Day 7
We woke up and had breakfast at the buffet. Went to the pool and hung out and having some drinks till it was time for lunch. Went into the lunch buffet and back into the pool to hang before we go get cleaned up for dinner at the sushi place which was delicious. Small meet and greet for the people there for the wedding and then everyone goes to the discotecca to hang out for a bit and close out the night.
Day 8
Ordered room service to have breakfast in bed, wasnt that good so we ate a little but wound up down at the buffet to get the better tasting food. Girls busy getting pretty for wedding so me and the other dates go down to Tulum to check out the coastal ruins. We get there and they have this Coatis creature running around. So cute and incredible looking creatures.
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| Coatis!!!! So cute. Like monkey racoons or something like that hahaha |
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| Picturesque lil area. |
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| Mayan ruins on the coast. |
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| Main ruins on premise. |
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| View from our shaded spot where we had our beers. |
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| People playing in the beach. So gorgeous. |
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| Enter if you dare. |
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| Freedom!!! |
Hot down there not chilling in the pool. We brought beers down with us and find a shaded area in the middle of the ruins area and have a beer or 2 which was a great idea. Ruins themselves were small and unimpressive but the sights of the ruins among the tropical coast line was awesome. We head back for the wedding, get showered and dressed up and find out the ceremony is outside. People are sweating their butts off (groom was literally dripping throughout the ceremony) and through their suits. After ceremony there was an hour break so we go to bar near the reception area, grab a drink and start cooling off waiting for the festivities to start. Reception has some dancing and food stations before dinner (though not as good the food in the rest of the resort which I didnt understand). After the reception area is closing down, we head back to the discotecca (noticing a trend?) to wind down the night.
Day 9
Much of the same of having breakfast buffet, chilling in the pool while having drinks and hanging with the wedding group and enjoying the weather before getting cleaned up for dinner at the mexican restaurant on premise which like the other restaurants they had, was absolutely delicious. After dinner, go to the discotecca for our final night as we leave the next day.
Day 10
Slow day as my body is tuckered out from all the consumption. Interesting day as there is severe rain and winds happening and was thinking it looked like hurricane type weather but not knowing anything about what was happening in the world I wasnt sure (turns out it was a hurricane that developed there and went north and hit the USA later that week). We chill around the resort until time for our shuttle to the airport. Was a slow shuttle driver but we get there eventually. No wait to get through customs. Chill in the airport, grab a bite before time for our flight (I made the mistake of ordering a cheesesteak sandwich hahah). Get home, breeze through customs and get home to finish the trip out.
Overview:
The good:
1) the cenotes are a much needed oasis amid the heat and humidity being cavernous natural pools of chilly fresh water. They are also insanely beautiful. I wouldnt mind just going back and cenote hopping and cataloging all the cenotes in the region.
2) The people were fantastic. From the complete stranger that I had the pleasure talking to in the cantina to the people I interacted with as I walked around, everyone was friendly. People worked with me as I bastardized the language trying to communicate, eventually getting the points across.
3) Resort life - its nice being able to get whatever you want to drink, eat great food, hang out in a pool and just chill with the people you came with for a couple days. It is a great way to be pampered and just enjoy the fruits of your labor. This one was especially nice as no kids were allowed which catered itself to a certain atmosphere.
4) Coatis!!!!! enough said.
5) Collectivos - people explaining it made it seem sketchy (like random people driving around in vans picking people up akin to hitchhiking) but it is a great, safe, cheap way to get around if you are going along their routes.
The bad:
1) Resort life - as nice as it is to be on a resort, I do not know that I will ever do one again. I would find the price expensive if it were in a place with a higher cost of living (Europe, USA, etc.); so it being in a place where you can get more bang for your buck, made it egregiously expensive. Even if costs were not a factor, the isolation that comes from being on a resort is the antithesis of what I like to experience when I like to travel (as is probably evidenced in my other blog posts :) ). Just like with everything else in life, staying on a resort has its time and place and people who will seek it out. I had a wonderful time and am extremely happy for the experience, just not my cup of tea for normal adventures.
2) The build up around the architecture in Valladolid - I was reading about places to see and cities to visit and many different blogs raved about the architecture and beauty of the city in Valladolid so I planned to go there to check it out. Walking around town, there are some buildings that are nice, but I found it underwhelming compared to what I had expected based on other people's experiences. That being said, I enjoyed the quaint city and was glad I visited, just was expecting more out of the buildings/architecture based on what I read.
3) Westernization of parts of Playa del Carmen - I hate being in another country and feeling like I am in a more American place than America. Does not happen often but when it does, it is very disappointing. There are many parts walking around town that do not feel this way but that 5th avenue and some of the places around it just scream consumerism and excess but clearly they are clearly being supported financially to thrive so cant blame them for making that money.
