There are some Mexican resort that, if they were in some country between there and Chile, would be one of the main draws. In Mexico, however, there are so many terrific resorts that it’s easy for even a great one to exist so far below the radar that it’s almost a secret.

Sure, Grand Bay Isla Navidad gets a shout-out in U.S. and Canadian travel magazines sometimes, partly because it’s next to a 27-hole golf course, but it probably gets 1/10th the press of places in Los Cabos or Cancun. There’s a good reason for that. The closest city, Manzanillo, isn’t exactly a big airline hub and there are just a few international flights. Sure, you can fly into Puerto Vallarta instead, but then you’ve got three hours or so of driving to get here, on a road that’s often not all that scenic.

So many of Grand Bay’s guests get here another way: by coming in on their own yacht or driving over from Guadalajara. Should you find yourself in Guadalajara, this would be a fine beach break indeed. It’s in a terrific setting on a calm bay, across from a funky town called Barra de Navidad, which you can reach on a 10-peso water taxi. Great food, a terrific pool complex, and plenty to keep you busy should you want to be.

See our full review of Isla Navidad Grand Bay Hotel.

I’m currently at the Wyndham Grand Bay Resort at Isla Navidad, a hotel in the Costalegre region of Pacific Mexico, north of Manzanillo. I’ve been meaning to get here for a while, but finally the stars aligned. Later I’ll give you the full rundown on the rooms, facilities, restaurants, marina, and golf course. But for now, here’s a video tour of the impressive swimming pool complex. Enjoy!

....(Your editor researching in Punta Mita)

The April 2012 issue of Condé Nast Traveler has another reader’s poll, this time highlighting golf resorts. Six of the 20 in the International category are in Latin America.

They’re all familiar names to Luxury Latin America readers and you can follow the links to see our detailed, professional reviews.

One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico

Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico

Esperanza, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort, Cancun (not a luxury property)

Fairmont Acapulco Princess, Mexico

Keep in mind that these readers’ polls get distorted by lots of factors, including which places are already the most popular and who’s doing the best job at mobilizing their staffers to engage in ballot stuffing. So you’ll seldom see lesser-known gems like Tamarindo in Costalegre or a golf resort in Guatemala, of all places. You’ll have to discover those on your own.

Here are some other golf round-ups of ours to check out for ideas:

Golf Courses of Los Cabos

Golf in Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit

Golf Communities Sprout in La Paz, Baja Mexico

This whole Maya 2012 thing could be the greatest marketing coup ever built around a predicted end of the world. Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala are getting a great swell of publicity and visitors. We know deep down that there’s a 99.9 percent chance we’ll all scoot into 2013 just fine, but there’s that nagging little bit of doubt because, unlike religious nutjobs making these predictions all the time, we kind of trust the Mayans. They figured out a lot of science, match, and astronomy before anyone else.

Maroma Resort & Spa, on the Riviera Maya coast of Mexico, wants you to forget all that and relax. Appreciate the culture and history yes, but relax. They’re offering up a special menu of experiences through the rest of the year.

Four Elements Dinner – Created using 100% traditional Mayan culinary techniques and ingredients, this four course meal is served under the stars and on the beach in front of Maroma Resort & Spa’s Temazcal, a sacred and important area according to Maya culture. You eat ceviche (water), tamales (fire), native vegetables (earth), and fruits from the trees (air).

Mayan Spa Experiences – In Maroma’s Kinan Spa has launched four new treatments to honour its natural surroundings. These can be combined with a traditional Mayan Temazcal, a ritualistic treatment which weaves together ancient traditions to leave an overall feeling of cleanliness, calm and inner peace. Once again the four treatments are centered on the four elements, from an earthy foot treatment to a “Mayan Cycle of Water” treatment utilizing the spa’s pools.

Cultural Experiences – Guests are encouraged to visit the great cities of Chichen Itza and Coba, but these are not just quickie sightseeing tours. There are opportunities to visit local villages, join in cooking traditional dishes, or visiting local craftsmen using a traditional kiln for pottery making.

Visit Maroma Resort’s website to get more information or to make a reservation. Follow this link to see our full review of Maroma in the Riviera Maya.

Experience the world of Orient-Express – a collection of hotels, trains, cruises and restaurants. Find out more and book online

It’s hard to keep up with all the name changes at hotels across a region, even when you’re covering the industry on a regular basis. So in case you had your eye on any of these for a future booking, here’s a heads up that they’ve put up a new sign on the entrance.

The Tides Riviera Maya is now the Viceroy Riviera Maya. It’s the same company, but despite this resort being by the tides of the ocean, the company considers this an upgrade to a more luxurious name following renovations. The biggest changes are an additional restaurant, a fitness center with a view, and “11 new luxury villas with plunge pools, including the resort’s first beachfront and ocean-view villas.” We hope to get one of our writers back in there soon to do an updated review.

The Marquis Hotel in Los Cabos is switching over to Secrets Marquis Los Cabos. For now both websites are still active and taking bookings, but since the previous incarnation was an a-la-carte resort and the Secrets chain is all-inclusive, you may be able to have it either way for a while. Considering how expensive food is in the Los Cabos region and how far you’d have to go to get to another restaurant on that hotel corridor, I’d go for the Secrets plan. But either way, do this one over the phone to be sure of what you’re getting.

Machaca Hill in Southern Belize has changed its name to Belcampo Lodge (pictured at the top) and dropped the safari-style all-inclusive plan that made it such a unique experience. This may not make a difference since the amount of food laid out before was on the excessive side and you do still get a full breakfast to start your day of exploring. Plus recessionary times call for adjustments. We’ll see though what the management shuffle and rate plan change means to overall service.