From Lisa Frelinghuysen, New York, March 2007
“Over Presidents Day weekend, I took my family to the Esencia hotel on the Mayan Riviera, in Mexico. We liked the idea of a direct three-and-a-half-hour flight to a beautiful and exotic location. After passing several huge, gated properties, we turned onto a little, almost unmarked dirt road, unsure of what we would find. We met our host in a replica of an ancient Mayan hut, then proceeded to tour a property that revealed great beauty and serenity: little winding jungle paths led us to tastefully done white villas with private pools, a round thatched-roof spa, two dinning areas and a quiet white sand beach with gauze-draped cabanas. We visited the stunning Mayan ruins at nearby Tulum, went snorkeling and swam with the dolphins but were always happy to come back to ceviche for lunch at Esencia. The hotel had a secret, secluded feel, although we happened to know a number of the guests. It was a wonderful family vacation except that we never discovered the real name of the ‘furry pig who eats like a squirrel’ that my son claimed to have seen.”
Editor’s notes:
Booking: Rooms from $525; (52) 984-873-4835; from the U.S.: 877-528-3490; www.hotelesencia.com.
Getting there: There are many direct flights into Cancun International Airport, which is about a forty-five-minute drive from the resort. Be sure to arrange for a car from the hotel to pick you up (transfer is included with some packages); the taxi lines at Cancun are notoriously long and slow-moving. Esencia’s pickup van is equipped with cool water and a DVD player to entertain the children on the drive.
To read a postcard on a family’s stay in Santa Rosa, Mexico click here.
