travel |

I know, I know, it’s been a while.

If you missed the previous posts, click here and here.

After an even more terrifying trip back to Playa, we decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. I kid you not, we had a siesta every day we were there and it was fantastic! We decided to walk up and down 5th Avenue, which is the main drag there in town. We did some shopping, we went down to check out the beach, and we got some lunch and drinks.

We clearly enjoyed all the food down there. I think we cleaned our plates at every meal!

The next day, we decided to have a beach day. We grabbed our towels and headed down to a beach club, which was a five minute walk away. As I am very pale and afraid of burning, we rented an umbrella with our chairs. More drinks! They were so cheap at this beach and it was great to sit back and relax, while drinks are served. Delicious!!!

We didn’t have much planned for this vacation, which was very difficult for me. I like to have things lined up. Our only activities booked were the jungle spa and a fishing charter. Unfortunately, due to high winds, the port was closed and our charter was cancelled. There was no available time to reschedule. Needless to say, my boyfriend was devastated. This was the one thing he wanted to do on vacation. I felt really sad for him.

To make up for it (as best I could, anyway) I planned a day for us to go to see some Mayan ruins in Tulum. It did NOT disappoint!

Tulum was one of the last built and inhabited cities of the Mayans. It was active for a couple of centuries, with as many as 1,600 people living there at one time. The thing that sets Tulum apart from other popular ruins in Mexico is that it is situated on the sea. This made it a very important port at the time, and is probably a big reason it stayed inhabited for so long.

You can no longer climb or go in any of the structures, but as it is a city, it is a great place to walk around and absorb the history and heritage. Expansive is the word I would use. You climb up and up, seeing more and more of the ocean as you climb. The views are truly spectacular.

Overall, it was a great day. We made the most of it, even if we were a little disappointed about the fishing trip. It was great to go somewhere so rich with history and culture. After seeing the ruins, we ventured into the village where there were shops and restaurants set up. The food was incredible. As we had a while to kill before our bus ride back, we found a small hole-in-the-wall bar where we sat for a drink and talked with the bartender. With his limited English and our limited Spanish, it made for some interesting conversation. At one point, a small cat appeared. This was the first cat we had encountered down there that actually wanted attention. She was the sweetest thing! The bartender explained to us that he has no idea where the cat comes from or goes to, but it visits him every afternoon for dinner. He took an empty ashtray and poured some milk in it for the cat, who happily lapped it up. I could tell he had quite the fondness for this cat. She liked to play and mess around with him, darting underneath his legs and hiding behind cabinets. He was so patient with her! I was sad to say goodbye.

And just like that, our vacation was over! We went to our favorite restaurant down there, Yo Amo Tacos, for dinner. It was the only place we went to twice! The chicken tacos were out of this world. The couple sitting in front of us was from Germany, and the gentleman had only been drunk one other time in his life! It was hilarious to watch the waitress bring him a few tequila shots, and to see this guy become sillier and sillier as the night went on.

We were up bright and early the next day to head to the airport.

I tweeted and Facebooked this message that I think perfectly summed up our time there-

“Bye bye Mexico. We will miss your warm sunshine, out-of-this-world food, margaritas before noon, and the lively street culture. We hope to see you again soon!”

We saw so much but there is SO MUCH more we would like to see! Can’t wait to go back.

Thanks for reading!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I have been super busy! I wanted to share a recap of my fabulous trip to Mexico.

I’ve only flown one other time before, and that was to Disney World with my best friend when I was 18. It is a trip that will literally live in infamy for us. After stuffing my face with eggs and fruit for breakfast, we were up in the air. Since the flight was so early, we decided to get some shut-eye. Well, I woke up mid-turbulence and before I could process the nausea I was experiencing, up my breakfast came. All over the window, myself, and the people in front of us. My friend’s dad desperately tried to get a stewardess to bring me some paper towels and water, but they couldn’t remove their seatbelts because of the turbulence. I had to sit in my throw up for minutes. Meanwhile, my friend awoke from her nap in a groggy state and didn’t realize right away that I was covered in my breakfast. Like any true best friend, she helped me wash my clothes off in the bathtub once we checked into our hotel.

So it’s been six years since I’ve flown. Not necessarily because I didn’t want to (college and life got in the way) but I have always been a bit fearful about my next trip into the skies. When my boyfriend asked me at Christmas last year if we could go on vacation, I immediately had flashbacks to my trip to Disney. When we finally settled on Playa del Carmen in Mexico, I knew I would need to take some precautions this time around. I’m pleased to announce that I had no throwing up incidents on this trip! Phew! I did not eat before our 7am flight and just remained calm with some water and juice. Easy, breezy.

Once in Mexico, Cancun International Airport was a zoo! We, luckily, breezed right through customs and were released into the shark-tank filled with solicitors. Time shares, nightclubs, drug dealers, all swarming. Once outside waiting for our shuttle, we were pleasantly greeted by a man selling beers for $1. Yes, please. We sipped our beers for our 35 minute drive from the airport to the hotel. Our home for the next six days was Hotel Lunata.

Courtesy of Hotel Lunata

I came across this place while booking our trip via Expedia and it had some of the best reviews that I have read on that site. It was very no-frills, understated, and authentic. I was obsessed. Plus, take a look at that shower! Gah!

Courtesy of Hotel Lunata

The hotel is situated right in the heart of Playa, on the famous 5th Avenue. Shops, bars and restaurants abound! It was so fun wandering up and down the street, checking out all the little shops and experiencing the lively culture. Plus, our room had a balcony overlooking the street, which was fantastic for people watching. If we are ever lucky enough to go back, we would gladly stay there again.

A lot went into the decision process for where to go. We both made lists of musts. Well, let me rephrase. Mine had musts, my boyfriend’s just had one must. We must be able to go fishing. WELL! That didn’t help me out much. I did hours upon hours of research (seriously) before coming to the conclusion that it would be Playa del Carmen in Mexico. We decided we didn’t want to do all-inclusive for a number of reasons. The biggest being that we wanted freedom, and to be able to spend the money on experiences, not an all-inclusive package of mediocre food and drinks. Playa is like the college-graduate version of Cancun. There are still wild bars and parties, but the crowds are just a bit older and more mature. We weren’t looking to do any hard partying, but it was nice to know that we could find it close by.

After traveling all day, we had a nice dinner a couple of blocks down and turned in early. We had an appointment scheduled the next day at the Jungle Spa that we needed to be up for…

Stay tuned for my “part two” of the recap where I talk about my butt-naked chocolate massage, our doomed fishing charter, and some Mayan ruins! =)

Tag Archives: travel

Mexico Part III

Mexico!!! Part One