For the girls' Christmas presents this year, we got them passports and a trip to Cancun! They are at an age where they don't need more stuff. We would rather give them experiences and make memories together than have lots of stuff under our tree :) Jeff worked with a travel agent to plan the entire thing.
We arrived in Cancun, Mexico on Monday, early afternoon and checked into our hotel. The Royalton Riveria Cancun is an all-inclusive resort, only two years old. It is huge, massively impressive. Everything is new, beautiful, and over-the-top perfect. Just outside our room was a private pool!
We made a trip to the beach that evening too. Because the beach is awesome.
That night, the resort hosted an 'open air market' with lots of vendors. The girls and I had lots of fun shopping! Then we listened to live music and danced. Every night there was a show or performance of some kind.
We had dinner at "The Agave" Restaurant. The Agave was traditional Mexican food (not Tex-Mex) and we really liked it. It was fresh and the portions were small/artistic. Because it is all inclusive, we ordered lots of different things to try.
Tuesday we were up early and ready to go! We had breakfast at the "Gourmet Marche", which had a huge breakfast buffet. The buffet was full of variety and had our favorite-- waffles, fruit and an omelette bar ;) Then we had to try out all the pools. Of course these slides were a hit with the girls.
We spent the day going back and forth from the pool to the beach. The girls are at such an easy age!
On Wednesday, we ventured outside of the resort for a catamaran ride and snorkeling. We used the travel service at the resort to book our excursion. They helped us arrange transportation to and from the resort as well as our activities and lunch.
The boat ride was a little windy and cool- but the sun kept us warm. (Which was good because I failed to bring any beach towels!)
Jeff and Afton snorkeled, while Maisy and I kept watch on the boat. She insisted she would not get in, but I thought if I jumped in and swam-- surely she would join me. NOPE. I swam in the cold water, alone.... while she looked at me. NICE :)
Afton loved snorkeling- she is so adventurous like Jeff! They were in the water for over an hour. They saw lots of fish, huge star fish, and a beautiful reef.
Jeff was the was only one in the Conner family to try the 'spinnaker'. It was basically a beach towel attached to a parachute. The parachute whipped around in the air while Jeff held on. Then he let go and was flung into the ocean!
The boat ride back to shore was relaxing, and of course the views of the water were amazing. After we got back on shore, we had a yummy lunch under the palm trees. Then it was time for Maisy to have her adventure. The girls and I got to swim with dolphins! Our dolphin was named "Scarlett". She was so sweet and smart. She pulled us around the pool and then pushed us on a boogie board. She also gave us kisses and hugs. I have wanted to do this since Jeff went on our honeymoon. So this experience was 14 years in the making for me.
That night we wanted an easy dinner, so we went to "The Score" Sports Bar. This was the only restaurant that we were disappointed in. The bar food- which is basically just supposed to be yummy junk food- was horrible! We sent it all back and then watched the live 'fire dancing show' from the sports bar balcony. The view up there was awesome. (And after wards, we went back to the room and ordered room service pizza-- all-inclusive resorts do rock!)
Thursday morning, we discovered my favorite restaurant at the resort- "The Caribbean" it was right on the water and felt so fresh and beachy! (We had lunch there too that same day as well as breakfast the next day!)
We spent most of the morning on the beach. It was simply gorgeous.
Then the girls hung out in the room while Jeff and I got massages. Remember I said they at such a great age?! :) Don't worry....we made it up to them with lots of fun swimming after wards.
That afternoon I went and waited in a line for over an hour to get our dinner reservation at "Zen" which is the most popular restaurant on the resort. And pretty much the only one that takes reservations. It was worth the wait-- these girls love hibachi!
Friday was St. Patrick's Day. The girls woke up to treats from our Leprechaun- who knew he could travel to Mexico?! It was also our last day- so we only had a half a day in the sun. But we made the most of our time for sure.
We left Mexico with happy hearts and so many great memories made.
We got home on Friday night, picked up our sweet Coco and had a few more days off to play with friends, catch up on laundry and relax.
Spring Break was just what we all needed to re-energize and re-focus so we can finish the rest of this school year!
For more details about the Royalton in the Cancun Riveria- click here to visit their website.
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