Instead, we immersed ourselves in... tequila and sombreros, it would seem!
We stayed in a quiet place called Tulum which is located south of the strip that is known as the Mayan Riviera. We like it relaxed and quiet so somewhere like Tulum's better known neighbour, Cancun, was not going to be our style.
It was a long trip. Luckily, this side, we are only about 45 minutes from Gatwick but the flight was ten hours and the transfer at the other end, another couple. We arrived after dark and were good for nothing, Mexico being 6 hours behind GMT, we headed for the sack with a comatosed Munchkin!
Next day, the sun shone and it was time to explore our new surroundings and home for the next fourteen nights.
The resorts in Mexico are pretty huge, some have over 2000 rooms. I knew this would not suit us so our hotel had a meagre 500! The resort's grounds were very beautiful and the result of many hard hours work. It seems labour is plentiful in Mexico and it showed in the customer service and care paid to the surroundings. The Mexican people were delightful, I am pleased to report.
A natural "cenote" was present in the grounds, it was pretty nice to have the fountain spray over you as you panted away through the midday heat. The temperature was around 90 degrees in the day and didn't drop below about 75 degrees at night. Lovely!
Other more surprising features were stumbled upon, like this giant chess game!
A very pretty little chapel was also located in the hotel's grounds. Many weddings took place in the resort although it seemed nearly all couples opted for the beach. It was interesting to view each one from afar; some went casual, some went for kilts!
It seems water is not in short supply in Mexico either, and the lovely gardens were heavily irrigated. The temptation to hurl oneself under the sprinklers was hard to resist at times! I avoided the resident lazy lizards and admired the pretty flowers instead.
But I cannot lie, the real draw lay here...
Oodles of white sand and turquoise sea. Sadly, the shore was quite rocky (the world's second largest coral reef was located just off shore), if there was ever a next time, sand shoes would be a must. Pretty nice to sit upon and gaze out to sea though, eh?
We dragged ourselves away to visit the spa and cool down, have all those stresses of the last year massaged away...
Although Tulum is located some distance from the airport, the benefits are reaped when visiting the historical ruins which are all located within reach of this area. Below are the ruins of the Mayan village at Tulum, remarkably well preserved and so interesting to see it all laid out just like a little village. Far too many basking lizards for my liking but I was brave!
It has a lovely location right on the beach's edge as it was once an important trading port. The breezes were most welcome and the views "to-die-for".
Afterwards, well it would have been rude not to take a look at the local handicrafts on offer.
I went to Mexico on a hopeful mission. I had stumbled across a fabulous embroidered blouse on Etsy and further research revealed that this sort of pretty clothing originated in Mexico. It was very pricey on Etsy so I waited patiently for our trip.
The Mexicans are obviously skilled craftspeople; back at the hotel, even the buffet breakfast was beautifully displayed with arrangements of carved fruits.
We ventured further along the coast and were rewarded with nearly deserted beaches and lovely warm clear seas you could rush headlong into. Bliss.
All good things come to an end, of course. It was too soon time to say adios to Mexico and head for home. But I am a homebird, yes indeed, so this could only ever be a cause of continuing joy for me. Hello Den, hello stash, hello furry friends!
And most importantly, hello readers! Good to be back. X
(Instagram shot.)
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