Honeymoon Part 2: :Arriba Arriba!

The thing that I keep telling people since we got back from our honeymoon and the wedding dust and glitter had settled, was not to settle. As I said before, I like to have nice things but pay a bargain price for them. We had a gorgeous, luxury resort in Mexico and were blessed to be able to spend 10 dreamy days there. But of course, you can always do better. J and I had decided to opt for a standard deluxe suite, which on any given holiday is fancy enough. We knew that we could upgrade to a Platinum apartment, or get First Class flights – but we also knew that it wasn’t the end of the world if we didn’t. We knew that we were lucky enough to be able to afford the trip in its own right, without all the frills of a Kardashian-standard vacay.  

Upon check-in at our hotel in the resort of the Riviera Maya, we enquired about upgrading to Platinum. It was an extra $600, and all the Reception staff could tell us is that you were entitled to free Wifi and access to an exclusive restaurant in the hotel. Big woop, right? No thank you. However, it emerged on about day 7 or 8 (after a drunken night out to Coco Bongo with two other British couples!) that we were effectively staying in the “family” part of the hotel, and the other couples were shocked that we were spending our honeymoon splashing in pools alongside whiny children and loud families. Turns out the Platinum suites were much more than just free Wi-Fi and a swanky eatery – every room had its own hot tub, and there was a private pool for members only. Very nice. So, we went back to Reception to ask if there was any possibility that we could upgrade for our last few nights… Only to be told that they were fully booked. It was that ‘kick in the teeth’ moment where we said that in hindsight had we known what we were truly missing out on then we could have experienced that real honeymoon indulgence. #Nevermind. 

L: J and I getting suitably smashed at Coco Bongo! R: One of the many acrobatic performances from the night!

 I really, really can’t complain though. That $600 we saved at the start of the trip meant that we could book extra excursions such as the aforementioned trip to Coco Bongo – Mexico’s famous, ridiculously entertaining nightclub. They have two – one in Cancun and one in Riviera Maya, which we went to. We paid out the extra (this time) for VIP tickets, which included hotel transfers, queue jump, all-inclusive drinks, reserved seating area and table service. It was a fantastic experience that I’ve told everyone who goes to Mexico to do – J and I are not party animals in the slightest, but the fact that this place really is the club to go to meant that we were happy to splurge $100 each on a ticket.  

Shots were poured down our mouths from the minute we stepped into the club, and we were quickly ushered to our seats on the first floor balcony – directly opposite the stage where endless performances of Moulin Rouge, Beetlejuice, Mambo Number Five and acrobatics graced the platform. Confetti canons were let off every five minutes, dwarf dancers ran on top of the bar, balloons fell from the ceiling, and girls were pulled up on stage to entertain the masses whilst wind machines blew their skirts up… I just couldn’t stop smiling and laughing, and for the fact that we knew the coach was coming to collect us at 4am (which terrified us to be expected to stay out so late!) we didn’t want the night to end! One of my friends had been the month before, and said about the girls that got pulled up on stage and how sleazy it was. Yeah, I was one of them! One of the best nights of my life. 

We spent our trip to Mexico at the plush Grand Sunset Princess All Suites & Spa Resort, where I treated myself to a relaxing full-body massage while J went off to the sports bar to – you guessed it – watch the footy! There was a huge choice of food with 12 restaurants to choose from, and plenty to drink in the 17 bars available in the resort. We paid for the A La Carte dining experience on the beach in the Chill Out Restaurant on our first night there, which guaranteed us Wi-Fi in their exclusive bar on the beach for the rest of our stay. This made up for the fact that we didn’t have Wi-Fi anywhere else in the resort, which a lot of people say shouldn’t be a con to any trip – but J relies on his Spotify app to be able to listen to his tunes whilst relaxing by the sea – so this was perfect for us! And plus I could annoy everyone back home with the odd Instagram snap of our time away! 

Having a romantic meal on the beach at the Chill Out club on our first night also meant we had access to their exclusive bar/free Wi-Fi for the rest of our trip!

We also paid for a day trip to Xel-Ha, an exotic waterpark actually set amongst the natural surroundings of the jungle and the ocean. Here you could snorkel and swim amongst the natural wildlife and fish, go cliff-diving, zip-wire your way across the water – and it was all-inclusive of your food and drinks! A really great day out for both of us, even though we’re inexperienced swimmers! 

Of course, you can’t visit Mexico without visiting one of its natural heritage sites. We spent the day at Tulum – the ruin of a Mayan city set against the backdrop of the Caribbean ocean. And it was HOT! Be sure to take plenty of water if you ever visit! 

It was SUPER hot when we visited Tulum - we have no idea what the tour guide was telling us because we were too busy trying to find shade!

Whilst we absolutely loved our 10 days of peace and relaxation in this South American country, we were surprised at how little there was to do apart from the generic things listed above. Maybe we’re just both city birds looking for the next brightly-lit metropolis, but this long-haul beach holiday was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us. We’ll stick to sunny Spain next time! 

KEB x