Dania Beckford hits the reset button with adventures in Mexico
Joyfully advising others looking to travel to “book that trip”, it is hard to believe that Dania Beckford wasn’t always a fan of travel. Post-university, however, allowed her to live out the fantasy of those iconic scenes on television by flying to those destinations. With 11 countries under her travel belt, she recently set her sights on Mexico.
“My recent trip to Mexico was actually a girls’ trip that finally made it out of the WhatsApp group. It was a celebration of many things, including being able to travel again together after seven years,” she told Living.
For five days, Beckford and her friends explored Tulum and Cancun. She noted that visiting Chichén Itzá was certainly a highlight on the list of her adventures. “One of the new seven wonders of the world, it was my absolute favourite day. Located in Yucatan, it was one hour and 45 minutes away from our villa in Tulum, and it was well worth the drive. Chichén Itzá is where you have the Mayan Temples, and we got an actual Mayan as our tour guide, which was excellent for our group,” said Beckford.
As a lover of history and culture, she was excited to learn about the temples and what they meant to the Mayan people. After a full morning of walking in the sun at Chichén Itzá, the team made their way to the enchanting Suytun Cenote. “It was one of the best parts of the trip,” said Beckford. “The water was cold as ice, but it was beautiful. I felt at peace like a water goddess, and little fish were nibbling on my toes, which was new and interesting.”
The all-female squad also paid a visit to the Escultura Ven a la Luz in Tulum. Beckford was surprised that the place was smaller than she had envisioned, but she made the best of the stunning reality. “We also visited a place in Tulum called the SFER IK Museion. We had to take off our shoes; they had incense, it was quiet, you could really connect with yourself and nature. And there was a beautiful outdoor restaurant that was actually breathtaking. While walking to the restaurant from the museum, we realised we were actually above a morass, which also had a very interesting eco-tourism vibe,” she shared.
The Tulum tour also included journeying to the Chambao and Taboo beach clubs, and this experience gave new meaning to nighttime dining. Imagine setting the mood to epic proportions with dancers, musicians, singers, and tequila shots.
Speaking of clubs, Beckford, along with her girls, received the VIP experience at CocoBongo in Cancun, going to 10 clubs in the space of three hours. “There were Las Vegas-style live shows, acrobatics, dancing, drinks flowing endlessly, as well as food, numerous light shows and patron engagement with various props and dancing on the stage, if you so desire,” said Beckford.
The publicist described the production as top tier, noting that the entertainment was visually appealing from start to finish. “CocoBongo is a must-visit. Every genre of music was played, including dancehall and soca,” she added.
Mexico and Jamaica share similar temperatures, so this lovely tourist felt right at home, where the weather was concerned. Boasting the best tacos she has ever tasted, the North American country has the edge with customer service.
“I love people-watching the most when travelling. You learn so much about a culture – the way they interact with each other, how and what they eat, their idiosyncrasies, and what they think about where you are from. I always love how everyone lights up when I say ‘I’m from Jamaica’,” she shared.
Her travel essentials include a portable hand fan and a swimsuit to capitalise on the weather, phone for content-capturing purposes, hair supplies to keep her curls intact, and skincare products to retain her moisture.
With South Africa, Thailand, Grenada, and Greece on her bucket list to visit, she hopes to see all the wonders of the world. “You discover so much about yourself when you travel, so book that trip,” said Beckford.