Last month, I competed in my first official triathlon! I love to work out, but I’m not usually drawn to a lot of long-distance cardiovascular exercise, I prefer weight-training. Last year, Tip and I did the Salem River to Ridge relay, which is not an official triathlon, but instead of the swimming piece, it’s a kayak. I’ve been talking about doing a triathlon just for the heck of it, for awhile now, so when the opportunity arose to participate in Hacienda Tres Rios annual triathlon, I jumped on it! And although the triathlon was coming up soon, I had a month to prepare for it. Being able to compete in my first triathlon and enjoy the amazing eco-friendly hotel of Hacienda Tres Rios was an added bonus.
Hacienda Tres Rios
Hacienda Tres Rios is a gorgeous hotel between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. Located in the Riviera Maya, only 45 min south of Cancun International Airport and 15 min from Playa del Carmen, Hacienda Tres Ríos combines luxury and excellence in service with a great respect for the Caribbean. It’s the only resort on the Yucatan Peninsula to contain natural rivers and consists of three ecosystems: lush jungle, mangrove forests, and coastal dune. Hacienda Tres Rios is a part of the Sunset World Resorts, which includes 4 total resorts in the Rivieria Maya. Not only is Hacienda Tres Rios all-inclusive, kid-friendly and has luxury service, it’s enviromentally responsible.
The hotel was built in such a way that it actually protects the environment more than it harms it. Before the hotel built, researchers spent multiple years studying the land, mangroves, and wildlife surrounding the area. The main building of the hotel is buit a few meters off the ground in order for the natural water flow and the animal migration patterns to go uninterrupted.
Hacienda Tres Ríos is the only hotel that boasts an exclusive 326-acre Nature Park with 3 natural rivers and 10 cenotes on property, with more than 120 species of plants and 131 species of animals. There is a plenty of snorkeling, kayaking and swimming right in the cenotes. There is also a garden where you can see all the plants that they grow right on the property. The cenote is really cool to explore when you have free time, just remember your bug spray!
Photo Credit: Hacienda Tres Rios
Amenities
Hacienda Tres Rios is on a private white-sand beach with a beachside bar, and 2 swimming pools, one is adults-only. There are six different restaurants, all with different flavors and 24 hour room service. There is an international buffet for all meals, with plenty of options, including a beach grill, Mexican, Asian, Italian, outdoor pizza oven, and a cafe. Because Tres Rios gets everything from their farm, Ethos, all the fruit and produce was insanely fresh. Every meal we had was delicious and the service was great the whole trip.
We had a gorgeous suite with a big patio, just steps to the beach restaurant and the pools. There are junior suites, one and two-bedroom suites, and family suites available. Hacienda Tres Rios is in a remote area, and is not close to any shopping or downtown, but for us we enjoyed that. If you want to go off the resort, it’s easy to organize a shuttle.
The Rio Selva is a real river that connects the Cenote Aguila to the Caribbean Sea. Its the perfect spot for some snorkeling, kayaking or even just floating. The river is covered with lush trees, and it’s incredible relaxing. There are many different acitivites that occur daily on the resort, including yoga, fitness classes, dancing, aqua classes, meditation, spanish classes and more. You can also sign up for tours including kayak, snorkeling, bike and even a segway tour through the property.
Ethos Farm
Our favorite part of Hacienda Tres Rios was being able to visit their eco-friendly farm, Ethos. Ethos is a farm in the Mayan Jungle, where fruit, vegetables, exotic flowers and honey are grown and produced. This is where the Sunset Resort hotels get all their produce and flowers. The honey that they grow is used in the hair and skin products in the hotel rooms and the spa. Sunset Hotel is the first hotel chain in southeastern Mexico to produce their own organic materials. The farm has created an innovative pumping system that uses solar panels, alternative energy, and wind turbines to help reduce carbon emissions. Ethos drives the local economy as they provide tons of jobs to the Mayan community.
** There are gorgeous flowers set up all over the hotel at Hacienda Tres Rios, which we later found out were all grown at Ethos **
Hacienda Tres Rios is in the process of making an immersive farm-to-table experience, where the guests can go and experience the farm for themselves. We were lucky enough to be able to go and visit the property, and see where the hotel gets everything from. They have done an awesome job with Ethos, and to be able to have all the resources to keep these hotels sustainable is amazing. It will be awesome when guests are able to experience it for themselves.
The Triathlon
This was the fifth consecutive year that Hacienda Tres Rios has put on this triathlon at the resort. The great thing about the triathlon at Hacienda is its for ages 6 and up! There were so many different age racers, it was incredibly inspiring. Ages 6-16 had a shortened course, which varied by age. For the sprint part of the race, the course works its way throughout the resort. The triathlon begins on the beach of the resort, swimming out and around the pier, and up the cenote, for a total of 750 meters. Then you run to the transition area, get your bike gear, and head out to the main road that goes from Cancun to Tulum, for 3 full laps for 20 kilometers, and back into the transition area. From there you’ll run through the resort for 5 kilometers to the finish line.
Pre-race jitters!
The triathlon has become one of the most popular events in the region. There were a total of over 400 triathletes competing, coming from all over Mexico. We saw lots of families competing together, which was so cool to see! Since this was my first triathlon, I really had no idea what to expect, and was just winging it a little on transitions, but the race was very well put together.
Hacienda Tres Rios is the perfect combination of relaxing, sustainability, wellbeing and health. With lots of activities around the resort, for all ages, Hacienda is a great wellness getaway. Besides the triathlon, we also did some kayaking, snorkeling, yoga, got a massage, and come back so relaxed! With the delicious farm to table food, and the amazing food, we really enjoyed ourselves. Plus now that I’ve got one triathlon under my belt, I’ll have to go back again next year to compete again!
Watch the full video of the triathlon:
For luxury, adventure, and sustainability, Hacienda Tres Rios has it all. Click here for more information on the hotel and sustainability here. Also check out the reviews of the hotel.
Thanks to Hacienda Tres Rios and Sunset World for inviting us down! As always, all opinions are our own.
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Wow nice photos of rio and the triathlon.