Hidden Beach On The Mexican Riviera
by: Laura
Ok, ok. So it's not a day trip. But, if I look out my window and see a gray, sunless sky and feel that 65 degree breeze blow against my skin for one more minute, I'll make it one.
Hidden Beach Resort probably won't be covered (if you'll excuse the expression) by any of the other travel writers here on Examiner.com because it's a nudist resort. But it's so much more than that - it's where, if I'm good enough during my lifetime, I will go when I die (and, hopefully, several more times before that!)
Hidden Beach sits on white sand, next to turquoise water, about ninety miles south of the Cancun airport. A sister resort, El Dorado Seaside Suites, is right next door and HBR guests have dining, swimming, and entertainment privileges there as well. However, enjoying the amenities at El Dorado means putting clothing back on and that isn't something that most HBR guests do willingly. Besides, the luxury of Hidden Beach is certainly ample for anyone seeking a five-star resort in which to do little but relax and be pampered.
HBR is not inexpensive; a week's stay will cost from $540 to $662 per couple per night for a swim-up suite, depending on the time of year. (For those of you who have an RCI membership, tune in to the follow up article for ways to save on this resort!) Couples can save $100 per night by opting for an ocean-front, Jacuzzi suite on the second floor, bringing the charge to a somewhat more reasonable $3,080 - $3,934 per week. While ordinarily I would clutch my chest, gasp, and drop to the floor upon even considering a vacation in this price range, Hidden Beach is actually worth saving for and splurging on - even if you only do it once. The cost includes not only your room, featuring Jacuzzi tub, in-room bar, and ocean view, but beverages (including top shelf liquor) and meals, and those meals are gourmet, delicious, and made-to-order. You'll find no typical, all-inclusive, mushy, flavorless, buffet food here. Meals are served from six in the morning until ten at night in the resort's restaurant or alfresco near the pool bar by what could be the most considerate, friendly, and thoughtful waiters I've ever had the pleasure to meet. If the sixteen hour availability isn't enough for you, pick up the phone; you may order from room service twenty-four hours a day.
Because Hidden Beach is so small - only forty-two ocean-front suites - the staff gets to know everyone quickly. The bartender at the swim-up bar has your drink ready seemingly before you even order it and the waitstaff, who believe you just might enjoy a late-morning or mid-afternoon snack, will bring chicken quesadillas, chips and freshly made guacamole, or finger sandwiches to you as you float near poolside in water just cool enough to refresh.
There is no feeling of obligation or tedium from the staff at this resort. The waitstaff and chambermaids never make you feel as though they are working for a tip. Tipping, while not forbidden, is not expected here, but it IS greatly appreciated. The resort staff, like most service workers at Mexican resorts, make very little money. Many of the visitors to HBR make it a personal policy to give a tip at the beginning of each day or at the end of their stay to staff members who have provided especially good service. Tipping after each drink or meal is not only not resort policy, but impractical as you have no pockets in which to carry cash!
Like the other nudist resorts I write about, Hidden Beach does not tolerate sexual behavior in public and any such action is cause for expulsion from the resort. This is an adults-only resort, but the attitude is one of fun, freedom, and comfort.