Mexico

From now until January 27, 2011, Ceiba del Mar Beach & Spa Resort, a boutique luxury resort located on the picturesque shores of the Mexican Caribbean near sleepy Puerto Morelos, is offering mat practitioners and wellness gurus discounted rates for the property’s Elements Yoga-sponsored, Anusara-based yoga retreat, March 27-31, 2011.

Ceiba del Mar Beach & Spa Resort & Retreat

Abundant natural beauty—ivory-white sands, radiant sun, shimmering Caribbean seas, and breezy palms—surround boutique Ceiba del Mar, which boasts numerous hospitality accolades but is otherwise secluded, providing unrivaled serenity for the spiritually-connected physical practice, meditative inquiry and indulgent self-care at the heart of this soul-nourishing yoga retreat, led by Anusara-star instructor, Bernadette Birney.

In keeping with the resort’s commitment to providing guests with exceptional respite at all levels, and Element Yoga’s desire to infuse its Madhurya-inspired retreat with aspects of Mesoamerican culture, Eastern holism and ancient Mayan energies.

This luxury yoga and wellness event will feature the following

• A comprehensive yoga program, including 7 yoga classes and 4 meditation
  sessions at unique locales throughout the resort;
• A luxurious stay (single or double occupancy) in a Deluxe, Junior Suite,
  Master Suite, or Penthouse (rates below);
• Freshly-prepared Mexican cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner;
• Use of cruiser bicycles, tennis courts, kayaks, and snorkeling equipment;
• Complimentary access to the aromatherapy Spa at Ceiba del Mar, including
  the facility’s hydrotherapy circuit, humid areas, and fully equipped gym;
• Wireless high-speed Internet;
• Comfortable airport transfers to and from the resort;
• All taxes and gratuities;
• A Temazcal Ceremony, a contemporary spa therapy based on an ancient Maya purifying ritual conducted by a local shaman; and
  15% off all other spa treatments.

Adventures for an Additional fee At This Event Include

• Spelunking (cave diving);
• Journey to ancient Mayan ruins;
• Zip lining through the jungle;
• Scuba diving (from the dive shop at Ceiba del Mar); and
• A golf outing.

Retreaters will enjoy calming sanctuary in one of the resort’s 88 sublime, sea-facing guest residences, each with a full bathroom with shower and separate bathtub; local wood accents and handcrafted furnishings; complimentary wireless Internet; 300 thread-count Premium Cotton linens and pillow menu; complimentary in-room morning coffee daily and nightly turndown service; International cable TV and DVD/CD player, and, at an extra cost, 24-hour room service and mini bar service.

Rates for This Cancun Yoga Retreat

“Early Bird” rates—per person and all-inclusive to include the full yoga program and four nights of luxury accommodation—start at $1693 US/double occupancy and $2193 US/single occupancy for a Deluxe Room; $2593 US/single, $2163 US/double for a Junior Suite; $2793 US/single, $2363 US/double for a Master Suite; and $2993 US/single, $2562 US/double for a Penthouse. Rates for non-yoga participants who share a room with a yoga retreater start at $1263 and increase based on level of accommodation. Rates also increase by $200 if booked after January 27, 2011. Room service, mini bar, and bottle of liquor not included.

Registration
To register for the yoga retreat, call Ceiba del Mar at 1-877-545-6221 and mention the group code: Yoga Retreat. Reservations must be secured with a credit card. Cancellations not received within 120 hours (5 days) of arrival will incur a full stay charge.

Instructor Leading the Cancun Yoga Retreat
Leading this singular yoga retreat is the equally unique Bernadette Birney, a multi-certified Anusara yoga star, and an Elements Yoga instructor with a loyal following of practitioners. Bernadette is also award-winning blogger. Her blog, Bernie Birney: It’s About Yoga—a unique query into life, yoga, musings and amusements—was named “Top Meditation Blog for 2010.” Bernadette will bring her teachings, training, humor and unique perspective to Ceiba del Mar.

Elements Yoga
Voted “The Best” yoga studio in Connecticut for six consecutive years by Greenwich Magazine, Westport Magazine, and New Canaan, Darien & Rowayton Magazine, Elements Yoga & Wellness Center is a unique, spiritually-centered school that offers various styles and levels of yoga as well as expert instruction from acclaimed teachers who represent a full and diverse spectrum of disciplines. The studio’s retreat division hosts intimate yoga retreats aimed at invoking total-body transformation. Culturally and spiritually influenced by their locations, these retreats will uniquely combine inner work with outdoor adventure to rebalance the mind, center the soul and nourish the spirit. Enriching activities inspired by local custom and heritage in concert with deep yoga practice and spiritual meditation create a distinctive experience for soul-searching travelers and both avid and casual yoga practitioners. Elements Yoga & Wellness Center is owned by and operated by the husband and wife team of Bruce Bassock, a former commodity and equity trader turned yogi whose effective Yoga for Men program garnered national attention from The New York Times and Yoga Journal; and Donna Kuebler, a Fairfield County 40 Under 40 recipient, supporter of many non-profits, a charitable event co-chair, and the Program Director of Fit Yoga Magazine.

“Our goal is to provide modern travelers—individuals who want to cultivate self-awareness while relaxing, staying fit and having fun—with exactly that opportunity,” says Kuebler. “When practice is over we enjoy getting to know the people who attend our yoga retreats to develop a traveling community of like-minded, fun-loving, adventurous yogis. ”

For more information about Ceiba Del Mar Beach & Spa Resort, which was included on Conde Nast Traveler’s 2009 and 2010 Gold List, earning perfect scores of “100” in “Best Rooms” and “Best Service” categories for Mexico, visit www.ceibadelmar.com, or call 1-877-545-6221.

Ceiba del Mar Beach & Spa Resort is an award-winning, oceanfront boutique resort in Cancun, Mexico. This intimate resort is situated on half-mile of a private white-sand beach and offers 88 deluxe Ocean-View rooms and suites, seven of which are penthouses; two restaurants; a swimming pool; the wellness and aromatherapy Spa at Ceiba del Mar, and beautiful indoor/outdoor spaces for events, meetings and destination weddings.

The Cancun Underwater Museum officially opened its doors on November 26, 2010, completing the exhibition titled “The Silent Evolution” by artist Jason deCaires Taylor. With 400 life-size sculptures submerged, this completed phase 2 of the world’s largest underwater museum, located in the beautiful waters of Cancun.

The National Park, located in Isla Mujeres Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc welcomes approximately 750,000 tourists a year and is now home this impressive sculpture museum. Just days after almost all the sculptures were submerged, the welcoming they received by Mother Nature was amazing, with hundreds of swarming Gray Angel fish, that up until now, were rarely seen around the Manchones area.

Lots To See at Cancun Underwater Museum

The main gallery is formed by 400 life-size figures, based on real people. Its building required 18 months of hard work, 120 tons of cement, 400 kg of silicone, 3,800 glass fiber and more than 120 submarine work hours, as well as effort and dedication from a committed team with a dream, that began almost two years ago.

The technique, developed by the sculptor, allows the creation of life-size figures that keep the models original gestures and positions. The sinking process to more than 10 meters of depth consists on placing the sculptures over a 2 tons base, which will be positioned safely on rocky surfaces to avoid any damage caused by waves. The Underwater Museum can be appreciated not only from the bottom of the sea, all the pieces are placed in a way that looks like a human eye as seen from the air.

Cancun Underwater Museum Construction Started 1 Year Ago

The first sinking took place on November 14th, 2009. In the project’s first phase and under the supervision of the renowned artist and sub aquatic sculpture Jason deCaires Taylor, three sculptures were submerged: “Coleccionista de Sueños” (Dream Collector), “Hombre en llamas” (Man on Fire) and “La Jardinera de la Esperanza” (The Gardener of Hope). The sculptures where placed near the natural reefs and close to marine life habitats in order to create a natural ecosystem that helps maintain corals and reefs in the best conditions.

The project is backed by Cancun’s Ministry of Environment and its Nautical Association and has required an investment of more than $350,000 USD, in order to allow the natural reefs that surround the sculptures, to remain untouched. That is why this Marine Park was up for the challenge and developed a way to deviate tourists from the natural habitats, through coral reefs, without having to loose its visitors and the $36 million dollars that these represent in annual income.

Jason deCaires Taylor is the Director

It is important to point out that due to the success of this great project, Sculptor and artist Jason deCaires Taylor, has accepted the position as the museum’s artistic director

The cultural and environmental importance of the project, make the Underwater Museum a once in a lifetime experience. In collaboration with marine biologists and other experts from the National Marine Park and – Artificial Reefs, a company based in the USA, the sculptures have been designed to attract coral, but have also been immersed and positioned in a certain way and on certain so that they contribute to the further development of different coral species.

These magnificent sculptures will be available for tourists and visitors that wish to admire the originality, beauty and uniqueness of these works of art, while snorkeling or dive in the sub aquatic museum, as one of the many activities to do in Cancun and Isla Mujeres. Entrance to the museum is free, although is highly recommended that visitors of the museum utilize an appropriate tour operator with trained professionals to enjoy this experience to the most.

It is important when going to Mexico to avoid bacteria in Cancun. Whenever I travel I try to be very clean. The reason for this is that the bacteria that we are used to in North America is of course different then what is common in Mexico. As people travel they bring the bugs commons to their home be they real bugs or bacteria. And remember bacteria can not be seen so you don’t even kn ow about it.

Spring Break can be a tough time for germaphobes, particularly when traveling by air. Fortunately, there are some easy tips to stay healthy while sharing tight quarters with those bound for Cancun.

Bacteria on Planes

Unsurprisingly, airplane lavatories are the grossest, with a high likelihood of bacteria on seats and handles. And this is not even bacteria in Cancun but before you have arrived.

They are “hands-down the germiest place on the trip,” Peter Sheldon, vice president of operations and development for Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System, tells USA Today.

“Numerous studies have shown that these are teeming with E. coli on almost every surface.”

They are also rarely sanitized and have “the cumulative effect of hundreds of users.” The size of the sink also makes it difficult to thoroughly wash your hands, he says.

Other than the obvious solution of avoiding the bathrooms altogether, Sheldon says, it’s a good idea to bring your own sanitary wipes, and use paper towels to touch anything in there.

Seats and tray tables are another germ hotspot. Among the worst horror stories are mothers changing their babies right where later passengers put their pretzels and peanuts. Some disinfectant there could go a long way.

The recent scare of the 27-year-old woman diagnosed with measles who flew from Britain to Washington Dulles International Airport in February is good reminder to exercise healthy caution of fellow travelers.

The enclosure of an airplane cabin is “particularly risky for airborne-spread diseases” such as measles, Physician Martin Myers, director of the National Network for Immunization Information, tells USA Today.

The simplest solution to this specific incident, or other potential exposure to contagious diseases, is to get immunized, Myers says. Not rubbing your eyes or touching your nose or mouth helps too.

Bacteria in Cancun Avoidance Tips

When going to Cancun you may find want to take a couple of important precautions to avoid the bacteria in Cancun. Get a hepatitis shot a few weeks before as there is a lot of Hepatitis in the Cancun area and secondly make sure you have a bunch of baby wipes so that you can wipe down surfaces like counters and stuff. Cleaning staff at resorts can inadvertantly spread germs that could be avoided if you are careful.

Also of course avoid the obvious like water from a tap and ice cubes (made from tap water) and stay hydrated by drinking lots of safe bottled water (check the seal) as sun and alcohol can make you more sensitive to these bacteria.

Cancun is an awesome place for a vacation but it is important to be careful to watch out for  bacteria in Cancun at the same time.