Last December, Kevin and I joined his dad and dad's wife, her son, and Kevin's dad's sister (Aunt Patti) for a trip to Mexico. The main reason was to celebrate Aunt Patti's 50th birthday party #milestonebirthdayinmexico and why not celebrate in a fun place? Trip to Mexico? Count us in!
We were gone from December 23-December 29 soaking up the sun a little closer to the equator!
We stayed at the most amazing resort: Paradisus La Perla (adults only) and we swam, dined and relaxed in style! I've never really been one for beach/resort vacations, but this place was AMAZING and we had a great time.
The first few days were spent by the beach and pool. #birthdaywishesandsunshinekisses
Christmas Day (my birthday and Aunt Patti's) we kicked off breakfast with a birthday treat and had time at the spa before going to the pool. #willtravelfortacos
Being the adventurer, I had to get in some sort of excursion while we were there (I couldn't just sit by the pool every day), so we booked a day trip to Chichen Itza, Habiku Cenote and Ek Balam. We were supposed to have a private tour and wound up on a bus of 20 other people, which made me furious...but in the end it was a great day!
Chichen Itza was so cool! The main pyramid that represents the Mayan calendar was interesting, but when we learned that if you clap it makes an echo...and not just any echo, but it sounds like an ancient bird with a long tail like a serpent. And that this bird was part of what the temple was honoring, it blows your mind! Again, this could all be coincidence, but even so, I was impressed.
We walked around Chichen Itza for awhile. Saw the ancient ball court (that couldn't have been played on because it's size is so exaggerated), the observatory and numerous temples.
Next was Habiku Cenote where we jumped into the clear cool waters with the black fish for a little swim before lunch. These Cenotes are the town's water supply, so it's fascinating that they allow people to swim in the waters. It's also so cool how they're naturally formed!
They also had tequila tasting!
Finally, we went to Ek Balam, which was a temple we could climb. After touring the smaller structures and seeing a normal size ball court, we hoofed it to the top for fantastic views.
This climb is no joke. It lacks hand rails and is not for the faint of heart, but the alter halfway up is pretty amazing as are the views!
We got back really late, so we ordered room service that night! All the things!
Trips like this are what make visiting a new place worth it to me and we weren't finished. The following day Kevin, Aunt Patti and I took the Playa del Carmen ferry over to Cozumel. The goal was to go to Dolphinaris to swim with the dolphins and to see the lighthouse (since we're lighthouse lovers).
Well the start to our exploring was delayed when we tried to rent a jeep, which eventually came in the form of a dilapidated dune buggy. It barely ran. The speedometer was broken completely. It's a wonder we got around anywhere. However, I've never laughed so much in my entire life, so we made the best of it!
Then we almost got scammed at Dolphinaris, but finally got our tickets and got in to swim with the dolphins. This was a highlight of the trip for sure.
Next we were off to the lighthouse and since things aren't clearly marked and we had one map from the car rental place, we wandered around a bit before we found it and discovered we were too late and couldn't drive down to see it. Oh well! We took a circle of the island before dropping the car off (not without more issues) and got on a ferry back over to the mainland.
We had a delicious dinner at Bana that evening.
The next day was more relaxing and pool time before packing up.
This was a pretty grand vacation and a great way to celebrate Aunt Patti! If I had to go to an all-inclusive, this was the place to be!
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