I’m back from another tough morning on the beach, happy to report that the project has reached the Omni and should be at the Tri-Royals in a few days!  I took some photos today of the area behind the Ritz, Le Meridien, Cancun Palace and the Marriotts.  Stunning!  Yes, there is a “ledge” of sand near the sea, but it’s not insurmountable and hopefully it will even itself out soon.  Here are your pics….

Le Meridien Beach During Reconstruction (Dec. 22/2009)

Le Meridien Beach After (Dec. 29/2009)

Cancun Palace Beach Before (Dec. 22/2009)

Cancun Palace Beach After (Dec. 29/2009)

You can see the whole set of photos from today in our Cancun Beach Recovery Dec. 29 Flickr set.   Cancun Travel will continue to update, we’ll have new photos next week, stay tuned!

If you are a Cancun lover, you’ll know that we are in the midst of a huge beach reconstruction project to rebuild the beaches that were lost in the hurricane in 2005.  So far the project is a huge success, with many hotels and public beaches gaining 80 to 100 meters of sand!  Some spots along the strip had been reduced to nothing, just rocks and water crashing against the barrier walls.  Now, the stretch of sand is huge, perfect for football, lazing in the sun, flying kites or romping in the surf.  I’ve been monitoring the project and every time I trek out to the hotel zone a big “WOW” comes flying out of my mouth when I see what they are accomplishing.  They are moving fast, the place looks great and hopefully more and more tourists will return to Cancun for the beaches that we are accustomed to.

The photos above show the incredible difference a couple of weeks can make.  This is located at Playa Marlin, near the Villas Marlin and Barcelo Tucancun.  So great to see the massive change in the beach!

The best news of the morning is that the beach behind the Royal Sands hotel is now open.  They’ve moved lounge chairs and umbrellas down to the sand and people were flocking to the new stretch of beach.  The pipes have been removed from about half of the beach behind the Sands, the project continues to move south from there.

The work is currently between the Royal Sands and Le Meridien.  Work should commence very soon on the Cancun Palace and the Marriott hotels.  Here’s a “before” photo behind Cancun Palace looking south towards the JW Marriott, will have some “after” shots soon!

You can find more photos on our Flickr page, here’s today’s Cancun beach recovery set.  Don’t forget to join our Cancun Travel Facebook page to share your own photos with us, we’d love to have you with us!  Stayed tuned for more updates and Happy Holidays from Cancun Travel!

The Cancun beach recovery project continues to move ahead in bringing back the gorgeous beaches that were destroyed by Hurricane Wilma in 2005.  With an investment of $71 million USD, the work will restore the beaches of Cancun’s hotel zone (east side), Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.  As of today, the beach reconstruction workers have reached The Aqua hotel (around km 12.5) and will continue south.  Two hotels on the strip (the Gran Caribe Real and The Royal) had faced legal difficulties with the project and were told they would not receive the beach treatment, but an agreement has been reached and they are being included in the beach reconstruction.

Big New Beach Behind Bay View Grand

The work that has been completed from Punta Cancun down to The Aqua hotel shows a huge stretch of white sandy beach, 80-100 meters wide.  The sand is still settling and there are areas that have a “ledge” where the sand has naturally eroded.  It is still a spectacular beach and access to the ocean is only minimally impeded.  The large pipes that were brought in to carry the sand have been removed from the area as far south as Le Blanc, but there is a fenced area running parallel to the sea where vehicles are passing from one end of the project to the other, simply be cautious when passing between the fences on your way to the sea.  It is expected that the project will reach the Royal Sands this weekend or early next week.

Behind Plaza Forum Before

Behind Plaza Forum After

Current Work Behind The Aqua (Dec. 8/2009)

Tourists are eager for information about this project and while many are asking “when will the project be at my hotel?”, it’s really difficult to guess.  The project is moving quickly, but, as nature can impede the progress, it’s virtually impossible to say “your hotel will have sand” for a specific date.  It’s estimated that the project will be completed by February, definitely in time for spring break.

To give you another “before” photo and an idea of why this project is so necessary, here’s a look behind the Villas Marlin from around the Barcelo Tucancun.  In a very short while (probably less than a week), this beach will have a whole new look, I can’t wait to have the after photos for you!

Cancun Travel will continue to bring you Cancun beach recovery updates, stay tuned!  Don´t forget to follow us on Twitter and join us on Facebook for all the latest.

Things are looking up, way up for the beaches of Cancun.  The beach restoration project is in full swing and the sand is flying!  There are two dredgers working, currently bringing sand from a deposit off of Isla Mujeres called “La Ollita”, but plans suggest they will be switching to the Cozumel source by next week.  Using the sand from Cozumel had been causing controversies and delays in the project but the authorities have ruled that they can move ahead as planned.  As of today, they have covered approximately 700 meters of beach, from the Sunset Hotel up to Punta Cancun.  The area that is complete includes the beach behind the condos Bay View Grand, Carisa, Palma and Girasol, the public beaches at Chac Mool and Gaviotas, the area behind Playa Cabanas (the beach club at The City) and they are currently working behind the Krystal and over towards Dreams.  They should finish at Dreams this week and start working their way south.  The Cancun part of the project should take about three months to complete before they move on to Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.  When more specific scheduling details become available, we will be sure to share them with you.

I took a trip out to the beach this morning to check on the progress and my jaw literally dropped.  The only words coming out of my mouth were “WOW WOW WOW”.  I went to the same spots as exactly one week ago and the difference is spectacular.  Where once there were rocks, there is now a beautiful stretch of sand.  Behind the beach club at Playa Cabana, there was nothing last week, the water was crashing against the cement wall a few meters drop from the deck.  Now the sand stretches for about 80 meters and comes right to the top of the wall at the beach club.  It’s truly incredible what they have managed to accomplish in one week.  Here are a couple of before and after comparison shots for you……

Cancun Travel will continue to bring you updates on the progress of the beach recovery, with more photos and some videos to come.  Check out our Flickr Beach Recovery Cancun set for more pictures of this incredible project.  Don’t forget to join the Cancun Travel Facebook page, share your own photos and videos with us, we’d love to hear from you!