In May last year, Lisa and I went to Mexico to stay in El Dorado Maroma, meeting up with some colleagues she has worked closely with, primarily virtually until then. We have been to numerous resorts and had great times, but resorts have never been our primary travel style choice. We enjoy exploring cities and local neighbourhoods, trying restaurants, and seeing landmarks. Still, every few years, we get the urge to get away and relax without worrying about additional planning and expenses. After a long winter, the opportunity to enjoy great food, beautiful weather, and great company with amazing people is incredibly enticing.

The resort includes 30 overwater bungalows, the Palafitos Overwater Bungalows, surrounded by the waters of Riviera Maya and located off the shore of Maroma Beach. Last year, we stayed in one of these bungalows, and they were fantastic! The rooms are exquisite, with outdoor showers, a glass-bottomed floor, a private deck, and many other impressive offerings. This year, we will again be staying at El Dorado Maroma, but this time, we are staying in a suite on the resort, not in one of the bungalows. The bungalow area over the water is still accessible, and I probably will walk up there during sunrise and sunset. We will also have the same excellent service and amenities we received when staying at the bungalows in 2022.

Camera Gear

Last year was the first time I brought only the X-E4 while travelling, and it was great. At that time, I was a little nervous about bringing a camera I had no experience with after years of use with the Canon 5D Mark II, but there had to be that first time when I had only the X-E4 as my camera choice.

All of my Mexico photos were captured using the 35mm f/2 along with the K&F Concept 43mm Polarizing Filter, and photos were processed using the Fuji Pro Neg Std camera profile selected in Lightroom.

Additional gear included the drone, as I anticipated getting some aerial footage for the video recap, which you can see below. This trip will be similar in gear, and I will bring the following, which will be enough for the week.

• Fujifilm X-E4 with 1 battery

• 35mm f/2 and K&F Concept 43mm Polarizing Filter

• 2 x 128GB SD Card

• Thule Aspect Backpack

And that’s it, see you upon my return.