World Class Meets World Heritage

Fairmont Mayakoba/San Ka'an Biosphere

I'm gazing at the crystal clear blue-green waters of the Caribbean and it's occurring to me that young travelers today have everything in the world . . . everything, that is, except perspective. I've worshiped this view of the beauty that is Mexico's Riviera Cancun/Riviera Maya coast for four decades, never tiring of it.

Suites may face the beach and Caribbean or the canals through the mangroves

Guests in canal rooms at the Fairmont Mayakoba can enjoy nature watching

from their balconies.

Visitors may climb the temples and structures in Muyil,

within Sian Ka’an Biosphere

El Castillo, at 17 meters high and topped with an altar,

is the tallest structure at Muyil.

The hotel district of Cancun, lined with hundreds of man-made hotel mini-paradises, fulfills for visitors every fantasy of what this eco-cornucopia of beaches, jungles, resorts and archaeological sites should be… and I was reminded of my first visit to Cancun in the 70’s. I only remember two hotels here then and I was a pioneer in an exotic land! I was struck that it had been untouched for centuries, since the Maya inhabitants of Tulum and Muyil lived and toiled here.History has been kind to the Yucatan peninsula and even in this mega-resort area, eco-tourism rules. Sustainability is the goal of today’s major resort developers and, because of that, I chose the world-class ultra luxurious Fairmont Mayakoba as my base. The huge Mayakoba project now also includes the Banyan Tree Mayakoba hotel, the Rosewood Mayakoba hotel, as well as Mayakoba Residences (permanent residences starting in the lower $600,000’s).

Visitors may float effortlessly on the currents of crystal clear natural canals through the mangroves

The real focus of this visit was the vast UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sian Ka’an biosphere and the Muyil archaeological site, but the Fairmont Mayakoba, that provides its guests bicycle transportation throughout its property has partnered with Maya caretakers and guides to this nature preserve. The food service during the day trip in this wilderness was locally-caught seafood… and the service personnel were tutored by the staff at the Fairmont Mayakoba. Five-star food and service in the wilderness! While visions of blue-crowned motmots danced in my head, I looked forward to what I might discover hiking through this protected million-plus acre paradise.

At the edge of Laguna Muyil is a
wildlife observation tower and primitivedining hall for visitors

Eco-friendly transportation
is provided for guests on the property of the Fairmont Mayakoba

Climbing 100 feet through the canopy to a platform above the jungle, I surveyed nature as it was before man found it. Funny thing… in the middle of over 1,000,000 acres of jungle and my cell phone rang. Nothing important… a friend in Houston. The phone will drop calls in Houston, yet I’m shaken from a dream state high in a jungle canopy by a phone call. I floated crystal clear natural canals through mangroves and dined on ceviche of local seafood prepared by Mayans under guidance of Fairmont Mayakoba professionals who help these native Mexicans manage and make a living from this much-revered cultural inheritance.

I have to mention the Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Mayakoba, as Sally enjoyed a day there. Located in the heart of a tropical jungle on the area's natural lagoons, Mayakoba is an amazing back drop for a mystical spa journey reminiscent of the textures, colors and scents of the ancient Mayan culture. There are places to rest and reflect close to the elements the Mayans used hundreds of years ago to erect their monuments and temples. They used Conchera, a fossil stone, Sascab as their mortar, natural green marble from Guatemala and the magnificent wood of the Zapote tree. They’ve incorporated the same elements throughout the spa.The Riviera Maya forest spa provides private canopies for the treatment rooms, overlooking the treetops of the mangrove forest. The romantic spa suite is an opportunity to spend time with your loved one with optional side-by-side treatments. The locker areas feature Mexican gardens with outdoor Swiss showers and whirlpools. Sally luxuriated in a full-body chocolate wrap… yummm.

 Speaking of “yummm”, a dish that you will find is a regional favorite among the native Maya, as well as the general Mexican population throughout the Yucatan area is Pollo Pibil (a wonderful dish of chicken marinated in achiote and smoked, wrapped in banana leaves). I have noticed, in visiting Maya villages in the jungles that nearly everyone has an achiote tree (annatto) in the yard. The recipe for Pollo Pibil that follows is from a noted expert on regional Mexican cooking, Chef David Sterling who’s Los Dos Cooking School in Merida is the first cooking school in Merida devoted exclusively to the cuisine of the Yucatan. I like Chef Sterling’s recipe because it uses achiote paste, which is readily available in the U.S.