TRAVEL The Mex factor Five-star Cancun resort that’s almost too hot to handle
It takes a particular kind of idiot to bite into a grilled jalapeño pepper and expect it to be anything other than eye-wateringly hot. And that is an idiot on holiday. More specifically, me. But then, as my boss during a summer spent working at a French campsite 16 years ago was fond of saying, the one thing most holidaymakers forget to pack is their brain.
We had been at Moon Palace, a five-star golf, spa and beach resort just outside Cancun, for less than 24 hours and I was already in uber-relaxed holiday mode.
But then getting there had been so stress- free it was hardly surprising. A breakfast stop in Virgin’s V-Lounge at London Gatwick made for a relaxing start to the 11-hour flight.
And with Moon Palace just a 20-minute drive from Cancun airport, the transfer could hardly be shorter.
Even when you arrive in the dark, the Moon Palace has the wow factor. But the marble lobby and double whirlpool bath in our room were eclipsed in the morning by the view from our window of a sunrise over the Caribbean Sea. The resort extends along the shoreline with a series of low- rise buildings. It’s divided into three areas Grand, Sunrise, and our section, Nizuc.
Each has its own pool complex and atmosphere. Sunrise is popular with families for its extensive children’s pool area, hot-tubs, entertainment and Flowrider surf machine for bigger kids.
Nizuc has a curly water slide and pool games and the Grand is where to go if you are looking for peace and quiet.
But our favourite place to relax was the beach where we could admire the ocean and enjoy the refreshing breeze.
From our loungers on the sand we could also enjoy watching kite surfers, sailors and jet-skiers whizzing around on the waves and spot the couples who had chosen the venue for their wedding or vow renewals.
The seabirds on the beach also left me checking out whatbird.com (there is free wifi throughout the resort) to identify our feathered neighbours.
Seeing a brown pelican take off from the shore after a dip in the shallows was a highlight, as was catching the moment one yawned on the roof of one of the pool restaurants, revealing its characteristic stretchy throat. We also spotted royal terns, their wispy black crests making them stand out among the seagulls.
Moon Palace’s attentive staff provide a drinks service around the pool and on the beach, meaning you barely need to stir
from your sun lounger. The extent of the all- inclusive offering is impressive, with champagne and room service at no extra charge. Sharing a Mexican burger (with avocado and bacon) and a club sandwich in front of your own sea view feels like the height of indulgence.
And the mini bar actually IS a mini bar – with bottles of spirits hanging up in a cupboard alongside your standard fridge of mixers and beer.
With that and the varied room service menu, it was sometimes tempting not to leave the room at all, particularly for breakfast. But then we’d have missed out on the incredible array of options at the breakfast buffets.
Hot, cold, sweet, savoury, healthy, naughty, every taste is catered for. Each morning was an education in exotic fruit – or an exploration of cooked Mexican and international options.
We were so impressed with our first breakfast at Manglar, one of 14 restaurants at the resort, we made it our morning destination every day, gradually