First on my list was Mexico. I have always been interested in ancient history and Egypt has been my main passion, however the more programs I watched about Mexico and The Maya, the more I wanted to see these amazing structures that civilisations used to build without the help of a JCB! Admittedly, this holiday was still using my safety blanket of an all inclusive resort, but we hired a car for a few days and ventured out to the wild to see things I probably would not have seen on a hosted coach tour!
I booked with Love Holidays, for ease. I flew from Heathrow to Cancun at the end of February. I was able to book a shuttle transfer from the airport and that was really straight forward and took us straight to our hotel. I stayed at the Golden Parnassus Resort and Spa AI which was an adults only resort, situated on the beach front. I upgraded us to a Club Suite room with a jacuzzi bath, which at the time I thought was a good idea, maybe if we had stayed at the hotel more than we did, it would have been! As we were out for a lot of the time, it was unused. Something to take into consideration next time! We did have a lovely sea view from our hotel room thought and I managed to catch the sunrise on a couple of days. The food at the hotel was pretty good and there was a variety of different dishes at the buffet restaurant and 7 other restaurants on site to choose from should you want to take advantage. The hotel has a spa with a variety of treatments available, and also a host of different activities to try including pilates and yoga, volleyball, aqua basketball, cooking classes and cocktail classes, bingo and of course swimming at your leisure in the stunning pool.
The weather was hot, around 30 degrees (c) everyday. It was a little windy on a couple of the days, but nothing horrendous. Factor 50 is essential, especially on your shoulders!
The day after we arrived, we took a wander to a boat that took us across to a small island - Isla Mujeres. The sea was the most amazing turquoise blue colour that I have ever seen! When we got to the island, we hired a moped for a couple of hours and rode our way around, stopping at the Temple Maya at one end of the island and stopped for a mandatory pina colada at the other! https://www.viator.com/tours/Punta-Sam/Total-Jungle-Adventur-ATV-Ziplines-Cenote-And-Tequila-Tasting/d50863-32277P19?pid=P00238223&mcid=42383&medium=link
The next day we hired a car and drove to XPlor by XCaret. We had a great day ziplining, rafting in caves, and exploring the underground crystal clear rivers, We took a drive on the amphibian vehicles through the jungle and enjoyed the all inclusive meal at the cafeteria which catered for all requirements. https://www.viator.com/tours/Cancun/Xplor-Adventure-Park-from-Cancun/d631-6140CUNXPLOR?pid=P00238223&mcid=42383&medium=link
We had planned a day to Tulum next. We drove to Tulum along the Riviera Maya, visited the archaeological site of Tulum which was more impressive than I had actually imagined! After that we did treat ourselves to dinner at Kin Toh, which is a treehouse restaurant with panoramic views of the jungle. We watched the sun set over the jungle and had the most incredible meal I will probably ever eat in my life! Admittedly very expensive, but one of those things you will never forget! https://www.viator.com/tours/Tulum/Tulum-Ruins-Turtles-in-Akumal-and-Cenote-tour/d23012-12861P24?pid=P00238223&mcid=42383&medium=link
The following day we drove to Ek Balam. This is not so much on the tourist trail and was so much more than I had imagined. We were able to walk up the steps of the temple and the views were spectacular. https://www.viator.com/tours/Playa-del-Carmen/Ek-Balam-Cenote-Maya/d5501-23698P26?pid=P00238223&mcid=42383&medium=link Afterwards we drove to Chichen Itza. Again the site was far bigger than I had imagined and just looking at the buildings and thinking about how the Maya people lived in these settlements just blew my mind! https://www.viator.com/tours/Cancun/Chichen-Itza-Ik-Kil-Cenote-and-Valladolid-Full-Day-Tour/d631-110186P2?pid=P00238223&mcid=42383&medium=link
Our last day was a beach day. taking in the breath-taking blue sea and stunning golden sand and decompressing after a full on few days of sightseeing. Ultimately one of the best holidays I have ever been on!
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