Where the Wild Things Are

In my last post about beautiful Cuixmala, I thought it was only right I gave a bit of a time and attention to the crazy amount of flora and fauna on the estate. I mentioned briefly in my first post that Cuixmala boasts around 25000 acres of land (yep you read that right), so far more than just a hotel, this place is something of an ecological reserve. Needless to say, there is a huge amount of space to walk, drive, ride and generally roam around. Let me take you on a tour of a few of my favourite spots and days outside of the stunning Casa Cuixmala…

Pretty much everything you eat comes from Cuixmala’s farm or their sister property Hacienda San Antonio a few hours away.The idea of touring a farm of bid-watching on a lagoon might not instantly appeal on holiday (rather too much like a school trip you might think), and while that can be the case at some places, at Cuixmala touring as much of the property as possible is a real joy. The farm is organic and bio-dynamic with everything from pineapples, bananas, mangoes and potatoes, to medicinal herbs and spices. The resident farmer is more than happy to explain the process and let you taste and try as much as possible too.

There’s also a small herd of semi-wild zebra and antelope which have been happily roaming the grounds here since the 1990s and are just one of Cuixmala’s beautiful eccentricities. When you drive back from the beach at 7pm it’s pretty amazing driving past them as they graze around the roads in the evening sun. No idea why but that particularly hour they were always crossing the road and hanging out right all around our path back to the hotel. Look out for crocs sunbathing by the lagoons too… The one below in this post in the stable had just had a foal a couple of days before so they keen them enclosed and together for a while to make sure they’re safe and happy.

I’ve loved riding and horses since I was eight years old but I don’t get too many chances to do it these days. So riding at Cuixmala was pretty much top of the list… For the first time ever, I managed to persuade Jamie to get on a horse too so even better. This was one of my favourite mornings at Cuximala and possibly ever, riding through palm fields filled with grazing zebra and the out onto the beach. Even grouchy Soldado my steed for the day, seemed to pick up on my good mood after a while. Tip, if you’re thinking you’re going to be riding on holiday and don’t know what to take, just pack some thick workout leggings (full length) and some of of ankle boot with a small heel like a traditional jodhpur or cowboy boot. These Aeyede boots are perfect as they’re essentially riding boots but looked great with jeans and little dresses when I was in L.A too.

I honestly couldn’t think of a dreamier way to start the day….

You don’t really have to go far to feel get a fix from mother nature at Cuixmala; just walking up and down the beach in front of the hotel makes you feel revitalised. If you’re used to desk-based city dwelling and hunching over a laptop an unhealthy amount, nothing beats stretching it out by walking down the beach or getting bendy in a yoga class. Cuixmala are currently focusing on making yoga and meditation a much more integral part of the hotel and I can’t think of a better place for it.

Another thing I would encourage anyone to do if you’re are lucky enough to find themselves at Cuixmala one day, is a lagoon tour. Now I’m not normally much of a bird lover (on safari I fail to get that excited about birds if there’s something four-legged nearby), but Cuixmala might have persuaded me over to the feathered-side… We could see the lagoon from our bungalow so it was kind of cool spending dusk one evening touring it’s banks and the ridiculous amount of birds that call it home. You can’t hear anything but the birds and the trees are filled with huge sunbathing Iguanas too as well as crocodiles although thankfully none of those were too close…  It reminded me of when I went canoeing in Botswana in that feels like the most peaceful place on the planet in that moment. With the zebras and the lagoon, you almost feel like you’re on an African safari for instances at Cuixmala. It really was one of the nicest ways I’ve ever started an evening… Even our skipper took a picture on his iphone so it must have been a particularly pretty sundown.

This the last from Cuixmala apart from one more fashion post. Pretty sad to wave goodbye to this magical place for a second time I have to admit, but I hope you’ve enjoyed touring every bit of it every bit as much as I did for real….

Stripe bikini | Zimmerman (similar cheaper options below)
White shirt | Asceno
Leggings | Gap Fit 
Boots | Aeyde
St. Christopher Necklace | Theodora Warre 
Camera | Olympus Pen-F
Sunglasses | Rayban 

Ph. by myself and James Wright