Travel Journal

The most wonderful and unexpected part of our two week trip through Mexico was the people! Kind, welcoming and friendly with a gentle approach to life, it made every interaction a pleasure. Being Kiwis may have helped, a visible sigh of relief from some that we weren’t American and in awe that we’d travelled just to see their home.

When you add the wonderful people to some outstanding restaurants and bars; you’re already well on the way to making it the trip of a lifetime.

Our 11 day trip started in Mexico City, where we based ourselves in the Roma Norte district. Everything was walkable! And yes it felt very safe. In fact, I felt safer than I would in many other major cities in the world where tourists can feel harassed. This just isn’t something Mexicans do.

Our highlights in the capital, a place where you could easily spend a week!, were the Chapultepec Castle and National Anthropology Museum. These are both located in Mexico’s largest park (bigger than Central Park in NY) which is right in the city centre. It is full of wonderful attractions. Both of these buildings and everything they contained were fascinating.

From our base, we could also walk east to Zocalo Square (surrounded on each side by the cathedral, palace and government buildings). Whilst we were there it was full of tents occupied by peaceful teachers protesting. This is not unusual in Mexico (similar to parts of Europe).

One to two nights a week there are Lucha Libre, Mexican wrestling, events on and so we headed along on the Friday night to the biggest arena to check out the entertainment. Whilst the performance itself was well worth the ticket price; the crowd’s reactions and support for their favourite wrestlers upped the enjoyment factor and vibe even more. I’d highly recommend this experience.

Leaving the city behind, we flew to Campeche on the western side of the Yucatan Peninsula, and it almost immediately felt like a Spanish town. The cathedral is set on the main plaza, and the Old Town full of beautiful pastel coloured buildings. It was peaceful and a lovely seaside town to wander in and enjoy more fabulous food and service. From here, we organised a driver for half the day to make our journey onwards easy and cool (eg. not too hot). A two hour drive away is Uxmal and the Mayan ruins here. After reading how crowded many of these could be, we could hardly believe our luck when there must have been only a handful of other people there at the same time…queue great photos! This jaw dropping site has to be seen in person to be believed. Building started in 500 AD and technology and resources the Mayans used can probably only be compared to the pyramids in Egypt.

From Uxmal, we continued an hour by road (with our friendly driver who had waited for us) up to Merida. Known as the cultural capital of the Yucatan, we chose to visit just one of the many museums and galleries here. The Grand Mayan Museum was even more interesting having come from Uxmal and seeing it all in real life. The museum charts the Mayan people from their first settlements and creations BC all the way through to the present day.

By evening, Merida feels very Spanish too with lively streets full of restaurants, shops open late and activities happening in the main plaza.

Our last stop was on the powder white sandy beach of Tulum! What a spot. It was just what we needed after so much to see and do in the first week. With clear blue waters, fabulous food and cocktails we barely moved for our last three days, other than a quick trip up the road to the Mayan ruins here.

We found travelling through this country so easy and stress free; every flight or bus left on time and even arrived a little early! It’s necessary to have some cash on you at all times for some purchases but mostly it’s all paywave or card payments just like here. And lastly, brush up on simple Spanish words and phrases! English is not widely spoken and every little effort will be greatly appreciated.

Restaurants and bars that we loved and would recommend for showcasing the best of Mexico and all its regional specialties:

Rayo, Sala Gastronómica and Contrarmar in Mexico City

MUGY in Merida

Aduana in Campeche

To hear more about the incredible (and great value) accommodation we stayed in and to have a chat about what a tailor made itinerary for you might look like; get in touch at [email protected]