A Mayan Paradise

Hello again, happy Friday & Happy Holidays to you all! Most of the presents are wrapped and under the tree, ready for next week. I hope the holidays are treating you well and just know that I am ready for 2020 to end just as much as you are haha

Back in May, Daniel and I had planned a week vacation to Cancun. Obviously, that didn’t happen because…well I think you know, so no need for reminders lol. The trip was going to expire at the end of this year, so we decided to fly down to Mexico last minute for a 4 night stay in the Vidanta Rivera Maya resort. The resort was absolutely beautiful. All the tropical plants that lined the walk ways and buildings had me feeling like I was in a jungle. I swear this resort was mainly made up of pools. Literally everywhere we walked, (which was a lot, because this place was huge) we came across another pool we hadn’t seen before. Not only did we have choices in pools, we also had the beach about 20 steps away. Talk about paradise!

The first day, we spent walking around the resort and trying to figure out where everything was. They had their own small grocery stores, bakeries, shops, bars and restaurants. We noticed how easy it would be to spend a full week just at the resort. We grabbed lunch and then headed to one of the many pools. We found a cabana with a gorgeous view and went by the pool bar for happy hour. And when I say pool bar…I mean the bar is literally inside the pool! Super cool! That night, we dressed nice and went to dinner. Sushi night!

One thing that Daniel continuously pointed out was that everything was outside. The hotel hallways, the restaurants, everything! The temperature was perfect. Never did we get too cold during the day or at night. Just perfect! I noticed in Mexico that they are huge on composting. I love seeing that! All of our straws and cups from the bars/restaurants were made from compost. Keep up the good work, Mexico!

The next day, we took a bus from the resort to the nearest city called Playa Del Carmen. Once we arrived it was almost lunch time and I told Daniel that I wanted REAL Mexican food. So we found one of the local restaurants and had the full experience. The margaritas, the fresh guacamole made at the table, the fajitas, the rice and beans. All of it was so good! We decided to walk off our food by visiting shops down 5th avenue. Daniel and I liked going into the shops to take samples of the different kinds of tequila. We only came home with a few bottles…just a few lol

5th avenue is along the beach, so we walked down to the sand and grabbed some beach chairs. We sat there for 3 hours, ordered some drinks and soaked up the afternoon sun. I was beyond relaxed! As the sun started to set, we of course became hungry again haha. We had dinner at Porfirio’s and ohh my was it good! Daniel had this shrimp combo entrée that was just mmm, yum! After, we bought some last minute souvenirs and then rode back to the resort.

On our last full day, we woke up early to take a bus to the city of Tulum. While there, we took a tour through the Mayan Ruins. It was neat hearing their culture and learning about the way they lived in these homes so long ago. We checked out the view from their city and it was so beautiful. We took many pictures! Once we finished up there, we went to my favorite part of the trip; the cenote. The bus took us down backroads into the jungle to a natural sinkhole from collapsed limestone that now exposes underground water. Mexico has many different cenotes. Cenotes are seen to be very sacred to the Mayan people. They would see them as a crossroad to the underworld, believed that gods lived in the underwater caves and were used as one of their primary water sources. We drove by a private cenote where rituals are still conducted today. The one we went to was called Cenote Tres Zapatos. Our tour guide said it was one of the prettiest ones they had in the area. We were one of the very few people there, so we were able to get it to ourselves. The water was so clear and a great temperature. The vibes were all around sooo good. I felt so connected to nature floating in something so beautifully and kindly made. I could have spent hours there! I love finding unique adventures on trips to other countries. If you are ever in Mexico, cenotes should be something you for sure add to your list of places to visit! We made it back to the resort in time for happy hour and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon by one of the pools.

This short trip to Mexico was definitely needed. 2020 has been a year of the unknown, complication, and doubt. Taking this vacation helped heal and cleanse all the negativity during this year for me. I have hope that 2021 will reopen our hearts for one another as a planet, give us opportunity to try new things and bring what 2020 couldn’t provide. Thank you for reading, talk to you next year!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and hello 2021!

Love yourself xoxo