Cancun, Mexico
A few months ago, with the looming winter season on our minds, we decided to book a trip to someplace warm with my parents. A simple getaway from the cold that wouldn't break the bank. Mom and I both reached out to our respective travel agents, and they both came back with the same destination ... Mexico. The flight would be direct from Minneapolis, and the price fit within our budget. So, without much hesitation, we selected a resort based on a recommendation from Mom's travel agent, and booked the trip. We stayed at Secrets Playa Mujeres Golf and Spa Resort, located in the Playa Mujeres area, 25 miles north of Cancun.
The resort had a continuous pool that was centrally located. We spent Day 1 at the one end of the pool, near our rooms, and spent our last day at the other side of the pool, near the beach. There was a swim-up bar and plenty of hot tubs.
We spent a morning at the beach during our stay. The beach had the white sand our travel agent had described. This made Mom happy as she has never been to a beach like this. The water had waves, but we were still able to swim in it. The walk to the ocean was adorned with many plants. I've never seen a beach filled with so many scrubs, bushes and other plants. We made one final stop at the beach before we left the resort for the airport. Taking it all in one last time. I always miss the ocean the most when leaving a place like this.
Our room had a swim-out pool. This pool ran across the length of the entire side of our hotel building. The swim-out pool costs a little bit more than some of the other room options, but we thought it would be worth it. It definitely was. The boys found it especially fun and didn't want to leave it, even when it was getting dark and time for dinner! The water was warm, much like a bath. Plus, we weren't in the sun, which was great after a day at the pool.
Over the course of our trip, which was five nights, we swam in the ocean a little, floated around in the pool quite a bit and basked in the sun a lot. As expected, Ryan and Dad got a little red while sitting in the sun and eventually had to find some shade!
Did I mention we also drank cocktails? Probably more than I care to admit, quite frankly! But the mojitos, piña coladas, margaritas and Coronas were just too good. I might have went a little crazy, too, with the number of photos I took of my drinks. But I feel these pictures represent what's so great about a vacation like this. Relaxation. I might need to occasionally pull these photos up throughout the year when I need a little metal break from the daily grind!
When the evening came, it was time to dry off the suits and get dressed up for dinner. At the resort, men were required to wear dress slacks and collared shirts. Ryan hated this and would probably have preferred to skip dinner altogether out of spite! However, he knew better since his wife and her mom love food more than most people. The food at the resort was pretty good. One of my favorite meals at an all inclusive resort like this one is the lunch buffet. Sounds silly, I know, but I love the array of foods offered. Especially the foods I don't usually get to eat like cerviche, seafood stew, exotic fruits and authentic, unique Mexican dishes. The restaurants at the resort featured international cuisine - Mexican, Asian, French and Italian. They all had some highs and lows, but the beauty is there's not a price tag to be found on the menu, so there's no stress in ordering. If you hate something, you can always try something else!
In addition to our time spent at the resort eating, drinking and relaxing, we enjoyed a day away on a snorkeling excursion. The excursion was through Mayan Adventures. We snorkeled in three different bodies of water ... an ocean inlet, a cavern and a cenote, also known as a sinkhole. Each area was very different and offered an unique experience.
The cenote was made of crystal clear fresh water. The water was pretty cold and the fish were pretty little here. We did use a zipline to jump into the water, however! The cavern was also chilly but offered great views of the cavern floor and ceiling. It reminded us of the caves we saw in the Black Hills but with water! The last place we went, the ocean inlet, was the best. We got to see lots of fascinating fish and some beautiful coral reefs. We even saw a stingray, which made me a little nervous. We did lots of swimming, and got a bit tired towards the end!
Our guides were great, and the excursion went pretty smoothly, which was a relief since they haven't always been that way for us in the past. The only downfall was the travel time to and from the snorkeling areas. We always seem to find ourselves the farthest away from the hot spot for excursion tours. I found it to be all worth it, however. Snorkeling is such a simple and enjoyable way to get a glimpse at the marine life inhabiting the ocean waters. Sorry I don't have any photos of these experiences since I don't own a waterproof camera. You'll just have to take my word for it that it was all marvelous!
Mexico definitely was beautiful and similar in many ways to some of the other tropical places (Dominican Republic and Jamaica) we've visited. No humidity. Clear skies. Powerful sun rays. No complaints ... especially when it was snowing 10 inches back home in Iowa. We met some interesting people, as you always do at a place like this, and enjoyed their company at the pool or at dinner. It is always fascinating learning from people of all walks of life. The staff, as a whole, wasn't as friendly as other places we've been, but I think a lot of this had to do with the language barrier. We really don't know Spanish at all (even with two years of high school Spanish under our belts) so we weren't able to help along the interactions with them. Mexico and our Secrets resort was a lovely place to spend several days of vacation with Ryan and my parents. We received the R&R we sought out to get. We had the many laughs we expected to have. We enjoyed chatting about this and that, from then or now. It is always special to experience a distant place together, making memories to cherish. Adiós, Mexico. Gracias por el buen tiempo!