Our first trip with just the two of us since our honeymoon. It was long overdue! We had a blast in Mexico. Neither of us had ever been there, so it was exciting to travel somewhere different. Jun had never even been outside Canada or the states. It took a while for me to find the perfect place for us to stay at, but after lots of good recommendations from friends, we decided on Bahia Principe Sian Ka'an.
I'll start out by saying I was worried about leaving Greyson. I definitely shed a few tears saying goodbye to him in the wee hours of the morning as we left for the airport. He was in good hands though with both sets of grandparents and cousins, so we didn't need to worry. I doubt he even noticed we were gone. Every time we tried to skype he seemed like he had better things to do than talk to us!
We were staying about an hour away from the airport, and instead of paying for transportation out there, we decided to rent a car. It was barely more expensive, and I think it was worth it to be able to go wherever, whenever. I was nervous about the crazy roads, but Jun is a pro at driving fast and crazy so he fit right in.
Our hotel was beautiful, and it was part of the larger Bahia Principe resort. We were in a portion located on a pristine golf course. It was a bit of a jaunt to the beach, but there were constantly trams ready to take us down there, so I didn't mind the distance at all. Our resort was much smaller and quieter than the other areas. The nice thing was we could use all the restaurants and amenities at all the different resorts, but our area was exclusive to Sian Ka'an guests.
The first day we spent the afternoon at the beach. This is the last time I will go on a tropical vacation after a long cold Alberta winter without doing a little pre-tanning. I was burnt to a crisp. The strange thing about the sun in the Caribbean is that you can't tell AT ALL that you are burning. I literally had no idea. In Canada you can tell. Your skin just starts to feel really hot and looks red! I wore sunscreen all day and had no clue. It was bad. It pretty much took me out of sun commission for the next three days. Luckily we had golf planned the next day, and because of my burn, the day after as well. Jun was burned a little too, but definitely not as bad a me. He is blessed with a much darker complexion.
Day four was Sunday and we enjoyed a relatively sun-free day at Church in Playa del Carmen, and walking around the ruins at Tulum. It was cool to see a city built so many years ago, and so rich in history. The beach there was also gorgeous. Turquoise waters and the softest white sand. See pics below.
Day five was spent shopping in Playa del Carmen. We bought mostly gifts for our families and Greyson. Jun was determined to find an authentic Mexican embroidered shirt for Greyson for less than $20 American. After offending one store owner, and bartering unsuccessfully with a few more. I walked into a store and bought one for just under 20 dollars without any bartering. Bartering is not really my strong suit. Justin was a little disappointed he didn't score some amazing bartering deal, but it was fun nonetheless.
Day six was the highlight of the trip. We went on our one and only excursion to Xel-Ha. Such a cool place. It is hard to explain, but the gist is that it is a big cove with many inlets off the main cove. The cove is fresh water, that mixes withe the salt water from the ocean. It is a great place to snorkel and there are so many cool things to see and do in all the different coves and during a long walk around the outside of the park. Very cool.
Day seven was spent at the beach enjoying our last day in the sun. The water there was a lovely shade of teal, and it was as warm as bathwater. I would love to go back someday!
On day 8 we unfortunately had some bad luck in our return to the airport. I hope we laugh about it one day, but we had someone steal money from us at a gas station, and some major problems with the rental car return (to make a long story short, they accused us of switching the spare tire from the trunk with a flat, non-compatible one…really?…does that seem like something we would do???)
All in all it was great to get out on a vacation with my husband! We had a great time and would love to do it again soon. We were definitely happy to get back to our little man though. He was happy to see us, and he didn't forget us at all like I was afraid of.
Krista
I found your blog! haha
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