A few weeks ago, I went to Mexico for the first time in my life. Leaving on April 16 and coming back on the 23rd, I spent 8 days in beautiful Riviera Maya at the Princess Hotel and Resorts.

Now, I’ll admit I was a little unsure of this trip while we were planning it. I’m usually not looking purely for relaxation when going on vacation, instead preferring to visit places with interesting history or culture. And while resorts are known primarily for the former, we were able to balance the trip with excursions to ancient sites such as Tulum and Chichen Itza.

Needless to say, I had a great time. Here’s how it went:

Plane Ride

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We left pretty early on Sunday for the airport. After getting dropped off and checking in at YVR, we went to grab some breakfast at A&W.

After that, I roamed around the area to take some pictures of planes. I’ve never been to this side of the airport before (and haven’t been on a flight in years), so it was pretty fun to do a little exploring.

A few hours later, we boarded the Sunwing B736 and were on our way to Cancun International Airport!

Check-in

Once we landed and went through immigration at Cancun, we picked up our bags and set off in search for our resort bus. Since we booked our entire vacation through Sunwing, all we had to do was look for their section (which is at the end of the airport) and read the destination signs on the bus.

After about an hour or so on the bus, we finally arrived at the Princess Resorts. We were given glasses of sparkling wine while our check-in was being processed, which was a nice touch. If that’s not enough of a jolt after a sleepy five hours or so, there’s a bar directly opposite from the counters.

Princess Resorts

Once checked-in and fitted with bracelets, we first headed to the reservation counter to book our a la carte restaurants for the next few nights (you can only book 3 days in advance). Then, we headed to our room with key in hand.

Now, let’s talk about our room, and by extension, the resort itself.

Our Room

Our room was very nice and comfortable. It was air-conditioned and spacious, complete with a queen-sized bed, couch, and washroom with both a shower and Jacuzzi hot tub.

However, the room was not cleaned properly prior to our arrival, and still contained toiletries left by the previous guests in the cupboard. Furthermore, the TV at the foot of our bed was very small, making it difficult to watch anything at all.

But the room doesn’t really matter all that much, honestly. As nice as it is, you should be spending a majority if your time outside in the resort.

The Resort

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As I mentioned earlier, we stayed at the Grand Sunset side of the Princess Resorts in Riviera Maya, which also includes the nearly-identical Grand Riviera, and adult-only Platinum Yucatan.

While the Platinum is an almost-entirely separate portion of the resort, both the Grand Sunset and Grand Riviera share a majority of amenities, so my experience should apply to both.

The first place we went was the lobby where we checked-in. Asides from the administrative counter and bar, the building also contains most of the resorts services such as the concierge, restaurant information and reservations desk, as well as car rental and excursions-booking services. It also houses amenities such as a gym and theatre, as well as many of the resort’s restaurants, including the 5th Ave Sports Bar, Mama Mia, and two of the four buffets.

Read more: Eating at the Princess Resorts

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At the other end of the resort, past a beach goods store, is the beautiful beach with beach chairs spread along the seaside. Behind the chairs is a bar, as well as a beach volleyball court, and some covered standing tables. The beach is a great place to relax and take in some sun, as well as partake in some water sports such as parasailing and jet skiing. One thing to keep in mind is that, although the beach is connected to the resort and is basically part of it, it is officially public – so beware of people inviting you to para-sail or whatnot because the service may not be sanctioned by the resort.

In between the lobby and beach are the residences, as well as a multitude of towel stations, washrooms, bars, and hot dog stands. In between all of this are pools laid out in between the islands, with some being purpose-specific, such as for water polo.

Although I don’t really have anything to compare it to, I had a great time at the Princess Resorts. There is a plethora of food options, as well as a wide variety of pools, amenities, and activities.

Coba & Tulum

We went on our first excursion on our third day in Mexico. The first stop was Coba, but we had to take a bus for about an hour or so before we got there. Well, to be more accurate, we switched from a van to a coach, then to another coach before getting there, which was a little confusing (and sketchy because we didn’t really understand the reasons we were switching buses).

Now just for a little background: Coba was an ancient Mayan city settled as early as 50BC. It was the centre of a kingdom which included other sites such as Nohoch Mul and Tulum, and which traded with other Mayan cities like Tikal and Calakmul. At its height, Coba is estimated to have encompassed an area including the north of Quintana Roo and east of Yucatán

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Once we got to the entrance, we made our way through a trail which took us past some Mayan stelae, a ball court, and the tree of life before arriving to foot of the pyramid. Once we got there, we took some pictures and and started to ascend one of the last remaining climbable Mayan pyramids in the country (and probably not for that much longer either). As we climbed the last step, we were treated with a spectacular view of the surrounding jungle, as well as a chance to bask in the warm sunlight where the kings of the Mayan civilization once did. It was a shorter journey back down the mountain, which involved sitting on our butts and taking it step by step since erosion has made the pyramid slippery and uneven. Instead of walking back to the park entrance, our tour group arranged for trike ride which made it quite a bit easier on our feet.

See more: Ruins of Coba Gallery

After making it back to the entrance, we piled back into the bus and headed to a cenote – a sinkhole which occurs in the Yucatan’s limestone. While some of the group decided to go for a swim in the underground pool, we were content with just taking pictures.

Following the visit to the cenote was a buffet lunch of typical Mexican food. It started raining by this time, and the tables around open-air restaurant was getting soaked forcing us to move towards the middle of the building. The meal was satisfying, although it probably tasted extra delicious due to my hunger.

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Our excursion’s last destination was Tulum, an Mayan sea port which facilitated trade for cities such as Coba (which we visited earlier in the day). Before getting into the walled city, however, we had to take a trail from the entrance through dense forest. The environment of this hike, however, just served to enhance the majestic view of the ancient city’s rolling hills and blue seas. Seriously, it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen – the only thing separating the tall trees and thick grass from the clear-cut city was a stone wall a few metres thick. In the city, we toured some ancient buildings, took some pictures of the sea, then started to head back.

See more: Ruins of Tulum Gallery

All-in-all, this was an amazing experience. From the urban atmosphere of Coba to dense Yucatan jungles, and finally the quaint sea town of Tulum, I really got to see a whole different side of Mexico – the side the Mayans saw over 500 years ago.

Chichen Itza

The day after our excursion to Coba and Tulum, we headed on our second to Chichen Itza. Well, a day may be a little generous since it we were up at 3am to catch our bus an hour later – barely 12 hours after getting back from our first outing.

Now for a little background for context: Chichen Itza was one of the largest cities in the Mayan civilization, and one of the most culturally diverse. Thought to have been first developed in 750AD, the city rose into prominence during the 10th century, controlling the central Yucatan region all the way to its north coast.

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We arrived at the site at around 8am, which was perfect because the sun was just starting to rise. This meant that we had the entire site basically all to ourselves, allowing us to take great pictures and enjoy an undisturbed tour of the ancient metropolis. We first visited the great palace of course, which was several times larger than the one we climbed at Coba (unfortunately, the Chichen Itza palace is not open for climbing), and learned about its ceremonial significance, including the way the sun’s rays would creep down its main staircase once a year, representing a snake’s descent from the top, ending when it reached the snake’s head at the bottom.

Then, we visited some of the other archaeological sites in the ancient city, including the Great Ball Court – one of the biggest ever discovered. In ancient times, the game – which involved hitting a solid rubber ball into the tiny rings – would be played settle disputes between kingdoms. We saw a smaller court on our way to Tulum, but this was several times larger and included very special features such as a listening post which allowed the ruler of Chichen Itza to eavesdrop on conversations being held where his opponents would be sitting, but not the other way around.

Other significant sites we visited included the Platform of the Eagles and the Jaguars, the sacred Cenote (which was again, several times larger than the one we visited on our way to Tulum), and the Temple of Warriors. Many of these sites had depictions of ancient Mayan life, including the beheading of a solider shown in the Great Ball Court and a man wearing a Roman-like helmet– a testament to Chichen Itza’s connections to the rest of the known world.

As one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Chichen Itza was a must-see for us. However, the general focus on El Castillo does not do the ancient city justice, because there is so much history to be found in the sites surrounding it. We have already learned so much in our short time dissecting the ruins of Chichen Itza, it is hard to believe we only scraped the surface of the hundreds of years of history it offers.

See more: Chichen Itza Gallery

Playa del Carmen

After a few days rest at the resort, we followed up our two hectic excursions with a more casual one. Instead of joining a tour or excursion group to head to the city, we just booked a hotel shuttle. However, this meant that we had to stop by a few factories for a tour.

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The first, a silver factory, was your typical tourist-trap, with freebies and excellent salespeople ready to take all your foreign currency. Luckily, our salesperson saw right through our “interest” and decided to leave us alone, which resulted in a rather enjoyable walk around the showroom.

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After the silver factory, we took a wagon shuttle (towed by a RAV4) to the tequila factory just behind it. The staff here was more relaxed, with some offering samples but none aggressively approaching us. I guess they either figured the alcohol will sell itself or was used to quiet guests already tuckered-out by the silver factory. I did try one of their fruit-infused tequila samples though, and it was excellent.

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Finally, after a long period of waiting for our van, we headed to Playa del Carmen. It was pouring by the time we got there, so we quickly used the 5% off coupon given to us by the resort to grab ponchos. After that, out into the rain we went. We were in the tourist shopping district, which meant visiting many designer brand stores and gift shops. Other than that, we checked out McDonalds to see if there was anything drastically different (really not too much), and found a gelato place nearby to kill time at.

Although it was fun to leave the resort and get into the city, the entire area catered to visitors so we couldn’t experience authentic Mexican culture.

Isla Mujeres

The last outing of our vacation was to Isla Mujeres, a small island located just off the coast near Cancun. Originally dedicated to the Mayan goddesses of childbirth and Medicine, the island is now a popular destination for visitors looking for a fun day of relaxation away from the city.

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To get there, we took a van to the ferry terminal in Cancun where we boarded our catamaran, the Luv Cats. After we made a quick stop at the Cancun Underwater Museum – where some in the group decided to snorkel into – we headed to a seaside buffet to eat before heading to the island.

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Our first order of business after disembarking was to head to the local golf cart rental. The process went pretty smoothly, and we were off exploring the island in the jiffy. We took in the sights, visited the famous Isla Mujeres sign, all while trying to be considerate to the island’s local population (seriously, I would hate to be a driver trying to actually get somewhere with all the golf carts in the way). We only had an hour to explore, but luckily Isla Mujeres is a pretty small island so I think we got to see a good portion of it.

Once our time was up, we returned the golf cart and continued exploring by foot. We ended up grabbing some ice cream, some gifts for friends back home, and some fresh, delicious coconut water. Back on the boat, we settled in for the ride back to Cancun. The winds were strong enough that the catamaran’s crew decided to turn off the engine, which resulted in a longer – but more relaxing – ride.

Overall, the trip to the island was enjoyable, but different than we expected. While we were just excited to get to the island and explore, most of our allotted time was spent on the catamaran on which there was more of a boat party vibe going on. We got the feeling that the excursion was more focused on the journey than the destination, which is perfectly fine if that is what you’re looking for. However, if we were to do it again, we would probably just book a direct shuttle to maximize our time on the actual island.

Adios, Mexico!

And just like that, our vacation was over.

8 days and 3 excursions later, it was time to clean up the room, have one last drink, and turn in our resort bracelets.

We really didn’t have too many things to pack – mostly our clothes, some liquor from the room’s minibar, and the gifts we got for friends back home. However, we were bringing back a lot more than that. I, for one, was bringing back memories of cheering on the Habs and Sens at the sports bar, heading to the buffet for a fourth meal after the nightly show, looking out onto the sea like so many have done hundreds of years ago, and more. Mexico really was an unforgettable experience, down to the Johnny Rocket burger at the airport.

And to think that I had doubts about whether I would enjoy my time at the Sunset Princess Resorts.