Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun – 10 Things You’ll Love

Recently my children and I went to Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun, and to say it was an ‘amazing trip’ is greatly understated.

You could call this trip a group vacation or reunion, and in that definition: ‘simply a fabulous location to come together and celebrate’. You see, myself and my kids have friends on the other side of Canada, whom we see in person on a regular basis, though it never seems often enough. The Mother is fellow blogger Julie, and both herself and two daughters have very much proven themselves to be our family.

The overcoming need to see these fine people again combined with the desire to take a vacation to a warm and tropical location, were two motivating factors on why my daughters and I travelled to beautiful Mexico and stayed at the Now Sapphire All-Inclusive resort in Riviera Cancun for the week.

A group of people standing next to a palm tree

Upon return, we’re left with countless treasured and blessed memories. We will always recall that time we had much smiles and laughter, and for days on end. Indeed this time with another family was just as wonderful as we had hoped it would be. Yet the resort we stayed at was a key player in making our Canadian reunion in Mexico a success.

Now that we are back, and aside from knowing that this simply must be a tradition from now on, I have many thoughts on where we stayed and how it played in our most-fantastic vacation.

After all, I wouldn’t be doing my travel blogger due diligence if I didn’t fully voice the details to my readers and the world. So, if you are looking to have your own vacation or reunion in the Riviera Cancun area, this post is for you.

 

Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun – 10 Things You’ll Love

 

Location & Size

When travelling from Western Canada, direct sunny vacation options seem to be limited for us, yet they are highly sought after. While connecting all over the place is sometimes necessary to see certain destinations, there is something beautiful about jumping on a plane and landing directly in paradise without sacrificing any precious vacation time. That is one reason why I love the Cancun and Mayan Riviera location.

Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun Travel Review

The Now Sapphire resort is a quick 20-minute drive from the Cancun airport, which fits perfectly with ‘get there quickly and enjoy sooner’ opinion. This resort is stand-alone, meaning there isn’t multiple resorts within a resort. It’s smaller compared to many, but packs a bunch in what vacationers need.

A group of palm trees next to a body of water

The perfect size of Now Sapphire allows you to not waste time when travelling from room to pool, room to dinner, lobby to beach. Everything is a short walk, and all amenities are laid out simply perfectly. Restaurants in one area, accommodations in another, lobby and pool are central. Really, it’s a smart layout designed to improve the stay experience.
 
Preferred Club

In part with our partnership with Now Resorts, our families were offered Preferred Club status. The privileges associated with this status include: personalized check-in and checkout with concierge service, use of luxury sun beds at the pool with reservation, upgraded mini-bar {with chocolate and chips once per stay}, a fantastic preferred club lounge that always has food and drink, daily continental breakfast service, complimentary computer access and complimentary access to hydrotherapy circuit {20 minutes – per person, per stay}.

Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun Pool

After having stayed at this resort with Preferred Club status I’d have to say the best perk is the room itself – the Preferred Club Jr Suite Ocean Front. Each suite has a gorgeous ocean view with a whirlpool on balcony.

From my morning coffee overlooking the water with the nice breeze, to the tub which is great for kids and adults – I simply loved this room category.

The location of our suite alone is well worth it, since it was the first building next to the main pool, and closest to the lobby and restaurant areas, and directly across the path is kids club. Talk about convenience!

Now Sapphire Preferred Club Jr Suite Ocean Front

Another perk of Preferred Club is access to Bluewater Grill for breakfast. Guests have their buffet breakfast options, yet this addition allows choice for a menu breakfast in an air conditioned restaurant.

Now Sapphire Preferred Club Jr Suite Ocean Front

Preferred guests also have their own adults-only pool, which is a quiet and peaceful refuge tucked away near the spa.
 
Service

Having been to many all-inclusive resorts in the past, I can say with confidence that overall service at Now Sapphire is top-notch. From welcome to departure, each and every staff member went the mile to make sure all guests had no worries. Examples could very well be an article in itself, as it was almost a ‘you think it, you got it’ experience.

Now Sapphire Service

This resort is no-bracelet, which was a pleasant surprise. Not only is it nice to not have to wear one, but in reality, it simply means everyone is treated the same without a flashy band dictating how much you vested.

Yet we were staying in preferred club, so when offered booking for a day bed one day I asked about this and how they knew. ‘We just know’ was the answer. Then I started to notice how staff members knew everyones name, right down to their habits and preferences even after one day. Guys, they just pay attention, because attention matters!
 
Entertainment Staff

Most will know the norm when it comes to entertainment staff at an all-inclusive resort. Games, music, dancing, pool sports … it’s pretty much standard. Nope! Myself and Julie were amazed at how lively and friendly the entertainment staff at this resort was. You could tell they were a perfect team, and had fun with their jobs. Never have I ever seen so much active participation from guests before, whether it was an afternoon game, aqua-aerobics or pool volleyball.

Usually you have a small group participating among many people doing their own thing, but in this case, it seemed everyone was involved in some way. Everyone. I truly have never seen everyone in a resort main pool, all have their attention on a passionate game of musical chairs before. These entertainment staff have a true knack for their jobs, and this directly crosses over to guest experience and makes a huge impact.
 
Kids and Teens Club

I shared a story on Instagram regarding one particular kids club staff members at Now Sapphire.

View this post on Instagram

We’ve experienced the most amazing service from #nowsapphire staff – above and beyond, actually. They sure know how to pick those whom are here to assist, represent and help make vacations incredible. Case and point? MEET CINDY!! We first met Cindy in 2013 at another all-inclusive resort here in #rivieramaya (swipe for photo). She is a kids club extraordinaire, and way back she won the hearts of my kids. In fact, they spent so much time with her, it blew my mind. Keep in mind we’re a very much travelling family, so when something sticks out, it’s for reason. we’ve kept in contact with Cindy through the years and when we found out we were coming to the very resort she now wows families at – we were all very excited. This was one huge happy reunion! You’ve got a gem in Cindy @nowresorts #GoNowSapphire #mexico #resort #nowresorts #nowsapphire

A post shared by TAMMI ???? (@mychaos) on

While we adore Cindy for particular reasons, the other kids club ladies I met genuinely care about their jobs as well, and very much take on that Mother-role with children. So very nice to see. Really, the excellent staff at this resort stems from job to job to job.

My oldest, whom I had thought had outgrown the ‘joiner stage’, joined in a lot! She played pool volleyball almost daily, met new friends from around the world while swimming in the main pool, and in the evening they coordinated to meet for some games of pool at the teen club.

Now Sapphire Teen Club

I do think she’ll have forever friends bonded over a fantastic location, and great amenities.
 
Pools and Beach

In true fashion, I spent most of my time at this resort, at the main pool. It is a generous size, of course with swim-up bar and in-water loungers as well as many mats for guests. There’s plenty of options for seating whether right in the action, or a quieter place, to closer to the ocean area.

While I can’t say I’ve met a pool I didn’t like, what I do love about this particular one is the size, the service and the location within the resort. I guess it’s just the full-experience that will make the vacation.

A person in a pool of water

As you might know, currently the entire coast is being affected by an influx of seaweed. Ecological explanations as to why this is happening aside, this means that it might be a bit of a hinder to those that are ocean-dwellers on their vacation. We didn’t spend as much time on the beach as we usually do, yet it is what it is.

Despite this, it’s a fact that resort staff are out there cleaning all the time {and I mean, all the time}, and that’s about all they can do. Keep in mind, if you go into the ocean far enough, you do get past the bulk of the seaweed. Now Sapphire offers complimentary non-motorized sports and we spent some time kayaking which was excellent. The point it, don’t let mother nature ruin your time. The sand is still white and soft, the beach palapas offer shade to enjoy your book, so try and get out there and make the most.

A couple of people that are standing in the sand on a beach

It only goes without saying, that because of the seaweed, less people are spending their time at the beach and in the water. So of course resort pools will be busier as a result. Now Sapphire has plenty of seating around the pool, and will assist anyone looking for a seat.

There has been comments online that guests reserve tons of chairs at sunrise then leave for hours, leaving many whom don’t wake with then sun, without. Staff do warn that any belongings saved at unattended chairs will be removed because simply, this is not fair. And, I watched them do it many times, which I think is a good compromise.
 
Food

Oy, the food! This resort truly does not lack in the food department whether it’s 24/7 room service, restaurants, or special events. I could truly go on forever about the dining, but perhaps just the highlights will do.

Now Sapphire Mexican Night

Being an Albertan, you know I’m picky about my steak. The steak at this resort was impressive, along with the sides and presentation. I’d suggest to try it all, go with favourites and try something new, I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Now Sapphire Resort Food

The Bluewater grill was excellent each time we dined there, once for a nice steak and seafood dinner and the other for a lunch. We had a great authentic and tasty Mexican dinner one night at Fresco, which was a special treat because of a wedding reception on the patio nearby. On this night we dined, we drank, and we ended up celebrating with strangers-made-friends with dancing and singing! Your vacation is what you make it, folks!

Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun Fresco Restaurant

On one evening, we Hibachi dined at Lemongrass, which was a fabulous dinner theatre and great food mixed into one experience. This is the only restaurant where you have to make a reservation, and you simply must!

Now sapphire resort hibachi restaurant
 
App

Now Sapphire {and all Now Resorts properties}, has one amenity that I’ve seen at no other resort and that is an App! It’s a great addition, and came in handy a lot.

Now Resorts App

On this app you can check the weather, make reservations, or send a message for pretty much anything required. One day while sitting at the pool, I realized that I forgot to order extra pillows before I left the room. My poolside beverage, the incredible sun, and general laziness made me torn on whether to go back to the room and make a call. Then I remembered the app! Once quick message sent, and done! I used their app often on this trip, and for many varying reasons. It’s one step above and beyond that very much made this vacation.
 
Spa

Needing some extra TLC on your vacation? Now Sapphire has a wonderful spa offering many services from massages to a salon, pedicures to Temazcal. We did the Hydrotherapy one day, which is a circuit from hot to cold waters, which was invigorating and with many health benefits.

Resort and Spa

We also tried the Fish Treatment, which was an experience that I cant’ say I’d had anywhere else. It’s saved on my Instastories, as with all my other mentions from the trip.

Now Sapphire Oceanfront suite

Make sure to check out the #GoNowSapphire hashtag on Instagram and Twitter, and re-live our trip and learn more about this fine resort option!

 
As with all of my travel articles, if you have any questions about current Mexico-travel or Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun – ask away!

 

 

Disclosure – This is a sponsored post with thanks to Now Resorts and Now Sapphire for
making our 2018 tropical reunion simply the best! As always, all opinions are our own.

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16 Comments

  1. Oh my gosh that place looks gorgeous! I would LOVE to go there with my family! It looks like you all had such a great time!

  2. Cancun is on our bucket list. It’s so beautiful and we’ve heard so many great things. It looks like you had a lot of fun.

  3. My daughter and I will take our first trip to Mexico next year.I have been researching places to go and want to thank you for this review. Looks like a wonderful place.

  4. Oh wow such a great post, everything sounds absolutely amazing, from the rooms to the food, everything looks so clean and tidy as well, great place to visit!

  5. It looks like a fabulous place to stay. I love the look of the pool and the food looks amazing.

  6. NOW Sapphire is truly a gem! You did an awesome job describing it! A can’t imagine anyone not falling in love with the people at NOW Sapphire! Heading back in December with my family! Happy Travels all!

  7. Looks like you guys had an amazing time, beautiful and fun pictures, amazing memories!

  8. Everything is so beautiful and the food looks delicious,thanks for sharing your lovely photos!

  9. It’s been storm after storm since Fall arrived a place like this is looking better everyday!

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