Hi All, 🙂

I’ve never been on a vacation longer than 5 days. My boyfriend and I were able to relax, and refresh for 7 full days this time! We spent our getaway at an all-inclusive Secrets resort in Cancun, Mexico.

Before this trip, I was beginning to feel run down. Both of us felt that this would be the perfect time to travel, since things had calmed down a bit for work.  I was eager to say the least, and even finished packing 2 weeks prior to our trip…I can never prepare enough lol.

To start off, I’m not a great plane passenger by any means.  I absolutely dread getting on airplanes, but I try not to let this keep me from traveling. I have a heart rate monitor attached to my watch. My resting heart rate before each flight ranged between 77-88. I’m not in the medical field, so hopefully this is standard. Anywho, once we entered into the air, my heart rate began increasing steadily. The first patch of turbulence I peaked at 142. My boyfriend probably thought I was losing my mind, since I kept my head in his armpit for most of each flight haha. But the flight was worth it.

Mexico was absolutely beautiful. The weather forecast called for rain for the entire 7 days. I was devastated, but quickly learned that these rainstorms were more like little patches of rain that lasted for less than 10 minutes.

Our resort was breathtaking. The only downside was that we were literally in the middle of nowhere. From the shuttle to the resort, it took about 35 minutes to get to our destination. Along the way, we passed the “hotel zone”, which is where the majority of tourists, and the locals meet to shop and eat. Yeah, yeah…I know 35 minutes isn’t that long. We could have very well taken a cab to enter back into the more populated area, but we decided not to. We met some incredible people during our stay, and spent the bulk of our time within our little community. 🙂

There were 7 bars/lounges, 9 restaurants (did I mention it was all-inclusive!!!!!), and 3 huge pools. I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun as I did on this trip!

*My favorite bar near the pool. On the bottom, there is a swim up bar as well.*

My favorite dish was the seafood paella. It came with mussels, shrimp, and calamari. I’ve never had anything this tasty before! Yuuuuuummmmm!

What we did in Mexico:

Everyday a newsletter was delivered to our room. This was our way of becoming updated on the daily events and activities. They had a schedule beginning from 8 am, to after hours! There was something scheduled to fit every need.

We were able to attend cirque du soleil shows, karaoke nights, live bands, comedy shows, hip-hop concerts, and participate in water sports.

On our 2nd night, I signed my boyfriend up to be a judge for the Mexican version of American idol. Wow! Everyone was a great performer, even if they couldn’t sing lol. It was just fun to watch, and everyone was willing to let loose! One guy even brought me to tears with his performance. I’m such a sap haha! His song was beautiful, and he gave us an incredible performance. Another woman sang with so much soul.

Who knew that just a day later, we would connect, and swap contact info to keep in touch.

While kayaking, I absolutely thought that I would get lost at sea. We chose the windiest day to go out and be brave souls, and this probably wasn’t the best idea for a nervous wreck like myself. We were extremely far into the ocean. I kept telling myself that there were sharks swimming beneath me in the dark water…crazy right?!

What I loved most was being able to sleep in, without having a set plan for the day. This is major for me, because I tend to live by the book most days (due to work, and enjoying having things set in place).  I hadn’t realized how much I needed this break from my “routine”. I enjoyed reading poolside, as well as by the beach. Take me back!

My advice for others traveling to Mexico…

Load up on your sunscreen. We packed a bottle,  but I still don’t think this was enough. As we speak, my skin has already started to “crack” lol. Towards the end of the week, my boyfriend and I were rationing out the last of the bottle.

Please bring bug spray!! I don’t know why we failed to pack this! The mosquitoes don’t care what time of day it is…if you’re available, they’ll find ya! They took advantage of my innocence the very first night! That’s what we get for taking a trip to the beach to watch the sunset. Amateurs lol.

Plan ahead if you’d like to do excursions (riding ATV’s, swimming with dolphins, etc.). We planned to look into this when we got to the resort, but this wasn’t a priority. I don’t feel as though we missed out. However, if there was something set up before we arrived, I think that both of us would have been more motivated to go. Also, be sure to compare prices, because there are a few places that differ in prices.

Bring your appetite and be open to trying new dishes!

 

Pics: (corn soup, stuffed ravioli, calamari, tiramisu, ice cream)

Please share your experiences during your vacations, or any upcoming plans for re-charging/improving your self-care after such a busy year!

~FreeBryd