Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Travel: Mexico’s Caribbean Coast – a perfect concoction of beaches, jungles, history and wildlife

Ancient Mayan ruins in Tulum, Mexico. (iStock)
Ancient Mayan ruins in Tulum, Mexico. (iStock)

IT’S 8pm and we’re watching a vintage Meet Joe Black movie on the beach. The blow-up cinema screen is propped up by palm trees, while the sunloungers we were applying SPF on earlier in the midday heat are now makeshift cinema seats.

It doesn’t get much more perfect – until a sandstorm suddenly whips up and we’re forced to watch the ending indoors (well, nobody wants sand in their popcorn!).

Freak storms aside, the white sand beaches in Riviera Maya are idyllic day or night, and it’s not the only time I’m blown away by natural wonders during my trip.

It’s my first time visiting Mexico’s Caribbean coast and the landscape is vastly different to the more rugged backdrops on the Pacific side.

On a glorious sunrise flight to Cancun from Mexico City, the view from above is like a never-ending blanket of dense jungle – the kind that’s uninterrupted and makes you wonder when civilisation will start to unfold. There are more trees than I’ve ever seen in my life and a good preview of what to expect when we arrive at our hotel, Grand Velas Riviera Maya.

The front of our Grand Class hotel – all Instagram-perfect palm trees, white sand and serene ocean – is a stark contrast to the back, which is dense Mayan jungle that looks like a thick curtain of tropical trees. Beach or jungle, whichever camp you’re in, is in abundance on Grand Velas’ epic sprawling site, which boasts three hotels within the resort: Zen Grand, Grand Class and Ambassador.

Why the trio of options? Well, some people prefer the sound of the ocean from their balcony, while others love the feeling of waking up in the lush jungle, is the resort’s explanation. And for the indecisive like me? You can easily move around the palm-tree populated resort via shuttles to fully absorb both settings.

Not long after arriving, I observe giant pelicans catching their fish suppers in the sea, and spot families of turtles in the jungle river that look so ancient they have a layer of algae moss decorating their shells. To put the magnitude of this jungle resort into perspective, it takes a full five-minute drive to reach our hotel lobby from the towering grand entrance on the highway.

We venture to the top floor to take in the vast views of the jungle. We’re told if we look closely, we might even spot the odd swinging spider monkey (“mono arana” in Spanish).

While the epic Mayan jungle is beautiful, it does mean that venturing outside the hotel for day trips requires some forward planning. Chichen Itza is one of the most popular archaeological visitor sites in Mexico and requires a full day’s sightseeing, as it’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive.

For a closer exploration of mystical Mayan civilisation, we visit neighbouring Tulum’s 13th century city ruins to take in the ancient Mayan culture (about an hour’s drive away). You can skip the tourist queue and get an official guided group tour, which is well worth the extra admission price.

It’s a humid 28˚C in the jungle when we venture in to see the ruins, and are greeted by a flurry of wild creatures at every turn – opossums, skunks and raccoons – clambering on him for a cuddle.

Tulum is a fascinating insight into Mayan civilisation. Jorge points out subtle carvings in blue and red that we might have missed without some insider knowledge.

When we return to the hotel, it seems fitting to dine at the all-inclusive Mexican gourmet restaurant, Frida.

We’re given a must-try tip by the executive chef, Mario Lopez, to try the ceviche and tostadas dishes that combine seafood and pork.

He goes on to tell us that one of the signature foods from the region is cochinita pibil, a slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatan Peninsula, that fuses Mayan cooking techniques with Mexican food.

Our aperitif chilli margaritas are suddenly interrupted by a guacamole master. He wheels over a trolley of 12 mini dishes containing potential additions to customise your vat of guacamole, as it’s smashed right in front of you.

Bespoke guacamole? If this is what holidays in the Mexican Caribbean are like, count me in.


Carrier (0161 492 1354; carrier.co.uk) offers seven nights at Grand Velas Riviera Maya from £4,025 per person, based on two adults sharing a Zen Grand Suite Nature View room on an all-inclusive basis, including return flights from London Gatwick with British Airways and return private transfers. Price based on departures April 29, 2019.