Mexican Magic

Joanne Kemp on 20 August 2011
Mexico boasts some of Central America's finest white sandy beaches with brilliant blue turquoise seas, luxurious resorts and excellent tourist facilities, along with a spectacular historical heritage.

From the UK, the flight time is approx. 9 hours and there are many resorts along the Yucatan Peninsula from Cancun where it is a 24 hour resort - so you can party as much as you like! There’s also the laid back European-influenced town of Playa del Carmen which is a great base for exploring of the nearby ruins of Tulum and Coba and is also a good destination for diving tours.

Mexico is well suited for everyone - from singles, couples to also families with children. There are many adult only hotels for those looking to celebrate a special occasion or honeymoon. The best time to travel is from November until May for maximum sunshine, as hurricane season usually runs from June until October time.

We stayed in Dreams Puerto Aventuras which is situated approx. 60 minutes from Cancun. The hotel is one of the smaller resorts and is a perfect family getaway. There's a host of activities and water sports available and you can also swim with the dolphins and manatees at the nearby dolphinarium. In the local area there is a golf course and a small market with shops full of surprises. I found it to be very safe to walk around the resort if you wanted to leave your sunbed.

The highlight of our trip was most definitely our excursions – one to the Ancient ruins of Chichen Itza. This historical site means “at the mouth of the well of Itza” and is the 2nd most visited archaeological site of Mexico today. The Kukulkan Pyramid in Chichen-Itza which is known as “El Castillo” (the castle), is one of the new seven wonders of the world. Make sure you take plenty of water and comfortable walking shoes as there’s very little shade and it is extremely hot - yet it is definitely worth the journey!

Our other excursion was to the Xplor! Adventure Park which is an eco-friendly park where there’s fun for everyone from zip lines (I do suffer from heights and to my amazement did all of them!) 4x4 vehicle driving, rafting, cave swimming to riding a zip line into the water! It is worth the time to investigate this park but make sure you plan to have the whole day. It's huge and there's so much to do - a great adventure and fun for all your family.

With incredible adventure activities, activity-packed eco-parks, world-class diving, spectacular archaeological sites, as well as great shopping and a lively nightlife, Mexico offers a host of captivating combinations and I would highly recommend a visit!