Good morning! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen that I was in Mexico all week. Chris and I hadn’t taken a true vacation all year long, so we planned this trip to have a relaxing (and romantic!) getaway. I wasn’t planning to blog about the trip at all (in fact, I didn’t even bring my blog camera) but so many of you guys commented/DMed/emailed and tweeted about our resort that I decided to do a full review on it. Our resort is PERFECT for anyone who is looking for a honeymoon destination or just wants a romantic getaway. We had the most amazing time!!
Even though Chris and I didn’t take blog photos on the trip, we did take one Instagram a day, so here are some photos of outfits I wore (and you can see how pretty the beach is!):
Hello Molly dress, wearing size XS
Hello Molly dress, wearing size XS
ASOS swimsuit (wearing size US 4) // Topshop shorts (old)
L*Space one-piece swimsuit (wearing size US 4)
Hello Molly romper (wearing size XS, just FYI I had to criss-cross the straps and then tie them for it to fit properly)
Now for the review of the resort! We stayed at El Dorado Maroma in the Overwater Bungalows (also known as “Palafitos”). I did a TON of research on resorts in Mexico and I fell in love with El Dorado because of their overwater bungalows – typically, you can only find bungalows like these in the Maldives or Bora Bora, places that require nearly two days of travel to reach (and we didn’t want to travel that far!). However, when we learned that El Dorado was in Mexico, had overwater bungalows and was only a three hour flight away, we were in! I’m inserting a few pictures of the overwater bungalows here so you can get a feel for what it looks like.
Here’s my full review of El Dorado Maroma:
(P.S. This is NOT sponsored!)
Room: As I mentioned above, we stayed in one of the Overwater Bungalows (also known as “Palafitos”). The room was INSANE – it’s over the water, and parts of the floor are see-through so you can see the crystal clear water and even fish and stingrays swimming underneath your feet! Our room had a fridge, dining table, desk, large TV (with Netflix!), jacuzzi bath tub, king size bed, lots of closet space, an indoor and outdoor shower, and a private infinity pool. It was also one of the most comfortable resort rooms I’ve ever stayed in – it was super clean, smelled amazing and the air conditioning worked great, not to mention that the bed was probably the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in in my entire life!!! One other really cool thing about the palafitos is that they each have a private dock with sun chairs, and a ladder leading straight to the ocean so you can snorkel right from your room (which we did). Each palafito is assigned a private butler – ours were Alma and Alan. We loved them!!! They did everything for us – booked our room service, our spa treatments, made our reservations for dinner and even escorted us to dinner every evening. The resort has a bunch of other rooms and accommodations on land, however we picked the resort solely for the palafitos, so I can’t say how the other rooms are.
Beach: The beach at El Dorado Maroma was incredibly beautiful – fine, soft sand and crystal blue water. There are two beaches: one is a private beach (you have to make reservations for it) and Daisy (the beach butler) will bring you drinks, games, sunscreen and will even pack you a picnic lunch so that you can have a picnic on the beach. The other beach is public and you don’t need reservations for that one. On the public beach side, there’s a manmade island that you can walk to, and it has pretty palm trees and hammocks to lay out on. The only downside of the beach is that there are large, unsightly sand bags when you look out to sea (we even had a close-up view of the sand bags from our palafito). It does block out the view of the ocean a little bit, but I understand why the sand bags are necessary (to keep the current from eroding the beach and the overwater bungalows).
Pools: There are six different pools at El Dorado, all beautiful. Chris and I prefer the beach over the pool so we spent most of our time on the beach or on our private dock, however if you’re a pool person, the pools are really nice. One day we did hang out at the “Mio” pool – they have a swim-up bar which was really nice!
Food: We have mixed reviews about the food! The resort is all-inclusive, so all food is included in the cost of your stay. We really loved some meals, and others not so much. There are six restaurants on the resort, including an Italian, Caribbean, Peruvian, Asian and a Mexican restaurant. Chris and I agreed that the best meal we had all week was on Friday night – they throw a huge Mexican Fiesta every Friday with buffet-style tables set up right next to the beach. The food was AMAZING, and there was tons of it! Guacamole, tacos, tortilla soup, quesadillas, street corn, you name it and they had it. Plus plenty of margaritas 😀
Activities: There were a lot of activities to do at El Dorado – you could never be bored here! There’s a yoga class every morning, and every day you will find cooking classes, dance classes, bingo, a magician act, etc. You can kayak or paddle board for free, right on the beach. If you want to book an excursion, they offer camel rides, swimming with dolphins, Mayan ruins, snorkeling, catamarans, and ATV riding. Chris and I booked a trip to the Tulum ruins and we had a lot of fun (just wear comfortable shoes!!!).
Spa: I looooove getting spa treatments, so Chris and I booked the “Recharge” package at the spa – it includes a 30-minute couples massage and 30-minute couples facial. The coolest part of the spa treatment was that we had it right over the ocean, so when you looked out of the windows all you could see was crystal blue water. I think Chris felt a little uncomfortable getting a massage, haha, but I was incredibly relaxed. I wouldn’t say it was the best massage or facial I’ve ever gotten, but it was definitely relaxing.
Transportation: We flew into the Cancun airport (only a three hour flight from Charlotte), and from there it was a 40-minute ride from the airport to the resort. When you make your reservation with the hotel, you also give them your flight information and they take care of EVERYTHING! They had a car waiting for us at the airport with cold water bottles and beer for us 🙂
In conclusion, I would highly recommend El Dorado Maroma!! It would make the PERFECT place for a honeymoon, anniversary or just a romantic getaway. Almost every door of the overwater bungalows had signs like “Happy Honeymoon” or “Happy Anniversary.” It is very romantic, so I personally think this resort would be best for couples rather than for a girls trip.
Let me know if you have questions in the comment section and I’ll be sure to answer them! xoxo
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This place looks incredible! I'm so glad you did end up taking some pictures.
It's so pricey- I figured it was a sponsored trip (1600 a day on a weeknight ouch!) due to that. It I appreciate how you're always upfront about that and that you still remain down to earth! It looks like the trip of a lifetime. My family got to spend 4 hours from 1am-6am at a resort similiar when our flight back from Jamaica was cancelled. They had butlers walking around, 24 hour room service and a phone in the bathroom- it was mind blowing. My friend and I knew that was the fanciest place we would ever "stay in" in our lifetimes but it was kind of neat to get to see a resort the other half visited.
Have you and Chris decided to stay in the US or visit a different country for your honeymoon? I'm excited for more wedding posts 🙂
Oh my goodness this place looks amazing. Perfect romantic spot. How refreshing to not have even brought your blogging camera. These shots all came out so great though! How are you editing them?
Arum Lilea
Wow beautiful location and need the first dress! Love it! <3
Please DO NOT participate or endorse "swim with dolphins" activities. Places like this are active participants in dolphin culling from places like Taji, Japan that drive families of dolphins into coves, slaughter them, and the "lucky" ones get selected for resorts, aquariums, and the like. It's sick and i urge you to please educate yourself by watching The Cove.
Dreamy <3
http://www.evdaily.blogspot.com
Thank you for writing a post on this resort! My fiancé and I are currently in search of a beautiful honeymoon location! After reading your post and searching their site I am thinking this may be our location 😊
Hey Lindsey, if you do choose El Dorado Maroma for your honeymoon you will LOVE it!!!
Those underwater bungalows looked GORGEOUS! I might have to book our next trip there!
Xo, Nina
Law of Fashion Blog
What kind of camera do you use?
I'm going here in May and I couldn't be more excited!!! My sister has been twice and LOVES it but I'm happy to hear that you love it too!! <3
xo Kimmie
joyfullystyled.com
Your dress looks absolutely gorgeous! I love these photos they are so magical!
Abigail Alice x
Girl, I am SO happy you got visit this resort! It's been on my bucket list ever since I planned my honeymoon 8 years ago! Two sets of twin boys later… I haven't made it there yet 😉 #someday Your post makes me happy – so thank you 😀
My Fiance and I are starting to plan our honeymoon and this looks like the PERFECT place. What website did you book the hotel through? Did you book it directly through the hotel's website or a websites like orbitz? Thanks in advanced!
I called the directly to ask them a few questions & ended up booking on the phone with them! Sergio was who I talked to and he was great!
My Fiance and I are starting to plan our honeymoon and this looks like the PERFECT place. What website did you book the hotel through? Did you book it directly through the hotel's website or a websites like orbitz? Thanks in advanced!
My Fiance and I are starting to plan our honeymoon and this looks like the PERFECT place. What website did you book the hotel through? Did you book it directly through the hotel's website or a websites like orbitz? Thanks in advanced!
Amazing photos! Can you please tell me where that silvery dressing gown is from? <3
The satin robe actually belongs to El dorado, they let us wear them while we were there (they had fluffy cotton robes too but I prefer the satin one!)
What a wonderful looking place and beautiful pictures! Everything looks so lovely!
http://www.jessicabroyles.com
Can you comment about Hello Molly clothes run, I know they are AU sizing but don't want to order a lot since its only store credit back, can you let me know.
I found them to run TTS! I am normally an XS and everything I ordered fit well 🙂
Over the water bungalows can be found in Jamaica at a hotel called Sandals. You can check it out as well.
This sounds absolutely gorgeous! What a lovely place to stay!
I hope you're having a great Wednesday,
Michael
https://www.mileinmyglasses.com
Beautiful. Love to see your pictures and read about all your travels!
https://southernsaysitall.blogspot.com/
This place looks beautiful!
http://thegirlswhobrunch.com
That place looks amazing!!!
This place looks absolutely stunning! What a perfect place for a vacay and how lucky that it's such a short flight! Thank you for sharing your review!
Want to know where to find designer pieces for less? Check out my newest post now… Blush & Bordeaux
Loved the pink sparkly dress! I have always wanted to go to Mexico and will take this review to heart 🙂
-Em
http://www.amazingadventuresofemmalynn.com
My husband and I went to Cancun for our honeymoon and we went to Maroma beach to snorkel. They were building these at the time and we've said since then that we would love to go and stay there! After this post, I definitely want to! haha! So beautiful!
This resort looks like an absolute dream! The pink sunsets are stunning!
x Rubi
Pose & Repeat
Omgah such a beautiful resort I’m dying over your pictures!!! LOVE THE BUNGALOWS!
http://www.alittleobsession.com
Your photos there look amazing!! <3
BlondieintheCity.comÂ
Your pictures are amazing!!! What cameras do you use? Usually for blogging and for this trip. Love it!
Aww, this brings back wonderful memories! My husband and I stayed there for our 5th wedding anniversary. It was such a romantic place and the food was amazing, too. We are about to celebrate our 13th anniversary on January 7th. 🙂
These pictures are gorgeous!! I love all your outfits!
Your trip to Mexico looked amazing! I've never been to Mexico and want to go but I can't decided where! This guide is so helpful!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Tell me about your December tan please! Gorgeous!
It looks beautiful there! I bet you guys had an amazing time! Loving all of your outfits as always.
Nineteen Windsor
Gorgeous pics + amazing trip!!! What size Asos sarong did you get?
All your outfits and images are to dream for! xx
http://www.bonjourchiara.com
This resort looks so beautiful! And I love your stylish outfits for the trip. Hope you had a great vacation!
Allegra xx
Allegra Ghiloni Fashion Stylist
http://www.allegraghiloni.com
Thanks for sharing. I also thought this would of been a sponsored post (thanks for indicitating). Can you comment regarding the prices? Holy guacamole! I looked up their website. For a bungalow, one night is listed as $3.111! Did you book directly on their website or book through a third party or travel agent? If the price is accurate, one night for 3K, was it worth spending the money?
You made me stopping and dreaming that I was there! Although the picture that I save it was the first one… Such an amazing dress, it was a must to save it in my pinterest board "fashion inspiration" xoxo
http://hiddeninbeauty.com/
Hi!!! Any packing tips?? Does my husband have to be dresses up for dinner?? Thank you do much for your article!!!
Hello, We are planning an Anniversary trip there in May. lt was a toss up between Secrets Maroma ( which we been to before n loved it) or The Elderado which we have never been to before. I appreciate all that you wrote, have you ever been to Secrets Maroma to compare the 2 ?
Did you bring the string of lights for your palafito with you??
Did you take the string patio lights with you? We are going in March and I’d love to pack some!
Yes I did!! Packed them in my suitcase!
How did you reach the the resort # to book? All I am finding is booking agents.
Thank you for your incredibly helpful review of this property. I was considering booking here and found their website lacking in information – you’ve been able to provide a full picture of what a stay here looks like. So I’ve booked it!