This year we decided to go somewhere a little different and do something completely foreign for us. First, we went south in the winter. The only other time we have ever done this was pre- kids skiing when we took the girls to Disneyworld for Christmas in 2002. Typically, our summer vacations are warm and our winter vacations are well, wintery. Second, we did an all inclusive. Again only once before and that was a cruise for our honeymoon.
Due to a promise made to our 15 year old regarding her getting her Bronze Medallion and Bronze Star, and our eternal hope that her desire to be a marine biologist might be rekindled, we went on a vacation to the Mexican Riviera, specifically the Grand Sirenis Mayan Riviera Hotel just north of Akumal. Seven days and seven nights of all you can eat, all you can drink, nightly entertainment, white beach, tropical fish and gorgeous hot sunshine.
I had no idea what to expect. I always said I had no desire to do a beach vacation. I don't like sand, I don't like heat and I bore horribly easily, but I decided to set all that aside and boy am I glad that I did. I had a fantastic time. We did lie on the beach and bask, but we were also busy. There was great snorkelling right off of the beach. We saw grunts, parrot fish, angel fish, needle fish, yellowtail snapper, tangs, butterfly fish and even two small sea turtles just by strapping on fins, mask and snorkel and walking into the water. One caveat, we saw the most fish the time we went snorkelling fairly early in the morning on one of the more calm days. We found that the north swimming beach was the better place to focus our snorkelling efforts. Watch out for the breakers and the rocks in the water.
Our room was huge and we loved all the tile which made bringing in wet equipment less stressful. The bathroom was easily manoeuvred by two people, there were plenty of fluffy towels and everything was clean. We did run into musty pillows once or twice, but shuffled them to the bottom and slept like logs anyways. The beds were very firm, but again, that didn't slow us down.
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| Umbrellas on north end of the beach. The water is just over the hill, we were in the last row of lounges. |
The people at both the resort and those we met on our trip to Playa del Carmen on the Collectivo, and during our excursion to Ek Balam were wonderful and friendly. I never felt uncomfortable or out of place and this in combination with the fantastic environment has me convinced that I will visit this wonderful place again.
As far as the food went, it was what one might expect from a location trying to feed the vast number of people it was. The best local flavour was to be had at the Taco Bar by the beach, but every buffet had the local salsas and quacemoles that could be used to pump up whatever you were having. I took to using the fresh salsa as a salad dressing. Don't get me wrong the food was good and I was disappointed with nothing. Breakfast featured a made to order omelette, dinner steaks. Lots of fresh fruit was also available. The pineapple must have been in season, because it was amazing. The Japanese restaurant, as per many reviews, was very good.
The all you can drink feature was interesting with two teenagers, one being the Mexican legal age of 18. Turned out not to be a problem at all. The 15 year old had no bracelet and so no alcoholic drinks. But that didn't mean a week of pop. A lot of the traditional mixed tropical drinks could be had alcohol free and so she had daiquiris and pina coladas all week long. I think she enjoyed the idea of going to a bar and ordering drinks and the bartenders were always really nice.
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| The tip of the bay on the north end of the beach looking toward the resort buildings. The spa would be behind us in this view. |
I'll finish up here and for now and continue with the excursions next week. That just leaves our scuba diving trip, for which we unfortunately have no pictures. It's really too bad, cause I look awesome in neoprene.
