Lorry Perkins
Writer, Travel Blogger
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Tales From A Three Hour Beach Hike in Riviera Maya: Iberostar to Maroma Beach
One beautiful sunny October morning, my husband and I decided to take a long walk on the beach while staying at the Iberostar Del Mar in Riviera Maya. I’m not sure what we expected to see, but it was an adventure.
Abandoned Resort and Other Sightings Along the Way
We plowed our way through areas where the beach disappeared, leaving us no choice but to walk in the water to avoid the bushes. There were areas of rocks that we meandered through and deep sand that our feet sunk into, giving our thighs a workout. We came upon a couple of structures that looked like concrete resorts that had been abandoned, but we couldn’t imagine why. They were far enough from the beach that we couldn’t easily walk to them to investigate further. At one point, we thought we saw someone looking out from one of the openings. Nancy Drew would have stumbled through the brush for clues and to solve the mystery, but we kept moving along through the water.
Beautiful Pristine Beach in Mexico
Much of the area we passed was an overgrown jungle, rock, or rough sand. All of a sudden, we spotted what looked like a large flat beach area ahead of us. A few yards more, we arrived at the most beautiful wide pristine beach imaginable, but it was empty. We couldn’t believe our eyes.
Camel Rides on Maroma Beach
Our next experience had us blinking our eyes and cleaning off our sunglasses because only a few feet away from us were people mounting camels for a ride. I’m sure it is a once in a lifetime experience to ride a camel, but the last thing I want to do on a hot day at the beach is to ride an equally hot, furry animal. Maybe someone could convince me otherwise, but a fall off of one of those animals could result in a broken arm for me or worse.
El Dorado Maroma Beach
Near the end of our hike, we came upon the El Dorado Maroma Beach Resort which offers “all luxurious suites…two-story beachfront villas…the first and only overwater bungalows in Mexico”. Not only does El Dorado all-inclusive Riviera Maya have what looks like top-notch accommodations, but they also have an amazing set of exclusive suites (bungalows) on stilts built out on the sea. It was something we had never seen before in an all-inclusive in Riviera Maya. We spoke to a couple who were vacationing there with another traveler from the UK. They met years ago when they were traveling and have decided to visit here every year to reunite. I can’t imagine I could ever afford to stay there, but just in case, I checked out the price. The resort itself starts at $150 a night, but the overwater bungalows that were available were $2,000-$4,000 a night! My vacation budget is not quite in that price range, so I’ll add it to my wish list for the time being.
Maroma Beach Adventures
Also located at Maroma Beach is Maroma Adventures and Beach Club with all sorts of adventures including catamarans, speed boats, fishing charters, ATVs, wave runners, snorkeling, and, (yes, you guessed it), camel rides. Luckily, there was a concession stand and a restroom where we could take a break before our walk back.
We arrived back at our resort tired and thirsty but had thoroughly enjoyed our long adventure-filled hike. When we told a few people that worked at our resort where we had walked to, they were stunned because of the distance. In fact, I’m not quite sure they believed us. They didn’t seem to know about the abandoned resort, but we recently learned something about it from a Facebook group page: Iberostar Paraiso Beach/del Mar Lindo/ Maya/ Grand Resort Group Page. A post was made about an abandoned resort which prompted a conversation with the group.
While I thoroughly enjoyed our adventure, the walk irritated my plantar fasciitis, so I was not up to doing it again on that trip. My husband enjoyed the walk so much that he ventured out alone another day. He came back with tales of a wild boar that he spotted. I had the feeling that no one believed him, so the next time we stayed at the Iberostar, I walked with him, and together, we happened upon several wild boars. They were small, so we weren’t afraid(a couple of other people were walking, too), but it sure was a surprising sight.
Prepare for Your Hike
I wouldn’t attempt this hike unless you enjoy rugged terrain, and can walk for at least 3 hours in the heat. We started our hike just after breakfast both times because we wanted to be back at the resort before the hottest part of the day. You will need water, sunscreen and I’d suggest water shoes in some areas. Make sure you take a few dollars for refreshments if you make it to Maroma Beach, but if you don’t make it that far, there is nowhere to buy anything, so carrying your own water is a must.
Book Your Travel
When traveling to Riviera Maya, we always book with our travel agent Jim Lucente. Rest assured that you will know the latest Covid protocols and have the added layer of a professional to contact directly with any questions or concerns. I highly recommend that you contact Jim Lucente, owner of Lucente Travel, at 412-299-7699 or email him at jim@lucentetravel.com to book your all-inclusive vacation.
If you prefer to book online, you can book here or compare reviews at Tripadvisor.
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[…] that goes all the way to Tulum. For instance, when we stay at the Iberostar we like to take a long hike from the Iberostar beach to Maroma Beach and, we like to visit Isla Mujeres which is located at the northernmost tip of […]
[…] Tales From A Three Hour Beach Hike in Riviera Maya: Iberostar to Maroma Beach […]
What a pristine-looking beach area to explore! I love the images you have shared here and the fact that it was far from being crowded. That was interesting about the apparently abandoned resort. I wonder if COVID was the reason behind its demise. Great idea to do this exploring really early in the morning to avoid excessive heat.
No, Covid wasn’t the cause of the abandoned resort. This resort was there in this condition way before.
Nice post about Beach Hike .
We do love to do a hike along the beach. But I am not sure we would have kept going once you lost the beach to walk on. But so fun that you found camel rides on the beach on the Riviera Maya. Not something I would have ever expected!
I struggle to hike in the Canadian heat – I can’t imagine trying to do this in the Mexican heat of summer! But wow it looks really cool. Maybe if I bought an electric fan I could try it
Nice article about Maroma Beach. I would definitely do the camel riding. Looking forward to exploring these places sometime in the future. I’ll use it as a reference.
Looks like an adventurous beach hike in Riviera Maya! It’s interesting that the beach had disappeared in parts and you had to walk on bushes and rocks. I admire your patience in walking on the hot Mexican beach but I am sure it was a good workout for your legs. 🙂
This sounds like a fantastic hike. I love long walks on the beach, hence, this would be perfect for me. But why do they have those poor camels? It’s bad enough that they use them for tourist purposes in North Africa – but in Mexico?!
We will be in the Riviera Maya in 2023. My husband and I will do what you did. We will be better prepared because of you guys@
Wow what amazing pictures. I just love when nature starts to take over these previously bustling resorts. There used to be a lot of them around Greece after the financial crash and they quickly became wild. But I believe their government gave travel companies big incentives to retake them And many have reopened. I kinda like when they are w bit wild. Tells a story