THIS BLOG! It has been such a long time coming! I tried not to put the horse before the cart toooo much, however life just kept getting in the way of me publishing what I had written! So here we go.
Mexico was an incredible experience for Richard and me. We took virtually the same trip last summer, and loved it so much that we returned this year to the same resort (and even requested the same room, more on why we did that in a minute).
First off, I know you want to know price. This was huge for us. We are budget people, and love a good getaway that won't break the bank. An all inclusive four star resort in cancun didn't seem like it would fit the bill, but it totally did. We booked five days and four nights at the Live Aqua Boutique Resort Playa del Carmen complete with one stop flights to and from Medford Oregon for $1800 total. I recently checked the price for the same timeframe for mid-August and it was just under that. Completely within our budget, and all of the food and drinks were included, provided that we wanted to dine on site (we did).
From the moment we stepped onto the property, the service was wonderful. The hotel boasts a mere 60 rooms, so personalized attention is something they pride themselves on. Two of the gentlemen on site even remembered us from last summer, which was incredibly sweet in our opinions. We were greeted with chocolate covered strawberries in our room, and a beautiful view of the surrounding greenery and even a bit of ocean, even though we hadn't booked an ocean view room. The humidity was something new to me, so the air conditioning in the room felt like a tall drink of cold water every time we would return. We requested the same room purely for the great location: little bit of ocean, and not directly on 5th avenue, so it was quiet (5th is THE night life spot in downtown Playa).
Onto my favorite part of the entire all inclusive experience... the FOOD. It was marvelous. From tender flank steak smothered in fresh guacamole and pico de gallo, to warm apple strudel served with buttery cookie crumbles and creamy vanilla ice cream, everything we tried was fantastic. The drinks were good as well, but I was much more impressed with their cuisine. The rooftop held the sweetest dining spot: an infinity pool surrounded by soft cushioned lounge chairs, and a spectacular, 360 degrees view. The ocean was glorious to gaze at while dining and enjoying a cocktail (or mocktail) next to the warm pool and spa. We regularly dined on the roof, and enjoyed a dip while our order was being prepared.
The beach was a five minute walk from our hotel. The resort housed four restaurants, a full service spa (more on that too), free wifi, free valet parking, a fitness center, the rooftop bar/ lounge, and a coffee shop. Room service was also included, and offered an entirely different menu of food options that we found to be among our favorites. They had an excellent bone broth soup with chicken and vegetables that proved to be a nice palate cleanser after a day of overindulging.
The resort regularly offers a $50 a day credit to their spa or for use on premium champagne. We chose the spa, and each had a 80 minute massage that was both relaxing and invigorating. The spa atmosphere was melodic and calming, and from the moment we arrived, it felt peaceful and serene. My massage therapist was exceptional and my Sweedish massage was perfection. Richard chose a more deep tissue massage, and felt that his was excellent as well. We would highly recommend the spa experience.
We did one excursion this time around. We took a snorkel trip off of the island of Cozumel, our favorite destination apart from the Playa area. Richard found and booked our tour through Cozumel Cruise Excusions, after doing a bunch of research on which was both the safest and best overall experience. We took the early ferry out to the island, and we met a group ready to snorkel the morning away. Our guides took us to three prime locations, and we saw so many beautiful fish (this is where I wish we had invested in an underwater camera; they are relatively inexpensive and capture an entirely different view of your vacation). We had been unsure if we would actually do the exclusion until the day before, so that was where the camera buying hesitation and come from. 😉 The last stop on our excursion was by far my favorite: the sandbar. Layers of aquas and blues and greens stretched out as far as we could seen. The water was warm, and so shallow that I could ALMOST sit down with my head above water. We spend about a half an hour enjoying this beautiful spot, and then boarded the boat to head back to Cozumel. On our way back, we were served a variety of drinks, plus chips with guacamole and salsa. It was delicious, and totally hit the spot as we were pretty famished from hours of swimming!
A few highlights from our last summer trip were the Mayan Ruins at Tulum (a must in my opinion ... there is a point where you can overlook the Caribbean sea and a stunning ruin sits atop a hill, such a incredible view!), the Gran Cenote (a fresh underwater cave complete with bats (!!!) and a tropical rain-forrest-feel while you swim and explore ... plus, it is THE coolest water you will find, including the warm ocean! It was so refreshing, and when we were done, we hung out on hammocks until we were ready to leave), and just some good old fashioned exploring. We rented a car last time around, and got hopelessly lost twice (including initially trying to locate our hotel). The locals were very friendly, and even with the language barrier we eventually got where we were going. It was an adventure, and we truly never once felt unsafe. Mexico can get a bad reputation with all of the cartel issues and drug activity, but we didn't see any of that. Playa del Carmen is wrought with stunning architecture, fun, local shops, and beautiful sights everywhere you turn. Before Mexico we had made a pact to try new places, and we are so glad we gave Playa a chance. It has become one of our favorite destinations, and I truly recommend it to anyone wanting a luxurious, adventure-filled vacation on a budget.
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