Honeymoon: El Dorado Maroma

After Eggs Benedict and coffee at Stone Crest Inn on Sunday morning, we packed the car and set our sights south. We thought surely we’d have enough time to catch our flight to Cancun, but we had a brief moment of panic when we recalled the recommendation to check-in earlier for international flights.

So Nick dropped me off at the departures gate at BWI and frantically looked for a parking spot. I proceeded to the check-in desk where I called Nick my “husband” in public for the very first time.

A friendly man with dreadlocks assured me and my husband that we still had plenty of time to check luggage, pass through security, and board the plane.

The flight was smooth and just over three hours, and our first view of the Caribbean Sea was crystal clear.

Our travel agent had previously advised us to look for a man wearing a turquoise polo shirt and white pants when we landed in Cancun. Sure enough, he was waiting for us just past Immigration and greeted us with an amiable, “Hola, Mr. and Mrs. Wiley.” He then led us out of the airport and into a Lincoln Navigator.

The driver spoke with a thick Mexican accent and offered to stop for Coronas on the 45-minute drive south to our resort. We politely declined, but we were thoroughly impressed.

We passed mammoth resorts with six-story entrances and fountains at the gates. When we spotted the sign for El Dorado Maroma, we turned off the main drag and onto a narrow, winding dirt road with thick brush on either side. It did not have a spectacular entrance, but it led to paradise.

We were pampered from the moment we stepped foot inside El Dorado Maroma. The air-conditioned lobby was a welcome relief from the Mexican heat, and we joyfully accepted wet towels to wipe our faces and cold Tecates to quench our thirsts.

After a tour of the grounds – three restaurants, two swim-up bars, a spa and a sauna, king size beach beds, and more – we were taken to our room on the third floor. It was the picture perfect honeymoon suite with a romantic four-poster bed, a Jacuzzi tub, an indoor/outdoor rain shower, and a private infinity pool overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

The gourmet all-inclusive 72-room resort sits on Maroma Beach in the Riviera Maya, which is considered to be one of the top beaches in the world. It’s intimate, rustic, and lavish all at once. And because it was only one-quarter occupied at the time (thanks to swine flu scares and a struggling economy), we had an amazing amount of attention from the staff. Every person – from the housekeeper to the pool cleaner to the bartender to the waiter – was ready and willing to indulge us.

We had saved our appetites for our first taste of Caribbean cuisine, and it most definitely did not disappoint. We enjoyed lunch poolside, and the waiter, knowing it was our first Mexican meal, promptly brought us warm tortilla chips with Pico de gallo and guacamole.

To drink, we each received a Tamarindo Margarita. (The tamarindo is a sweet and acidic fruit native to the Riviera Maya). It didn’t take long for us to order seconds. We shared a Caesar salad, I relished in the very best plate of shrimp fajitas I have ever tasted, and Nick enjoyed a chicken and mushroom burrito. We had officially arrived in paradise!

With no watches, clocks, cell phones, or computers, we completely lost track of time. We walked along the beach and through the salty water and lay in the sand until the sun set. We then returned to our room for hot showers and room service.

Next: Fruity Cocktails and Gourmet Seafood