If you’re into sliming, you won’t want to miss my latest travel video. The Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya is an all-inclusive resort that opened in August 2021 in Mexico with 280 suites, just south of Cancun. It has great food, wonderful views and comfortable guest rooms. But the big draw here, of course, is the Nickelodeon theme, which you’ll notice as soon as you arrive in the hotel lobby — and the sliming is certainly one of the most exciting and visual parts of the Nickelodeon experience. The only way to truly appreciate it is to see a video, so that’s exactly what I’m sharing with you now.
Here are 6 reasons to be excited about the new Nickelodeon Riviera Maya Resort.
- 1. Aqua Nick, the giant water park. One of the biggest selling points of this new resort is Aqua Nick, the hotel’s six-acre water park and entertainment hub. Admission is included for hotel guests, and it’s an ideal setting for family vacations (eventually, the water park will supposedly be open to the general public, too, but they’ll have to pay admission — hotel guests don’t, and they get priority access).
There are sections in the water park that are appropriate for grownups and older kids and a separate section for younger kids, so you’ll find lots of water-based activities for grownups and children. And there’s also a long, lovely lazy river. There are also ways to indulge in some peace and quiet at the water park — I found an especially comfortable spot to relax at the water park: the VIP cabanas are spacious and furnished with couches, ceiling fans, televisions and mini fridges — and just a HINT of slime.
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2. Amazing travel photo opportunities. You’ll find lots of great photo opportunities around the park, with scenic vistas and colorful sculptures and decorations that feature characters from lots of Nickelodeon shows. One of the absolute must-do photo opportunities — especially for families with kids — takes place at Nick Bistro, one of the resort’s casual eateries. The daily character breakfast, which is included in the room rate, provides an opportunity for kids to meet and pose with variety of friendly Nickelodeon characters, while adults can enjoy a bountiful breakfast.
3. The daily sliming. The most exciting time of the day — and probably the best vacation photo and video opportunity — is, by far, the daily sliming that takes place at 1:30pm in the Aqua Nick water park. You’ll know the time is near when the park’s energetic and talented entertainment staff appears to dance, sing and build up the excitement for the big event.
While the original “slime” used on Nickelodeon’s TV shows was made from a variety of ingredients that would make cleanup a bit of a pain, you don’t need to worry if you wanna get slimed at the resort — this is basically just green-tinted water. But it’s every bit as exciting.
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4. The tasty and diverse cuisine. There are six different restaurants at the resort, each with unique décor and menus; there’s no need to worry about pleasing the palates of fussy children, as they’ll find as much to love as the grownups. I enjoyed everything from hamburgers at Good Burger to calzones to Mexican food and a diverse and expansive buffet at the Nick Bistro, inside the water park. In addition, some restaurants stage live entertainment in the evenings. (Speaking of entertainment, there’s also a large nightclub that by day is a quiet place to hang out and by night hosts lively gatherings.)
5. Colorful Nick-themed souvenirs. Nickelodeon is a very visual brand, with dozens of memorable characters and habitats that people love. If you’re in need of some Nickelodeon-style souvenirs, this is the place. There’s a 6,000-square-foot store at the water park that’s chock full of possibilities, as well as additional gift shops in the hotel section.
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6. The glorious swim-up accommodations. The guest rooms tie in with the Nickelodeon theme as much as any other part of the resort, and that makes staying here even more fun. While the hotel reception area is located in a building with multiple dining options, the guest rooms are in a separate building with its own concierge lounge and additional restaurants — and I was wowed by the visuals
The cool thing about this hotel is that every single room is a swim-up suite, complete with two bathrooms and space for at least five guests (this place is designed for family travel, after all, so you need room to spread out if you’re taking a multi-generation family vacation in Mexico).
If you really want to be wowed, take a look at the signature suites, each of which has a different theme centered around Nickelodeon programming. Each signature suite has a living/dining room and two bedrooms, as well as a 710-square-foot balcony with private infinity plunge pool. But one of the coolest aspects of the signature suites is the Interactive Room, a multimedia lounge space on the balcony where you can hang out, watch TV, enjoy the view and … well .. interact.
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The Lair Suite, for example, is all about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and comes furnished with a video arcade game and lots of Ninja cool vibes and décor elements (you’ve really got to watch the video to get the full effect).
Another of my favorites is the Pineapple Suite, which has all the retro-funky-cool style of SpongeBob Squarepants and his underwater home. The Interactive Room here is in the form of a gigantic pineapple hut on the balcony, complete with a TV, couch and a large sculpture of Gary the snail to keep you company. The two bedrooms in the Pineapple Suite are spacious and have colorful décor.
In the hotel video tour, I also show two categories of standard suites — including the Swim-Up Oceanfront Queen Suites, which have two queen-size beds and a living area with a pull-out sofa bed, and my own room, a Penthouse Swim-Up Oceanfront King Suite. All of these suites are well equipped for groups of friends and families and have swim-up features — even on the upper floors, which seems to be quite a feat of design and engineering.
With its vibrant decor, lively character interactions, great photo opportunities and giant water park, the new Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya is sure to please family members of all ages (you can read more about the hotel in my full hotel review inTravelAge West).
I’m a travel writer, travel blogger and Mexico travel specialist, and I love sharing travel tips to make your next vacation or business trip better. Please feel free to share your comments, experiences and questions about Mexico travel and Latin America travel and vacations!
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