Finally.
An obscenely early start and a 10 hour flight later we landed in Cancun. We then picked up our hire car and set off on the 2 hour drive North to Chiquila which given the dodgy roads and fading light was a little tense, but we made it and parked up before jumping on the 30 min ferry to our first stop, Isla Holbox. The island is car free so we took one of the golf cart taxis to Casa Las Tortugas, a small boutique hotel right on the beach and they welcomed us with a delicious mezcal margarita, lovely! After unpacking we headed to the hotels beachfront restaurant Mandarina for some food before bed, very tired after almost 24 hours on the road.
The next day was a little overcast so we went for a walk up the beach to get the lay of the land, the beaches are gorgeous fine white sand but as the weather had been bad there was a lot of seaweed which can be an issue in Mexico. We walked back through town which honestly is quite rough around the edges, but in a charming sort of way, and there’s a lot of pretty cool street art. Next was breakfast back at the beach restaurant which was plentiful and delicious, featuring incredible sesame avo toast, and the rest of the morning was spent relaxing on the beach as the sun went in and out of the clouds.
Unfortunately after lunch the clouds got thicker and the breeze became a gale so we moved to the more protected, jungle style pool area and got chatting to some Canadians about the bioluminesce which can be seen here. After learning this would only be possible for a couple more days due to the moon cycle, we promptly headed back to the beach to book on a tour! We continued down the beach heading for Punta Coco but eventually the giant rain filled potholes blocked our way. Luckily a friendly Cuban with a 4×4 golf cart gave us a lift back to town. That evening we went to AMA the hotel bar for a well earned bottle of fizz… we had walked a long way that day! And then over the road to LUUMA for dinner which is Mediterranean / Mexican fusion for some delicious tapas.
Now I’m not one for exercise on holiday but still on UK time we were up early the next day for a run up the beach before another spectacular breakfast. The weather was much improved and we spent the day enjoying the sunshine and a delicious lunch featuring some epic cauliflower tacos and aperol spritz. The sun sets quite early this time of year, so about 6pm we followed the crowd to the main pier and watched the show. Dinner that evening was Salma, which is no.1 on trip advisor but to be honest our food was pretty average. And so it was an early night before our 4am wake up for the bioluminesce trip!
Meeting at the pier we jumped on the boat and set off as soon as the moon had set, heading to Passion Island and away from the light pollution. We then pottered around in the shallows and as our eyes grew accustomed to the dark we began to see more and more of the blue and green sparkles in the water which are the micro organisms. It may not have been the scene from avatar we were hoping for but combined with the epic views of the Milky Way above it was pretty special. I did get around 50 bites though, so that was fun. By the time we got back it was nearly sunrise so we waited on the pier for the morning light to creep into the sky.
After breakfast it was back to the beach and the breeze had dropped so it felt much hotter! The water is super shallow so when the tide is low it creates a gorgeous sand bank, the water is a beautiful and endless shade of pale turquoise. You can walk all the way up the sandbank to Punto Mosquito and see the flamingos in season, which it wasn’t, so we didn’t and we had a bottle of wine instead.
Later we pottered up the beach to Alma, a rooftop bar with a small pool for margaritas and then had a beach massage in one of the huts before catching sunset at Soul rooftop bar back in town where we bumped into our pals from the trip that morning. Tea was Casa Nostra for some tasty pasta and then cocktails at Basilico which is a very cool little joint.
Our last full day started with yoga and then another tough day on the beach with a surprisingly good pizza for lunch at Roots. We nearly did the classic boat tour which allows you to see more of the small surrounding islands and local birds, but in the end we decided to go horse riding down the beach as that’s something we have never done and it was beautiful! Got another 100 bites. That evening we had a few drinks at the hotel before Barba Negra which is Holbox’s answer to a food court, and that was part one done!
Next day it was back to the mainland and a couple of hours drive inland to the city of Valladolid. We dropped of the bags and headed straight to the main square for some lunch just in time for a torrential downpour which quickly turned the roads into rivers. Eventually the rain eased off and we pottered around the city, we had planned to visit one of the nearby cenotes which are basically natural sinkholes filled with water which you can swim in, but decided to wait until the weather improved! There is actually one in the centre of town but it was closed for renovation. So to be honest Valladolid was a bit of a bust but we woke up early the next day and headed straight to Chichen Itza to beat the tourist buses.
We arrived by 8.30 but it was already busy, however we soon got through and teamed up for a tour of the site. Our guide told us all about the brutal games played in the ball court and the human scarifies at the sacred cenote, nice. The structures are super impressive, none more so than the main temple. There are also 100’s of stalls where locals sell various souvenirs and so we wildly over paid for a decorative skull, as you do. By 10.30 it was boiling and heaving so we left for cenote Ik Kil which is only 5min away for a welcome dip. This one has a large opening to the sky and the lush plants and hanging vines make it a beautiful spot, Dan had a whale of a time jumping from the platform. Next was Cenote Suytun which is more like a cave with impressive stalactites and only a small opening that bathes a platform in light, which makes for a great photo op and luckily it was pretty quiet when we were there.
Next stop was Coba and our hotel Coqui Coqui which I cannot recommend enough, it’s a beautiful boutique hotel designed to look like its built out of the ruins and our suite was on the top floor with a gorgeous view over the crocodile filled lagoon! It’s also a perfumeria so you choose your scent and they bring you all the toiletries. The weather had turned once again so we decided to have a bath and yes you guessed it, a bottle of wine. Dinner at the hotel that evening was also delicious!
Next day we arrived at the Coba ruins when they opened at 9am and had them almost to ourselves. Although some of the structures are similar if smaller in scale, it felt totally different to Chichen Itza, it’s basically part of the jungle which gives it a magical quality especially first thing in the morning. It’s also more spread out so we hired bikes to get around which was fun, and we spotted several spider monkeys in the trees above. The main temple is huge and you used to be able to climb it for a view over the jungle which I’m sure would be amazing but currently it’s not allowed. It only takes a couple of hours so by 11 we headed back to our hotel and straight to the pool where we spent a very relaxing few hours.
Next and final stop was a week in Tulum! Our hotel Maria del Mar was right on the beach in its own little cove which is super cute, but also a bit of a pain to then get onto the main beach. When you do it really is gorgeous, pure white sand as far as you can see, lined with hotels and bars to suit all tastes. After a quick drink as the sun went down we decided to walk back up the road and check out some of restaurants but it’s pretty far and poorly lit so I wouldn’t recommend this. There are a LOT of taxis but they are a bit of a rip off. We had tea at the hotel restaurant Mina which to be honest was rubbish and our air con was also playing up, so not the best start to Tulum. On a more positive note, the wildlife we have seen just going about our daily business in Mexico has been insane, storks, starfish, pelicans, monkeys, crocodiles, iguanas and even a raccoon!
The next day was a super lazy pool / beach day which was nice. The air con was still on the blink but we negotiated a free mini bar, bikes and spa treatments as well as a second much cooler room to sleep in, so we did ok. Dinner that evening was Mamazitta which is somewhere between a restaurant and a club, the tunes were on point and they also had a live singer and traditional dancer. We shared a duck starter and both had steaks which were some of the best we have ever had! This place was a lot of fun, the service was also amazing if a little intense, and we had a couple of tequilas on the way home, a smashing day.
Monday was Papaya beach club which was just a few minutes walk from our hotel, the beach is stunning, the food was lush and the weather was dreamy. Dinner was Mezze, where unsurprisingly we had a mezze, and shared a huge seabass, lovely!
We had thought about going to the island of Cozumel as it’s amazing for snorkelling but it meant driving all the way to Playa del Carmen and getting a ferry then doing a boat tour which felt like a bit much for 1 day. So after a sunrise HIIT we set off to Akumal which is only 30min from Tulum and famous for being a great bay for spotting sea turtles. We snorkelled out with our guide and quickly came across a pretty huge turtle and we just swam along with it for a while, they are such peaceful and beautiful creatures. We spotted a couple more plus a plethora of other fish and coral on the way back too. After drying off on the beach we went 10min further to cenote Azul which is a fully open cenote, more like a natural swimming pool and reminded us of Bonito in Brazil. It also had a fairly high platform to jump off which was fun! Then on the way back we stopped at Kai for lunch on Playa Paraiso before pottering up to the Tulum ruins. These feel different again, mainly because they are perched on the cliffs above the sea but also they feel more like a community or village. Tea was pizza at Boccanera just over the road and it was outstanding. Also forced in a tiramisu.
Wednesday was kinda cloudy so we got a taxi to Nômade right at the bottom of the main beach and had a late lunch at their beach restaurant La Popular, some of the hotels down here are mega, one day eh? That night was movie night!
Another day another beach club, this time we biked 10min up to Gintano beach club which was lush, the cocktails and food were delicious and Dan finally got his grilled octopus. The setting was idyllic but although the music started well it did go a little… off piste? The incense they were burning was quite frankly ridiculous, but a great day was had and after a wine and sun induced nap (is there anything better?) we finished with espresso martinis as the sun disappeared behind the jungle. After a quick freshen up we went to nearby Mezzanine for some very spicy Thai food.
Our last day! We started with yoga next to the sea which was lovely however my zen was quickly ruined by the realisation I’d lost my make up bag the day before, this was retrieved later… phew. Bored of the hotel breakfast we jumped on our bikes and headed down to the famous Raw Love where Dan was very pleased to have one of his beloved Açai bowls. And the rest of the day was spent panic tanning, finishing books and hitting our bat and ball target of 100. Then it was time for our spa treatments which were lovely if a little brutal. For reasons unknown Dan got a full 90min massage while I had to sit in a cold bath for some of it, sure. We did have grand plans for a fancy dinner that evening but in the end went back to Papaya for a cocktail and some live music and then finished with a pizza and a bottle of fizz, because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
So that was Tulum, well the beach area anyway as we never made it to town! There are some incredible beaches and amazing food as well as a serious amount of armoured police and terrible roads, god bless Dan for driving. After nearly 2 years planning this trip it feels odd for it to be over, as usual we did a lot and drank a lot, the weather was mixed but 2 weeks felt like a proper and well needed break. I think we may come back to Mexico one day, when the days are longer and it’s whale shark season, hopefully see some of the other islands we didn’t get chance to visit. But for now it’s home to see Baz, and maybe a have week or 2 off the avocados… hasta luego amigos!
If you like Piña Coladas... 