Our Postcards: Mexico

Our love affair with Mexico began in 2007, after family who had already travelled there several times themselves convinced us it would be the perfect destination for a family holiday.

They weren’t wrong.

What started as one trip to the Riviera Maya gradually turned into a collection of holidays spread across fifteen years, each one slightly different from the last. We have travelled there with young children, returned when they were older, ventured beyond the resorts for a little more adventure and, eventually, experienced Mexico for the first time as just the two of us.

Some destinations become memorable because of one particular holiday. Mexico, for us, has been more about the many different memories it has given us over the years.

Our First Taste of Mexico

Our first visit in 2007 took us to the Riu Yucatan in Playacar, just outside Playa del Carmen, with the Caribbean Sea only a few steps away. At that stage, travelling as a family meant finding somewhere that worked for everyone, and the large all-inclusive resorts of the Riviera Maya made that wonderfully easy. There was always plenty happening during the day, with swimming pools, entertainment, a wide choice of food and the beach right on our doorstep, which meant there was very little pressure to plan every moment.

It was exactly what we had hoped for from a first trip to Mexico: warm weather, long days by the water and that unmistakably tropical feeling of waking up beneath palm trees with nowhere particularly urgent to be. We also liked being close to Playacar and Playa del Carmen itself. Having shops, restaurants and a little more life beyond the resort gave us the freedom to wander out when we wanted to, rather than feeling as though we needed to stay within the hotel for the entire holiday.

Those first impressions of Mexico have stayed with us: the warmth, the colour, the brightness of the Caribbean, lively little shopping areas and the easy pace of the days.

It did not take much convincing for us to return.

Back to the Riviera Maya

Two years later, in 2009, we found ourselves back in almost exactly the same part of Mexico, this time staying at the Riu Tequila.

Although it sat a little further back from the beach, we actually enjoyed the slightly quieter atmosphere and could still make use of the facilities at its sister hotels nearby. It meant we had a more relaxed base while still being able to dip in and out of the busier areas whenever we wanted. By then, Mexico no longer felt completely unfamiliar. We knew the rhythm of the area, the style of the resorts and the sort of holiday it offered, which made the second visit feel very easy.

Days naturally fell into a pattern of breakfast, swimming, time on the beach, perhaps a walk into Playacar and then long evenings over dinner. Travelling with children, that simplicity was part of the appeal. Nobody needed much entertaining when the sea was warm and there was always something to do. What we were beginning to realise, though, was that Mexico had far more to offer than the resort itself.

Beyond the Beach

When we returned again in 2015, staying at Ocean Coral & Turquesa, we were ready to see a little more. The resort still gave us everything we enjoyed about a Mexican all-inclusive holiday, but by this point we wanted to balance the slower days with something more adventurous. One of the most memorable was an excursion inland for quad biking and ziplining through the jungle.

It was energetic, dusty and at times slightly chaotic, but enormous fun. There is nothing quite like watching your family disappear along a jungle track on quad bikes before finding yourselves clipped onto a zipline high above the trees shortly afterwards.

It was one of those days that completely broke up the rhythm of the holiday and reminded us how quickly the landscape changes once you move inland. The Riviera Maya may be known for white beaches and turquoise water, but just beyond the coast there is dense jungle, cenotes, caves and an entirely different side to the region.

A Day at Xcaret

One place we would always recommend making time for is Xcaret.

It is difficult to describe neatly because it is much more than a traditional theme park. Part nature park, part cultural experience and part adventure day, it brings together underground rivers, wildlife, caves, beaches and displays exploring Mexican history and traditions.

For us, it was a brilliant way to spend a day away from the resort because there was so much variety. You could be swimming through an underground river in the morning, wandering between wildlife areas later in the day and then sitting down to watch one of the larger evening performances.

It also gave the children something completely different from another day beside the pool, without feeling as though we had suddenly turned the holiday into a packed sightseeing itinerary.

That balance is one of the things Mexico does particularly well. You can spend several days doing very little, then have one day filled with adventure, wildlife, caves and culture before returning to the beach again the following morning.

Mexico, This Time as Two

By the time we returned in 2022, things had changed: our children were old enough to have their own lives and, for the first time, Mexico became a trip for just my husband and me.

We stayed at the Royalton Riviera Cancun, south of Cancun, and although many of the familiar ingredients were still there, the holiday felt quite different. We made the most of the adults-only areas, took longer over meals and generally allowed ourselves to do far less. There was no need to think about whether everyone else was entertained or what anybody wanted to do next. If we fancied another hour beside the pool, that was exactly what we did.

After years of family holidays, it was lovely to discover that Mexico worked just as well for us as a couple. The days felt slower, the evenings a little longer and the whole trip more indulgent, but without losing the relaxed atmosphere that had made us enjoy the country in the first place.

An Unexpected Day in Cozumel

One of our favourite memories from that trip came completely by chance. Without either of us knowing beforehand, a former colleague had booked Mexico for exactly the same time, so naturally we arranged to meet and spend a day together on Cozumel.

We took the ferry across to the island and hired a golf buggy for the day, which proved to be one of the easiest and most entertaining ways to explore. Rather than following a fixed itinerary, we simply drove, stopped whenever somewhere caught our attention and gradually made our way around different parts of the island.

Cozumel felt noticeably different from the mainland. Once away from the busier arrival areas, the roads became quieter and the coastline more open, with stretches where the sea seemed to follow us almost continuously. There is a freedom to exploring somewhere like that without much of a plan. We stopped for drinks, took in the views, found places we would never have bothered researching in advance and spent most of the day laughing at the fact that none of us had expected to be there together in the first place.

Sometimes the completely unplanned days become the ones you remember best.

Why Mexico Has Stayed With Us

Looking back across those trips, what stands out most is how differently we have experienced the same part of the world at different stages of our lives. Our earliest holidays were centred around the children, easy resort days and the novelty of discovering somewhere new. Later trips brought jungle adventures, underground rivers, days exploring beyond the hotel and a little more confidence to see what was around us. By 2022, Mexico had become somewhere we could return to as a couple and experience in a completely different way.

Some things have remained reassuringly consistent: warm Caribbean water, generous hospitality, relaxed days, good food and the feeling that it is very easy to switch off once you arrive.But no two trips have ever felt exactly the same.

From family days in Playacar and flying through the jungle on ziplines to drifting through Xcaret’s underground rivers and driving a golf buggy around Cozumel, Mexico has given us a wonderfully varied collection of memories.

What began with a recommendation in 2007 has become a destination woven through several different chapters of our family life.

And after all those years, we still feel as though we have only seen a small part of it.