Mexico - Travel Guide
Mexico has been on my bucket list for a long time, I booked the trip a year in advance as being the insane person that I am, I knew I had to plan, plan and then plan some more.With Mexico being so vast I wanted to make sure I could cover as much as possible in the small amount of time I had. With long-haul destinations I like to take the attitude that I will never return so I make the most of my time as I hate leaving places with regrets.
I booked my holiday through TUI, they often have great deals on and at the time I booked they had an £150 off deal for long haul flights. Our flights were booked with British Airways (there was an option for TUI flights but I prefer to fly with BA and the timings were better) and our hotel was Rui Palace Mexico. We opted to visit during the month of May, May 1st- May 12th to be precise, this was just before rainy season but near enough to summer whereby the sun would be SHINING.
The Hotel:
We stayed in Rui Palace Mexico is an all-inclusive resort in the heart of Cancun, (we paid for £1400 per person including flights and airport transfers). The all-inclusive entailed, unlimited drinks (cocktails too!), breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Needless to say, I came back after my trip slightly round? The hotel was nice and I have stayed in Rui’s before (in Jamaica which was LOVELY) but this one wasn’t as modern and also wasn’t adults only. It altogether felt like it was slightly lacking finesse in terms of external appearance and decor. What It lacked in appearance it made up for with service and location. The service was impeccable and everyone I encountered was smiley and kind and location was spot on as I could walk out of the hotel and be right in the middle of Cancun and was able to walk practically everywhere or easily grab a taxi or the bus.
Pictured above is the view from my room.
Preconceptions:
Prior to booking my trip everyone was politely warning me to be careful in Mexico and that I needed to be weary. Frankly, there was no need to worry. Mexico is up there with one of my all-time favourite holidays and at no point during the entirety of the trip did I feel unsafe or worried, whilst I didn’t bring any jewellery on my trip, I did have all of my camera equipment with me and I was not worried about that being stolen at any point. I am lucky as I do speak Spanish, and of course during the trip I wasn’t being weary but I would not let Mexico’s reputation put you off.
Transport:
I went wild in Mexico and decided I would be like a local and try all of the transport on offer. I started off by trying the local busses, they are SO CHEAP, one-way journey is 12 Pesos or 1 US Dollar. The bus is quite an experience in itself as they are SPEEDY... if you have seen Harry Potter it is reminiscent to that bus journey. It Is a really efficient way of traveling around Cancun and so inexpensive so I would highly recommend.
ADO busses - think the national rail of Mexico, I rode this bus to and from Cancun to Tulum, not only was it a really modern coach it was quick, easy to understand if you don’t speak Spanish and a cheap mode of transport if you’d prefer not to fork out on a taxi. I believe my next day return trip cost under £20. The ADO busses go pretty much everywhere all over Mexico and are really reliable, so I would highly recommend.
Taxis - taxis in Mexico were very easy and not ridiculously priced either, they are however not as cheap as you may expect. I did however find an amazing taxi driver (I will share more on this later) Just as a note, Uber is illegal in Mexico.
Xcaret:
Xcaret is one of the most fascinating places I have ever visited, it is a theme park meets eco park. It is described as the place to enjoy Mexico’s biodiversity and cultural heritage. Attractions include Underground Rivers, Beach, lagoon & pools, Tropical Jungle Trail, Rotating Scenic Tower.
I can’t quite remember, but I believe I paid £100 for the day which included lunch, admission and transfer to and from the park. Whilst that seems like a lot of money, I can assure you the experience was worth every penny and I would pay it all over again when I go back to Mexico. This place was a magical oasis where you get to experience so much more than you anticipate and I could write a whole blog post on it as it was truly breath-taking.
It took us all day to walk around the entirety of the park and by the end of it I was exhausted, my camera roll was full but I had had the best day. I don’t feel the pictures alone do it justice so either check them out on YouTube or on my ‘Mexico’ story highlight.
Restaurants:
There are lots of good restaurants and bars in Mexico, namely Cancun which I will list in due course, but before I do so I need to give a special mention to Harry’s Steakhouse & Raw Bar.
This steak restaurant was truly special. I was blown away by the service I received, to this very day I have never had better service than I did whilst eating there.
The steak was truly delectable, I was even shocked at the level of quality. Both the sides and sauces were of a high standard and as a birthday treat, they brought out a complimentary chocolate lava cake and the largest candy floss you have ever seen (I believe the candy floss is given to everyone at the end of the meal as standard).
Not only did they excel in food their cocktails were brilliant too. My personal favourite being the lychee martini which they shake and pour in front of you.
For 2 courses each and a couple of drinks each we spent just under £100 including a tip which in my opinion is brilliant considering standard of the food, service and experience. I would recommend this spot for a special occasion, date night or even as a treat yourself meal as it is truly wonderful. Make sure to book an hour before sunset and sit outside, it will make the night even more magic.
Other restaurants that come highly recommended:
· Lorenzillos
· LA PARRILLA
· Tailandesa
· RESTAURANTE ATOTONILCO
· Elefanta
· Dume Mexico
· El Fish Fritanga
· Irori
Gran Cenote, Chicen Itza & Merida
I wanted to do an excursion to Chichen Itza, a cenote and Merida, a trip that I envisioned on paper would be pretty simple, each destination was along the same direction, further into mainland Yucutan. Let me tell you, apparently it was mission impossible.
According to the excursion team In the hotel, this trip once existed but due to the lack of interest it was cancelled. No one in the excursions team could assist (for a reasonable price that is) so being the determined person that I am, I took matters into my own hands.
I found a lovely taxi driver, Arsenio, who charged (I believe 300 USD and he paid for all of the tolls). He picked us up at 6am and drove us to Chichen Itza, he then waited for us as we explored the ruins and then drove us to The IK KIL Cenote, he then waited for us as we explored and swam in the Cenote and kindly brought us our change of clothes from the taxi. He then drove us even further inland to Merida and found an amazing typical Meridan restaurant La Parilla (I would highly recommend) which was such good value for money, such authentic food and good cocktails. He then drove me to the landmark I had wanted to visit and stopped along the way at every opportunity he thought would make for a good picture. He then dropped us back at the hotel at around 10pm after a 16-hour day.
He was genuinely the loveliest taxi driver and finding him was truly serendipity, my friend and I both split the $300 cost, I also tipped the him and paid for his lunch as a gesture of good will. But if you are looking for a driver in Cancun, or want to recreate this excursion please let me know and I would be more than happy to pass his contact details on - the only thing to note is he only speaks Spanish.
Tulum + Azulik
Visiting Tulum on the trip was a must for me as I fell in love with the Azulik hotel, the stay and experience was so incredible I will do a separate blog post on it as it deserves its own time to shine. I will however, give It a brief introduction. Azulik is a boutique eco hotel in the heart of Tulum, it has only 48 rooms so there is a very intimate vibe and also makes for a very personal level of service. In a nutshell, this hotel provides a luxury jungle escape.
Tulum is renowned for having one of the most beautiful beaches in Mexico which features the Mayan ruins which has now been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Not only that, Tulum is a hub for boutique hotels and some great beach clubs and restaurants. Tulum is also home to lots of cenotes (natural sink hole) so if you have time, I would recommend a visit!
It is very easy to get around in Tulum, with options to rent bikes (cycling is big out there), easy access to taxis or if you want to walk it is feasible.
We only stayed a night in Tulum which in hindsight I regret, but I am scheming a plan to return so I will definitely do a few more days there.
Places worth visiting:
Papaya Playa Project - an amazing beach club with good vibes, food and cocktails.
Casa Jaguar - jungle bar
Clan - Destino - Cenote bar
Casa Malca - an old residence of Pablo Escobar
El Beso - after 6pm
Azulik - for dinner after 5.30pm
Eufemia - beach club/ taqueria
I Scream Bar - amazing tacos & ice cream
Mateos - Mexican grill
Rosa Negra - latin American restaurant
Coco Tulum beach club - the most instagrammable beach club
Holbox & Mosquito Beach
Isla Holbox is an island north of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. The island is car- free and is rich in marine life such as sea turtles and whale sharks and is also home to flamingos and pelicans. When I visited, Isla Holbox was being referred to as the Maldives of Mexico and potentially even the next Tulum.
It is still largely undeveloped which is lovely as it has a rustic vibe and is a far cry from the vibe of Cancun but despite this it still has some lovely restaurants, bars and hotels. Not only this they have instagrammable hammocks and signs in the water to take pictures with. It is the perfect place to truly switch off and disconnect from the world whilst enjoying the beautiful views.
If staying isn’t in your budget or you prefer to be somewhere less remote, you can do day trips there which are definitely worth doing. I didn’t have the time to stay in Holbox, but it is definitely somewhere I would return, but the benefit of me having done this day trip is that I got to visit Mosquito beach too, this is only accessible by boat and is an incredible stretch of water which is ankle deep and crystal clear.
Isla Contoy
Isla Contoy is a small island that is protected as a nature park (since 1988) and occupied by only biologists who study the ecosystem of the island, as a result you won’t find any rubbish, hotels, or mass tourism. In fact, only 200 people are allowed on the island per day. The national park covers 568 acres of land and over 12,000 acres of sea, it is home to over 140 species of birds.
Excursions to Isla Contoy are well worth it, the one I did, left from Cancun and took us straight there by boat. We were given a small tour of the island and a history lesson which was genuinely fascinating. We were then cooked an authentic lunch and allowed to spend time chilling on the beach and snorkelling.
Isla Mujeres
Isla Mujeres is another amazing island, but this one is only 15 minutes away from Cancun. Unlike any of the other islands I have spoken about, this one is inhabited and very well known. There are lots of hotels, bars and beach clubs. The island is also famous for Playa Norte, a stunning beach with crystal clear water and white sand. Tours to Isla Mujeres are often linked with ones to Isla Contoy or you can get a ferry there yourself for under $10.
Night Life:
Cancun is renowned for being a party town, so it would have been rude to not have experienced this, with a plethora of places to choose from you are not short of options. My friend and I opted to visit Coco Bongos, a club experience with live performances. Tickets are approximately $80 but it is well worth the money, the show aspect is very fun and interactive and the music they play is also fun. Drinks are a slight pain to get as there are queues but that is the case in any club and if this is an issue for you, you can pay for packages which allow you to sit and have table service which I would actually recommend as it is a long evening.
Mexico truly blew me away; I adored my trip. The people, the culture, the food and just the general country itself. I didn’t have time to do everything I wanted to do but I am undoubtedly going back as there is so much still do see and do. I would highly recommend anyone to take a visit as it is such a special place.
