Costco sells vacations too- so we got one for Spring Break this year. Taylor has co workers that have travelled a bit to Mexico and even though I am a bit of a wuss, Taylor convinced me it is worth it (it does have the best deals on all-inclusive types of resorts).
We did all the normal things, packed the car, dropped the doggy off, and set out- to CHARLOTTE. Why Charlotte? Well, costco sells cheaper trips if you are willing to fly at crazy hours like we are. So for the 7:30am departure, we went to Charlotte the night before and started our vacation right. Also Mercy had phone using the hotel phone to call Zippy. Sometimes I forget that she was born in a time when landlines didnt exist.
TSA was not being paid, and the national headlines said that lines were hours and hours long. Per usual, I was overthinking this- and wondering what time we should arrive for our 7:40 flight. We decided to catch the 5:00am shuttle from the airport hotel to be prepared for the worst.
At that hour, on a Sunday morning in Charlotte, it was the shortest and easiest TSA experience I ever had. Those people didn’t give a DAMN. Anyways, with my trusty fanny- ahem- MANNY pack ready to go, our $50 burger king breakfast hit the spot. Actually it made me feel terrible, but Rosie was excited about it because she had never had Burger King in her life.
The flight was great- Mercy kicked the seats in front of her and that stressed me out as the lady in front turned around. Taylor and I switched seats- she is better at dealing with that than I am.
Dreams Playa Mujeres
Early flights are cheaper- and give us almost a full day at the resort, so we explored for hours.
After a day of travel, I was thirsty and took a pina colada as we explored- but the tricky part was, there were no pool chairs available. The sun was hot, our room wasnt ready- and I was ready to rest. The front desk had to call their manager around 3pm, and we were ready to get to our room.
Resort Pools
The pools were great- there was a lot going on, they had some pretty huge water slides and hot tubs. Almost all pools were about 4 feet deep, some more shallow. Mercy was pretty good at swimming, so we felt fine. The hardest part was getting a chair- if you didn’t get out and reserve a seat by 7:30, you were out of luck. So, whoever woke up first in our room get that chore. Then, the hotel sent out an alert to all guests: “If you are not at your chair for 40 minutes, your stuff will be moved”. I’m not sure how that would play out exactly, but the last 2 days got much better.
Also the beach was covered with seaweed and smelled bad- the sand was beautiful though.
Resort Food
Is resort food ever amazing? I don’t know, but this place was for families- and the food was a solid 7/10.
There were a few options: Asian Fusion, Seafood, Mexican, Hibachi, French (no kids allowed there), and a Brazilian Steakhouse. We really liked the Brazilian Steakhouse, especially since my birthday dinner at a Brazilian Steakhouse was snowed out this year.
Besides the pools and the food, the landscaping was beautiful.
And, Taylor and I got to do some time in the spa and get a massage- the kids hung out in the “kids club”, and I felt ok about that- there is a ton of security and cameras around there. The steam room, sauna, and massage were a great escape.
The Best Part
Was the day excursion. Looking online from Greensboro, it was hard to tell- it is an overwhelming amount of choices, and I wasnt sure what was safe. After getting there, Taylor asked the front desk and got a solid recommendation for a day trip to the island we could see across the water. Since the beach at our hotel was so sucky, I was glad we got a chance to do this and see a beautiful stretch of sand in Mexico.
The water was an unreal color of blues- almost neon it was so radiant from the sunlight. The crew was amazing- they let us board first and get the VIP seats on top of the catamaran. It may have been an hour to cross the water- about 5 miles – from the port in Cancun to Isla Mujeres, The island of Women.
Rosie and I snorkeled- Mercy was too young so Taylor stayed with her- and I kid you not, it was the most fish I have ever seen. We could almost touch them- yellow and black and white zebra fish- just hundreds of them. The waves were a bit rough, but Rosie was a good swimmer so I wasnt scared. The water was a bit chaotic with several boats in the same place, but I kept an eye out for where we were supposed to go, and Rosie and I held hands through it all- it was so special, Im glad we got to do that.
Some people at the resort were telling us about their trip to Isla Mujeres the day before, and said it was worth it to get a golf cart and explore the island- so we did.
Im glad for this- it was just the right amount of exploring and adventure for me without being too unsafe. And, Rosie got a chance to see some of the smaller, run-down houses on the island. I was glad for this teachable moment so she could see how a lot of the world lives much differently than we do.
Did the kids get along?
Yes. There were a few arguments, but they got along great, and I think it is a combination of two things:
- I had a good, brief conversation with Rosie about Mercy’s personality based on a book I am reading about the Enneagram. In just a few minutes, I shared how it is super easy for Rosie to make friends, but Mercy is a little more introverted, and looks to Rosie in a big way- so when Rosie toys around with her younger sister, it isn’t that Rosie is doing something bad per se, it just feels worse because of Mercy’s personality type.
Rosie’s response to this? “What you just said sounded really wise”. That convo was on the first day of our trip, and may have had an imapct? - Rosie didnt have any friends there. Duh. But, this often leads to arguments at home- Rosie wants to run off with her friends in a normal way, and Mercy wants to be included, so Mercy feels sad, and Taylor and I have to intervene. This week, they just played together awesome, and I was thankful.
Ok, I am getting tired of writing this post now. Here are a few more pics:
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