Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita Riviera Maya ★★★★★

When we arrived at Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita, we were so excited we couldn’t decide what to do first. Should we do the responsible thing and unpack? Or go and explore? Or get something to eat? Or take the more fun option and go running into the sea? But after the long journey, all we wanted to do was relax, so we peeled off our aeroplane-covered clothes and replaced them with beachwear. We then grabbed the bottle of bubbles that had been left chilling, waiting for our arrival, and took it onto our private terrace to toast our new marriage and the start of what promised to be an unforgettable honeymoon.

As I sat there, gazing out over the turquoise ocean, feeling the warm sun on my skin, I took a deep breath in and as I exhaled, I felt the stress of the last few weeks leaving my body. I had a feeling that this was going to be a wonderful couple of weeks!

In the flurry of excitement as we arrived, I had barely noticed the interior of our ocean-front suite. All 90 of the suites at Paraiso de la Bonita have ocean views, but the interiors are gorgeous too. Each one has individually selected pieces of art and sculptures, meaning that no two are quite the same, as well as luxurious marble bathrooms. Ours even had a sunken tub, which seemed delightfully indulgent!

Once we were fully settled in and unpacked, we decided to take a stroll to see more of the resort. Sprawling lazily across 14 lush acres, it never feels crowded and there’s plenty of space for everyone around the infinity pool.

We’d been to all-inclusive resorts before, but Paraiso de Bonita was more than a class above anything else we’d experienced.

All three of the restaurants were just fabulous, with a mouth-watering array of à la carte options. No sign of tired-looking buffets laden with dried out meat and wilting salads here! But in case that wasn’t enough, there were always delicious snacks available. It was a real treat to have room service included too, so on really, really lazy days, we didn’t even need to leave the suite!

That happened rarely, though, because although we had vowed to give ourselves a fortnight of pure relaxation, there were just too many fantastic activities on offer – and we didn’t want to miss out. We did tequila tasting, yoga on the beach, Temazcal ceremonies, cooking classes, ceramic painting, snorkelling, and even a sunset sailing trip, all as part of the all-inclusive experience. Not only were they all tremendous fun, but they were also a great way to meet other guests; we made some good friends.

We made sure that in between all of the activities, we had plenty of time to relax, and there was nowhere better than the Thalasso Center and Spa, which uses natural sea water in many of the therapies. We tried the Thalassotherapy pool, experienced a traditional Mayan treatment with La Bonita’s Secret (I can’t tell you what it is – you’ll have to try it yourself!) and went for a couple’s massage in a cabin overlooking the ocean.

The days passed all too quickly and we couldn’t believe it when it was time to go home. We promised ourselves that we would return to celebrate our anniversary. After all, we had never found anywhere that was such a wonderful haven for rest and relaxation. Zoetry Paraiso de la Bonita really is a VeryChic piece of paradise!