Cancun

Back in May, I booked an All-Inclusive vacation from Expedia to Cancun with my boyfriend. After what felt like forever, our vacation finally came right after Thanksgiving. We gathered our travel documents, made copies of all our reservations, packed our carry-on bags, and set off for our adventure.

We booked our trip to Cancun through Expedia and chose to go the first week of December because prices went up significantly after. In my booking, it included flight, hotel (includes food & drinks), and I also booked a round trip shuttle service to and from the airport which was an additional $40 for two. It ended up coming out to about $1,400 for two.

In our booking, we were flying Aeromexico there and Delta back. Both experiences were not very great. I don't recommend flying Delta if there are options and we weren't the only ones that were not pleased.

When we arrived in Cancun, I wasn't sure what to expect of my shuttle service, SuperShuttle. Immediately after walking out, we were bombarded with shuttle service vendors hounding passengers for business. It was insane! Since I had a booking already, I was directed outside where there were even more vendors. However, they were helpful in guiding me to my company. Some people had signs with passengers' names. In hindsight, I would say it is organized chaos. I also wasn't sure of the tipping etiquette at the time and had not yet converted any US Dollars to Pesos so I handed the driver a couple of bucks.

So in my original booking with Expedia, I booked for us to stay at the ME Cancun Resort after doing extensive research on the million hotels within the hotel zone. I was super excited! A month later, I received a call from Expedia stating that ME Cancun decided to close for the entire month of December and they would book us in one of their sister hotels. After going back and forth for a while, we agreed to stay at their sister hotel, Paradisus Cancun. I was unhappy at the time because I didn't know anything about this hotel that they wanted to put me in but I gave it a shot after being reassured by Expedia AND ME Cancun that we would be taken care of.

After our trip, I am glad that everything worked out the way it did because we LOVED Paradisus Cancun. The place was beautiful, well kept, and the food was pretty good as well.

When we got there at 12 PM, it was too early to check in but they checked to see if our room was ready yet anyway. They asked for one hour to get it ready and gave us our bracelets for the resort so we could go get food and explore.

We were given a list of restaurants with information about what kind of food, dress code, times they were open, and whether or not a reservation was needed.

Almost all restaurants require reservations for dinner which could be a problem for some people. When we first got there, I tried to make a reservation but the place was already booked. On night one, we ate at Vento. Night two, Fuego. Night three, Mole. We also ate at the buffet, ordered room service, and ate at the Market Grill as well. I would say my favorite was Vento. Most of our reservations were made for late at night around 9 - 9:30. It worked out for us because we had all day excursions but we were starving by the time we got back around 7 PM so we would order something small from room service until dinner time. If you have all-inclusive, room service and the bar in the room is included.

Pesos! At our hotel, there is a cashier who exchanges money for you as long as you have a passport.

One of the many pools at our resort.

View of the hotel from the beach. A bunch of pyramids.

Me & the boo.

Living the life.

We upgraded our room for an ocean view and it was spectacular. When we were ready for a break, we headed back to our room, grabbed beers from the stocked fridge, and sat in the patio with the prettiest view. What a life!

After grabbing a bite, we enjoyed the beach some more as the sun was getting ready to set.

Love that beautiful warm turquoise Caribbean water!

Leaving our footprints in the world.

Cancun is beautiful at all hours of the day. I did NOT want to leave the beach. We had dinner at Vento and took it easy because we had early days for the entire trip.

I drank Margaritas like it was water. Enjoying my 753454357345th of the day after dinner in the patio with boo. P.S. I got the worst leg cramp ever that night in my sleep. Thanks Margaritas. I still love you though. Don't forget to hydrate up even if you get unlimited alcohol!

The next morning was our first excursion day. We booked a Chichen Itza Tour through Experiencias Xcaret.

We had to be ready and waiting in the front of our hotel by 7:15 AM so we woke up extra early, ate breakfast, and caught the beautiful sunrise.

Here is the lagoon view from the front of our hotel.

Front of Paradisus Cancun.

So let me tell you. Organized Chaos is the best way I can describe what happens with excursions. I was super nervous because I had no idea what to expect. Both days of our excursions were different but now looking back, Cancun excursions are very organized. Chaotic, yes. But definitely organized. You sit in the front and different buses from different companies show up calling out the names of different excursions. When you hear the one you booked called, follow the tour guide. If you don't know, someone from the hotel will be there to assist. The tour guide has a list of names of people they are expecting and wrist bands. Once they verify it's you, they will send you to the bus you should get on. I saw companies making extra effort to make sure all the guests that were on the list were on the bus. They would call out names if they were waiting for a while. So if you start to feel worried, don't. Also don't panic if the buses run a bit late (anywhere from 5-15 minutes). Our bus on day 1 is pictured below.

When I booked the tour, I didn't know what to expect. I thought they would just be taking us to the Chichen Itza but it was so much more. We drove about 2 hours to the Yucatan State. There is a one hour time difference from Cancun which is in Quintana Roo. Our guides, Angel and Eduardo, were great. They explained history, were super nice, and very knowledgeable. They definitely contributed to how amazing this experience was.

Our first stop on the Chichen Itza tour was a temple/shopping location. When we arrived, we were all asked to grab a little yellow stone to throw in the burning pile pictured below.

The Shaman said a prayer for all of us and then we were left to explore and go shopping before our next stop.

After this stop, we drove a short ways to the Ik Kil Cenote. Cenotes are sinkholes from the collapse of limestone bedrock that expose water underneath. Part of the excursion is the opportunity to swim in a cenote and also have lunch here. We LOVED every part of this.

We had so much fun here!

We swam, we jumped off the cliff, and soaked in the beauty of it all.

After we swam and ate. Picture with the cenote!

When we were done, some of the other tourists asked if we jumped into the cenote and whether or not we recommend them doing it. Every single time, we said yes. You will regret it if you don't. Here is a video of our adventure at Ik Kil.

Off to Chichen Itza!

Our tour guides handed us our tickets on the bus. Note that there is a small additional fee to bring in Go Pro cameras.

Our excursion also included a bottle of water. Thank goodness because it is SO hot at Chichen Itza. I recommend bringing a hat and shades.

When you first arrive, you will be hounded by vendors selling stuff. Just be careful if you plan to shop here. There is no guarantee that anything is legit from these street vendors. After walking a short while, you finally see the pyramid. The tour guides will spend about 30-45 minutes giving you some rich history about the pyramid and the other structures. After that, you get a good hour or two to explore.

The history is just so fascinating.

Chichen Itza

The weather changed like 39582058 times while we were there. Chichen Itza was spectacular. Can't quite describe the feeling nor do pictures do it justice.

The next day, we went on Excursion 2 which was a trip to Xel-Ha, an aqua waterpark. In addition, I added a swim with dolphins at the park!

This place is HUGE.

Map of all the things to do here.

We snorkeled and swam.

Walked on ropes, ziplined, and jumped off cliffs at their adventure course.

Tubed down the river.

Biked through the jungle.

We swam with dolphins. I ABSOLUTELY recommend the basic swim with dolphins package. It was the most amazing experience and you can truly see the joy I felt in the pictures below. Dolphins are such magnificent creatures.

There were 7 of us with Xena, the pregnant dolphin.

We had the best time!

Here is a video of our fun adventures! This day is easily one of the best days of my life.

Soaking up our last Cancun sunrise of the trip.

On Monday, we soaked in a bit of beach time before we headed to the airport to catch our flight home. SO tired from our busy weekend but resting on the beach isn't so bad.

I love this place.

When your happiness is radiating off a picture.

Cancun was everything and more for me. I loved this vacation. I will definitely be coming back and I would definitely come with more of us with a few more days so we can explore more of this beautiful place. I never felt more energized despite the tiredness from travel and excursions. This trip rejuvenated me and recharged me. It was beautiful, adventurous, and although short, changed me in a way I can't describe. Thank you Cancun for taking care of me and my love. You will be seeing us again soon!

#Cancun #Mexico #Adventure #Travel #Happiness