San Miguel de Allende, Oaxaca and Tulum, Mexico
Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende
Part of the Mexico travel itinerary included the cobbled, pink washed towns of Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende. Guanajuato is the birth place of Diego Rivera, so I was fortunate to spend an hour wandering around his childhood home in our day trip. The town really reminded me of a cross between the steep towns in Italy and France.
San Miguel de Allende was next on the itinerary. I’d never been to a place like this before - the light and stone creating a warm, sunlit glow of pink across the pavements and walls bouncing bouncing back into the rhythm and soul of the visitors.
I have been so inspired by the colour palettes of these towns and hope to bring their soft red colour palette with me into new work.
Playa San Agustinillo, Oaxaca
An hour away from Huatulco airport, is the small town of Playa San Agustinillo on the Oaxaca coast. Filled with a mixture of nudists and yoga enthusiasts (we were there for neither), it offers sweeping beaches and amazing seafood (we were there for both).
Where I stayed
I stayed in two places in San Agustinillo, one was a the beautiful Monte Uzulu Boutique Hotel, which was expensive but a lovely treat for my exhausted body.
I now really want to tadalak everything when I have a home.
My last night was spent at Un Sueño Cabañas del Pacifico, a much cheaper alternative, right on the beach. I loved it here, and the only reason I didn’t stay my whole time at Un Sueño is because they book out, sometimes months in advance.
Tulum, Yucatán Peninsula
After my friends went back to Bogota, I flew from Mexico City to the other side of Mexico, this time the Yucatán Peninsula. Luckily for me, a lot of my friends made in Colombia were in Mexico, and this time I got to stay with my friend Carolina, her husband and dog for the week in their apartment in a condominium in Playa Del Carmen. After a week-long stay mesmerised by the jungle crashing into the rugged coastline, on the last day of my stay, we drove down the motorway for an hour to Tulum. Tulum was on my bucket list (a.k.a Pinterest board), and a place that looked more like a fantasy than reality. Was it really like this? The answer is; yes.
We treated ourselves to lunch at Habitas, where there was a minimum spend of $35 USD pp for a meal. We were hesitant at first as we weren’t expecting this, but as we had driven all the way, and hadn’t researched other options, we allowed ourselves in.
I don’t think I have been to such a restorative place. The earth felt re-energising and we roamed around the hotel laughing like school girls. We sat on the floor in long dresses and inhaled the food, atmosphere and interior design. We began the day tired and weary, and left high on love, life and gratitude.
Anikena by Azulik, Tulum
After lunch, we strolled over to the retail shop of the famous Azulik resort. It’s known for the sensorial, original architectural design that is found in magical Tulum.
This shop is now probably one of my favourites in the world as it really plays with four of your five senses:
Touch - you are asked to remove your shoes upon entering so you connect immediately to the ground, and the water running between the floor pebbles. You are free to touch all the garments, the textures and relax in one of the cosy, hidden nooks.
Sound - a gong bath greets you at the door sending vibrations through your body.
Sight - you want to look everywhere, from the water running between your feet below, to the chapel-like arched ceiling made from bamboo.
Smell - incense and the natural materials provide a gentle scent to the space.
The retail shop is the only part of Azulik resort that is free to enter, (when visiting in January 2022).
Finally, you can watch the video I made about the trip here.