We just got back last night. Fantastic trip. The resort we stayed at was very peaceful and laid-back. We opted for a ‘lagoon junior suite’ rather than a place closer to the beach, and we were glad we did, since it was a short walk down to the beach,pool, and restaurants where everything was happening, then when we went back to our suite it was very quiet, with a patio and little backyard, and a glimpse of the lagoon through a thick cover of jungle-like plants that kept things very private from the other patios. They left us apples in the room, to feed to the various critters, they said. We saw lots of coatimundis, very cute critters, and fed them apple pieces. Supposedly there were also monkeys around but we never saw any.
The food, service and general vibe of the resort was awesome. It was quite a bit smaller than the resort we stayed at in Jamaica last year, and there wasn’t as much in the way of nightly shows and activities. Though they did have a fun Mayan dance on the beach one night. But we liked the more intimate vibe and, not being 20-somethings, didn’t miss hopping nightlife. In fact, we picked the place for that reason.
We ended up going off the resort only one day, to go to Tulum. We decided Chichen Itza was a bit too ambitious- we met another couple who had gone to Chichen Itza on an earlier trip and they said all told, it’s a 14 hour day. Tulum was supposed to get us back by lunch, but with all the hotel pickups and drop offs and everything it was going on 3pm when we got back. And Tulum was pretty spectacular to see, I thought. Chichen Itza is much larger, I know, but seeing the Mayan ruins at Tulum with the ocean backdrop was very cool to experience. After the tour we were given time to roam the Tulum stores and gift shops, and I got a tacos de arrachera platter that was amazing.
We lucked out with the weather- mostly sunny and 80s every day. We were told it was on the cool side the week before, and it was forecast to cool down again next week. Really outstanding trip. Would definitely go back to Mexico.