Mexico Adventures Part Uno

During the height of COVID, I have to admit the thing I missed most was the freedom to travel. I know that may sound selfish, but travel is really how I balance everything. I’m always looking forward to or planning my next trip. We found ways to do a few staycations and road trips during COVID, but in October 2020, my husband and I bit the bullet and decided to travel to Mexico! I liked it so much that we took another trip in February 2021 to the same resort because there was still so much more to see. I’m going to detail both trips separately since the experiences were different.

The first thing I did before traveling was extensive research about the resort and their COVID procedures. For both trips, the resort was working at less than a mandated 40% occupancy which seemed to be even lower considering the huge supply of beach chairs. I kept joking this is how the rich must feel, because there were several times it felt like we were on our own private island with the emptiness that surrounded us.

My favorite travel agency!

I used my favorite travel agency Desired Destinations 4 U to arrange all of the details. Such great and personalized service and I highly recommend them. I love that the owner travels extensively to get all of the info to give her clients the best possible experiences.

We chose Delta for the flight, because at the time they were blocking middle seats and being very overt about their flight safety precautions. Since, they have stopped blocking middle seats, but I still feel they are taking considerable safety measures. I haven’t been on planes this clean, possibly ever. They’re also really diligent about mask usage and will politely ask passengers to follow the posted rules when not eating or drinking.

We arrived in Cancun, Mexico to a packed airport. Clearly, everyone was over staying at home and had taken the chance to hit the warm sunshine. We were able to quickly find our luxury transportation arranged through AmStar by our incredible agent. Within moments, we were on our way to one of my bucket list goals, staying in an overwater bungalow! I’ve always wanted to try this, but I’ve heard such mixed reviews on the Maldives that I thought it would make more sense to stay closer to home for the first try. It was about a 20 min ride from the airport to the adult all-inclusive El Dorado Maroma Resort that is home to the Palafitos Overwater Bungalows.

Check-in was a breeze and to my delight I found out that my husband and I were upgraded to an Elite Overwater Bungalow due to complications from the hurricane that impacted our intended room. All Elite bungalows face the ocean while the others face the beach. However, I don’t know that there is a bad view at any of them as the scenery is gorgeous. The Bungalows have a dedicated check-in area and if your room is not ready, you’re given full access to the resort. We were able to have lunch in the private restaurant that services the bungalows only. If you’re a guest at the Maroma, you can eat at the restaurant for a separate charge.

Once we were escorted to our room, we were in heaven! I found out from members at the resort (more on that later) that all of the bungalows are set up the same regardless of location, the cost difference is solely based on the view. Each part of the room has inserts cut into the floor so you can see the ocean life beneath you. The room is small, but well situated. The bathroom was excellent with a whirlpool tub for two and a TON of amenities. I loved the slippers and robe. I never once used the indoor shower, because my favorite amenity was the beautiful outdoor shower. Taking a shower and being able to experience the warm breeze was the best way to start or end the day. Our deck had a plunge pool and ladder leading directly to the ocean, like being in a movie. There was also a sunbathing platform that I took full advantage of each day. There’s nothing posted discouraging topless sunbathing, so I think if you’re discrete it’s okay and the platform was the perfect location. You also have a fully stocked minibar and 4 full bottles of liquor, which is great because the one thing room service does not deliver is cocktails.

Our first evening included an excellent dinner at the Palafitos exclusive restaurant (spoiler alert, we never ate anywhere else, the food here was INCREDIBLE and several repeat guests told us it was the place to eat and not to bother with the other restaurants.) complete with delicious cocktails. This resort is all about top shelf with high end liquor and gourmet bites. I loved that the meals were small and while you can order as much as you’d like, the items are so rich your eyes can definitely be larger than your stomach. We retired early the first evening and enjoyed listening to the waves lull us to sleep.

The next morning, we woke up early and hit the beach for a run. The sand is pretty compact, so it allows for good tread. The total beach was about a mile until you run off the property and onto what appeared to be the neighboring resort. After the run, we enjoyed brunch room service on our deck arranged by our private butlers. I cannot say enough about the service at this place. At check-in, you’re assigned a butler and given their What’s App information and from there you can literally contact them for anything. Our butlers arranged everything from a romantic surprise evening turndown to breakfast each day.

The day was spent on the private side of the beach, where the beach butlers take care of your every desire. They can arrange a beach lunch (pro tip: while the menu is a little limited, they can actually get you lunch from any of the restaurants, just tell them what you’d like) and give you access to a Bali bed. It’s very relaxing and peaceful to stare out at the bungalows and the ocean.

In the evening, we opted to walk over to the Maroma resort where they were having a Mexican fiesta dinner. The food was “display”, which is the new word for buffet in COVID times and basically meaning that someone helps you make your plate, and there was plenty of entertainment. I wasn’t comfortable being around all of the people since we were sitting in tables of 8, so we left and opted for dinner at our favorite spot. We went to the Maroma night hot spot, Rick’s, after dinner. They were having a pretty active karaoke evening and there was also pool and a well-stocked bar. After hanging out for a bit, we ran into the members that we had met earlier.

The El Dorado group has a member’s program which for all intents and purposes works like a luxury timeshare for their properties around the world. I didn’t get all of the details, because I never opted to sit through the presentation, but for a large fee (from what I’ve heard you can’t get in under a $7k buy-in) you get special rates and privileges. At the Palafitos, we were basically treated like members due to the class of service that we were staying in, so I didn’t really see any major benefit to joining. Like most timeshare presentations, you get coupons and gifts if you’re willing to sit through the 90-minute talk.

Rick’s stayed open pretty late and was a really fun time. We left to go back and enjoy a late-night swim in our plunge pool.

Halfway through our stay, we opted to check out the sister El Dorado property, the Royale. It’s closer to the airport, but in the opposite direction of the Maroma. It was hard to leave our bungalow hideaway and the excellent butler service we had experienced, but the great people from AmStar came and picked us up to transport us with little worries.

Be sure to check out Mexico Adventure Pt. Dos for the full experience.