Last month we started dreaming about where we would be taking our summer holidays or where in the world we wanted to visit. This month we’re taking advantage of the continued blue skies and warm weather to carry on our dreaming albeit in a different part of the world.
We are again featuring two beautiful hotels; the Grand Velas, Riviera Maya in Mexico and The Reefs Hotel in Bermuda. Two completely different countries economically with the people of Bermuda enjoying the fourth highest per capita income in the world and Mexico with ongoing economic and social concerns such as low real wages and underemployment. Both properties are conscious of guest security and have Safemark hotel room safes installed for the convenience and safety of their guests’ valuables.
The Reefs Hotel and Club, Bermuda
A quick scan of the reviews on Trip Advisor and you’ll be convinced that The Reefs is an amazing property. Widely recognized as Bermuda’s number one hotel, the property is perched on the edge of one of Bermuda’s exquisite beaches of pink sand and turquoise water. The property is in the process of upgrading their safes to Safemark’s EN 5.3 17” laptop safes so their guests can safely lock away the work and hit the beach!
While I have never been to Bermuda it has long evoked thoughts of the “Bermuda Triangle” stories that abound.
The area known as the Bermuda Triangle encompasses 2,414,016 sq. km (932,057 sq. miles) of open sea between Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and the southeastern shoreline of the U.S. Tales of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle persist, despite attempts by skeptics to dismiss them as fanciful. Can they be true? See what you think…
The most famous of all the legends concerns an incident in 1945. On December 5, five U.S. Navy bombers departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on a routine mission. The weather was fine; no storm of any kind threatened. A short time into the flight the leader of the squadron radioed that they were lost and then the radio went silent. All efforts to establish further communication proved fruitless. A rescue plane was despatched to search for the squadron — but it, too, disappeared. The navy ordered a search that lasted 5 days, but there was no evidence of any wreckage. To this day, the disappearance of the squadron and the rescue plane remains a mystery as deep as the waters of the region.
No matter what your views on these mysteries, you’re bound to provoke an excited response by asking residents what they think. On Bermuda, almost everyone has an opinion about the island’s biggest and most fascinating legend.
We now trek further south into the warm waters of the Caribbean and the Riviera Maya on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsular, Mexico to the Grand Velas.
This area was devastated during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, but since then has seen the rise of a number of beautiful, all inclusive mega resorts. I’m told the pool at the Grand Velas covers acres and have no less than 8 swim up pool bars – good thing they chose to install Safemark’s Executive E 5.1 (with Medeco High Security override) hotel safes – when I visit I’ll be needing to lock up my valuables to go check out that pool, sounds like my kind of place!
If you can drag yourself away from the pool bar hopping, this area of Mexico was home of the Mayan civilization before it was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century and is famous for its ancient Mayan ruins.
Chichen Itza, recently named as one of the New 7 Wonders and the World and also a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of Mexico’s most visited tourist destinations. It was a centre of pilgrimage for the ancient Maya for over 1,000 years. You can make your own pilgrimage to this site, only about 3 hours from Grand Velas! The most famous landmark is the Pyramid of Kukulcan (or El Castillo). This structure, along with the Great Ball Court and Temple of the Warriors, are among the undisputed masterpieces of Mesoamerican architecture because of the beauty of their proportions, the refinement of their construction, and the splendor of their sculpted decorations.
To the southwest you’ll discover the Mayan site of Uxmal, founded c. A.D. 700, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, this is the best restored and maintained of the ruins in the Yucatán.
The most impressive structure is the House of the Magician which according to ancient legend was built in one night! The Spaniards refer to it as the Pyramid of the Soothsayer and it is decorated with a profusion of symbolic motifs and sculptures depicting Chaac, the God of rain.
With the beach as a backdrop, the ruins of Tulum provide a most picturesque scene to bring your historical meanderings to a close. The site of an ancient sea port, it boasts of being one of the earliest “resorts” in Mexico.
History is one thing but I think I can hear that pool calling….
