Thursday at Fairmont Mayakoba

PHOTO: Main building at Fairmont Mayakoba (c) Sery Kim

On Thursday, after flying back from Dallas to DC Wednesday, I trekked back out to DCA airport and the Rivera Maya for the Mayakoba Food Wine & Golf Festival. I know how insane that sounds to have flown back to D.C. from Dallas rather than just stay an extra 12 hours to fly South, and, after having done that series of flights, (Easter Sunday three different airports, Wednesday three different airports, and then Thursday three different airports AGAIN) I have to say I will never do that again! Sooooooo exhausted, really.

Thursday was a pretty rainy day in DCA and the only sun I ended up seeing was in Atlanta at the Hartsfield Airpot because it was nearly monsooning in Cancun. The weather was so inclement our plane had to circle the Cancun Airport for more than 30 minutes, in a very bumpy ride, because it was too difficult to land. As everyone knows, I absolutely love rain, but I don't love it when I am trying to travel. It messes the traditional lines of travel.

By the time I got the Fairmont Mayakoba, one of four luxury hotels in the Mayakoba resort complex, I was beyond tired and quite hungry. (I was also soaking wet since my pick-up vehicle was delayed due to weather.) I had only had a bag of Doritos and two cups of coffee because there was no time in the morning (packing) and connecting through Hartsfield International Airport so I was quite "hangry" (hungry + angry) when I landed.

PHOTO: My suite at Fairmont Mayakoba (c) Sery Kim

Since I had a bad attitude anyway, and since it took quite a long time to check in since the hotel was at 100% occupancy, I didn't have a lot of grace in my heart when I didn't get the room I thought I would have. Instead of a very nice king bed, in a very nice room, I got two full beds in a room whose lighting didn't work didn't have air conditioning on a rainy, humid day.

I wanted to change the room ASAP and te hotel staff tried to manage me as best they good -- so much thanks to the good nature of Jorge the Night Manager as well as Luis the Concierge. I eventually got into the room above (lucky for me and them I was leaving Saturday morning at 3:45 am so they could switch me rooms) and had 10 minutes to get ready instead of the 75 minutes I had planned for.

PHOTO: View from the Signature Casita Suites (c) Sery Kim

After I calmed down, I had a chance to absorb more of what The Fairmont Mayakoba had to offer as it related to rooms. They have basic rooms in the "tower" as they call it, but it is the rooms around the lagoon which is the real draw. These are all suites and the Fairmont Mayakoba has a few suites: the Signature Casita Suite (the view from the photo directly above), the Beach Area Casita Suite (the one I ended up in ), the Beach Front Suite (which puts you nearly on the Caribbean), the Beach Front Premium Suite (which puts you on the Caribbean) and the Presidential. The Signature Casita Suite has the double beds so if you are a family then the space works fine for you. Additionally, this suite has a balcony which looks out onto the lagoon so you feel like you are in a remote area, and there is a very large bathroom.

The Beach Area Casita Suite is the one I wanted because it does have a king size bed. I am, literally, the worst sleeper I know. I either don't sleep at all, fidgeting for two hours, or I sleep the sleep of the dead because my body is so exhausted from not sleeping so I if I don't have enough space to sprawl and struggle it is not good. That's why I need a king. The Beach Area Casita Suite also has the balcony and the view of lagoon, as well as a quite large bathroom that is the nearly the same size as the sleeping space.

I wish I would have taken a photo of the bathroom because it is quite sprawling even though I barely used it at all. Great hot water pressure.

If you do find yourself at the Fairmont Mayakoba, be sure to ask for the Beach Area Casita Suite so you can get a king-bed otherwise know that not all suites have this.

More on the Fairmont Mayakoba, as well as the Mayakoba Food Wine & Golf Festival soon!