Gran Bahia Tulum: the good, the bad and the beautiful.

Our holiday in Mexico was not our usual type of get-away. 

By nature, I love holidays that take in as many different sights and experiences as possible. This normally means I drag my poor husband to multiple locations and hotels during one trip. Although I love this way of travelling, it doesn't always make for relaxation. As total relaxation was definitely the aim on this trip, it meant we did something very rare: a package holiday to a resort. I fell in love with it!

We booked through Thomas Cook and had a mixed experience. Although our flights were awful (think surprise charges, no entertainment on an 8 hour flight, fights breaking out on board leading to passengers being arrested), the reps at the resort were very friendly and helpful and did everything they could to make it special for us. If it wasn't for the journey, I would consider booking with them again. 

The resort itself was the Gran Bahia Principe Tulum and it was absolutely incredible! Honestly, I couldn't recommend it enough. 

The resort is made up of three hotels: Tulum, Akumel and Coba and so it is absolutely huge. You can take advantage of facilities in every hotel so you get the best of three worlds. Hands down, Akumel had the best swimming pools and the best meal we had on our holiday was here. However, Tulum has the best beach and, as we'd take swimming in crystal clear sea water over overcrowded chlorine filled pools any day, this won us over!

Don't let the size of the resort put you off. There are charming golf buggies you can hop on and off to help you get all over the place. 

Our room

I have to admit here that I am a hotel snob! It's a terrible quality of mine but I spend hours every time we go away scouring tripadvisor, pouring over the visitor photos to choose the best bargain without compromising on my high standards. I know going into this holiday that these rooms were not going to meet my usual tastes but the resort had me hooked so we booked anyway. 

I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, the decor was dated but the bed was huge and comfy with a seating area. Best of all, it had a wonderful balcony overlooking the dolphinarium and with a sea view. We were in villa 31 which is located right next to the beach - absolutely perfect for drinking cocktails on the beach all morning and heading back for a post-lunch siesta!

The cons: Although our room was nice, it wasn't perfect. Our shower leaked which flooded the bathroom. Every.single.time! Which meant our towels were continually used as mops..
The staff also frequently forgot to refill the mini bar, despite taking the tip left for them. All in all though, these were minor complaints and definitely not worth a bad review. 


Food and Drink

I had only ever stayed at one all inclusive resort before Mexico and the food was questionable to say the least. It was definitely quantity over quality. Therefore, the Gran Bahia blew my expectations out of the water. You have the choice of several buffet restaurants and, if staying in Tulum, you could have breakfast in the Brazilian restaurant which we loved - fresh food and escaping the crowds. For dinner, the main buffet had a themed night every night. It's amazing how good a Mexican hotel can be at Asian food - their sushi was to die for! Surprisingly, the only night we weren't fussed about was the Mexican night. Pretty disappointing in Mexico...

The stand out food destinations were the a la carte restaurants. Man were they good! As we stayed for 11 nights, we had 6 reservations. We choose:

- Don Pablo - A formal, international restaurant with a dress code. The food we had here was wonderful! I believe I had the pork belly and Steve had lamb. It was a beautiful setting with live classical music - the perfect choice for a romantic evening.



- Tequila - The Mexican restaurant. It has a beautiful location looking over the beach and has a fun atmosphere. However, the food didn't quite match up to the standards of other restaurants so unless you're intent on having (Western style) mexican food (think Tex Mex), I would give it a miss!

- Mikado - A japanese restaurant. If you book this restaurant, you HAVE to book a show table. We all sat around in a group of 8-10 and watched as the chef cooked our food in front of us with a tonne of showmanship and laughs. The food was great and it was definitely a night to remember. Top tip: Book early (like as soon as you get to the hotel), those show tables fill up fast!

Pescador - A fish restaurant in Coba. It's a bit of a trek but we really enjoyed our evening at Pescador. This was largely due to a hilarious waiter who made it his mission to get us filled up on 'Mexican water'. If you've been to Mexico, you'll know this is code for tequila. It made for an hilarious evening full of great memories but sadly any idea of taking photos went out of the window as soon as those shots arrived. 

Rodzio - A novelty Brazilian restaurant. If you're a vegetarian, give this place a miss! It is meat central. Waiters wander round ceaselessly with skewers of different types of marinated meats and fill up your plates until you've had your fill. Our experience was nice enough but we were already big fans of this type of restaurant from home and so the novelty was lost on us. We've seen it done better!

Arlequin - I've saved the best for last. If we ever go back, I would seriously consider using all 6 of my reservations on this one place. The food we had there seriously rivals any food i've had in Michelin starred restaurants in England. It was THAT good! Its set on the beach so you can watch the storms roll in and the food was creative and delicious. Don't skip it! Remember to finish off your meal with a flaming coffee - the show is spectacular. I wish i'd gotten a photograph.

Cocktail bars are everywhere at the resort. You are spoilt for choice and the alcohol used almost seems premium. The Gran Bahia does not seem to compromise on quality.

 The facilities

A dolphinariam, several pools, crazy golf, free water sports, free snorkelling, an active entertainment programme, shops, mexican markets in the hotel grounds... you seriously couldn't get bored in this place. 

One of our favourite activities was taking out a complimentary kayak for a couple of hours to explore. We even saw a massive sting ray just underneath us which Steve epically failed at taking a picture of ha! We love kayaking in England so we knew this would be an ideal way to spend a couple of hours. 

Overall: We loved it! Go, go, go and don't hesitate. 

A day in the life of a Mayan

One on our absolute favourite days of our Mexico trip was a day-trip to visit a local Mayan family. 

Before this trip, in my total ignorance, I thought that the Mayans were an ancient civilisation who had completely disappeared in a pretty mysterious circumstances. Turns out, their descendants are still very much around and are supported by the local Mexican government. We had the absolute privilege of visiting a local family's compound and cooking with them. It was a wonderful, enlightening experience.

One of the best parts of the trip was our tour guide. 

There was nothing that he did not know and he was so enthusiastic about answering any questions. It was wonderful to see his heart for the Mayan people and hearing some of his own incredible story. 

His father had worked for National Geographic and as a teenager he begged to accompany his father on one of his trips. They both headed into the Mexican jungle to stay with a Mayan community for a couple of weeks. When our tour guide saw the treatment of the Mayan people and got to know them, he fell in love with their way of life and begged his father to let him stay behind for a couple of months to begin to learn the language. A couple of months turned into eight years living in the jungle. He is fluent in the languages of the Mayan people and has such an evidently close bond with them. 

To begin our trip we floated down the river in life jacket 'nappies'. It was super relaxing until a storm rolled in and we got trapped running into the jungle on slippery wooden planks (!). 

Next, we went to visit the local ruins. Not quite as dramatic as Tulum but our tour guide made it so interesting and it was great to pick his knowledge about the demise of the great Mayan civilisation. 

After visiting  the ruins, it was time to visit the lovely Mayan people themselves. We were asked to bring with us small gifts of rice as a thank you gift for letting us into their home. I believe that they are also given a financial contribution from the cost of the trip, with the rest of the profit being donated to local schemes that support the Mayan communities. 

Walking into the village, it was a very similar set up to some of the villages I stayed in in South Africa; simple mud buildings arranged in a family compound. This particular family compound consisted of the patriarch, his two sons and their families. His daughter and his family lived on the adjoining plot.

The village had a number of sleeping huts, a church hut (which the local compounds also come to - our host was a big deal in the local community) and cooking huts. 

Children are educated at the local Mayan school but we were pleased to see them on our visit. They were so cute and welcoming and so eager to show Steve their home :)

The local women weave traditional blankets and hammocks to fund their lifestyle. I begged Steve to let me sneak home a hammock chair for our garden but alas no joy! Swinging in the hammock chair in our rainy English garden probably wouldn't have the same effect anyway.

 The grandmother of the family making traditional tortillas. The maize ferments for a day before they are pounded into the flour to make tortillas. They are then cooked on hot plates to become the freshest tortillas on the planet. SO yummy still warm with freshly chopped guacamole.

 Take a tour of the family compound; the kitchen area and outdoor shower. I LOVE this homemade alphabet poster stuck onto the wall in one of the sleeping huts.

 The bedroom huts were made up of many hammocks (maybe ten...) in a wooden hut. Our guide explained that the hammocks are hung to stop poisonous snakes and insects from making homes in the beds. All of one family will sleep in one room.



This was the church hut, decorated with christmas trees (even though it was August!). Catholicism is the main religious expression amongst this group of Mayan people, although this is mixed in with a dose of traditional ancestral worship in some cases. I loved how precious this hut was and how tangible the spirit was here in this community's sacred place.

Tulum: a Mexican treasure

So where is Tulum?

Tulum is in the Riviera Maya of Mexico. It's located about two hours south of Cancun (depending on how fast your airport shuttle driver drives - seriously, those guys are crazy!) and around 45 minutes south of Playa Del Carmen.

We didn't manage to get to Playa on our trip but many of our friends did and they raved about the shopping there. It certainly seemed to make an easy excursion, if you love shopping and feel the pull to a bigger city. The nightlife is supposed to be fantastic too - Jim Carrey even owns an club there. A night in Coco Bongo is certainly legendary and apparently worth a visit.

Tulum itself is quieter and is most famous for its incredible Mayan
ruins just outside of town. It was once an important Mayan trading port and is home to some remarkably intact ruins sitting on a cliff edge. It's a magical place and definitely worth a visit.

Top tip: Lots of resorts will offer excursions to the Tulum ruins for a fair amount of money. Be brave and organise it yourself - it's so easy and will save you a fortune.

First, we caught a colectivo (Mexican mini buses that run along the main routes providing cheap travel) from the main road outside the resort, gave the man a few dollars (6 i think) and within half an hour we were at the entrance to the ruins.

Entrance to the ruins themselves cost us about £2 each (40 pesos) and you're free to roam the ruins as you like! There are information boards dotted around the site but not as many as I would like - I love a bit of history. If you are like me, it's probably worth hiring a guide to give you a proper tour. They are pricey though so you could just try to hover close enough to a guided group to overhear. We may or may not have tried this tactic ourselves...

Be warned, its all exposed to the sun and takes about two hours to walk around so it gets incredibly hot! Take as much water as you can carry - you don't want to end up like my husband...

 Please excuse my cheesy pose, I was so excited to be filling my head with knowledge about Mayan civilisation. I'm teaching about the Mayans to my class this summer term so I thought i'd show plenty of enthusiasm.

Behind the ruins is an incredible beach which you are free to enjoy. The water was lovely and warm and gave some welcome relief from the heat of the site.

  Seriously, how beautiful is that?!

The ruins are covered in these little critters, basking in the glorious Mexican sun.

Tulum is such a beautiful place, in my humble opinion it's worth skipping over more popular Cancun in favour of this stunning, historical part of Mexico. You won't regret it!

Mexico 2014: Nacho average holiday.

Please, please excuse the horrible pun in the title. There are absolutely no excuses except that I love it! 

Anyway... last August, we were able to take a trip to Tulum, Mexico. 2013-2014 had been pretty rough to us as a couple and so we decided we needed to book something amazing to look forward to. 

In all honesty, Tulum had a lot to live up to. A number of our trusted friends had been and recommended it to us so our expectations were already sky high. In addition to this, the thought of this holiday had got me through a gruelling few months teaching practice and so, by the time August rolled around, we were both very excited and ready to fall in love.

Mexico did not disappoint. It was an incredible trip. More to come in later posts but for now here are the vitals:

Location: Tulum, Mexico

Accommodation: The Gran Bahia Principe Tulum

Length of trip: 11 nights (12 days)

Highlights: Swimming with dolphins, gorgeous beaches, food, Mayan culture.

Lowlights: The flights

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