Mexico City for the culture. Cancún to undo all the culture.
That was more or less the plan for our Mexican adventure. After several days celebrating Día de Muertos in Mexico City, we’d walked ourselves silly, soaked up as much culture as humanly possible and navigated crowds that made Oxford Street at Christmas look positively civilised. It was glorious, but we were ready for a few days of doing very little. Preferably somewhere five-star, adults-only and with an excellent margarita.
TRS Coral in Costa Mujeres, just north of Cancún, seemed a sensible choice. Set along a beautiful stretch of Caribbean coastline, the all-inclusive resort is part of Palladium Hotel Group, with 454 suites, a private beach and access to the neighbouring Grand Palladium Select Costa Mujeres. It’s a substantial property, but the adults-only exclusivity gives it a more intimate feel.
We were upgraded to a Loft Suite Jacuzzi Terrace, spread across two floors and measuring a rather extravagant 1,076 square feet. Bigger than our first flat in London, which admittedly isn’t difficult, but still. There was a separate living room, an enormous bedroom, a hydromassage bath and a private outdoor Jacuzzi. Plenty of space to unpack, spread out and immediately forget where we’d put everything.
Carlos, a member of senior management, was fantastic, as was the service throughout our stay. We had a dedicated butler and a WhatsApp group for everything from booking restaurants to asking questions. The whole arrangement worked beautifully, although I suspect our butler had considerably more productive days than we did.
Now, about that pool bar. I’ve stayed in enough all-inclusive resorts to know that a decent margarita is not always guaranteed. Some taste like lime-flavoured sugar water, others like someone has accidentally knocked over the tequila bottle. At TRS Coral, they were genuinely excellent. The bartenders were fast, knew exactly what they were doing and somehow managed to remain relentlessly cheerful while serving a pool full of increasingly enthusiastic holidaymakers.
And then there was Pedro. Stocky, cute, hilarious Pedro. The sort of waiter who seems to know everyone, particularly the returning guests, and who could probably bring you the wrong order and still have you thanking him. Not that he ever got ours wrong. He was an absolute joy, and exactly the sort of person you remember long after you’ve forgotten what your room number was.
The sunken pool bar quickly became our favourite spot. Live music in the afternoons, a wonderfully mixed crowd and the sort of atmosphere where you start chatting to someone from Texas and three hours later you’re doing shots with their entire family. We made plenty of new friends, mostly American, ranging from young honeymooners to people old enough to know better. Not that age seemed to matter much once the margaritas started arriving.
Watching the aqua aerobics after a few cocktails was another highlight. Participating would have required considerably more coordination than I was prepared to offer.
The resort is enormously popular with couples, and weddings seemed to be happening everywhere. Apparently, six were scheduled for one Saturday alone. Six! I hope the photographers were wearing comfortable shoes. Speaking of photographers, yes, we succumbed to one of those rather clichéd pool photoshoots. The kind of thing you might ordinarily roll your eyes at. But we were on holiday, we’d had a few margaritas and, frankly, why not?
The drinks also proved useful for managing my relationship with the local wildlife. TRS Coral has some absolutely enormous iguanas wandering around the grounds. I’m aware they’re part of the tropical charm, but I found them terrifying. Nothing quite interrupts a relaxing stroll like a prehistoric-looking creature appearing beside your sun lounger. Another margarita, please.
There is plenty of dining variety, from Italian and French restaurants to an Argentine steakhouse and beachfront dining at Helios, with additional options at the neighbouring resort. We particularly enjoyed the freshly prepared guacamole at Helios, good poolside pizza and leisurely breakfasts involving omelettes and mimosas. No complaints about that particular morning routine.
The spa, however, deserves considerably more attention. Zentropia Palladium Spa & Wellness is enormous, occupying two floors with hydrotherapy facilities, saunas, steam rooms, cold baths and an ice cabin. Our 80-minute massage was exceptional and worth every penny of the additional cost. If you’re visiting, make time for it.
We even managed an evening away from the resort, heading into Cancún’s Hotel Zone and the absolute chaos of Señor Frog’s. Hardly the most sophisticated evening of our lives, but sometimes you’ve just got to embrace the tourist nonsense. We certainly did.
And that’s rather what I loved about TRS Coral. The five-star comforts are all there: beautiful accommodation, a lovely beach, excellent spa facilities and attentive staff. But it never felt stuffy or overly serious. We could spend the morning doing absolutely nothing, the afternoon making friends in the pool and the evening enjoying our private Jacuzzi.
We’d arrived in Cancún intending to recover from the madness of Mexico City. Instead, we found an entirely different sort of madness, just with better swimwear and considerably more tequila.
Would I return? Absolutely. And I’d be heading straight to the pool bar to find Pedro.
@trscoralhotel | palladiumhotelgroup.com
Paseo Mujeres 3, 77400 Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo
