Some friends, at the fire department, had told us about a vacation that they had just come back from that they really enjoyed. We looked into it and immediately booked it. It looked and sounded perfect. The resort we stayed at, Aventura Spa Palace, was in a town called Playa del Carmen about an hour South of Cancun. This was an all-inclusive, adult only resort--PERFECT!! The moment we arrived we were treated like royalty. We were greeted with champagne at check-in and I was given a carnation. How sweet!! We were shown to our room which included a king-sized bed, a full-sized jacuzzi tub, a fully loaded mini bar with full bottles of tequila, vodka, scotch and rum. On our patio was a hammock that even had an ocean view. After getting settled we went to check out our new home for the week.
This was in our room one day after they had cleaned it. Every night our bed would be turned down and there were chocolates on our pillows. In all of the public restrooms were fresh flowers surrounding the sinks or on the countertops made into pictures or sayings.
This place was amazing. It had everything that you could possiby think of. The place was so big that there were two different lobbies--a North and a South. There was even a bus you could catch every 8 minutes that would take you between the two lobbies. In each lobby there were gift shops, restaurants, and other means of entertainment. The North lobby is where the spa was located and the South lobby had a discotech and a martini bar. Also in the North lobby was a fully loaded gym, an indoor pool with hot tubs and a juice bar--for those who wanted to stay healthy while staying at an all-inclusive resort (ha ha ha ha).
Outside were amazing pools, all with swim up bars and snack areas. There was a rock wall for climbing, ping pong tables, kayaking, and palapas (grass roofed huts) for messages right near the ocean. Kayaking was done in a little lagoon with tropical fish swimming all around. It was a breathtaking setting. The best part was the peace and quiet. No screaming or crying--just quiet. AAAHHHHHH.
Our days consisted of waking up, going to breakfast and hanging out at the pool. When we got hungry, we would go to the snack bar and get some chips, salsa and guacamole. The drinks were constantly flowing and the music was always playing. Some days we would go work out at the gym and some days we would play ping pong or go kayaking. The great thing was we could do whatever we felt like doing. Wow--what a concept.
At 5:00 pm we would go take dance lessons (salsa and merenge) and then we would go eat dinner at one of the 8 restaurants and then go dancing at the discotech where we would practice our new dance moves that we had just learned. We also participated in the theme shows that they put on every night. We met a lot of fun people at the martini bar and a lot of crazy ones too. We met one couple from Bend, Oregon, but most people were from the East Coast.
Part of the all-inclusive package included access to 7 other resorts that were all part of the resort system that we stayed at. This meant that you could go to any of the other resorts and swim in their pools, eat at their restaurants and participate in any of their activities for free. We didn't do this, because we didn't want to do a lot of traveling, but we could've if we wanted to. Our resort was the only adult-only and the others were exclusively for families. When we go there again in a couple of years--this time with the kids--we will resort hop I'm sure.
For the most part we just hung out at our resort, but we did take a few excursions while we were there. The first thing we did (or I did) was swim with dolphins. I had been wanting to do this for so long, but just couldn't justify spending that kind of money. Well come to find out, in Mexico it was a whole lot cheaper than in Hawaii--so I jumped at the chance. I was a little nervous at first because I didn't know what to expect, but once I was in the water with these beautiful creatures my nerves were settled instantly. They are amazing animals and very gentle. It was a little weird touching them, because they felt like wet velvet. They weren't hairy or anything, but they just felt that way. We got to do a few tricks with them and then we got to swim with them in the middle of the pool. For the finale, we each got to do what's called a foot push. That is where two dolphins come up behind you, while you are laying in the water, and use their noses to push you through the water by your feet. They went really fast and propelled you out of the water. It was kind of like flying. Talk about a rush!! I felt like a little kid. My face hurt from smiling so much.
We also went horseback riding on the beach and got to swim in the ocean with the horses. That was pretty cool, but didn't compare to swimming with dolphins. Needless to say it was still fun. I ended up with a grumpy horse. Everytime a horse got near it, that it didn't like, it would rear up and start kicking at it. It was try to bite the other horses as well. The cowboy said he would trade with me, but I decided to stick it out. When we arrived at the beach and it was time to dismount our horses, mine decided that it wanted to roll in the sand--with me on it. I didn't think I could move that fast, but I managed to jump off before getting squished. My leg got pinned, but I managed to get it out from underneath the rolling beast before anything bad happened to it. Of course, my horse was the only one that rolled that day. After that, I took the cowboy up on his offer and ended up with a really sweet horse named freckles. Derek's experience was uneventful.
The only other thing that we did was visit the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum. This trip was free for us for booking our trip through Costco. It was very interesting to see a village that dated back to the Classic Period (the earliest date lifted from the site is A.D. 564--taken from an incription on a stele). Tulum means "wall" and the city was christened thus because it is a walled city--one of the very few ancients ever built. Tulum was a major link in the Maya's extensive trade network.
These iguanas were everywhere in Tulum. They were called "Mexican rats".
This was the bluff overlooking the ocean. The beach below was absolutely gorgeous. The water was crystal clear.
Derek and I had such a great time in Mexico. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone. We were treated with the utmost respect and kindness. We really did feel like royalty. All of the staff members called us by our names and everywhere we went people were saying "hola" with genuine smiles on their faces--even the maintenance workers. Most of the employees could speak English, but if you spoke Spanish to them they were very happy. A few times, Derek would be speaking Spanish and they would think that he could speak fluently, so they would start talking really fast and then realize, from his glossed over eyes, that he only knew a little bit. We would all laugh and then they would speak English again. It was really funny.
If you want to get away to a tropical paradise then Aventura Spa Palace is the place for you. The place is first class all the way.
Adios!
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