Well, it’s officially Summer break for this teacher and that sounds like a tropical luxury vacation to my ears. You’ll be able to find me at the pool, gym, cookouts, weddings, soccer games, and running trails. MAYBE even up awake past 11:00 on crazy nights.
Even if your Summer doesn’t have quite as much change of pace as a teacher’s, everyone has certain things they enjoy and anticipate. To jump start the warm-weather vibes, I want to share a little insight into our Spring Break trip to Playa Del Carmen and Tulum, Mexico. To be fair, this is the trip through my eyes--I’m not the planner, scheduler, researcher of the duo, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who gets more excited for tropical beaches (so I bring that). Drew is amazing at the more responsible, slightly boring details--and I am the grateful benefactor.
We try to balance adventure type vacations with epic hikes, views and activities with those where things are a bit more relaxed. I enjoy both for different reasons, but this trip had me extra excited because it almost felt like a second honeymoon and we can all get a little warm and fuzzy about those memories. I used it as a fun motivator for a little extra effort in the gym and making sure my diet was tightened up for the six weeks before and it was just the kick in the pants I needed!
I won’t try to cram the whole trip into one post, but today I’ll touch on where we stayed and my personal favorite excursion. In the future, I might feature some incredible restaurants and beaches we enjoyed.
TAO
The airbnb we chose was very different from the traditional all-inclusive resort you may think of as typical of Mexico. This was a smaller section of a larger resort with a very distinct character (which I loved). It was new, modern, eco-friendly, and everywhere you went felt relaxing with Asian influences. Drew and I joked a couple times about the fact that we never saw other people except for maybe one or two at the gym area, but as soon as we crossed the street to the larger resort to use their pools or beach access it was like entering an amusement park. I liked the balance of being able to go to their pools, but knowing we could go back and relax at the amenities at Tao without seeing anyone.
Our condo was perfect for us--it had two bedrooms and we used the smaller one for our closet/ camera equipment room lol. It was really nice to keep our bedroom so clean because I know for me on vacation it can seem like my luggage exploded within a day or two.There was a full kitchen, so we ate breakfasts and lunches there each day. This is something I really look for in places we stay if possible. It allows us to save money by grocery shopping and also helps me choose foods I would normally eat and prepare. I’m a little bit of a control freak when it comes to food and eating out three meals a day for a week just wouldn’t work for me or my sensitive stomach. We bought the staples--eggs, yogurt, chicken, salad stuff, and I had packed some oatmeal and protein so I was happy!
I kept it pretty clean for breakfast and lunch which just leave more opportunities for delicious, local foods like CHIPS & GUACAMOLE
ROOF TOP TERRACE
My favorite feature of the condo was the rooftop patio and hot-tub. It felt pretty swanky to tan up there, listen to music, read, listen to music and workout in the mornings with great views and a breeze!
Drew made this awesome drone video from the hot tub
EXCURSION
For those of you who have visited the more touristy parts of Mexico, you are probably quite familiar with the crowds. I wasn’t--mostly because Drew tends to plan vacations that are a bit ‘off the beaten path.’ One reason I LOVED this excursion and could have passed on some of the Mayan ruins we saw was because we were the only ones here-- and after feeling slightly claustrophobic and selfie-stick beaten at some of the previous stops, it was extra appreciated.
Cenotes are basically underground or sunken pools that have been created from falling limestone exposing the water underneath. There are lots of them around Cancun and Tulum and we did some research on which one we wanted to check out even though they all had characteristics that made them unique and intgriguing.
When we arrived, we were asked to rinse off in some outdoor showers to keep the cenote water as clean as possible. Next, we headed down a long circular staircase into the ground beneath and it seemed like we kept going and going until it opened up onto a wooden dock and you could see the perfectly clear deep blue water and all the rock surrounding the pool. It was a little bit eerie in a way, but too beautiful to think about not swimming. We stripped down to our suits pretty quick and were swimming around in no time. It felt like we had found a secret amongst all the tourism in Mexico and we enjoyed it to the fullest.
In future posts, I’ll probably touch on some habits I try to stick with on vacation to balance the fun, food and festivities without abandoning health and fitness completely (here is one example). There is definitely a balance to be had and I think in the past I didn’t quite have that nailed down….it takes practice to figure out what works.
Does your schedule change in the Summer?
Yes! Glory, Hallelujah!
Ever been to Mexico?
Si.
Guacamole vs. Salsa?
That's so hard! Love them both, but if I could only ever have one-- GUAC!