¡Viva México!

Living in the South of France where July and August feel like vacation even when one is working, I decided to wait until September to take some days off. Mexico had been on my mind as a destination for a few years so when my best friend decided to officially move there, I had to seize the opportunity and go pay her a little visit.

The first part of my trip took me to the much-talked-about paradise known as Tulum. Located less than 2 hours by car away from Cancun, Tulum was everything and more than I had expected. We booked a room, which turned out to be an independent villa, at a tiny hotel called Agua Tulum ideally located on the Tulum beach. Every single hotel, restaurant, bar or boutique in Tulum has a wild but chic bohemian vibe to it. Beautiful by day with its white sand and transparent water and enchanting by night with candle light gently reflecting on the surrounding palm trees and vegetation.

I felt incredibly at peace during these few days. Some of my favorite moments were spent exploring the small local outdoor boutiques, sampling all the possible smoothies by day and margaritas by night, sharing incredible pasta at Posada Margherita, diving under the waves, floating through the lagoon of the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve, making honeymoon plans at the breathtaking hotel Azulik and falling asleep to the sound of the waves rumbling on the beach.

The second part of the trip had us fly back to Mexico City where my friend lives with her husband. The cosmopolitan aspect contrasted with the first part of the trip and it was great to see two different facets of Mexico. The city reminded me somehow a bit of New York but with a Latin touch. In terms of gastronomy, I had the chance to go down NY memory lane with dinners at Cipriani and Mr. Chow but also to go more traditional at the renowned Hacienda de los Morales. My friends were kind enough to play tour guides and showed me around the different neighborhoods of Polanco, Virreyes, Condesa Roma, Santa Fe and the historical downtown.

Special mention to the electric blue hue of the Frida Kahlo house, the upbeat spinning class at Síclo and our charming breakfast spots Ivoire, Cafe O, La Lorena and Blanco Colima. Will be back soon!