Got up early to catch the sunrise on our last full day of vacation. The whole crew met up at the beach and ooo’d and ahhh’d and also marveled at a hawk swooping down into the water to catch a fish.

It took 6 days, but we finally found the best spot to hang — a small grove of palm trees afforded lovely shade and quick access to the sea and pool.

I lounged there and read A Court of Thorns and Roses which I’ve described as The Hunger Games and 12 Shades of Grey (far from 50) mixed with a touch of The Chronicles of Narnia — a perfect book for the beach or to combat doomscrolling. (Thanks Kathryn)

Closed out the evening with a fire show which inspired lots of Shazaming (fun track linked up below).

https://chrisglass.com/2024/01/19/last-night-in-mexico/

#Cancun #ChrisHead #Crash #Mexico #Tock #vacation

I’d seen a handful of YouTube videos and snapshots of foam parties where they pump a bunch of soap bubbles into a pool and play loud music. Why yes I would like to experience this. It’s like a rave maybe, or Burning Man without all the dust and outfits and dust!

This event became the centerpiece of Thursday.

I was too enamored with capturing it to truly let go and dance with my arms in a pile of suds, but whatever. It was silly and fun and even a little caustic if bubbles got in your eyes.

At the end of the afternoon, it was simply an excuse to enjoy the moment.

https://chrisglass.com/2024/01/18/the-foam-party/

#bubbles #Cancun #ChrisHead #Crash #Mexico #pool #Tock #vacation

I’d never been to an all-inclusive resort, or Mexico proper. I had concerns, but lots of friends and family assuaged said frets.

Will the airport be a madhouse? What if we’re hijacked by a drug cartel? If I open my mouth in the shower, will I get sick from the water? What about ice? Will the food be bad? It’s an adult resort, is it going to be too hedonistic? What is too hedonistic? Will it get boring day in and out at the same place? Is seaweed a problem? What about Dengue fever?

Absolutely everything I worried about was unfounded.

The Cancun airport was nicer than most I’ve been to. Our ride to the resort was comfortable and eventless.

We stayed at Ocean Maya Royale just outside of Playa del Carmen. (45 minutes south of the airport)

Check-in was breezy. The staff, super friendly. The grounds well maintained. It’s a resort with a relatively small footprint, above average vibe and solid value.

Ice is filtered. Bottles of water plentiful. The food was good, sometimes great. There’s tons to do if you want and it’s just as easy to keep it chill and spend time with a book. (which I did a good chunk of today.) The beach was well maintained.

The lack of screaming children was absolutely zen.

There were minor annoyances. Getting reservations to restaurants outside of the buffet was complicated. Said buffet wasn’t labeled very well (not great for food allergies). You have to learn how to say no to upgrades and wandering vendors from time to time. But overall? It checked every box for a lovely beach vacation.

All this said, it matters less where you are than who you’re with and everything was all the better being with friends.

So happy they extended an invitation.

I see why they keep coming back. I’d happily return.

Thus concludes my Yelp / TripAdvisor review. Here’s a smattering of photos from around the place:

https://chrisglass.com/2024/01/17/the-resort/

#Cancun #ChrisHead #Crash #Mexico #resort #review #Tock #vacation

We got on a boat (catamaran) and went to an island. There was a pitstop for snorkeling and I learned I don’t like to snorkel in open water, but I don’t mind swimming for some reason. Go figure. The water was gorgeous blue. 

Once we arrived at Isla Mujeres we rented golf carts for a quick loop.

Located between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, every turn afforded beautiful vistas around the tiny island. My only wish is we had more time to explore at a leisurely pace — but what a lovely amuse-bouche of a visit it was.

https://chrisglass.com/2024/01/16/isla-mujeres/

#ChrisHead #Crash #Mexico #Tock #vacation

Set an alarm to see the sun rise and was not disappointed — this sort of thing is an iffy proposition because of the atmosphere. But the clouds were cooperative and it turned out quite lovely. Cruise ship on the horizon. Soft warm breeze. Friends equally delighted. Big win!

Afterward we had a moment to catch our breath and then set out to hike the beach north and find a little lagoon with the clearest water that was a touch chilly with a strong current.

One big ding for dedicated cameras I found on this day? Humidity changes. The RX100 fogged up after leaving the air-conditioned room and took some time to right itself — the phone camera was ready to go and HDR the heck out everything!

https://chrisglass.com/2024/01/15/sunrise-and-the-blue-lagoon/

#Cancun #ChrisHead #Crash #Mexico #orange #sunrise #Tock

First official day of vacation included sleeping in, eating, exploring the grounds, visiting the pool, eating, exploring, visiting the pool, eating, a circus show and then some karaoke.

The last bit proved to be extra delightful as we got to meet some of the characters swirling around this micro-version of The White Lotus.

We closed out the night with our friend Crash singing Hurt — the version by Johnny Cash — though I’ve no doubt he could have equally nailed the NIN original if he wanted to.

Day one? Solid.

https://chrisglass.com/2024/01/14/a-pattern-emerges/

#Cancun #ChrisHead #circus #Crash #Mexico #resort #Tock

I’ve some vague recollection that we crossed the border into Mexico on a family trip in the 70’s, but there are no photos to back this up. No souvenirs. No matchbooks.

I’ve always wanted to go proper and said yes after years of saying no.

Chad and Kevin found this resort in Cancún on their honeymoon in 2016 and keep coming back. So after months of anticipation we hopped on a plane and joined them.

We left Cincinnati in the wee hours as a bitter cold front descended, adding extra time to de-ice the plane.

Once we landed and navigated the mayhem of finding our preset ground transportation, we checked in, met for lunch at the buffet and then spent the afternoon in the Caribbean Sea.

Vacation commenced.

https://chrisglass.com/2024/01/13/checking-in-to-mexico/

#Cancun #ChrisHead #Crash #Tock #travel #windowSeat