Riviera Maya - A Mexican Dream - Travelblog from My Customers

We’d always wanted to go to Mexico, and a year ago, Uli booked our dream holiday for us. In the run up to our departure, we heard so much about our destination from friends and in the media. Some media reports were less than favourable, and several people expressed a fear for our safety. Undeterred, we went with open minds and found a paradise location than instantly put us at ease. Everyone we met was welcoming and generous. “Mi casa, su casa” was not just a platitude, it was their cultural imperative. These friendly people were fiercely proud of their country and keen to have us experience the real Mexico.

For us, Mexico was a bucket- list destination to fulfil a dream of exploring Chichen Itza. But it ended up so much more than that. As well as the extensive site of the most frequented Mayan city, we managed to visit the hidden away secrets of Coba (think Lara Croft encounters with jungle encased ruins) and the ancient sea port of Tulum (think ancient palaces and temples overlooking the Caribbean Sea). These sites are all archaeological marvels and did not disappoint. It’s hot work traipsing around these cities, but the guides (who do an amazing job of explaining the history and culture) bring plenty of water and always seem to include a visit to a cenote afterwards. If you are not familiar with the geology of the area, you will soon learn, as we did, that the cities were built around sink holes (cenotes) which provided the only water source to the ancient people. Nowadays, they act as stunning underground pools which offer tourists the opportunity to take a refreshing and picturesque swim.

The star feature of our holiday was our hotel complex. Maroma Secrets, on the Mayan Riviera, is an amazing all-inclusive resort, where every detail is considered. Our suite was beautiful and overlooked the stunning gardens of the hotel, with the ocean as a backdrop. As the title would suggest, the resort itself was hidden away and far from other complexes. However, the secret part also relates to the fact that you never felt overcrowded and there were lots of quiet spots where you could relax and escape from your fellow travellers. With seven different restaurants and themed outdoor dining almost every evening, we never ate in the same place twice. Likewise, the entertainment programme was full and varied, with something for everyone from dawn to dusk.

A pleasant surprise for us was the discovery of the national drink of Mexico. Yes, we knew it was tequila, but our experience of this brew up to that point was sipping eighties style Tequila Sunrise cocktails and grimacing through Tequila Slammers. The Mexicans are amused by our ignorance of their spirit. Apparently, the brands that you can buy in the UK are fit only to clean your paint brushes in Mexico. To ensure we knew our Cava from our Dom Perignon, we attended a tequila class and, after sampling a dozen or so different types of pure agave spirit, we felt more qualified to pass judgement. Armed with our new knowledge, we sipped the finest tequilas the country had to offer for the rest of the holiday.

Top Tip: Make sure you try the tequila cream called 1921, which is a heavenly concoction a bit like Baileys.

Top Tip 2: Buy a bottle to take home. It is not available in the UK and the internet is full of people like us, bemoaning that fact.

Top Tip 3: There is no tax on alcohol, so you may be better off buying Tequila in local shops if you have room in your case. You have a one litre limit in Duty Free.

Things we didn’t do:

• Scuba diving: Although we are not diving enthusiasts, we could not fail to appreciate the draw that the second biggest coral reef in the world has to offer. You could see it from our hotel and even kayak out to it. Of course, being the Caribbean, the water has a lot of beautiful marine life on show.

• High octane adventures and theme parks: For adrenaline junkies, there are various jungle zip wire experiences to be had, as well as the usual motorized water sports. There are also a series of theme parks that offer exciting days out and evening entertainment. We had plenty to see and do in the real Mexico without the need of these pre-fabricated experiences, but they are nonetheless, hugely popular.

• Shopping: Apart from Tulum, which had some great shops for souvenirs and a beach market feel about it, we didn’t really do shopping. But we did drive through Playa Del Carmen, which has high end fashion and a glitzy modern shopping mall. I loved all the colourful souvenirs, but those sorts of things generally look out of place and never see the light of day once I get home. Instead, we opted for consumables - Mexican chocolate and locally produced vanilla were our favourite purchases.

• Although we were surrounded by jungle, there are some extensive areas of National Park in the wider area and, given more time, we would have gone further afield and seen more of the flora and fauna.

As you can see, there was so much to see and do, and not enough time to do it all. No wonder so many people go back year after year. We might have to do the same….