TRAV E L – ME X ICO
Hibiscus flower © Sara Chardin)
Casita Suite © Fairmont Mayakoba
Lobster tacos © Sara Chardin
Aerial view © Fairmont Mayakoba Day of the Dead statue © Sara Chardin
Tulum. It lies along the edge of Mexico’s most easterly point - the Yucatan Peninsula. I was hoping it would give us just the right mix of relaxation and culture.
Opening the shutters on our first morning, we came face to face with the jungle. The balcony of our Casita surrounded by trees and birdsong. We’d been told we could flag down a golf buggy to get to the restaurant on the beach, but decided to be healthy and walk. We headed through the jungle, feeling slightly smug as other guests went by on buggies. Suddenly there was a rustle and Mum jumped out of her skin. Looking up, I spotted a monkey enjoying his breakfast overhead.
Arriving at the beach, we came face to face with an enormous iguana. We named him Leopold and looked out for him every day. My new normal became tropical fruit and quesadillas for breakfast. The cheesy quesadillas were made fresh in front of me with my choice of fillings, accompanied by spicy, green salsas and the best guacamole I’ve ever eaten.
Las Brisas restaurant at the beach was our favourite. We enjoyed such delights as lobster tacos for lunch, and then marinated jumbo shrimps or steaks cooked over the wood grill for dinner. All eaten against a backdrop of white sand and
Pool view © Fairmont Mayakoba
sparkling turquoise sea. Chef Richard Sandoval, considered ‘the father of modern Mexican cuisine’, oversees all the hotel’s restaurants. His award-winning Latin-Asian restaurant and another, specialising in modern-Mexican, kept our taste buds tingling throughout.
What I loved most about the Fairmont Mayakoba was its variety of jungle, beach and mangrove lagoons. It is spread over such a large area that I felt I was in a small village, able to go for long walks, hop on a bike or hail a bus (aka golf buggy) to get from jungle to beach or restaurant to pool. We quickly adopted the laid back Caribbean way of life of lazing by the pool or strolling along the beach, glancing up to watch pelicans or frigate birds flying overhead. It was becoming pretty hard to drag ourselves away to go in search of the real Mexico.
Our first port of call was the nearest town, Playa del Carmen. We headed to La Quinta (Fifth Avenue). The only similarity to its famous namesake is that it’s lined with shops. Playa has a bustle about it and it’s a good place to go for souvenir shopping. Whilst you can expect every shopkeeper to call out and encourage you inside, it’s done in a good-natured way. We didn’t go there at night, but I understand it to be the slightly quieter version of Cancun – which I was keen to avoid.
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