Perhaps you like Nora Roberts, Philippa Gregory, Ann Tyler, Anita Shreve and Margaret Atwood or always choose the latest James Patterson, David Baldacci or Tom Clancy novels. Whether you bring books by Ian McEwan, A.S. Byatt and Hilary Mantel, decide to reread the classics or are hooked on the escapades of one “traditionally built” lady detective from Botswana, recently the subject of a HBO series, the beach is the place to drift off and set your imagination free. Even if you have your own favorite authors, here are some more ideas.

The Color by Rose Tremain. Gold casts its fatal spell in this tale of 19th-century prospectors in New Zealand.

Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann. Two stories of love and loss and a journey of discovery.

Pompeii by Robert Harris. A tale of love and adventure in the famous Roman city doomed to destruction by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson. An American writer travels through the United Kingdom and this is his funny and affectionate look at the island and its people.

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh. A rich saga of 19th-century India at the time of the Opium Wars. A ship sets sail for Mauritius with a motley crew of sailors, coolies and convicts, including a bankrupt Raja, a widowed opium farmer and a French runaway.

Suite Française by Irene Némirovsky. A moving insight into human frailties, nobility, vanity, courage, love and hope. The story of a group of French citizens fleeing the Nazi invasion and of a community as it endures occupation. Tragically, the author perished in Auschwitz in 1942.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. A story of remarkable women in the South, a girl’s search for truth and how she finds a family.

If you do happen to run out of books during your vacation, there are two secondhand bookstores in the Cancun area with a good selection of English language titles: Needful Things, Coba Ave., Downtown Cancun and the Alma Libre Bookstore on the main square in Puerto Morelos. Finally, the Royal Resorts all have shelves in the lobby where you can leave the books you have finished and exchange them for others. Why not let us know about some of your favorite beach books?

Mangolele

½oz vodka
1oz white rum
½oz melon liqueur
1oz Kahlua
1½oz orange juice
2oz mango
¼oz grenadine

Place all ingredients in a blender, serve with ice; garnish glass with melon pearls and orange slices.

Caribbean Breeze

1oz melon liqueur
½oz banana liqueur
½oz coconut cream
2oz pineapple juice
2oz orange juice

Place all ingredients in a blender, serve with ice; garnish glass with melon pearls and orange slices.

Creamy Bean Soup
A longtime Royal favorite!

1 kg black beans
5 liters of water
6 leaves of epazote (Mexican herb)
Half a white onion
5oz lard
2½oz garlic
2oz chicken stock powder
¼ gallon of chicken stock

Bring the water to the boil, add the beans (you can soak them previously overnight in water to remove any impurities, make sure that they are clean of any grit or husks), onion and four epazote leaves and simmer until the beans are cooked. In another pan add the lard, the two remaining epazote leaves and the finely chopped garlic and lightly fry. Add to the beans and blend; finally add the chicken stock powder and consommé. Bring to the boil and stir constantly until thoroughly blended.

Note: If you cannot find epazote, you can use chopped cilantro instead - just add more. This soup can be served with a topping of crispy tortilla strips and crumbled cheese or a drizzle of cream.

Black Bean Salsa
A variation on the popular black bean salsa served at some of the Royal restaurants.

130g/4½oz black beans soaked overnight in water to cover
2 serrano chilies (or to taste)
1 red onion
1-2 tomatoes
Grated rind and juice of one lime
2 tbsp Mexican beer (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil
Small bunch of coriander chopped
Salt

Drain the beans and put them in a large saucepan. Pour in water to cover and place the lid on. Bring to the boil, lower the heat slightly and simmer the beans for about 40 minutes or until tender. They should still have some bite and should not have begun to break up. Drain, rinse under cold water, drain again and leave to cool. Chop up the chilies finely and remove the seeds. Always handle chilies with care, wear gloves, avoid touching your face and eyes and wash your hands thoroughly.  Chop up the onion and tomato finely. Place the beans in a bowl; add the onion, tomato and chili. Stir in the lime rind and juice, beer, oil and coriander. Season with salt and mix well. Chill before serving.

Celebrate your love with a romantic night out at one of the Royal Resorts restaurants. El Conquistador, Captain’s Cove and Hacienda Sisal are all offering special menus and Los Murales, the new restaurant at The Royal Haciendas is an enchanting setting for a unforgettable evening.
And for something really special, how about dining by candlelight on the beach? Enjoy a tempting menu; feel the sand between your toes and let the sound of the waves and the glimmer of the stars cast their spell. The Royal Sands, The Royal Mayan, The Royal Islander and La Palapa del Sol at The Royal Haciendas are offering Valentine’s Day Dinners on the beach with a set menu and live music. For more information on Valentine’s Day dining choices at Royal Resorts and reservations, you can contact restaurants@royalresorts.com or call the Restaurant Reservations Center at Ext. 165 upon arrival at your resort.
Of course, a Romantic Dinner on the beach can be arranged all year round at your resort and for any special occasion, whether it be an anniversary, birthday, an engagement or just because…In fact, we will shortly be hearing from one couple who celebrated their engagement with a Valentine’s Day dinner on the shores of the Caribbean.

Say the magic words “I love you” with flowers. You can order a variety of bouquets and floral arrangements from The Royal Market while you are staying at Royal Resorts, and why not pick up a bottle of bubbly or some chocolates to go with them? An alternative is to use the convenient online order service at www.royalresorts.com You can give flowers, fruit baskets, wine, cakes and even grocery store gift certificates to members and guests staying at all six Royal Resorts in Cancún and the Riviera Maya and staff at The Royal Market will deliver them to their villa.

Cupid comes a calling at La Paloma Gift Shop in The Royal Sands and The Royal Caribbean with a Valentine’s Day gift when you spend more than $500, $750 or $1,000 pesos at the stores.

Finally, with all this talk of romance, there is a chance that someone somewhere may pop the question. After the initial euphoria and congratulations, thoughts will inevitably turn to the choice of wedding venue and what better place to celebrate the most important day of your lives than the Mexican Caribbean and Royal Resorts? Our Special Events Team will help you plan the wedding of your dreams, taking care of every little detail so that you can enjoy the captivating setting with your family and friends. For more information on our wedding and special events services contact specialevents@royalresorts.com

We are sure that you have been avidly following our beach restoration coverage on this website and on www.royalresortsnews.com and as the Cancún project wraps up at the end of this month, we wanted to share some additional photos with you.
The beaches at The Royal Sands, The Royal Mayan, The Royal Caribbean and The Royal Islander have been completely restored and palapas and sun loungers have been reinstalled, ready and waiting for your next trip.
The global interest in this project has been immense and the Mexican Tourist Board has been proudly showing off Cancún’s pearly white beaches at the FITUR Travel Show in Madrid, Spain (January 18 - 22).

Cancún Beach Restoration Fast Facts

* 12 kilometers of beach restored from Punta Cancún to Punta Nizuc
* 4.5 kilometers of beach in Playa del Carmen
* Approximately 6.3 million cubic meters of sand were dredged from two sand banks - La Ollita near Isla Mujeres and Punta Norte off the coast of Cozumel - and pumped on to the Cancún shoreline.
* The Cancún portion of the project cost $650 million Mexican pesos
* Restoration was carried out by Mexicana de Dragados S.A. de C.V., an affiliate of Belgian company Jan de Nul, and coordinated by the Mexican Electricity Board (CFE).
* Two dredgers worked round the clock to restore Cancún’s beaches.
* Work advanced at a pace of 100 meters a day.
* A concrete barrier was erected between Punta Cancún and the Golondrinas Islet. Over 300 meters long and comprised of more than 13,830 concrete blocks weighing approximately 16,245 tons, the sea wall will help to reduce coastal erosion and sand loss.
* A 10-year monitoring and maintenance project is also planned.
* Sand pumping began in Cancún on November 1 and by December 16, beach project engineers had already reached The Royal Sands.
* Work started at The Royal Mayan on January 6 and was completed at The Royal Islander on January 14. Once the 12-meter-long pipes and heavy equipment were moved further south, resort staff reopened all the beach entrances.
* With only 400 meters of shoreline to restore, the Cancún project will be finished by the end of January and work is well underway in Playa del Carmen.
* Mexican President Felipe Calderón is expected to visit the area in February to inspect the beaches.

There is access to the beach from The Royal Mayan, The Royal Caribbean and The Royal Islander. The installation of beach palapas has finished at The Royal Mayan and will continue at The Royal Caribbean on Friday. Shade umbrellas will be available at The Royal Islander until all machinery has moved out of the area.

Overall, beach restoration is 91% complete with work now underway in the Playa Delfines area. Edgar Ordoñez Durán, the Project Coordinator indicated that it will take another 10 days to restore the remaining stretch of shore. He also mentioned that the concrete wall erected between Punta Cancún and the Golondrinas Islet to prevent sand being washed further north along the coast will be finished by the end of the month.

Phase II Beach of The Royal Sands
View from deck of The Royal Sands Phase II
Phase II Beach of The Royal Sands
Pipe in front of The Royal Sands Phase l
Beach Restoration in The Royal Sands Phase l