Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya Closes for Renovations

When it opened in 2008 in the Mexican Caribbean paradise south of Cancun, the editors of Travel + Leisure's "It List" described the Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya as "one of the year's most anticipated hotel openings." (they had to put their name on two waiting lists to get in). It's a dreamy destination: where the white sandy coastline of the Yucatan peninsula is fringed by tropical jungle, and just offshore lies the second largest coral reef in the world. Eager to go? Hold your horses; the Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya is temporarily closed. On the hotel's website, the "closure statement" indicates that the hotel shut its doors "in order to complete necessary improvements to its facilities." They'll announce a re-opening date "in due course."

Need an alternative in the Playa del Carmen area? Five Star Alliance has a bevy of four- and five-star hotels to choose from. (Warning: The photos might inspire some serious travel lust.)