Once booked you will want to start preparing for your amazing vacation to Mexico! So let's get packing!
Items you will want to bring
-Yeti or Insulated Cup of Choice. There are cups provided by the hotel, however I have found in my many trips that having my own cup that is insulated makes for a better situation). The insulation keeps your drink ice cold, while the staff knows not to take your cup as they clean up around the pool. Don't be the newbie who ends up with the small plastic cups that get warm in the sun, bring your favorite pool cup (with straw if that's your thing).
-Straws. This resort does a great job of being eco friendly and one of the big ways is that they have eliminated the use of straws in the resort. This is great news for the turtles, and I personally am all about it, however I am a girl that likes my drink with a straw. There is nothing like trying to drink a Miami Vice or other frozen cocktail with the frozen goodness rushing at your face like some boozy avalanche. I suggest bringing any type of reusable straws that you can carry in your pocket or clutch if you are a straw person like me.
-Cash. You will quickly learn that the service at this resort is top notch, they do not miss a beat. The bartenders and the beach servers are quick and always keep a drink in your hand. The maids and crew that restock your own private mini bar will leave you pretty much whatever you request in your room. The restaurant servers are very sweet and will make great menu recommendations, and the list goes on and on. It is not at all expected, but they work really hard and keeping a smile on our face the whole time we are there, so just a suggestion.
*PS no need to convert to Pesos, US currency is just fine for this and at the gift shop. They actually prefer the US dollar, so skip the exchange and just get to the hotel!
-Sunscreen and After Sun Lotion. I don't care who you are, the sun in Mexico can be very intense. I highly suggest bringing sunscreen that works for your skin type, and bring a good amount of it. There is nothing worst than getting burned your first day because you were "working on your base tan". After Sun Lotion has saved me many a time. If you do somehow get a little too much sun this can cause you to feel nauseous and irritable = sun-poisoning. After Sun lotion can really help speed up the sunburn recovery and help cool the body down helping tone down the sun-poisoning side effects. Aloe is also a good one to bring along.
-Waterproof bag or case for your phone. There is so much going on at all of the pool events and parties you won't want to miss it, but you also probably don't want to have to buy a new phone for participating either. If your phone is not waterproof, I suggest buying one of the waterproof bags or cases. Most of the time your stuff is left on the lounge chairs while you are in the pool so it is nice to be able to bring it with you without fearing the water. I grabbed a 4 pack on Amazon for like $10.
-Floaties. If you are an all day pool lounger like me then you might want to consider bringing a floaty! The main large pool allows floaties and they are the best way to live out a day in the sun while keeping cool. I think you can also take them into the ocean.
-Towel Clips. Totally up to you, and of course clothespins would work just fine. I just suggest towel clips as the breeze coming off the ocean can get a little strong sometimes and you don't want your stuff or towel ending up in the pool. Towel clips also help show the helpful staff that your chair is still occupied and to not clean up the towels on it and allow someone else to sit there. I find them helpful to locate my chair out of all of the other identical ones with the same purple towels.
*Note: The nicer restaurants do enforce the dress code for both men and women. Closed toed (no tennis shoes) shoes are required for a few of the restaurants and believe me, you’ll want to eat at all of them, so bring a nice shoes. In addition men are required to wear long pants at most restaurants for dinner. Slacks/dress pants are required at the Coquette French and Spumante Italian Restaurants. Jeans or other long pants are accepted at all of the other restaurants.
Items you will NOT need to bring:
-Toiletries (all of your basic, plus a few fun spa options are available in your room and will be refilled daily upon request)-Beach Towel (plenty of large purple towels will be available for you to wrap yourself up in after a day in the pool or an evening at the hot tub)
-Bug Spray (provided and you will want to use at night, I did get a few bug bites our last night there as I forgot to wear some)
-Tux/Tie (bring your party hat but leave the black tie. Dress code is beach cocktail causal. Shoe check will be provided at the ceremony on the beach for those of you who don’t want sand in your kicks). Shoes are only needed for the reception, they are completely optional for the ceremony and cocktail hour.
Please find the Transportation Tab on this website. This will connect you with our amazing Travel Coordinator Toni. Toni can help with all of your travel needs including: hotel reservations under our group discount, transportation to and from the airport, flight reservations under most airlines (you can also choose to do this yourself if you want to utilize points, or credits).
*TIP: If you do not have a passport you will need one to enter Cancun Mexico. If you do have a passport check the expiration date. Some of the airlines will not allow you to travel if your return date is less than 3 months away. I had this happen to me and had to fly Frontier as my passport was expiring a few days after our return, and they are one of the only airlines that allows this.
Toni has negotiated some great group rates and will help you make your reservation with the Breathless Cancun Riviera Hotel. Please, please, please book your hotel stays thru Toni and not thru the hotel website as this will not include you in our many group benefits and will cause coordination issues. Group benefits include: Included Round Trip Transportation to and from the Cancun Airport and Breathless Riviera Cancun Hotel, Priority Group Check-In, Best Available Rooms/Views, Welcome Party, Etc.
Corey and I had the amazing opportunity to visit this resort last January. We found a ton of places we thought deserved a mention for your visit:
For Breakfast:
Spoon (Buffet) - This place is amazing and always has new options everyday. They have all types of cuisine, and they even pay very close attention to allergies, including gluten free, vegan, dairy free, etc.
The Nook Cafe - This is the best place for coffee, tea and other breakfast drinks. They also offer fresh made ice cream all day from 6am -11pm. You can also grab a small breakfast/lunch sandwich here for a quick bite.
For Lunch:
Foam Bar Brick Oven Pizza - At the Foam Bar in the Energy Pool area, there is an amazing pizza corner. The pizzas are fresh made with fresh ingredients, but very popular so make sure to get there early or know that your pizza might take 15 mins or so.
Barefoot Grill - Located next to the Xcelerate (party) Zone, this place is great for a quick bite while staying in the party zone. Don't miss a beat with the DJ still steps away, but keep fueled up for your day of drinking!
Bites - Bites during the day for lunch and Strip Grill for dinner at night, this amazing spot right above the Energy Pool Zone is a great place for an upscale lunch! See photo attached.
For Dinner:
Coqutte - This French restaurant took me by surprise by rising to the top of my list. French food is usually not my go to, but this place takes the cake. Starting off with two amazing salads and great wine, moving into dinner with chicken cordon blue and beef medallions, and finally finishing with a fun take on my favorite dessert tiramisu! *Dress Code Strictly Enforced - men must wear nice pants and shoes (no jeans or tennis shoes)
Spumante - I knew I would like this Italian spot, but man was I surprised at how over the top awesome it was! I selected the chicken parm and Corey went with the pasta, and our friends who joined us had the lasagna which is also to die for! Again great wine and amazing dessert choices, but you might be too busy ordering another round of dinner to notice. *Dress Code Enforced
The Strip Grill - During the day this is the lunch spot called Bites, at night the transform it into a very lovely grill. I had the prime rib which was amazing and Corey had a steak which he liked. The other sides were amazing as well, and of course they had a great wine selection. Note: some restaurants have upgraded wine options, which you can select if you would like. However there is plenty of included wine that is very good, and that is coming from a wine snob like me.
Silk City - This fun Pan Asian place is split in two. One being the normal dining and the other is a Hibachi option. The Hibachi does require a reservation which you can make by visiting the restaurant right before 3pm and putting your name in. We never made it to the Hibachi, but heard rave reviews.
Other Notes:
I would not recommend the Mexican place as it was not our favorite, seemed very "toned down" for international palates. If you are in search of good Mexican cuisine, head over to the Buffet Spoon. They had some of the best Mexican dishes and they are constantly changing for added options. This is the only restaurant I would not recommend.
I also have to restate the dress code for dinners, esp for the guys. Gentlemen are required in all of the upscale dinner spots to abide by the dress code which calls for: long pants (not jeans), dress shoes (no tennis shoes), no hats allowed in the eat areas, etc. Please check out the dress code for each place by clicking on it on the Dinning and Drinks Section of the breathless website.
www.breathlessresorts.com/en_us/resorts/mexico/riviera-cancun/dining-drinks.html
I know that times are crazy right now but we are hopeful that the show will go on. As of now, we are pushing forward as planned. I do highly suggest purchasing the trip insurance through our travel agent Toni, as this will cover you to cancel for any reason up to 1 day before your trip. We don't know what the next few months might bring, but we hope that you all are as excited as we are to party it up! We will keep you updated on here if we hear anything else that might change plans or effect travel for any of you.
If making your own airline reservations, please check their cancelation policy as they are changing rapidly these days and make sure you are comfortable with their rules and policies. I do suggest Southwest or United as an option as they are allowing for easy changes. I fly Southwest often and they are super flexible with changes, up to the day before/day of - and can refund your flight in full. I know other airlines have some COVID cancellation policies that are new, so make sure to check out your airline.
Also please remember to check the expiration date of your passport. Many airlines do not let you board the plane if your passports expires within 3-6 months of your return. (The only exception I know to this rule is Frontier, they do not enforce this rule.) Please check with your airline to see what their policy is if your passport is set to expire in 2021. =)
Shuttle Info
Once you’re checked in with the resort upon arrival, confirm your return shuttle pickup details with the resort’s Apple Vacations representative. This can be done at the Apple Vacations desk in the hotel check-in area.
The representative will ask for the return ticket form which was given to you when you checked in for the shuttle ride from the airport to the resort, confirm your flight details, and set your shuttle pickup time. It is typical for them to book you to arrive at the airport 3 hours before your flight. Expect to leave the resort about 3½ hours before your flight.
Please note that on your day of departure, if late check out is not available, do not worry. This amazing hotel provides "departure dressing rooms". It is like a mini hotel room with a shower, couch, full bath - everything you need to change out of your swimsuit and into your airplane gear. No need to hurry either, these rooms are available for 45 min per group.
The bellman will take your luggage card (if you have checked your luggage at the concierge after checking out of your room earlier). They will then lead you to your dressing room, while they go and grab your bags for you. They will bring the bags to the room so you have your full kit to get the airplane ready.Navigating the airport
Make sure you have your Tourist form handy, as you’ll be required to provide it when you check-in for your flight and when you get to the security checkpoint (this is the form that was stamped and returned to you at the immigration checkpoint upon arrival).
Once through security, there’s a large Duty-Free shopping area that you can browse if you’d like, and there are several restaurants and shops throughout the concourse area as well. Cancun has a VIP Lounge for Priority Pass and other lounge members.
We have found this lounge to be overcrowded and not worth the extra cost. United does not have a lounge at Cancun. Our favorite Cancun airport lunch spot is the Margaritaville at the very end of terminal 4! We get the “Top Shelf” margarita and fresh guacamole.
Note: This airport does not broadcast flight information like boarding calls or schedule updates over the intercom in the concourse area. On one of our trips, our flight departure time was moved up but we almost missed the change because we had stopped for some food, and no announcement was made in the concourse. We recommend keeping an eye on one of the Departures screens in the concourse to ensure you don’t miss any updates that may be made.Customs and Immigration
For those of you returning to Denver (or another participating airport), we’re going to let you in on a secret. The fastest way to get through US customs is to download the Mobile Passport App from the App Store for iPhone or the Google Play store for Android.
Unless you are lucky enough to already have Global Entry, and then you won’t need a mobile passport. If you use the app, you won’t have to fill out a paper version of the customs form which flight attendants distribute on the plane, and you’ll be able to use a special line at the immigration checkpoint, which is much shorter than the line everyone with a paper form uses.
Once you have downloaded the app, follow the instructions to create a pin code. Then, when you are on the plane back to Denver and are getting close to the airport, go through the steps in the app to create a new customs declaration form. You’ll enter your passport information and details of your trip, answer all customs declaration questions, and take a selfie to complete your form. NOTE: The form is valid for only 4 hours following submission, so don’t submit it until you have actually landed in Denver.Once you’ve landed and submitted your form, follow the long corridor through the A concourse which leads directly to the customs and immigration checkpoint. At the checkpoint, follow the signs for Mobile Passport & Global Entry holders (usually the line starts on the far right side of the hallway, to the right of the main line.
When it is your turn, you’ll simply hand your passport to the official, scan the QR code on your phone for your customs form, and answer any questions the official asks about how long your trip was, who you traveled with, and if you brought anything back with you. When you’re finished, the official will return your passport and give you a small laminated card with a letter on it. Hold onto this card, as you’ll need it after you retrieve your checked luggage. After the immigration checkpoint, when waiting for your checked luggage, keep your cell phone put away, as officials do not like anyone to use their phone in this restricted area. Occasionally there are officials walking through the crowd with dogs as well.
Once you have your checked bags, proceed to the customs checkpoint and give the official the card you received at the immigration checkpoint. Then you’ll be out the sliding doors and back into the main DIA terminal and on your way.
For more information about the mobile passport app, visit: www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control