🌴 Mexico Approves Dengue Vaccine for Children

🌴 Buenos días from paradise! Sunscreen officially required. If you have been out for your morning walk, you already know. Grab a coffee and let’s get into what’s happening across the Riviera Maya before the midday heat kicks in.

In today’s email you will find:

Plus the Live Music Line Up for this week and our updated Events Calendar. All this and more brought to you with support from our Featured Sponsor Timeless Beauty.

For the very best newsletter experience, choose the option above to Read Online.

— Michele Kinnon

When people hear the word Botox, they often imagine frozen expressions or dramatic changes. In reality, modern aesthetic medicine takes a far more thoughtful approach.

Botox has been used safely in medicine for more than two decades and remains one of the most studied treatments in aesthetic care. When performed by an experienced physician, it doesn’t freeze the face. Instead, it gently relaxes specific muscles responsible for expression lines. The goal is simple: subtle refinement.

Done well, Botox can help create:

✧ Softer expression lines
✧ A rested, refreshed appearance
✧ Balanced facial movement
✧ Natural-looking results that still feel like you

Another benefit many people don’t realize is that Botox can also be preventive, helping slow the development of deeper wrinkles over time. Results typically begin to appear within three to seven days and last about three to four months.

At Timeless Beauty, Dr. Luigi Palermo is sought after for his precise, anatomy-based approach to aesthetic medicine. His philosophy is simple: enhance natural beauty, never alter it. Ask for a personal consultation in Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras or Tulum.

📅 Book your consultation online
📲 Contact via WhatsApp
📧 Contact via email [email protected]

📸 Last week’s photo was a tough one! A couple of people worked out that it was taken on the “wild side” of Cozumel but only Brian B. and Robin P. recognized it as Welcome to Miami Beach Bar. Well spotted!

Where am I today? This one should be easy! Reply back with your best guess. Be the first reader to guess correctly and look for your name in next week’s newsletter! If you are reading online, pop me a quick email!

🏗 Mamitas Mega-Project? Not So Fast.
Playa del Carmen officials say they have not received any construction permit applications for the proposed high-rise development rumored for the former Mamitas Beach Club site. While marketing materials for Zonna, a seven-story beachfront mega-development, are circulating, both municipal authorities and Mayor Estefanía Mercado confirm no formal paperwork has been submitted. Any oceanfront project must first pass federal environmental review through Semarnat before reaching the city. Read more

🏖️ Tecate Helps Bring Free Beach Access to Tulum
In a country where beaches are public by law, actually reaching them isn’t always easy. A new initiative called Acceso Playa Tecate is working to change that, starting in Tulum. Tecate has coordinated with two hotel properties, Coco Unlimited and Villa Las Estrellas, to allow free public entry without requiring food or drink purchases. The project also includes recycling stations and a focus on responsible beach use. Read more

🦟 Mexico Approves New Dengue Vaccine for Children
Mexico’s health regulator has approved Qdenga, a new dengue vaccine recommended for children ages 6 to 16 in high-transmission areas. The two-dose vaccine protects against all four dengue serotypes and is already in use in more than 40 countries, including several across Latin America. Unlike earlier vaccines, it can be administered regardless of prior dengue infection. Read more

🍽️ Grupo Anderson’s Earns Five National Nominations
Cancún-based Grupo Anderson’s has secured five nominations in the 2026 edition of Los 100 Imperdibles de México, recognizing several of its flagship restaurants. The honors spotlight Fred’s, Harry’s (Cancún and Cabo), Ilios Cabo, and Bodega Argentina Cancún for their role in elevating Mexico’s high-end culinary tourism scene. The annual awards celebrate standout destinations and experiences across the country, with this year’s ceremony set for March 26 in Tequila, Jalisco. Read more

🚗 Rally Maya 2026 Rolls Through With Charity and Classic Cars
The 12th edition of Rally Maya México wrapped up in Puerto Morelos after crossing four states and more than 14,000 cumulative kilometers over its history. This year’s classic car precision rally once again blended vintage automotive culture with philanthropy, delivering wheelchairs and bicycles to local residents through partnerships with the Telmex-Telcel and Alejo Peralta foundations. Beyond the spectacle of beautifully restored vehicles, the event generated tourism promotion and economic impact for host communities. Read more

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If you’re looking for a reason to plan a late-March getaway — or simply something different to do while you’re here — the Puerto Aventuras International Film Festival is set for March 25 – 29, and it’s quietly becoming one of the Riviera Maya’s most unique cultural events.

This isn’t a red-carpet-only affair. It’s five days of independent cinema woven right into marina life. Filmmakers mingle in local cafés. Conversations spill out after screenings. And yes, golf carts line up at the Par 3 Driving Range for a drive-in movie night under the stars.

This year’s lineup is impressively global: 77+ projects from 28 countries, including 18 feature films and 52 shorts. Themes range from migration and identity to environment and personal transformation, the kind of films you think about long after the credits roll.

Screenings take place at venues across Puerto Aventuras wrapping up on Sunday night with a spectacular Red Carpet Gala and Live Awards Ceremony at Dreams Resort.

👉 Click here for the full schedule, highlights, and ticket details.

If you’ve been looking for a penthouse in Playa that gives you space to entertain and a location you can actually enjoy on foot, this one deserves a closer look. Located just a short stroll from the beach and a few blocks from 5th Avenue, this 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath penthouse sits in one of Playa del Carmen’s most walkable neighborhoods. Restaurants, shops, and nightlife are all right outside your door, making it equally appealing as a personal getaway or a high-demand vacation rental.

Inside, the condo is bright and open, with a comfortable layout designed for easy living. The kitchen features a breakfast bar and flows naturally into the living and dining areas, which open onto a covered balcony that brings in great light and breezes. The primary bedroom has its own en suite bath, plenty of closet space, and access to a generous wraparound balcony.

The real highlight here is the private rooftop terrace. With sweeping city views and plenty of room for seating, dining, entertaining and lounging in your private pool. It’s the kind of space that turns a condo into something really special.

The complex itself is beautifully maintained, with tropical gardens, a community pool, fitness center, elevator access, secure underground parking, and 24-hour security. This penthouse offers a rare combination of lifestyle, convenience, and rental potential in the heart of Playa.

👉 See more photos and full listing details here.

If you’ve lived here long enough, you’ve heard the terms El Niño and La Niña tossed around in local weather reports every spring like we all took meteorology in school. Most of us didn’t. So let me make it simple.

Both are part of something called the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a natural climate cycle tied to water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. In the simplest terms: when Pacific waters cool, we’re in La Niña. When they warm, it’s El Niño. That temperature shift causes wind patterns to change across the globe, including here on the Riviera Maya.

La Niña is the cycle we’ve just come out of. It typically brings slightly cooler nights, like the ones we experienced in February, and is often linked to more frequent tropical systems in the Atlantic basin.

El Niño tends to flip the script. It brings hotter-than-normal temperatures, longer dry spells, stressed vegetation, and a higher wildfire risk across the Peninsula. It also usually suppresses hurricane activity because stronger upper-level winds can tear developing storms apart before they strengthen.

That said, when rain does arrive during an El Niño pattern, it can be intense and fast-moving, increasing the risk of localized flooding, especially after drought conditions harden the soil.

We are now heading into El Niño, which is why forecasters are cautiously predicting this upcoming hurricane season will be “relatively quiet.”

But quiet doesn’t mean harmless. It only takes one storm to change everything.

This is the Mexican Caribbean, and we prepare even in “quiet” years. I’ll be sharing practical hurricane prep tips as the season approaches.

Last year, Global Dental Relief treated more than 700 patients during a five-day clinic in Akumal, providing essential dental care to children who otherwise might go years without seeing a dentist. They’re coming back again this year and they need our help.

From March 30 through April 3, volunteer dentists will once again set up a temporary clinic at the Akumal Community Center, offering free exams, cleanings, fillings, fluoride varnish, and extractions. No appointment is needed.

What we need now is help identifying children who could benefit. This year, the challenge is greater as the clinic falls during the semana santa break when the children are out of school.

Do you know a community school, enrichment group, or individual child who has limited access to dental care? Can you help coordinate transportation? This clinic can only help the children who make it through the door.

If you can help connect children to this clinic, please reach out for more information.

📞 English Contact: Julia Buttermore DMD – +1 606 273 1199
📞 Spanish Contact: Alina Herrera – 984 202 4691

Dental pain affects sleep, learning, nutrition, and confidence. A simple filling or extraction can change a child’s daily life.

Please share this with teachers, community leaders, and families who may need it. Let’s help fill those chairs.

Here are just handful of upcoming events that you will not want to miss and might need to plan and purchase tickets for in advance. This is just just a small selection, curated from our main list, which you can access by clicking HERE or on the link below.

March 13 | Music Poker Mexico at Buzos (Playa del Carmen)
A high-energy mashup of music trivia, Name That Tune, bingo-style play, and poker hands. Three fast-paced games with prizes, sing-alongs, and more. No poker skills required. Game starts at 5 PM. Arrive early to grab your seat.

March 14 | Book Signing with Michael A. Maurus (Puerto Morelos)
An informal meet-and-greet and signing for Whispers from Mother Nature at Alma Libre Bookstore. Stop by to get your copy signed and chat with the author from 12 PM –2 PM. More info here

March 15 | Enjoy the Jungle III Charity Race (Playa del Carmen)
A 5K and 10K charity race that takes runners along the edge of Playa del Carmen where the city meets the jungle. Enjoy a scenic route through preserved paths while supporting youth sports training and environmental awareness. Registration online

March 15 | Taco Festival (Puerto Morelos)
An afternoon and evening dedicated to Mexico’s favorite street food at Parque Fundadores. Local vendors will serve up a wide variety of tacos in a festive, family-friendly atmosphere from 4 PM –11 PM.

To access the full list of Riviera Maya events and happenings and the Live Music Lineup for this week, click on the links below!

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Thanks for reading Riviera Maya Insider! Let’s chat again next Tuesday!

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