Day 1: Isla Mujeres - Mexico
On our arrival in Cancun we were greeted by the lovely Daniel who transferred us to Puerto Jimenez for the ferry to Isla Mujeres. After acquiring numerous minor injuries extracting our ferry tickets from the machine, we headed to the top of the jam-packed ferry which came complete with a one-man mariachi band. It was 5pm on a Friday, the beers were flowing, and everyone was in fine voice. What a memorable welcome to Mexico!
Days 2-3: Isla Mujeres - Mexico
On Day 2 we had planned to swim with whale sharks but the weather sadly had other ideas. Instead, we wandered along to Punta Sur, posed with Mayan statues and checked out Garrifon De Castilla where the snorkelling was wonderful. In the evening, we headed to Playa Norte, where we enjoyed live entertainment from our teppanyaki table before perusing the local chemists for aloe vera cream. An evening of contrasts to say the least.
The weather on the following morning was much calmer so we headed out on ‘Moby Dick’ to swim with turtles and dolphins. We managed to find turtles and manta rays but the dolphins were far out to sea and the rough waves and cyclic vomiting eventually defeated us in our quest. For dinner we had the best fish taco’s we’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. How I dream of those fish taco’s…
Day 4: Valladolid - Mexico
We arrived in Valladolid to one of the most beautiful hotels we have ever stayed in complete with courtyard swimming pools, woven hammocks, water rills and lush tropical foliage. After prising ourselves away we wandered to the main square in Valladolid to do some people watching then headed to a quirky Italian restaurant that was literally in the back garden of a local home. It was owned by an elderly couple (the señora was the cook, the señor the waiter) with homemade pasta, beautiful cocktails and Cif tasting lemonade. It was the type of place you could imagine the elderly señor crushing tomatoes with his feet in a huge vat in the kitchen. We enjoyed fabulous food with a short stop at Wabi Gelato afterwards for Mamey ice cream.
The following morning, we wandered the full length of Calzada de los Frailes chatting with a lady from Coventry in a streetside coffee shop who now lived in Valladolid. At the end of Calzada de los Frailes we stumbled upon the wonderful Convent of San Bernardino of Siena where we escaped the heat of the day. After an impressive tour of Casa de Los Venados, a private home in the centre of town with an amazing collection of Mexican folk art grabbed our belongings before heading to Izamal. We all loved Valladolid – the favourite place in our entire Mexico itinerary.
Days 5-6: Merida - Mexico
On our drive to Merida, we stopped in Izamal (the yellow town) for a tour of the old monastery. This really would have been the perfect setting for the Coldplay video! Izamal is off the tourist trail and we enjoyed the authentic local vibe and the cheery monochrome colour palette. After a burrito lunch overlooking the main square, we tasted some sweet corn ice cream (way better than it sounds) which was a fitting end to our homage to yellow.
Our primary destination for today was the inland city of Merida whose beating heart pulses with a vigorous thrum with musicians, market stalls and sticky marquesitas. It’s a city crammed full of artistry despite its crumbling haciendas and it appears to be experiencing a second homecoming.
After arriving in the city, we dropped off our bags and wandered to the main square, Plaza Grande, where we had our photo taken with the obligatory Merida sign, grabbed some Panuchos and watched the Casa Montejo light show. We also managed to catch the end of a game of Pok Ta Pok (where two teams compete to knock a ball through a hoop with their hips) where tensions where high and the hip bashing had reached a frenzy. We have no idea who won but it was very exciting!
Our second day in Merida was a bit of a rollercoaster. It started well with a breakfast of huevos rancheros at a local café but after hopping in a taxi to the Gran Museo we found it temporarily closed due to an electrical fault. Oscar then got bitten by an equally disgruntled super-sized ant whilst waiting for the taxi home. On a more positive note, back in town, we toured San Ildefonso Cathedral, explored the City Museum where the kids giggled at the rude art work, browsed the fruit stalls of Mercado San Benito and checked out Cenote Ka Kutsal, AKA Costco Cenote, as it is located next to a Costco car park. Dinner was at a grand Mexican restaurant with a strange meal of ‘pol choc’ and a turkey & mash concoction for the hubby or ‘workhouse gruel’ as he described it.
Day 7: Uxmal - Mexico
We had a local tour guide for our visit to Uxmal called Carlos. On our journey south we visited Hacienda Yaxopoil where we watched henequen be transformed into rope and chatted with an old worker who was on site to meet visitors – he had worked there in the 1960s getting paid a measly 8 pesos for 10,000 agave leaves.
We had chosen Uxmal over Chichen Itza as we had visited there previously and wanted a more peaceful site visit with the kids. Uxmal delivered this in spades with our group being the only visitors to the impressive 32-metre-high Pyramid of the Magician. The whole Mayan site was fascinating (albeit hot and a little smelly thanks to a generous dollop of bird droppings) with an ancient pok ta pok court, sacrificial sites, ornate carvings, friezes and sculptures embedded in the architecture. We particularly loved the House of the Turtles.
After visiting Uxmal, we stopped by Choco Story which was a real mixed bag. We enjoyed the chocolate demonstration and Mayan dance display but didn’t feel comfortable with the caged spider monkeys who only appeared to be fed by visiting guests. One to tick off the list but make a mental note of caution.
Days 8-10: Tulum - Mexico
After our stay in Merida, we travelled back to the coast to Tulum which had always been on my ‘to do’ list. Unfortunately, Tulum fell far short of my expectations. We were expecting a laid-back hippy town, a creative community with beautiful white sands but instead, we found pothole streets, traffic jams, expensive taxis and out-of-touch influencers looking to ‘find themselves’ in overpriced retreats. In reality, Tulum was an average Mexican beach town that had caught some sort of Instagram sickness, an influencer’s paradise, which, on reflection, meant that it wasn’t ours. Tulum, in short, seemed to have sold its soul.
We were staying a few kilometres outside of town which turned out to be a blessing. Our accommodation was a little thatched hut centred around an inviting pool with an on-site restaurant and bar. We signed up for a jazz & blues dinner event with local singer Rosita Parker who amused our eldest boy with her ‘tu tu’ warm up vocals. We also spent a fun day at Parque Xel-Ha waterpark with its lazy river, helter skelter slide, lagoon snorkelling and cave swims. The clouds had rolled in but we didn’t care.
The following day was baking hot so we walked around 15 mins from our accommodation to the beautiful Cenote Xunaan Ha. The kids amused themselves with the diving board and we enjoyed the friendly locals. Our stay in Tulum had not been so bad after all but we were hugely excited about what was to come next.
Day 11: Belize City & Crooked Tree Lagoon - Belize
We had booked to fly with Tropic Air from Cancun to Belize City expecting to board a 737 sized aircraft. Instead, we were treated to a x14 seater sightseeing experience down the full length of the Yucatan coast. I am not sure who made me co-pilot but I think I did a stellar job 😊
After arriving in Belize, we headed straight to the Crooked Tree Lagoon and a sunset cruise with our guide Lennie who pointed out various types of kingfishers & even found a manatee diving down for food. She didn’t seem to mind us so we followed her for a little while.
It was then back to our accommodation for an amazing dinner of curried tilapia fish, rice, salad and a homemade bread pudding. This was accompanied by a thunderstorm that wiped out the Wi-Fi which meant even more time playing with Smokey the dog and the owners 6-week-old kitten named Ash. Very cute!
Day 12: Lamanai Outpost Lodge - Belize
We had been looking forward to our stay at Lamanai Outpost Lodge for months. Like, seriously excited. We were dropped at the jetty for our 1-hour boat ride up the New River passing remote Mennonite communities where the kids would stand and wave. After freshening up and enjoying a banquet for lunch we chilled by the lagoon before heading out on a spotlight river safari with our personal guide, Eduardo. We were blessed with red vermillion fly-catchers, crocodiles, green iguanas, kingfishers, tanagers, herons and ghost lizards. What a line up! As darkness fell, we floated on the water and were shown the fullest night sky we have ever seen, from Venus to Mars to Saturn and a multitude of named stars.
It was then back to our cabana to laze on the hammock and head to the restaurant for cocktails and another 4-course dinner. We drifted off to sleep feeling like Dominic Couzens.
Day 13: Lamanai Outpost Lodge - Belize
It was an early start for our visit to the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve. The day was hot & humid and we were dripping in sweat by the time of our breakfast smoothie. It was a short boat ride down the lagoon to the Mayan site which we pretty much had to ourselves. The site was partially cleared and partially left to the grip of the entwined jungle vines. We visited the mask temple, jaguar temple and saw a coati bounding between the vines scavenging for fruit.
After an afternoon of impromptu kayaking which mostly involved being stuck in reeds and going round in circles, we headed off on our guided night hike where we spotted an adult & baby tarantula, owl moths, iguanas, cane toads, wolf spiders, viper snakes and centipedes. How lucky are we! We treated ourselves afterwards (adults only) to banana coladas which contained a generous helping of rum.
Side note: There were a host of other families staying at the lodge with rude sounding surnames – Coch, Wideshaft & Dickshield – which we found most amusing and I’m sure you can agree rounded off our visit nicely.
Day 14: Lamanai to San Ignacio - Belize
It was a 5am start for our sunrise kayaking which, has to be said, was our absolute favourite activity at Lamanai. The morning light was stunning and watching the wildlife come to life was magical. We also spotted the famed Jesus Christ lizard, a Dodd family mission since our visit to Costa Rica years before. The morning calm was only interrupted by the noisy howler monkeys and the occasional berating of my eldest child with the realisation that she has very weak arms. After our final breakfast, we reluctantly waved goodbye to Lamanai Outpost Lodge and headed back up the river to civilisation. We all agreed that Lamanai has been extraordinary.
From Lamanai jetty, it was a long drive to San Ignacio which we decided to break up with a visit to Belize Zoo. The zoo was founded in 1983 aligning with local wildlife conservation efforts to care for rescued, orphaned or donated animals. We met Indy the convivial tapir, juvenile howler monkeys, a beautiful but toothless (in the literal sense of the word) jaguar and laughed at the peccary pigs fighting over papaya.
We arrived at our riverside lodge in San Ignacio just in time for dinner. Perched high on a cliff next to the Macal River it was another stunning setting. Belize was really spoiling us!
Days 15-16: San Ignacio - Belize
We spent a full morning tackling the rapids on a river tubing excursion. The kids absolutely loved this activity! At the end there was the waterfall challenge with a free rum punch if you managed to stay seated on your tube. Only Oscar emerged victorious with the rest of us tipping over. The hubby got wedged on a rock and scraped his bum which was rather unfortunate.
The rest of the day consisted of trying to work out how to dry laundry in 85% humidity and free our clothing from black furry caterpillars. Not a challenge we had foreseen. For dinner we enjoyed steak & polenta mash with lime cake, accompanied by a passionfruit mojito. Fabulous!
The following day was a full day with our lovely driver, Silvino. After heading across the river on the hand-cranked ferry we were the first visitors of the day to the Mayan ruins at Xunantunich. It was then on to AJAW Crafts for the excellent chocolate workshop learning how to grind cacao beans into a paste and make hot chocolate and finally on to the Green Iguana Project at the San Ignacio hotel where we got to feed and handle some of the friendlier lizards.
Day 17: Caves Branch & Belize City - Belize
This morning we travelled east to Caves Branch for our combined ziplining/caving excursion. First up was ziplining with each of us completing x6 ziplines - some with more finesse than others (you know who you are!) Our poor guide was almost boomeranged into the forest! Next up was our ATM caving excursion, which was just fabulous. We waded through turquoise lagoons, discovered spectacular underground forests and came face to face with a Mayan skeleton dubbed the ‘Crystal Maiden’. We loved every second of this real-life Ninja Warrior experience.
It was then a whistle-stop tour of Belize City before our blustery ferry ride to Ambergris Caye. After an indulgent hour of social media catch up we wandered up the road to the insta-famous ‘Truck Stop’ for a well-earned meatball pizza.
Days 18-19: Ambergris Caye - Belize
We were ready for a few days of relaxing on Ambergris Caye, so we hired a golf buggy and scooted around the peninsula drifting between pool and beach. In between relaxing we visited the green-iguana eco- park where we had a lovely catch up with Calvin, swam at Secret Beach, ate fry jacks for breakfast and drank the odd rum cocktail beneath the shade of a thatch-roofed palapa perched over the Caribbean Sea. We also shopped for souvenirs at the Belize Chocolate Company.
By night, we participated in hermit crab racing in between watching live bands at the Truck Shop. Bliss!
Days 20-23: Caye Caulker - Belize
Caye Caulker was our final destination but we knew instantly that it was going to be our favourite. We arrived to the sounds of reggae music floating past the ferry sails and the waft of smoky chicken wings and grilled plantains. Down each street, there was a beach bar with coconut drinks ready to be served ice cold - spirited & warm Belizean hospitality.
From Caye Caulker we took a snorkelling trip with the very chilled Selvin to Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley. The largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere is actually located just off the coast of Belize. We spotted eagle rays, eels, sea horses, turtles, manatees, and a wide array of fish before the nurse sharks arrived in their droves. They’re not particularly dangerous as they’re slow-moving bottom-dwellers, so we got to swim beside them as they swarmed our boat. I think this was the closest I’ve been to achieving nirvana!
Our final days on Caye Caulker settled into a regular pattern. We went for late breakfast/early lunch to Namaste Café where we had kombuchas and ridiculously over-the-top carrot cake muffins with a huge dollop of cream cheese icing. We fed the tarpon fish sardines gifted to us by the friendly lady who was ‘guardian of the tarpons’. We enjoyed cold drinks at ‘The Split’ while the kids hurled themselves off the high dive, we visited art galleries chatting with the friendly owners and headed along to Iguana Inn to feed the seahorses. Along the way we made friends with a multitude of dogs who would loyally wait and follow us around. It was just wonderful!
Day 24: The Journey Home
We headed back to the UK via a mad 24-hour tour of New York with a topped-up bank of travel memories. It had been a fabulous trip full of adventure. We had tubed through sacrificial Mayan caves, let stingrays nibble our toes, observed screeching howler monkeys, taken yoga classes in the treetops, and drunk a few Belikin Beers along the way. What a fabulous few weeks!
