An early morning wake up call...

I promise that this will be my last post on Mexico for the foreseeable. As of this moment, I should be arriving in Lisbon for a wonderful weekend with family so i'm sure i'll be back next week for some Europe-focused posts. 

Disclaimer: There will be an insanely inappropriate amount of pictures of Steve in his blue speedos in this post. I know, I know, it's a chore but for some reason my lovely, if a little crazy, husband insisted on buying not one, but two pairs of colourful speedos for the trip and for the life of me I could not persuade him to wear shorts ;)

On our first morning in Mexico, we woke up super early, ravaged by the jet leg. After an hour or so of trying to get back to sleep, we gave up all hope and pulled on our swimmers. Amongst our friends, we have a running joke about Steve's tai chi skills and one good friend had requested photo evidence of Steve's infamous tai chi at dawn on a Mexican beach. We figured this was as good as time as any to oblige his request! 

So with flip-flops in hand and 'tai chi mats' (towels) tucked under our arms, we headed down to the beach moments before sunrise. It was beautiful in the misty morning light. 

Whilst on a trip to China a few years ago, Steve was taught a hilarious tai chi song about watermelons. I think it's intended to help you remember the routine but, when translated into English, it's pretty funny. So in spectacular style and probably in the most scenic location we've ever attempted tai chi, we got to it. 

Followed by a lovely swim in the warm water. 

 And as the sun rose, we walked our happy selves back to our hotel room for a well-deserved snooze.

A magical first morning in Mexico. 

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. 

Reason #1000 to visit Tulum

Put simply... the beaches!

I mean seriously, take a look at these:

 And another one of my gorgeous husband because lets face it.. i'm the luckiest girl in the world.

Whilst we were in Mexico, I instagrammed this photo. For me, it sums up Tulum: paradise on Earth. Get yourself onto those beaches, a pina colada in hand. 

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.