At the ancient Tulum ruins....they all kinda looked the same.
Mommy and me at the reception. So...where's the food?
I could stay in here forever!
Joel and Casey get hitched! And as a witness to the important event I felt it was my official duty to eat some sand -for posterity of course!
Get your groove on Daddy!
What one-year old is able to tell her friends that they got to celebrate their first birthday in Mexico?! Well, Delaney is one of them!
We left at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning, March 2, from Chicago O'Hare to Cancun, Mexico to celebrate the wedding weekend of our friends Joel and Casey in Playa Del Carmen, located 20 miles south of Cancun. I was up all night packing (I stayed at school late to get everything ready for my substitute teacher) and then came home and got everything packed for the trip. I moved slowly, not wanting to forget anything. With a baby, there's so much to consider because you never know what to expect when you're away from home. Fortunately, the flight went well and we had more than enough supplies on the trip.
Arriving in Mexico was a much needed change and couldn't have come at a better time! We came from freezing cold Midwestern snow and arrived to sunny blue skies, bright rays of sunshine and temperatures of 80 degrees! What a welcome change after three months of winter. We immediately went for lunch poolside, checked into our beautiful room, and later that night went to a cocktail party on the beach sponsored by the bride and groom. Delaney enjoyed meeting all the new faces, and it was a beautiful night. Our hotel was the Iberostar Tucan Hotel right on the beach, see this site for info:
http://www.iberostar.com/EN/Riviera-Maya-hotels/Iberostar-Tucan_3_70.html
and yes, it was pretty much Paradise! We were located on the beach, the weather was perfect, and the resort was an all-inclusive, so all food, drinks, and amenities were included. We ate and ate and ate, and then ate some more! The hotel had a "jungle" type of setting so most places you walked were surrounded by lush greenery, and an occasional monkey, peacock, macaw or iguana would cross your path or call out from above. We were amazed at the lack of local bugs and scary creatures - scorpions and snakes and such - but amazingly never came across anything sinister!! They would have to spray the perimeter of the grounds really well?
The wedding was perfect, right on the beach at sunset. The ceremony and reception went off without a hitch, except for the couple who got hitched!!!! (Bad joke, sorry!)
We left at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning, March 2, from Chicago O'Hare to Cancun, Mexico to celebrate the wedding weekend of our friends Joel and Casey in Playa Del Carmen, located 20 miles south of Cancun. I was up all night packing (I stayed at school late to get everything ready for my substitute teacher) and then came home and got everything packed for the trip. I moved slowly, not wanting to forget anything. With a baby, there's so much to consider because you never know what to expect when you're away from home. Fortunately, the flight went well and we had more than enough supplies on the trip.
Arriving in Mexico was a much needed change and couldn't have come at a better time! We came from freezing cold Midwestern snow and arrived to sunny blue skies, bright rays of sunshine and temperatures of 80 degrees! What a welcome change after three months of winter. We immediately went for lunch poolside, checked into our beautiful room, and later that night went to a cocktail party on the beach sponsored by the bride and groom. Delaney enjoyed meeting all the new faces, and it was a beautiful night. Our hotel was the Iberostar Tucan Hotel right on the beach, see this site for info:
http://www.iberostar.com/EN/Riviera-Maya-hotels/Iberostar-Tucan_3_70.html
and yes, it was pretty much Paradise! We were located on the beach, the weather was perfect, and the resort was an all-inclusive, so all food, drinks, and amenities were included. We ate and ate and ate, and then ate some more! The hotel had a "jungle" type of setting so most places you walked were surrounded by lush greenery, and an occasional monkey, peacock, macaw or iguana would cross your path or call out from above. We were amazed at the lack of local bugs and scary creatures - scorpions and snakes and such - but amazingly never came across anything sinister!! They would have to spray the perimeter of the grounds really well?
The wedding was perfect, right on the beach at sunset. The ceremony and reception went off without a hitch, except for the couple who got hitched!!!! (Bad joke, sorry!)
Overall, Delaney really enjoyed all the sights, sounds, and smells, and especially loved the kiddie pool! We could NOT get her out once she got in, she enjoyed the water so much! Pisces are water babies, so this comes as no suprise! The fact that she has an adventurous spirit also comes as no surprise, maybe just maybe it's in the genepool?
We had not done an all-inclusive type of trip before and were unsure about how it would be. Well, I had no problem adjusting! My first thought upon arriving at the opulent lobby was...... "I could get REALLY used to this!" Everything is contained within the hotel grounds, and the price you pay beforehand includes it all, so it really becomes too easy to just stay within the confines of the resort and be spoiled and pampered 24/7. It's not the richest cultural experience, but guests are free to go exploring beyond the confines of "Little America" at the resort, which we tried to do a few times. We were able to visit the Tulum ruins about an hour away, a leftover from the ancient Aztec cultures. We met up with Brian's sister Karen and her boyfriend Steve (who happened to be visiting Mexico at the same time) and had a private tour guide lead us around the ruins site, which was fascinating. A link to Tulum is below:
http://www.locogringo.com/past_spotlights/aug2002.html
Overall it was interesting day, besides the fact that the taxi driver rode over my foot as I was strapping Delaney's car seat into the car. No real damage done, and I am living proof that a person really can have a car drive over their foot and not have it break or even bruise!!!!! Although the tire marks on my feet weren't such a good look on the beach!
We had not done an all-inclusive type of trip before and were unsure about how it would be. Well, I had no problem adjusting! My first thought upon arriving at the opulent lobby was...... "I could get REALLY used to this!" Everything is contained within the hotel grounds, and the price you pay beforehand includes it all, so it really becomes too easy to just stay within the confines of the resort and be spoiled and pampered 24/7. It's not the richest cultural experience, but guests are free to go exploring beyond the confines of "Little America" at the resort, which we tried to do a few times. We were able to visit the Tulum ruins about an hour away, a leftover from the ancient Aztec cultures. We met up with Brian's sister Karen and her boyfriend Steve (who happened to be visiting Mexico at the same time) and had a private tour guide lead us around the ruins site, which was fascinating. A link to Tulum is below:
http://www.locogringo.com/past_spotlights/aug2002.html
Overall it was interesting day, besides the fact that the taxi driver rode over my foot as I was strapping Delaney's car seat into the car. No real damage done, and I am living proof that a person really can have a car drive over their foot and not have it break or even bruise!!!!! Although the tire marks on my feet weren't such a good look on the beach!
Before we knew it we were enjoying our last night in Playa. We decided to go into town (fortunately no taxi-driving-over foot incidents this time) for some authentic local cuisine. Quite yummy....and quite pricey! It cost us $75 with the tip, so eating out wasn't cheap! Fortunately we had our all-inclusive for the rest of the week, otherwise we would have paid a fortune for food. Delaney enjoyed the lobster and guacamole, and we walked around a bit afterwards to take in some of the local scenery.
The 5-day trip went by way too fast, and before we knew it we were back on the plane Wednesday morning and back in Chicago by that afternoon. Brian's parents (Grandma and Grandpa Hopkins) met us at O'Hare airport with our car, and we had a quick stop at McDonald's for coffee and a quick recap of the trip. Delaney was happy to see her grandparents again, but I don't think any of us were ready to be back in the cold Midwestern winter! However, as I write this, Spring is just around the corner, and we will be seeing more sunshine and longer days as the next few months roll by.
If only we lived closer to an ocean! I guess Lake Michigan will have to do for now :O)
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