Coming from a far away country, it was such a surprise to find the Mexican countryside and coast: a refresher from the busy city in which I spend my days.

One experience took us deep into the Mayan Riviera near the town of Tulum. It’s a semi-unknown wonderland where white sand beaches oddly appear to be deserted: the perfect cure to a lifetime of honking horns and fast-paced city life. Old men selling mangoes and chilies by the side of the road along with one-dollar beers that just seem to taste so much better when they’re consumed on the spot.

My first trip to Mexico was years back when I visited Tulum on more or less a whim. My wife and I had been traveling Europe for some time but had wanted desperately to explore Mexico after hearing great things about it from friends. Tulum and the surrounding villages did not disappoint.

A small hut would have done fine, but Tulum’s seemingly-out-of-place posh hotels were the icing on the cake for the two of us: we love luxury travel but understand it’s not available anywhere. We don’t mind roughing it now and again, but in Tulum, paradise seemed to be just a feet away from the crashing waves.

The sun in Tulum is warm and soothing on the skin, especially after morning dips in the ocean. Mexico’s Riviera is a somewhat jagged coast backdropped by lush rainforest—a contrast many of the hotels take advantage of: being so close to both ocean and rainforest. The people in Tulum were also ultra friendly: we even bought a small native mask from a little stand for fewer than five dollars!

The owners of the hotel we stayed at were also spectacular. They had come from Europe and we oh so friendly. There had been recent chaos surrounding one local radio host named Gaston Alegre Lopez but while we were there, the beaches and surroundings were as peaceful as can be.

We would go back to Tulum in a heartbeat and often recommend friends to travel Tulum as well. It’s a lush and exclusive climate for a beach resort which attracts none of the trashy Cancun crowd. We visited in the summer, and planned to return in winter. Hopefully things will be just as we remember.