Beach - Travel Blogs & Travel Guides: 2024

Swimming With Turtles In Akumal, Mexico

Akumal, Mexico is home to a beautiful beach and an incredible place to snorkel with turtles.

After a month in Playa Del Carmen I’d been looking forward to setting off on an adventure which would take me from Mexico, all the way through Central America to Panama over the course of 44 days. I joined a group tour run by Intrepid, so we had the benefit of a local guide to take the stress out of travel and the notoriously dangerous border crossings.

Travelling To Akumal

From Playa we travelled an hour south to Tulum – home of the famous Mayan ruins perched on the edge of the cliff, with a backdrop of the Caribbean Sea. It’s a spectacular spot, but one I’ve visited a few times before! With a bit of local knowledge from my month living nearby, I suggested a few of us took the Collectivo (public hop-on hop-off mini bus) and travelled to Akumal. The paradise beach town is almost equidistant between Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, and a single fare is just $30 MXN.

REVIEW: Hotel Live Aqua LAT20, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Hotel Live Aqua LAT20 in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico is stylish, contemporary and luxurious.

*Please note, when I visited this hotel was named Hotel Cacao. For ease of reading I have changed the hotel name throughout this post to its new name.*

Hotel Live Aqua LAT20 is the new kid on the block. Stylish, contemporary and luxurious. The majority of the high end hotels in this area are all-inclusive beach resorts, but what if you want the freedom to eat out at a different restaurant every night and be in the centre of the action? This is the perfect place to stay.

Wanderlust Chloe Hotel Cacao Tommy Hilfiger Art

Grand Velas Hotel in the Riviera Maya is one of the most stunning, luxurious places to stay in the region.

I’ve lost track of how many people have recommended Grand Velas to me. I’m often weary of things with a lot of hype… Harry Potter – never liked it, Disneyland – not really my thing. Often expectations are not met!

When I visited Grand Velas it was straight after my stay at Grand Residences – currently the number one place to stay in the area. So how would Grand Velas shape up?

Puerto Morelos, near Cancun in Mexico, is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. Find out all about where to go, how to get there and more!

A few days ago we took the Collectivo (Mexican type of public mini bus) from Playa Del Carmen to Puerto Morelos. 30 minutes and $20 MXN (equivalent of £1) later we arrived at the end of a 3km road leading to the beach. Rather than risking melting in the midday heat, we opted to take a taxi to the seafront.

Wanderlust Chloe Puerto Morelos Lighthouse 2

This is the kind of place you would expect to see on a postcard! It’s so picturesque and has a local charm with fisherman coming and going from the piers all day. On a sunny day, the bright, turquoise sea sparkles and contrasts beautifully against the crisp white buildings. One of the landmarks is the slanted lighthouse which was damaged by Hurricane Beulah in the 1960s. It’s strange but beautiful.

Taking in the incredible view of sunrise from Mount Batur, Bali

Planning to travel solo but feeling nervous? Find out what it’s really like to travel the world as a solo female traveller.

Since I started travelling, a lot of people have asked what it’s like to be a solo female traveller. As a girl, if you tell people you’re going off to Mexico or South America on your own, they think you’re crazy. They assume it’s impossible to go to these places and not end up in Mexican jail, trafficking drugs, or worse!

Before university a lot of friends disappeared off around the world on gap years. It didn’t appeal to me, partly because I was so career-focused, but also it seemed very daunting. Then, a few years into my working life, I reached a point when I wanted to see what was out there and gain some life experience.

I booked onto a group tour run by Trek America. In reality, while I did go ‘on my own’ in that I didn’t go with anyone I knew before, within a few hours of arriving in Mexico I was in the safe hands of an experienced tour leader. As I was working full time and only had limited holidays, it was the simplest way to guarantee I’d see the best places, get from A to B safely, and make some new friends along the way.