Maya Luna accessible for people in a wheelchair

Last month a big wish of mine was fulfilled. For the first time my mother visited our hotel. Due to health problems she had not yet been able to visit Maya Luna, since we constructed it 8 years ago. She is now 79 years old, and depends for 90 % of the time on a wheel chair, so this was one big adventure, as well as for her as for us! Eugenie Verschragen, head of animation at the house for elderly people in Holland where my mom is living, agreed to accompany her on the long flight (some 11 hours from Amsterdam to Cancun) as well as during the holiday. Cancun Airport is quite accessible for people in wheel chairs. Most of it is all on 1 floor, and there are elevators as well as restrooms accessible for wheel chairs.

The first 2 nights we stayed in Cancun, to get used to the warm weather and to do some shopping like buying a hat and sunglasses for my mom. Getting my mother from her wheelchair into our Ford Windstar was in the beginning a whole adventure, but luckily Eugenie knew some tricks to make it easier. After the 5 hour drive from Cancun we finally arrived at Maya Luna, a very special moment to see my mother sitting on our porch and getting to know our staff, the dog and the cat of course.

To bypass the sandy beach part, we made a “path” of wood leading from the patio to bungalow “La Toza”, our family bungalow where my mother would be staying for the next 2 weeks. It proofed excellent to stay there for handicapped people. We took out one bed out and there was enough space to move with a wheel chair and a rollator. Inside the spacious bathroom there is a toilet some 8 centimeters higher than usual in Mexico, so handicapped people can get up much easier. You can take the shower off the hook, very comfortable if you need help from another person to shower. To add more comfort and support for people in wheelchairs we put handles beside the shower and beside the toilet.

During the next 10 days we visited Boardwalk of Mahahual, the Mayan temples of Chacchoben, the Laguna of Bacalar, Cenote Azul and watched the Carnaval Parade from the windows of La Bodeguita, where they first passed by before turning to the Malecon. Last but not least we had a lunch with 16 Dutch guests; as a coincidence the mother of Justa, and the parents of Selma, 2 Dutch friends of mine living in Mahahual were also visiting at the same moment.

The next plan was to visit Chitzen Itza and the Convent of Izamal but we had to change plans because of problems with the car. So the last day we stayed at Playa del Carmen, the fifth avenue is a very easy to walk shopping street.

At the end, my mother told me that she had a fantastic holiday, and she recommended me to make more publicity to get handicapped people to vacation at Maya Luna, because as she put it “ it’s a very comfortable place, fitted with all modern conveniences for disabled people.
So if you have plans to come and visit and you are in a wheel chair, please contact me and I will happily provide you with tips as where to stay and what to bring.