Posted on Monday, 15 May 2017

Flying to Mexico for a beach holiday may seem a little ostentatious considering how many great coastal resorts Europe offers. But a visit to this Central American state is so much more than lounging by the sea, as Katie Dart and her family discovered.

For a family of four, the cost of flying to Mexico can make one think twice, but once installed, accommodation, food and drink can be very reasonable.

In the interests of economy, we chose the pleasant Caracol Suite Hotel – costing just £22 a night. Our double room boasted air-con and a large TV, as well as a small balcony. It wasn't the largest of rooms, but we weren't planning to stay inside a great deal: glorious, sunny Playa del Carmen would keep us very active for our ten-day stay.

As anyone with kids understands, any holiday itinerary must be pretty full. While this can be tiring and costly, it also compels us adults to get out there and explore. If it were me and my husband alone, how much of our holiday would we spend on sun loungers by the sea?

After a couple of days loafing around Caracol Suite Hotel and its surrounding restaurants, our jetlag was dispelled and we were ready to explore.

Xaman-Ha Bird Sanctuary

First up was the Xaman-Ha bird sanctuary – a vast aviary featuring a kaleidoscopic array of bird life, all indigenous to the Yucatan Peninsula. Elegant flamingos and noisy parrots enthralled our two daughters – and delighted us. Xaman-Ha attempts to replicate what the area would have looked like if it hadn't developed the way it has – with a large degree of success (and some sadness for the displaced birds).

Xaman-Ha requires several hours to be fully appreciated – although we only managed a couple of hours with two young children.

Aventuras Maya

After a relaxing beach day in Playa del Carmen, we booked a snorkelling trip with Aventuras Maya. Enrique, our guide, ensured the day was a complete success – he was a fountain of knowledge and great with the kids. While the ocean inlet we explored was a little cloudy on the day we visited, the kids loved the experience – and especially the cave cenotes.

(Beautiful) People Watching on Quinta Avenida

Quinta Avenida is perhaps not intended for a family on a budget, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. This boutique-filled street is a place to see and be seen, packed with the finest looking Europeans you can imagine – a latter day Positano, Monaco and St Tropez rolled into one and transported to Central America. While dining in this area is in general rather costly, we found a reasonably priced eatery in the form of El Fogon – offering very tasty Mexican cuisine, including spicy fajitas, quesadillas and tacos. We asked for less spicy versions for the kids and the staff obliged with big Mexican smiles.

Dolphin Discovery

After our day of watching beautiful people and over-indulging on fajitas, it was time to get active again. Having perused the applicable brochures before leaving the UK, the standout feature of our Mexican sojourn was the dolphins, both for my husband and I – and the kids.

Having been picked up by Dolphin Discovery and taken to the park, we were given a 15 minute briefing before meeting the dolphins. Being close to these stunning, slippery creatures is a wonderful experience – since they appear to have so much more intelligence than most mammals (two legged ones included!). The staff were wonderful with the kids, who loved the dolphin ‘handshake' and the ‘hand target.' They even experienced a ‘kiss and a hug' – of sorts!

Here, the dolphins, along with the manatees and the sea lions, all enjoyed ample space and seemed – as far as our unskilled eyes could tell – to be very happy. We certainly were!

Tulum

After a splendid few days kicking back on the fine beaches of Playa del Carmen – punctuated with a little jet-skiing – we headed south to Tulum, the only Mayan city to be built on the coast.

Indeed, the ocean location adds so much to the grandeur of these ancient structures, which are astonishingly well preserved. It was well worth taking a break from traditional beach loafing to explore El Castillo, the Temple of the Frescoes, as well as the Temple of the Descending God. We also took the chance to visit an underwater river suspended above which was a spiky canopy of stalactites. Incredible.

A Beach Holiday – The Mexican Way

As we enjoyed the coastal bus ride back to our hotel, it was very apparent why this Mexican beach holiday differed so much from a European coastal break: where else could you enjoy fabulous Mexican food and hospitality, shake hands with dolphins and visit the seaside boltholes of Mayan gods?

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