Beach Days and Tropical Nights

For the final days of our adventure in Mexico, we decided to take it easy! After touring the Mayan Ruins, check out my previous blog post for the details on that, it was time to hit the beach!  This meant finding the perfect spot, under a shade umbrella, listening to the sounds of the Caribbean and taking in the salty air.  Oh and being served tropical drinks and food without ever getting up!  After a few hours of complete relaxation, we had dinner reservations at Chianti.

Chianti is an Italian restaurant located at the resort, Hotel Nyx, where we were staying.  We made our way at sunset which was perfect timing for a great photo before heading into enjoy dinner.  The service was great and the food was even better.  I started with Beef Steak Carpaccio followed by the Caprese Salad, while he opted for the Spicy Tuna.  For the main course I chose the Neapolitan Ravioli which was very filling.  A few cocktails ended dinner perfectly before we headed to end the night with the local bartenders.

The last full day in paradise, we spent entirely at the beach. After having an early breakfast and changing into proper beach attire, we found our usual chairs which we managed to have the entire time we were there and settled in.  Hours of beach time, napping, eating, enjoying fruity drinks and a few tequila shots in between was the perfect Sunday.  We did take a small break so I could get my most favorite souvenir, my maracas, made right there in Mexico!  The next and final morning in Cancun {insert sad face}, we managed to get a late checkout. He had some emails to get to, so I made my way to the beach for a few more hours of sunshine, sand, and sea before he joined me for our last tropical cocktails beach-side. As we were leaving a storm rolled in but it was the perfect ending to one amazing adventure.

Sea you soon Mexico! 

Shona 

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Iguanas and The El Rey Ruins

Right in the heart of what the locals call the Zona Hotelera lies the amazing ancient El Rey Mayan Ruins which date back to 1200 A.D. The ruins include 47 stone buildings and a temple shaped as a pyramid.  This region marks the entrance known as the Mundo Maya or Mayan World.  These ruins will take you back in time as you walk the grounds in which they rest.  The Mayans abandoned this area once the Spanish settlers arrived.  Although many of the ruins have deteriorated with time, you can still make out images that resemble kings or other significant members.

The Zona Archeologica del Rey is a self guided tour which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to see. It just depends on how fast you can run from the Iguanas! Just kidding, but they are everywhere and another attraction to the ruins.  They are used to people so there is nothing to be afraid of, however, I kept my distance.  I did manage to snap an iguana selfie, of course.  The iguanas do blend in very well with their surroundings, so there's your warning! There is little to no shade so make sure and bring plenty of water and sunscreen.  The day we visited it had rained that morning, so it was very hot and humid!  But well worth the small fee to tour the historical site and being drenched in sweat!  Although these ruins aren't as grand as some of the others a bit further from Cancun, I am glad we made the short bus ride there.  It's located at the edge of the Nichupte lagoon, near the center of the hotel district which makes it convenient to get to.

Until next time Iguanas!

Shona

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Bus Rides, Beaches, and Boating

Four words; Miguel hooked us up!  After breakfast on day two, we decided to check in with the local tour company to see what else Cancun had to offer.  After much discussion and trying to decide on an excursion, because there are about a hundred to choose from, we opted for snorkeling.  Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of very interesting and exciting excursions to choose from, but we opted for something more cost effective and did I mention, the chance to drive your own boat to and from the destination? That was a no-brainer for us! Besides, we think snorkeling is pretty exciting and it gave us a chance to connect with the ocean and all of it's creatures.

Before our adventure, we needed to get pesos so we made our way over to the Plaza Flamingo, think mall-ish, but basically souvenirs around every corner.  The bank wasn't open yet so we decided to cash in at the hotel, the exchange rate wasn't as good but we needed bus money!  Speaking of transportation, Miguel told us to definitely take the bus, $12 pesos per person which is under $1.  A chance to mingle with the locals, count us in!  Forget the taxi's or uber drivers here guys, take the bus!  He also told us about Xcaret, a public beach not far from where we were staying and for $350 pesos, we could get two chairs, a table, and an umbrella and get back $200 in drinks...pesos that is! 

We hopped on the bus and after a short ride arrived at Xcaret. You may wonder why we left our all-inclusive resort to check out a public beach.  Why wouldn't we? It's all about adventures for us.  We paid our $350 in pesos and were set up for the next few hours!  The water here was perfectly clear and it gave us a different view of the ocean.  We sipped on tropical drinks and beer before we ordered the ultimate;  rum filled coconuts with the tiny little umbrellas topped with fruit.  The perfect Caribbean cocktail! After a few hours we were back to our hotel, eating lunch, and preparing for our snorkeling excursion! 

Another short bus ride and we arrived at the Jungle Adventure Tour. We were fit with snorkels, given a few boating instructions, and made our way out of the marina.  The boat ride was really fun! It took about 30 minutes making our way via Nichupte Lagoon through areas of the mangroves seeing the locals in their swimming holes, before reaching our snorkeling destination, the Arrecife Punta Nizuc.  It took me about two minutes to get my gear on and I was in the water.  The guide was awesome as he showed us where to go and led us to some amazing sites.  Colorful fish, coral reefs, sting rays, coastal vegetation, one very large grouper and I even held a spider star fish...after I was assured it was OK by the BF.  We spent about 45 minutes snorkeling, hopped back in the boat, and cruised our way back to land.  

Back at the resort we spent a few more hours at the beach before having dinner and drinking Mezcal.  Tonight the Mariachi band was there and before I knew it I was wearing a Sombrero as they were singing at our table.  We ended the night sipping on cocktails with Chuy, the hotel bartender, and me spinning around on the way back to our room. Because that's the kind of dress I wore.  

It was a good day in Mexico!

Shona

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Viva La Mexico 🌴

Mexico, it took me almost 38 years to get to you...but now I am already planning my next adventure back!  I'll be honest, it was never a country on my top to-visit list, but I was not disappointed.  I was a little skeptical when we booked Cancun as the city to visit, all that came to mind was "spring-break" and even though it isn't spring break season, I usually avoid those areas at any month.  But, Cancun, I loved you and all that you had to offer!

Before leaving, we booked a private car through the Cancun airport; this is a must.  It is so worth it!  They were waiting for us when we arrived and we even had time to grab a beer before heading to our hotel. Within 40 minutes, we had arrived to our home for the next 5 days.  While waiting for our room, since we arrived a bit before check-in time, they held our bags and we were off to the beach restaurant to grab a cocktail and lunch.

We decided to stay at a smaller boutique hotel, the Hotel Nyx.  It gave you the option for all-inclusive or breakfast only, but I bet you can guess which option we chose.  I liked this resort because it was smaller, the infinity pool faced the ocean, and they had plenty of beach chairs surrounded by beautiful palm trees and those little palm sunshades.  Catch me here folks, fruity drinks in hand!  Did I mention the full-service beach bar?  They made certain to keep the drinks fresh and by the time we left, we didn't even have to ask for tequila shots.  The service was great!  We chose the Superior Suite room and it was perfect.  It had ocean views, you could watch the sunrise without even getting out of bed and hear the early morning waves crashing upon the shoreline.

Day one in Mexico was off to a good start.  After lunch, we hit the beach for a little rest and salt water swimming, followed by dinner and cocktails at the pool bar followed by more cocktails in the hotel bar.  Chuy was the hotel bartender the entire time we were there and we came to know him quite well.  He made the best cold brew coffee with irish creme and did I mention the Cosmopolitans? Sol is the main beer here so we made sure to support that tradition too.

Mexico, you are doing good!
Shona

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