We're gonna e-e-e-lope to Me-eh-eh-ico

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I have wanted to go to Mexico for as long as I can remember, and while my parents were looking at holidays abroad I recally looking at a brochure and thinking how pretty it looked, with with crystal clear turquoise waters and white sand. My Dad decided it seemed too commercial so we never got to go (they have since been and rated it one of the best places they have visited!), so as soon as I got the chance I leaped at the opportunity to go to the place I have always longed to visit. I booked 2 weeks in a fabulous hotel in Cancun (in all fairness, all of the hotels in Cancun are spectacular) and in keeping with my inability to stay too long in one spot, booked a 5 day trip to Havana, Cuba, to break it up. I was under no illusion, I knew that Cancun was a man made paradise jutting from the Yucatan peninsula, but still, it looked stunning. What I have learned about Mexico is that it is a country that literally has everything for everyone's travel taste- if you are a beach bum, the stunning white sand and stunning blue seas are perfect to plot up on for a fortnight, or if you are a culture vulture, the ancient ruins that are heavily scattered across the peninsula will certainly satisfy- mexico has spawned an ancient civilization and so their cultural heritage is both rich and fascinating! If you are a lover of wildlife, the Yucatan peninsula is a haven for a plethora of lizards, birds, monkeys, armadillos, crocodiles and among a whole lot more (the massive iguanas can be found literally everywhere!), whereas the azure seas make home for see manatees, dolphins, turtles and shoal after shoal of brightly coloured fish. And then there is the food- spectacular seafood and as for the local mexican food- it is to die for! In very touristy areas such as Cancun, is itn't to spicy but if you venture further afield it can get a little too hot to handle!

Cancun

Cancun, as I understood, is a party Mecca for thousands of uni students who venture here on their annual spring break trip, and this city is turned from having a lively strip where night life is take it or leave it into a wild and hedonistic den of iniquity! Thankfully however, this last only a few weeks of the year and for the rest of the year, Cancun is a relatively peaceful place. Cancun is not what Mexico is all about, but it makes a perfect base to go visit the masses of cultural highlights of this wee peninsula jutting from this huge country! The city centre itself isnt that amazing, but the entire strip of 'Punta Nizuc' or Zona Hotela is lovely- spotlessly clean, perfectly groomed lawns and gardens and very pleasant to walk around. It also have a very efficient bus service that runs the length of the resort. If you dont fancy slumming it (enev though they are airconditioned and very punctual), taxis are never far. The hotels, as I mentioned, tend to all be grand and luxurious and 4*+, so you are generally guaranteed a good stay regardless of where you end up. The main party strip of Cancun is home to numerous bars and nightclubs where wristbands for unlimited alcohol and club entry can be purchased, and surround this is a host over every restaurant you can imagine- I have eaten in most and most are fantastic. Further down from north to south are more restaurants and designer shops and shopping centres- you could easily be in Florida- it is extremely Americanized here! The most important thing about Cancun for me was location in close proximity to such interesting cultural heritage sites which are a must see, as well as its stunning beaches that go on and on- I would find it hard to find sea as crystal clear anywhere else on the planet- and more surprisingly- attached to a city!

There are plenty of water sports and game based activities in Cancun if that is what you enjoy- we actually took a morning out to go Zip lining in the mexican juncle- this is a must do if you are a bit of an adrenalin junkie (I actually am a massive scaredy cat and loved it!). This trip, organised through Selvatica, also included a visit to the beautiful Ceynotes, which are undergound lakes which seem to be peculiar to the Yucatan peninsula- there are everywhere so dont feel you need to go ziplining to visit these! A 2-3 hour boat trip off the coast of cancun is Isla Contoy, a tiny but spectacular island located in the Caribbean sea. This protected National park is considered to be one of the most important nesting places of all of the birds in the Caribbean, and is also home to sea turtles and loads of hermit crabs. The authorities state only 200 visitors are allowed to the Island and only on certain days of the week, so please book ahead if you with to visit. En route, vessels stop to allow snorkeling of the Ixlache coral reef, which is incredible- so many fish- it is fantastic! On reaching the island you are allowed to take a walk about and enjoy its unparalelled beauty and also take a swim with turtles and sting rays- a must do! In addition to this but slightly more commercial and busy are Isla mujares (hourly trips from cancun) which is beautiful and one can visit dolphins, a turtle farm, or just admire the pretty scenery.

Chichen Itza

You cannot go to Mexico, well, at least the Yucatan Peninsula, without visiting Chichen Itza, it would be a sin! This UNESCO world heritage site is well over 1000 years old, and still is in the most incredible condition. About a 4 hour trip from Cancun, an early start is needed to get here on time bit it is well worth it. These Mayan 'ruins' are colossal and vast, and El Castillo is the centrepoint of it all. On arriving and taking a long walk into the main arena, you can see why Chichen Itza attracts over 1.2 million tourists each year! You will get approached and offered guides- it is up to you to take it or leave it- we personally cant stand guided tours and prefer to google prior to going, but each to their own! The entire site exhibs perfectly preserved and restored pyramids, temples, palaces, an observatory, a mass of very impressive columns (over 1000 of them!) and even a ball court! The detail and style of architecture is simple to die for! Incredible! Walking around here was breathtaking and I would advise to have an empty SDHC card in your camera before you go! It is incredible to see and I would return to visit there again in a heartbeat! After walking around the site in the intense heat, we took a short drive on to Ik Kil ceynote for a swim. This underground pool is located deep underground and the ceiling has since caved in, so the blue skies can be seen through a canopy of tree roots which hang down into the crevice. This is absolutely beautiful and absolutely worth a visit. A wee trip to the old ancient town of Valladolid- there isnt a lot there aside from a lot of old Spanish style mansion houses and a huge church! This trip itself was well worth it but Chichen itza isn't all what the Yucatan peninsula is about!

Playa Del Carmen

Cancun and the surrounding results has an excellent public transport service and there is an airconditioned modern bus that runs very regularly from Cancun to Playa Del Carmen and down to Tulum, and from there, a smaller bus can take you to Coba. Play Del Carmen is a resort located about an hour from Cancun. At first, Playa seems a little more run down compared to Cancun, but venturing further into the town, it seems charming and again, has a sea front that is fantastic- what more could you want. Playa Del Carmen served us as a stop off en route to Tulum, and so sadly we didnt get much of an opportunity to explore, but next time!

Tulum

About and hour down from Playa is Tulum, and how I adore this place. We actually had quite a bit to see down here so we booked a place to stay last minute and all that was available was a double room in a hostel- gaaah! It was rustic but we survived! No where is luxurious in Tulum, it is rustic, basic, wild and beautiful. Tulum is an incredible wee town, it is quite run down and quite traditional in it's feel- and food- I encountered some enchiladas here that made my tongue bleed! But still, it is fantastic. At first, we visited Tulum Monkey sanctuary, where the owner, who has since passed away following an attack from the camel he rescued, which was fantastic. The wonderful people that run this sanctuary rescue monkeys from hotels, or ones that have been injured, and rehabilitate them and release them back to the wild. It is a permanent home for 2 monkeys which have become so adapted to living with humans that it is unsafe for them to be released into the wild, but they live a very happy life and are well looked after. Following this we visited Tulums mayan ruins. This ancient Mayan city looks directly out over the gulf od mexico- literally, it is on a cliff and is remarkably well preserved. The site isn't as large and manicured as Chichen Itza, but is equally as charming and interesting! It is also less toursity and there is less hassle to buy anything! We then took a stroll along the beaches, which are absolutely stunning- if you think Cancun has amazing beaches, you havent seen these! Playa Paraiso is unspoiled, natural, rugged and beautiful- the sand is so fine and water is the bluest you will ever see. It also has a fantastic little restaurant where we got incredible seafood fajitas! There are also a number of ceynotes in the region that are open to the public and worth explore! Tulum is a place you have to pop on your travel list if you are coming to Cancun! An absolute must see!

Coba

About an hour from Tulum is Coba, one of the older archaeological sites and is probably on a par with Tulum as being one of my favorite places to visit in the Yucatan Peninsula. To get here, we popped on a less frequent and less luxurious bus (more of a mini bus) and took off through the Mexican jungle, passing through several villages where people lived in small, straw huts. We arrived, albeit, sweaty, at Coba village, where we had to walk past a large lake to the entrance of the ruins. At the entrance, we got hassled horrifically to buy souvenirs and for guides, but once we were through, it was find. We rented bikes for peanuts in there (you can hire a tuk tuk but we were feeling energetic) and took off to explore the ruins. This was fantastic as we rode for ages through the jungle then came upon the ancient pyramids. What was incredible about Coba was we were allowed to climb the pyramid- and that we did. the views were stunning from up there! We then carried on cycling through the jungle and kept coming across a temple or palace. It was just a really fun day with plenty to see and nice to get the chance to stroll around in the wild on your own and enjoy the beautiful butterflies that were everywhere in Coba!

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