Cocos is a real gem, an antidote to the Disney-fied $250-per-night monoliths that litter this part of the Yucatan peninsula. For a start, it has $60 per night cabañas 100 yards from an untouched part of the Carribean coast, located some 9km north of Playa del Carmen. This is no transport hub, and whilst a car would be handy, my wife & I arrived with no transport and it wasn't a problem, as the family who own the Cabañas often go into town and offer lifts, and cabs can be easily taken into Carmen at other times. But this is a place for seclution, not posing down 5th Ave in Carmen.

The cabañas differ from those found at Tulum as they are less basic, with large double beds, showers, and 24 hour electricity. The 5 cabañas are all spread out over around half an acre of thoughtfully landscaped paths hidden by indigenous shrubs and coconut trees, affording privacy for when you read your novel in your hammock outside your front door.

All paths lead to the pool and bar area. The pool is small but perfect for the setting and large enough to get a few laps in before breakfast. Meals are taken in the covered dining area between the pool and bar. Again, the design of Cocos means that when the hot humid conditions set in, a cool breeze from the sea licks in, cooling you down as you down another cold beer.

Cocos is all about relaxation, and the family here make you feel at home as soon as you set foot in the grounds. Helmut and Sylvia really are the most accommodating and friendly hosts I have ever encountered in my many years of travelling. If home cooking, spontaneous BBQs, drinks after dark, and laughs around the pool are your thing, we can't recommend it highly enough. I rarely give 5 stars, but Cocos deserves it.

One word-Perfect. You never want to leave. When you think of a place you miss like you would about a person you miss there is something special going on there. Since we came across this tiny slice of paradise years ago our marriage gets an annual dose of that romance you experience in the first few months of a relationship. When we travel back in the winter of 2007 this marriage will be 20 years old. Cocos Cabanas has had subtle changes through the years but it still holds the "magic" that it had on our first trip. Something tells me that may have something to do with the imagination and ideas that were brought to life by the owner, who continues to keep it just the way it should be. If the day ever comes that CoCo's is gone.... All I will need to do is close my eyes and it will be forever there in my memories. Until then, we will be back every year. Everybody should have a place like this to travel to and dream about afterwards until they are there again. Yes, one word, Perfect…