Feb 4

Feb 4 Winter in Paradise at Fairmont Mayakoba

When I was growing up in the Pacific Northwest, we would visit rivers and jump off of docks in the summertime. If it was hot outside, it was really something special. Fast forward 20 years, I’m living on the beach in Southern California, and our warmer months consist of laying on the beach and swimming in the ocean. I never thought there would be a place where you could experience the best of both worlds.

Bennett and I had the pleasure of visiting Fairmont Mayakoba a couple weeks ago and to say we fell in love with everything about it is an understatement. When we first arrived, we freshened up in our room and started walking straight to the beach. This was was about a 10 minute walk for us and the views were incredible. Once you start on the main path, an overgrowth of trees tower over as you pass through, making you feel like you’re in the middle of the jungle.

When you make your way to the beach, you walk through a pool area and that view is something else. This became one of my favorite areas to go to at sunrise as the light came up over the horizon on the water. A very specific memory is how soft the sand was. We walked the beach until it was almost dark and I didn’t want to leave…surprise!

The next day we got to go to a cooking class (!!!) and learn how to make traditional mole. We had never taken a cooking class before so I was VERY excited. Our instructor, Karla Enciso, was beyond brilliant. Her memory amazed me, she tended to everyone so gracefully, and I learned not only how to make mole, but what makes each step so unique. It turned out so good and *bonus* we were given margaritas during the class.

Later that night, we got dressed up and experienced “Moon Dance” which was a 100% romanic dinner at Las Brisas overlooking the beach. When we arrived, we were led down a private hall lined with rose petals in a huge room overlooking the beach with floor to ceiling windows. This was definitely a first for both of us and I couldn’t stop smiling. For appetizers, we got smoked shrimps and king crab (my favorite). Side note: the seafood on this trip was out of this world).

Another highlight was my garlic butter spiny lobster tail followed by the Baked Alaska I’ve ever had. PS…Tequila. Wow. New favorite thing to sip. This was truly unforgettable from the ambiance to every single dish we got to try.

The following morning, we got up for sunrise and I was totally blown away. We went to the beach and waited and it was so worth it. 30 minutes of bliss and all we could hear were the waves and the birds.

I got into the routine of having a coffee out on our balcony after sunrise. This is a 10/10 recommendation.

Later on we got to go on a boat tour (BEST EVER). I’m so excited to dive into more details about that in my next post…stay tuned!

This was also massage day. Bennett’s FIRST massage in life. I think I was more excited for him to experience this than my own massage - haha! I’ve been so lucky in that department and our experience at Willow Stream Spa had us even more relaxed than we could’ve imagined. When we were finished, we were given bento boxes and ate them poolside at the spa in the sunshine. This, my friends, is what I call a perfect scenario.

When this day came to a close, I was convinced I was in sweet heaven because of what we had done up until that point. The juxtiposition between the rainforest along the river and the white sandy beach is truly amazing. I can’t wait to share more about our time on the river and everything that came with it. Until next time!