I was in the library when my stepmother called me and asked if I’d like to spend my spring break in Mexico, which is why I whispered “Yes!” instead of freaking out as I wanted to (don’t worry, I freaked out plenty later). As an aspiring world traveler and master of one semester of introductory Spanish (two semesters now), I was ecstatic. One week later, I was on a plane to Mexico.
I elbowed my way out of the packed Cancun airport to find myself in the blazing sun, surrounded by middle-aged Mexican men holding up signs with various hotel names. I walked through the hordes of travelers three times (and learned just how many hotels there are) until I finally discovered Pedro holding up a sign for Hotel Esencia. Following an hour-long drive filled with cold towels and icy water bottles, Pedro dropped me off at Esencia, where another driver (after switching out my “old” water bottle for a new one) took me down to the beach, where my family was waiting. Deliriously happy, I found my grandmother reading in her personal cabana, and fell on top of her with a hug. “Is this real?” I asked her.
After trying (unsuccessfully) to convince me that I was not dreaming, my grandmother and I walked over to the room we would be sharing. Although it was supposed to be a five-minute bathing suit run, it ended up taking 30 minutes, as I needed time to absorb our Jungle Suite. The room was beautiful, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors, a massive shower and double bathtub, and a private outdoor dining area and a tropical garden. But no clocks. Esencia thrived on revival and relaxation. There was no time for . . . time.
The beach was magical. My stepmother and I swam in the gentle current, letting the calming waves lap over us; my father and I poured buckets of water on each other (he did not appreciate that); my grandmother and I took a walk along the water, the warm soft sand squishing between our toes. We then returned to our cabana—it was reading time! As though we weren’t being pampered enough, servers came by every half hour to replace our waters with colder ones, and nearly as often to offer us the most heavenly drinks. There was watermelon juice, mango guava cocktails (it’s always happy hour at Esencia!), peach-pear ices, and many more exciting concoctions. Most importantly, I finally got to drink from a coconut!
Hours later, after my grandmother and I had showered and had a serious discussion about how we needed to ditch my father and stepmother on the day of our return flight in order to stay here forever, the four of us went to Esencia’s prime beachfront restaurant. My father and stepmother split the Seabass a la Parrilla, a butterfly-split seabass rubbed with chipotle-morita and served with fresh fruit and vegetables. My grandmother had the Filete Mignon Wagyu, a grilled Filete Mignon coated with Sichuan pepper, shiitake mushroom sauce, truffle oil and rosemary mashed potatoes. I treated myself to the Ensalada de Sandía, a delicious watermelon salad, mixed with watercress, feta cheese, jícama and roasted peanuts. And yes, there were plenty of drinks to go around. My grandmother and I eventually returned to our suite and, although we were both exhausted, we agreed that the night wasn’t over. There was one more thing we had to do: Watch Mamma Mia.
“Yael, it’s Magic Box time!” Half asleep (OK, at least ⅞ asleep), I rolled over, covering my head with a pillow. My grandmother removed the pillow, letting the morning sunlight spill over us. After much coaxing, she pulled me outside and sat me down on the canopy (where I promptly proceeded to fall on my back and close my eyes). “Yael!” I opened my eyes just in time to see my grandmother unlock a box attached to the side of the patio table and pull out an array of mouth-watering treats. Steaming blueberry muffins, the blueberries ripe and juicy enough to leap off the plate; chocolate croissants so gold and flaky they would make the French jealous; and a cluster of bright red apples that would put Snow White’s apple to shame. Needless to say, I woke up much more willingly from that point on.
After another morning of beach bliss, my stepmother and I dropped my father and grandmother off to have afternoon tea with the peacocks and turtles, and then we marched onward. We had a mission to complete. It was my stepmother’s birthday, and we were going to get specialty massages. We both got the Deep Tissue Treatment, a massage meant to free the body of stress and tension. It uses an ancient Mayan recipe of mint, pepper, cloves and rosemary. The recipe’s healing powers, combined with hot therapy on the parts of the body that accumulate the most stress, help to relieve pain and muscle tension. This was my first massage, and it was incredible. Even after the treatment ended, it wasn’t over. My stepmother and I were then escorted to our personal jacuzzi. After getting in, we were handed hot cider. We sipped our drinks, listening to the calming Mayan music playing in the background. “I can never go back,” I said.
A week of beaches and coconuts and magic boxes. A week of family and relaxation. A week of paradise. Hotel Esencia is one of Mexico’s hidden gems. Although I tried to describe its wonders, they’re beyond words. You need to see them for yourself. I may be back now, but I hope to return one day. To quote Mamma Mia: “Here I go again!”