You might think that having a meal underground wouldn’t offer the best scenery, but that’s because you probably haven’t enjoyed lunch in a Mexican cenote before. The Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen is offering a unique dining experience that takes place 60 feet underground, in a natural limestone water-filled sinkhole created by the collapse of a cave ceiling.
Photo: Grand Velas Riviera Maya
Have a Gourmet Picnic 60 Feet Underground in a Mexican Cenote
First, you’ll be treated to a private tour of the beautiful Chukum cenote, replete with stalagmites, stalactites, and a surreal underground pool. Next, Maître Cuisinier de France Michel Mustiere, the culinary director of Velas Resorts, will serve you a three-course lunch tailored to suit your personal preferences. The meal will include cheese and charcuterie, duck terrine, and handmade truffles for dessert. The meal will be accompanied by local drinks like bacanora, sotol, tuxca, and pox.
Of course you’ll also be able to take a dip in the magnificent waters of the cenote that has only recently opened to visitors.
The cenotes in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula are the result of the impact of the deadly asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs millions of years ago. While you won’t find any dinosaur bones laying around the Chukum cenote, it’s still a pretty cool place to check out.
Unsurprisingly, the private Gourmet Cenote Experience isn’t cheap. Available for up to eight people, it costs a total of $7,000 and includes transportation to the cenote, taxes, and gratuity. 