7 Days in Riviera Maya, Mexico

After my trip to Varadero, Cuba last August, I suddenly grew an interest in seeing more of Central America. Second in my checklist is Mexico! We decided to go to the Riviera Maya following my colleague’s suggestion and I’m glad we listened because it was surprisingly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to! I say surprisingly because I honestly wasn’t expecting much from this trip which I’ll talk about more later in this post. So grab yourself a drink and let me tell you the story of my adventurous 7 Days in Riviera Maya, Mexico!

7 Days in Riviera Maya, Mexico

As you may already know, Winter can be really harsh here in Montreal. So around January when the Winter season was at its worst, I was tempted to book a trip to a place where I can enjoy the sun! However, with my work commitment, I was unable to immediately leave and so I decided to schedule a short vacation at the end of March.

My first option was the Dominican Republic but eventually settled to Mexico. And as I said earlier, I wasn’t really expecting much from this trip because of all the wrong assumptions I’ve heard about the country. I was told by a few colleagues and friends to stay pretty much inside the resort because it is safer. With that in mind, I didn’t really have an itinerary planned for this trip. All I wanted was to get away. Little did I know that this would be one of my most memorable vacations to date.

We stayed at a resort called Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda which is located in Playa del Carmen. It is pretty much near to Cancun Airport and about 30 minutes away from the famous 5th Avenue which is a well-known shopping district and is also packed with different restaurants and bars.

Since they identify themselves as a five-star hotel, one would expect so much from the service and accommodations but what stood out for me was how courteous and helpful the staffs were. Everyone will greet you with a smile and will pretty much do everything to make you enjoy your stay.

The hotel houses 6 A la carte Restaurants and two International Buffet. Although one of the 6 A la carte restaurants also offers International Buffet for breakfast and lunch which I love since you have a few options depending on your mood or your location in the hotel.

We dined in six out of the eight restaurants with the exception of the French Restaurant and the Steakhouse. I must say that the food in the resort is overall amazing and each has their own staples.

If there’s probably one flaw that I can say about the resort, it would be the water on the beach. It is not very clear at certain times of the day and seaweeds are almost everywhere. Although we have mother nature to point the finger to since apparently there has been a seaweed problem throughout Mexico these past few years, I feel like the resort can still do something to somehow make it better.

Good thing there was a cenote (underground lake or river) which is a short walk away from the hotel that has clear water. It also has an amazing view where you can take Instagram worthy pictures like the one below!

Now, enough with the resort and let’s talk about the fun part!

Chichen Itza

The locals say you never truly visited Mexico if you don’t visit Chichen Itza. It is an old Mayan City located at the Yucatan Territories and about 2 hours away from Playa del Carmen. Here you’ll see the remains of some of the establishments and pyramids built by the Mayans. The most notable pyramid is the “El Castillo” or the Pyramid of Kukulcan.

This city is rich with interesting history and beautiful tales that’ll make you understand how the Mayans lived during the days. It’s no wonder why it’s included in the New 7 Wonders of the World.

Tulum

Our next stop is beautiful Tulum! We, unfortunately, did not stay long to see everything that this place can offer but we stayed enough to see its beauty. I immediately fell in love with Playa Ruinas which is the beach located the Parque Nacional de Tulum or the National Park of Tulum.

Its turquoise waters and white sands blew my mind away! It was like looking at a postcard but better! It was just beautiful! Mind you, the pictures that I took does not give justice to the real beauty of the place. It was way way better real-time!

At the Parque Nacional de Tulum, you can also find impressive Mayan Ruins. Just like in Chichen Itza, the ruins over here are well-preserved and protected. Seeing all the writings and carvings on the walls also gives you a bit of understanding of the traditions and practices of the Mayan people which is very interesting.

“El Castillo” or The Castle in English is probably the most notable ruins in the park. It was built on the edge of a limestone cliff overlooking the Caribbean coast and just a few steps away from the Playa Ruinas.

There are also a lot of beautiful Cenotes in Tulum if you want to get away from the beach which I doubt you would but nonetheless, Cenotes are a must! We visited one but I unfortunately forgotten its name nor do I have a picture of it since we had to leave all of our belongings (including our phones and cameras) in the van as advised by our tour guide.

However, I do remember that that particular Cenote has a cave in it and it’s about 3 meters deep! Is that enough? LOL.

Cenote Oxman

To make up from the mysterious Cenote I mentioned above, let me talk about the Oxman Cenote!

This Cenote is located inside Hacienda San Lorenzo. What’s good about this place is that it’s not as crowded as other Cenotes so you can pretty much enjoy the waters on your own.

The water looks really dark from above but actually looks more like a dark blue color when you are closer. But again, my pictures do not say the actual beauty of the place but trust me when I say it was mythically beautiful! I hope that makes sense.

Ruins of Coba

Let’s move on to the City of Coba! Well, a part of it at least. The Ruins of Coba to be exact! Just like the National Park of Tulum, this place houses a few ruins of the Mayan civilization.

The highlight of the trip was the Ixmoja or Nohoch Mul Pyramid which is the highest pyramid in Coba. Unlike in Chichen Itza, tourists are actually allowed to climb this pyramid.

The stairway, however, is not easy to climb since they’re very steep. One mistake and you’ll probably be rolling all the way down the 120 stone steps. Thus the rope in the middle! Which not only divides the “UP” and “DOWN” section of the climb but can also act as a support to save you from having a broken bone.

In my opinion, the climbing up is the easier part but it can be a struggle going down. It’s best to descend sitting down just like the crowd in the picture above since you can have a full control of your movement and balance.

However, the view above was spectacular! It was a vast land of beautiful greenery. Plus, the feeling of accomplishment for climbing a pyramid! Yes, it doesn’t get any better than that!

Isla Cozumel

Our last stop was the Island of Cozumel! This is a popular cruise ship port and the best place to enjoy many water activities like Snorkeling and Scuba Diving. This island is not part of the Riviera Maya but one that we didn’t want to miss.

We took a ferry from the downtown area of Playa del Carmen going to the island. It was a smooth ride, especially that the ferry comes every hour.

Since the Island has so much to offer, it’s best to rent a car or a scooter so you can freely roam around and enjoy different spots to snorkel at and in your own pace. If that’s not an option, joining a Catamaran tour is also a good idea or you can avail to join a smaller tour (in a smaller boat, literally) that would also bring you to some of the best snorkel spots.

Whatever your choice is, Isla Cozumel promises a good time! I absolutely enjoyed snorkeling since the underwater views were beautiful. We were even lucky to see dolphins swimming after our tour!

There goes our 7 Days in Riviera Maya, Mexico! It was a short yet fun and such an exciting trip! There is still much left to see and experience in this country and so I’ll be going back for sure!

Hope you enjoyed this ride with me!

Till then,