After a few weeks of moving on to a new destination every couple of days we decided to end our trip with a stretch of time in one place. And what better place to relax than the beautiful Caribbean coast.  We stayed at the luxury resort, the Viceroy Riviera Maya: perfect for some down-time. 

The Viceroy hotel is set on the coast of the Riviera Maya with its own stretch of white sand, a beach front restaurant, pool and gym. Each room is actually a thatched-roof villa set back in the jungle and, the clincher, has its own plunge pool – your own little bit of peace, quiet and privacy.  

Being in the jungle, this is not the place to go if you are averse to the odd creepy crawly (even luxury resorts can’t completely remove nature) but aside from this natural hazard the Viceroy was a great hotel.

We weren’t too happy with our first room (which smelt very damp and musty) but the wonderful staff quickly sought to put this right and put us in a bigger, better villa. Our room was spacious and light, with a huge comfortable bed, a large bath and indoor and outdoor shower…and did I mention before that you get your own plunge pool!!

Even the luxurious villa couldn’t keep me away from the beach however…

I mean look at that sea, who wouldn’t want to be staring at that deep turquoise non-stop for days?!

Not to mention the very comfortable lounger-beds, the delicious cocktails and the attentive staff (Pepe in particular deserves an honourable mention for his humour and kindness).

Over our few days we made sure to make the most of the wonderful facilities – a fully equipped gym, complete with a view out on the deep blue ocean, a lovely spa (offering both traditional massages and Mayan rituals) and a couple of different restaurant options.  La Marea restaurant is, according to some reviews we read, the best restaurant in the area, but we both felt that the meal we had there wasn’t the most flavoursome. Given the fresh seafood that must be on offer this was a bit disappointing (especially given the price).  The breakfast at the more casual beachfront bar/restaurant, however, was brilliant.  With an endless supply of coffee and juice on offer, as well as an extensive menu (from muesli, to pancakes, to egg-white omelettes, to steak) the breakfast set you up for whatever the day threw at you… 

To be honest this wasn’t usually a whole lot but we did venture out of the resort for some fabulous scuba diving with the Caribbean fishes and a drive down the coast to the more bohemian town of Tulum, complete with its beautiful cliff-side ruins.

Although it feels like another world, the resort is only a few kilometres away from the busy, party town of Playa del Carmen, putting a whole host of other bars and restaurants on the doorstep. 

With its great location the Viceroy Riviera Maya is a great choice of hotel if you are looking for somewhere to completely switch off but also want to be close enough to the action to be able to step out of the peace and quiet to try out the host of activities that the area has on offer.  The wonderful staff will do all they can to make sure that you leave well-fed, well-rested and completely unwound.