After an exhaustive start to the year, including my busiest time for work at an event, the impending Honeymoon came around at a very welcome time and after a cheeky upgrade, we found ourselves in premium, glass of champagne in hand, marvelling at the free moisturiser and socks in our welcome packs! A 12 hour flight later and we were landing, flying in over Florida Keys and Cuba, before an expanse of ocean and forest. The transit was effortless, flying through customs, bag collection and on to our bus, aptly named the Cactus Coach, where we had a 90 minute ride to the Riviera Maya – halfway between Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
We were greeted with a cocktail and a refresher towel, our
bags were whisked away and so to the scene was set for the next 15 days –
utterly luxury. We were shown to our suite, which overlooked the white sanded
beach, palm trees and, most conveniently, one of the bars which had live music
for the duration of our stay during the evenings. A few squeals at the Jacuzzi
in our suite, as well as the mini bar, all of which was free, we decided to set
off for a quick explore along the beach. We walked around, more than a little
stunned and absolutely overwhelmed at the relaxation opportunities and
possibilities ahead of us, before making our way to the bar for the first of
many, many cocktails. With a cocktail glow upon us, we made chit chat with
another couple on honeymoon from Wales, before heading off to dinner at one of
the seven restaurants on offer… That first dinner was a stressful occurrence –
the idea that we could have anything and everything on the menu, free of
charge, was just too much. It genuinely did take us a good five or so days to
get into it, because at first we were just well and truly overwhelmed.
All the days have blurred into one glorious day of food,
drink and sun, so in order to try and give an insight into how truly amazing
this holiday was, I’ll take you through a typical day. This doesn’t include the
endless activities on offer, such as daily yoga classes, Spanish and cooking
lessons, towel folding classes where you can make pretty wee swan settings and
flowers, kayaking and snorkelling, beach volleyball, dance classes etc – not to
mention the evening entertainment, from Cirque de Soleil inspired performances,
fire shows, reggae bands and movie nights… The mind boggles! We took advantage
of these where we could, especially as far as kayaking and snorkelling are
concerned, which happened all the time, but I also dabbed in yoga and we soaked
up the live music and beach parties whenever they were held. As the World Cup
was on, we also watched the key games whilst munching on nachos and slurping
cocktails. Divine!
Each morning one of us would get up and head down to the
beach, taking our towels in order to bag a beachside four-poster bed, which was
shaded, as well as two sun loungers for those that liked to soak up the rays
(me). There was surplus available, but as Brad isn’t a friend to the sun, we
liked to ensure we got one in a particular spot. The beach was just one of many
sunbathing options, with countless pools, of which three had swim up bars
attached! We would then head off to breakfast, again the choice was endless,
but my favourite place was a restaurant which would serve fruit salad, lined in
the colours of the rainbow, drizzled with honey and granola. This was the first
course – usually an omelette followed, with Brad opting for a Mexican breakfast
of huevos rancheros or something to that effect. This was washed down with
coffee and champagne, or if we were feeling pious – green juice, made with
oranges, celery and spinach. Far better than it sounds. 
We would then head off to the beach where we would lie for,
oh… just a casual nine hours. This would be broken up by visits from staff
bringing drinks, mini burgers or tacos, drinks and did I say drinks? Lunch
would be a beach BBQ grill, or our favourite gourmet burger spot, which pulled
together burger and fries combos that would blow your mind.
The days would simply fly by, broken up by cocktails and
kayaking, or snorkelling and feeding the most beautiful tropical fish that
nibbles around our toes – no word of a lie. I was blown away by how much I
loved snorkelling – hearing your own breath as we looked at the prettiest
reefs, fish, with stingrays schlepping around was just lovely and proved to be
quite meditative. We also read, getting through about 10 books each – no
exaggeration – and the one day it did rain, it only did so late afternoon and
instead of annoying us, gave us much excitement as we set off back to the room,
loving the tropical storm, to jump in the Jacuzzi and drink the free Prosecco
that had been provided to us. What’s to complain about?
One afternoon, rather reluctantly, we left the resort,
jumping on the local bus to head to Playa del Carmen, the closest city. We
spent the afternoon shopping and exploring, loving the feel of this buzzy
Mexican town and marvelling at just how foreign it felt, before missing our
beautiful resort and heading back. We did see a few funny sites while we were
there, such as a baby lion cub tourists could get their photos with, alongside
the usual monkeys and giant iguanas, but after hanging with the iguanas all day
at ours, these were dime a dozen to the experienced senor and senoritas like
ourselves!
We had the holiday of an absolute lifetime and as far as I’m
concerned, I don’t care if I ever see anything again, I just want to go back
there. There’s so much you can do – so many amazing day trips and adventures to
be had, but on top of it, you’re staying at the most amazing resort ever so if
you don’t leave this place, you’re doing alright. Every day you were
overwhelmed with opportunities for delicious food, fun entrainment,
sight-seeing or entertainment – so either way, you were always missing out on
something. That’s the beauty of this place – there’s something for everyone. We
could have had a great holiday together and got exactly what we needed out of
it, even if one of you was allergic to everything and wanted to have a healthy
detox and the other wanted to have a gluttonous trip, drinking and eating fried
food. Saunas, gym, yoga, or cocktails, burgers and endless resort-made coconut
ice-cream (which I would murder for) – whatever floats your boat, El Dorado
Seaside Suites is the place for you!
On our last morning we woke up with heavy hearts, so sad to
leave, but at the same time thankful and aware that we had experienced the very
best holiday that it’s possible to have… Ever! We went for a long walk on the
beach that morning to say goodbye to Mexico, past turtle nests and all the way
up to a neighbouring resort, which didn’t look a patch on ours, before making
our way back to the resort for one last swim in the Caribbean.
It wasn’t long before the Cactus Coach was there, ready to take us back to reality; however the premium flight back certainly softened the blow. It’s been over a month and a half since we’ve been back, but I can honestly say there are moments I still feel as if I’m floating on air – that’s the beauty of such an amazing holiday.
Xxx
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