The end of January saw us heading on a girls trip to Mexico. We stayed at the Hotel Paradisus la Perla, Playa del Carmen. Flying direct from London Gatwick to Cancun with British Airways, we made the most of our all-inclusive package, spending the majority of our holiday in the resort.
Everything was fantastic and excellent value for money.
Some of the restaurants were just superb. You could eat from a very basic all-you-can-eat buffet up to à la carte Silver Service (note the a la carte is part of the Butler Service – La Palapa). So for an all-inclusive option there was something for everyone’s taste and interest.
My favourite? For dinner, it’s a tie between Fuego (Modern Latin American fusion) and Mole (Mexican). For breakfast and lunch ‘La Palapa’ was fantastic. The a la carte breakfast and lunch had European, American and Mexican options.
Guacamole made fresh at our table, freshly shaken margaritas and grilled fresh fish. It was simply divine!
The one paying restaurant, Passion, is run by 8 star Michelin chef Martin Berasategui. It was fantastic and we visited twice during our 12-night stay. How could you say no to a nine-course tasting menu for £65 per head? The service was also theatrical, which added to the overall experience, and the food could rival London’s restaurant scene.
The evening entertainment was the best I have experienced in a hotel. There was a Queen tribute band, a rock tribute band and a mariachi band. Most nights they had a DJ following the band and on Saturday afternoons they had a white party which was really good fun.
They ran tequila tasting as part of the daily entertainment. We also did the ‘Don Julio’ tequila tasting, which was a private session with all Don Julio tequila. It was excellent value for £17 per head and in Mexico they don’t pour small measures.
Part of the holiday was spent in the Butler ‘Royal’ Service, as we managed to upgrade on arrival. It was worth the extra in terms of a la carte breakfast, premium spirits/drinks and dedicated pool and beach areas plus a butler service. Sadly we didn’t have the best butler as I saw much better ones around the hotel.
One afternoon there was an unforecast storm with very high winds which lasted 20 minutes. It was over quickly and we were in the spa so it didn’t really affect us. Another afternoon there was a heavy downpour for 10 minutes but apart from that it was sun and heat all day, every day, which was great for January/February.
The only downside of the trip happened on arrival at Cancun Airport. As you leave customs there are a number of reps waiting for you. Coming off a long flight and not having been to Mexico before I thought they were our transfer reps so we stopped and talked to them. They directed us to another desk inside the airport which eventually led to a hard sell on personal taxi tours. What started off as a ‘friendly chat’ turned into the rep getting a little angry when we said ‘we’ll think about it’. It may be an airport requirement that the transfer companies can only meet you outside the terminal building, but it wasn’t the best start to our holiday. We soon forgot all about it, but we will know for next time to avoid these people!
Julie at Abbotts Travel really took care of us and suggested a great hotel, which resulted in a fantastic holiday. She even printed our fast track security and lounge tickets out for us as I wasn’t able to.
I already have her planning our next trip to the Caribbean in January 2020, so I look forward to seeing what she comes up with for my family and I.
Siobhain