Sean and I just got back from a vacation to Cancun! It has been more than three years since we have been on a trip without kids and it was long overdue. We were lucky enough to have been invited to join a group going from Vivint, and it turned out to be an amazing week.
On the plane kid free!
We stayed at the Paradisus Cancun, and it was AWESOME. It was so pretty inside with all of the hanging vines and the ponds.
Since we decided to make this a trip without the kids, we were also lucky enough to be able to stay in the "Royal Service" section of the hotel, which is for adults only. We had this huge, private balcony and I was obsessed with our view!
We took advantage of the free mini bar, which was restocked daily (luckily, they had a lot of non-alcholic beverages in there!)
This is Sergio, our private butler for the week!
Basically, Sergio was awesome. He went above and beyond and did things like make dinner reservations for us before we even knew we'd need them, reserved our beloved Bali bed, etc. Sean and I joked when we both got sunburned, he would probably be willing to fan us off :)
On our first full day in Cancun we joined a group of Vivint families and went to Xplor. We weren't really even sure what it was, but it ended up being so fun. We started with zip lining through the jungle and even zip lined through a few waterfalls.
There was a huge cave system there with stalagmites and stalactites and a super clear river running through it. We swam and rafted through the caves-- so cool.
Not the best picture, but you get the idea.
One of my favorite parts of the day was taking a nap in a hammock with Sean and just enjoying being warm! We also rode some ATVs through the jungle and caves.
When we got back to the hotel, we were greeted by a much needed hot bubble bath (courtesy of Sergio) I am still not sure how he knew we were gone for the day or when we would be back, but he nailed it.
We decided to spend the next day relaxing. We spent the entire day by the pool and beach. The Bali bed we had reserved was AMAZING. I am obsessed with Bali beds now.
Having "Royal Service" was so awesome. We had poolside service all day and could get anything we wanted to drink or eat. One of my personal favorites was the coconut ice cream :)
I loved not having to do my makeup or hair all week!
The beach in front of our hotel was so beautiful and the water was warm! We had a lot of fun boogie boarding.
The next day we rented a car with some friends and headed to the Mayan ruins of Chichen-Itza. It was incredible! I am fascinated by the Mayan people. They were so advanced in so many areas and the history buff in me just loves stuff like this. I used to want to be an archeologist when I was young, and part of me still does!
Their field (or stadium, or whatever you call it) where they played their game where they shoot the ball through the small stone hoop was one of my favorite parts of the tour.
Cool wall with skull carvings.
Saw these guys everywhere.
The observatory.
Carlos (who happens to be a Mayan descendent and can even speak Mayan) was our tour guide. He was awesome and just such a friendly, humble guy. You could tell he was proud of his heritage.
On our way back from the ruins we stopped at a place called Akumal to go snorkeling. We saw so many sea turtles! There weren't a ton of fish, but we did see a puffer fish and a sting ray. It felt so good being in the water after being in the hot sun all day.
We finished the night eating dinner in Playa del Carmen and buying the boys a few souveniers.
The next day we hung out at the resort and relaxed at the pool and beach again.
Hanging out in our beloved Bali bed:
I loved it because I could turn one way and watch the ocean:
And then turn the other way and see the pool:
I read more on this one trip than I had in probably 3 months. I finished two books and got about half way through a third! I loved having time to just sit and relax and not do anything.
The next morning I squeezed in a massage and then Sean and I packed up and headed to the airport to head home. We really had the best time and are already talking about going back someday. Maybe in a few years we'll even take the kids :)
My parents were awesome enough to watch the boys for us while we were gone. We drove them up to Idaho Falls, and they were well taken care of. My parents took them to the cabin for the weekend and they had fun in Idaho Falls playing with cousins.
I loved getting pictures like these while we were gone, knowing I didn't have to worry about them.
We missed them a lot and were excited to see them. Now it's back to real life!
