that, business is still slow in Cancun and the Riviera Maya but picking up some. There are lots of good deals to be had in lots of hotels of all categories so search around and take advantage.

I had the opportunity about a month ago to stay for 4 nights at Hacienda Tres Rios Resort in the Riviera Maya with some business associates. It is just one year old and is impressive both for the facilities as well as the food and service. Some of my pictures are here and include some pics of the food provided at “Chef Oscar’s Corner”–an innovative concept where some guests are invited into a corner of the kitchen set up as a restaurant and Chef Oscar serves a special 8-course meal to you himself! I am working on getting another invite down there!

So that is all for now. Hasta Pronto!