DESTINATION RIVIERA MAYA
Art directed the 180-page 2004/05 edition of Ulrich Communications' official in-room destination guide for Riviera Maya's hotel association and tourism board. Traveled the state of Quintana Roo extensively. Wrote most of the 45,000-word US English text of the 2006/07 edition and managed the translation into Latin Spanish. Below are some sample manuscripts.
WELCOME
It’s a Riviera Maya thing,
you will come to understand
Welcome to Riviera Maya, the fastest-growing vacation destination in the Caribbean. American travel agents just ranked this place among their top three international hot spots. Within a few hours, people come to understand why.
Visitors lounge on beaches, swim with dolphins, snorkel in caverns, and dive among corals. They smash golf balls, hook game fish, and sail boats. They come as retirees escaping the cold, kids escaping from school, parents escaping the kids, workers lusting for some downtime, newlyweds lusting for each other, big families on budgets, gay couples on sprees, girlfriends, and guy friends.
Download the PDF file of the complete story, Destination Riviera Maya 2006/07, Welcome section, main text. Photo above from Riviera Maya Tourist Board.
PLAYA DEL CARMEN
Find energy and sophistication
in the heart of Riviera Maya
Everyone comes to Playa del Carmen, the hottest coolest place in the Americas today. Playa reminds many of the South Beach craze in the 1990s. Mexicans and Americans flock here on weekends. Europeans trot the globe to invest their holidays here.
In this bohemian refuge — no longer undiscovered; not yet over-developed — visitors find service, not hustle; sophistication, not snobbery; energy, not crowds. Ground zero for people watchers: la Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) is lined with cafés, hotels, shops, and tour offices.
Download the PDF file of the complete story, Destination Riviera Maya 2006/07, Playa del Carmen section, main text.
MI CASA, SU CASA
Golf star Lorena Ochoa
welcomes new friends to Mexico
Before Lorena Ochoa burst onto the circuit, few Mexicans played golf, despite the exciting courses and great conditions. But after she starred at the University of Arizona, turning pro in 2002, Mexican kids flocked to the game, and golfers flocked to Mexico.
“Golf is really growing in Mexico. Number one: the weather is beautiful,” Lorena states without controversy. “There are so many wonderful resorts and golf courses close to the water in Riviera Maya,” the golf destination that includes PGA tour site El Camaleón Mayakoba.
Download the PDF file of the complete story, Destination Riviera Maya 2006/07, Welcome section, sidebar. Photo above by Richard Kholer.
CENOTES
Swim, snorkel, and dive in underground rivers
For ancient Maya society, cenotes were sacred wells, places to find cool fresh water and gain entrance to the spirit world. For modern divers and snorkelers, they serve a similar purpose.
Also called sinkholes, lagoons, or springs, hundreds of Yucatecan cenotes, in all shapes and sizes, have their highest concentration here in Riviera Maya. They formed when rainwater carved tunnels through the limestone, then their ceilings collapsed, opening up the caves to the surface.
Download the PDF file of the complete story, Destination Riviera Maya 2006/07, Cenotes section, main text.
ARCHAEOLOGY
Explore the cities of ancient Maya civilizations
If local faces look familiar, perhaps it is because they are carved in the friezes of ancient temples and pictured in the pages of history books.
With roots at least nine thousand years into Mesoamerica, ancient Maya civilization peaked around AD 800. But while its great cities eventually sank into the jungle, the Maya people did not. About 350,000 still live and work right here on the Yucatán Peninsula.
The Maya created a brilliant civilization, with dense cities, splendid art, advanced mathematics, and complex calendars.
Download the PDF file of the complete story, Destination Riviera Maya 2006/07, Archaeology section, main text. Photo above by Jeff Borg.
REAL ESTATE
New financing and title insurance
make real estate investing easy
In Riviera Maya, one of the hottest real estate markets in the world today, property values continue to increase sharply not just for seaside houses and resorts, but also for residential, industrial, and commercial sites well inland.
Proximity to North and South America is only one reason for the exploding popularity of Mexico’s Caribbean. Recent developments in financing, title insurance, and government incentives all ensure that these trends continue.
Download the PDF file of the complete story, Destination Riviera Maya 2006/07, Real Estate section, main text. Photo above by Jeff Borg.
Back to the travel-publishing page
Banner illustration by Jeff Borg
