Viva Mexico!

 

Finally, the trip to Mexico has been made.

We got back to good ol’ Washington, DC last Saturday after a well-deserved vacation in Soliman Bay, Mexico. Of course I’m not going to chat about the coming home part  but of the wonderful fun-filled days we’ve spent in Villa Tres Delfines.

Just a quick backgrounder for those not familiar, this is the second time we’ve visited Mexico. Mark (the other half of the Davilas) and I share the same birthday and had reached a milestone last year. So the group decided to celebrate by planning a trip to the Mayan Riviera. We loved it so much that we vowed to come back this year. And so we did.

We took a couple more friends with us this time around and were lucky enough to find a four bedroom villa still available in Soliman Bay. We rented the place for six days and five nights.

Soon as we arrived in Cancun, the gang immediately ventured out into the city to find Lab Na. We discovered Lab Na last year in our search for the authentic taste of the yucatan cuisine. Their chicken lime soup has been very well published as the most delish and authentic soup you can get in the Yucatan. Clearly, Lab Na did not disappoint. I think I had 2 bowls of that soup during the meal. Yummm!!!

After getting our eat on, we started driving south to our villa. Driving in Mexico is not too bad. The only thing that scared us were these humps they call locally as “tope”. We’re so used to the humps being a slight bump in the road but their local version were huge platforms (really, they’re platforms!!!). They were about 3 feet wide and angled on the corners so you really have to slow down. You can tell it’s scary by the signs they post on the road. 

Anyway, we got to the place, and it was gorgeous! The beach was great and the rooms were beautiful. The gang assigned us to the upstairs bedroom (being the organizers of the trip) which has its own balcony with hammocks and sitting area. We loved it! We also had a pool for those days when you didn’t want that sea water, or to wash off the sea water…hehehe.

Sparing you of the day to day details, the group had the chance to visit a whole lot of old and new spots this time around. We headed out to Tulum, Chichen Itza, Valladolid, Playa del Carmen and Xel-Ha.

Tulum is one of the many sites of the Mayan ruins. Located right by the beach, it’s amazing to see the old Mayan structures on top of rocks overlooking the sea. We visited this site last year, and this year it was the Facchinas and Reeves turn while we (Davilas and Harshes) snorkeled in Akumal.

Chichen Itza, named one of the Seven New Wonders of the World is one of the biggest city states of the Mayans in the Yucatan Peninsula. It took us about 2 hours to get there but it was well worth the trip. The pyramid called “El Castillo” is a site to behold. Felipe, our guide explained to us that the pyramid was built to represent many things about the Mayan culture. The number of steps and corners were designed to represent the Mayan calendar. The serpent carved on the side represents the sun god in its form as it travels on earth. One pretty cool thing he showed us was when we clap our hands in front of the pyramid, an echo can be heard throughout the area. He said that this was so that the high priest can be heard during ceremonies. The coolest thing though that we weren’t able to observe was when the solstice occurs. The light travels through the pyramid and forms a snake all across. We missed the solstice by a week.

Valladolid is a small town we passed on our way to Chichen Itza. With its plaza, municipal hall and church, we just had to stop and visit on our way back. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Hosteria de Marquez. An old 9 bedroom Mexican home turned to a 90 room hotel. It still had the old feel so it wasn’t as bad. Valladolid reminded me so much of the Philippines. Specially a town in Ilokos called Candon. 

Playa del Carmen is one of the more commercial parts of the Yucatan. With its shops, restaurant and bars right by the beach, you get the whole Miami vibe without the Miami price. Visiting the area during the low season also helped us avoid the huge tourist crowd.

Xel-Ha is a water theme park just 5 minutes from our villa. It was a natural theme park with its mangroves and fishes. The gang enjoyed a day of tubing, cliff jumping, rope swinging and snorkeling. I think the highlight was the dolphins though. It was amazing how the dolphins would go under your feet, one on each foot, and basically lift you up from the water. It was awesome!

In between the site visits we enjoyed some quiet time at home. Just kayaking at our beach, playing some charades, viking and drinking games or just lounging by the pool. We had a “muy excellente” housekeeper and chef. Olivia is amazing when left in the kitchen to do her magic. The tamales, ceviches and enchiladas she prepared were amazing.

So here I am now, in my room daydreaming of Mexico . Another wonderful trip has been completed. I’m now back to reality (kinda), to the 60s degree weather and cloudy skies. Well, at least for now, I can say “we will always have Mexico”.

Hopefully you’d get the chance to visit it too. More photos are posted on my shutterfly collection so feel free to take a look. Enjoy!

Click here for more photos.

Ciao!