Cancun part duex

After returning from Cozumel, we settled ourselves in at the JW Marriott in Cancun for a full week of more relaxing and soaking up some much needed sunshine. The weather was a lot more cooperative this week with only a couple occasions of rain in later day/evening. We had a very spacious one bedroom suite with ocean front view. While we don't usually like our room being located near an elevator, in this case we were happy because this elevator took us right down to the pool and beach without much fuss and wasn't highly used. The beach here had a bit of seaweed residue and had a bit more shells mixed in the white sand. The water here was warm, crystal blue but the waves were bigger and more constant and the shoreline dropped off into the ocean more quickly than the beach at the Royalton. Z had a blast in the ocean here, whereas I was more comfortable at the shore. 

Because the JW is not an all-inclusive, we decided to check out a couple offsite restaurants within walking distance from the hotel. The first was Rosa Negra, and unforgettable experience. The restaurant is massive with some indoor seating but the favoured seating is outdoors on their wooden terraces that sit above the Nichupté lagoon. Rosa Negra is the place to go for great Latin American cuisine and a good time. It's got a good vibe with live music, and every night they have a fire and light show along with a fireworks show. We got a great table with a great view of the incredible fire and light show. Our waiter was super attentive and helpful in helping us select food and some wine. Just after the fire and light show and just as our dinner was about to arrive, we felt a couple rain drops and then all of a sudden the sky opened up. They ushered us under cover and quickly found us a table inside and we got repositioned for the rest of our dinner. The rain lasted probably 10 minutes or so. After dinner, we were ushered back outside so we could watch the fireworks show before dessert, which came with sparklers and the waiters singing as we celebrated our anniversary. This restaurant likes to party and seems like everyone who eats there is celebrating some sort of special day. It was a really fun night, with great food and entertainment. Our other restaurant excursion was on a recommendation from a co-worker. Puerto Madero, also situated on the lagoon side, is a fish & steak house, located a short walk from the hotel. This restaurant originated in Buenos Aires and certainly has South American influence in its menu and wine list. We enjoyed a lovely meal at our outdoor table...there's something about outdoor dining which just makes the whole experience that much better. Unfortunately the service wasn't the greatest here with our waiter disappearing for an extended period of time that made us decide to end our meal after our main course. 

At the JW we enjoyed our daily breakfast on the outside terrace. The waiters here were fantastic and super friendly and helpful. We also ate at the Italian restaurant twice because the food was so amazing and they also had live music with a couple very talented local musicians. It was at this restaurant that we also enjoyed a complimentary wine tasting and again got to sample some Mexican wines, one of which we enjoyed so much that we ordered a bottle with our dinners. We were also going to partake in a tequila tasting offered in the lobby bar, but one of the staff told us that we should instead go to the shopping area attached to the hotel where we could get a free tequila tasting. At first, we didn't think this was true and was probably a scam, but we walked over and in fact learned it was true and not a scam. We went later in the evening and ended up having a private tequila tasting because no one else was around. We got to sample some local distilleries' tequila instead of the typical mass produced tequila. We learned a bit about how tequila is made from the agave plant, the aging process, and the difference between blanco, resposado, and anejo. My palate favoured either the resposado or anejo the most, as I found them the smoothest depending on the brand. We also got to sample some flavoured tequila. My favourite flavoured tequila was coconut, with coffee a not too distance second. Needless to say, we came home with some tequila so I will be sipping on tequila night after night.....

We booked a boat tour through Viator that took us to Isla Mujeres and Isla Contoy with a  snorkelling stop at the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef; the largest barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere, stretching for 625 miles along the coasts of Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. Where we snorkelled the reef was in the middle of the ocean so we had to contend with the choppiness of the water which at times made it a bit challenging but aside from that you had an unobstructed view of hundreds of different fish species everywhere you looked. From here we then travelled on to Isla Mujeres - Island of Women. The island is tiny, only about 7km long and 0.65km wide. It's easy to walk around and the motorized transportation on the island are golf carts. The downtown area is filled with shops and restaurants. For such a tiny island, I was amazed at the amount of restaurants. Our tour included lunch at our next stop, otherwise we would have eaten here with the biggest decision being which restaurant. One of the most beautiful beaches I've seen in my life, Playa Norte is located on Isla Mujeres. The sand at this beach is the finest, of white fine sand, and the water is so clear and warm, with the ocean floor ever so gently sloping that you can walk fairly far out from the shoreline before the water gets deep. It was a shame we didn't have more time here. Our tour took us to Isla Contoy next, which is about 30km north of Isla Mujeres and can only be accessed via boat. Isla Contoy is the smallest island in Mexico and was declared a national park in 1988 by the government. It is a protected natural reserve that is a sanctuary for roughly 152 different bird species. For this reason, the amount of visitors are restricted to about 200 each day. The island is uninhabited and it is forbidden to leave anything but footprints on the island. You are even not allowed to wear sunscreen while on the island for fear of the damage it will cause to the ecosystem. We did a walking tour of the island which took us to the highest point of the island and it was from there that we saw a shark swimming along the edge of the island, thankfully the other side of the island from where our boat was docked. It was during this island tour where we (more me than Z) were eaten alive by mosquitoes...our guide did warn us, but nothing could prepare us (me) for the aftermath. It was really awful, so much so that I had to treat the bites with vinegar afterwards to keep me from scratching them and avoid infection. After our stop at Isla Contoy, we headed back to Cancun with the crew serving up some tequila, beer, and water to keep the guests in a great mood as we took in the beauty of the ocean around us. All in all, the tour was great; good value for money and highly recommended. The crew was fantastic, the stops were great and we did luck out with the weather too; nothing but clear blue skies. 

Another reason for heading to Mexico when we did was to attend Z's cousin's wedding which had been postponed a couple times due to Covid. We weren't entirely sure it was going ahead when we originally booked this trip, but we were very happy that it went ahead while we were there and we could attend. The wedding was held at a different resort about a 20 minute drive from ours. The ceremony was being held on the beach and had a beautiful set up. Just as the bride was about to walk down the island, the dark clouds that were passing overhead decided to open up and the rain started. All the guests quickly ran for shelter and we waited it out for the 10 minute rain shower to pass. And as quickly as the rain started, it ended and the wedding took place. It was a beautiful ceremony and a great reception and party after. We're so very happy we could be part of this special day. 

After the wedding, we had another three full days of relaxation time before we needed to make the journey home. During this time, we had to take our Covid test to ensure we were Covid negative before boarding our flight. The hotel helped us arrange for the test and had someone come to our room to administer the test. We both had negative results which was a relief. After two weeks and a few days in Mexico, unplugging, relaxing, rejuvenating, and soaking up the sun our trip was done and we made our way back home. After two years of cancelling trips because of Covid restrictions with international travel, this trip was good for the soul. It came at a good time because shortly after we returned another new variant appeared that put the world on edge and putting travel advisories in place again and we feel very fortunate we had this opportunity to travel. 

Who knows what the future holds for travel, but the travel bug is alive and well and hoping to be able to explore again soon. To travel is to live....life is good.  

Cozumel

Considering we travelled all the way to Cancun during Covid, we made sure that our trip was going to be long enough to make it worth the effort. All in, we stayed for just over two weeks and decided to break the trip up a bit. After our stay at the Royalton Chic, our next destination was Cozumel. Z found a very reliable car shuttle service that we ended up using throughout our trip and so we had a private car drive us to Playa del Carmen where we caught the ferry over the Cozumel. The weather was still hit and miss and we were unlucky in that our ferry ride was quite rocky on the choppy weather which made it fairly unpleasant for Z. Towards the end of the ride, I too was feeling like it was time to get off the boat, and thankfully we docked shortly thereafter. The ferry over to Cozumel is roughly 20-30 minutes depending on the boat and weather conditions and ferries run pretty much hourly every day. 

While the beaches in Cancun are great for swimming, there isn't really any good snorkelling to be had...enter Cozumel. This small (448 sq meters), flat island is known for its great snorkelling and diving spots because of its surrounding diverse ecosystem of coral reefs. Large parts of the island are covered with mangrove forest, some of which we had a great view of from our hotel room. We arrived mid week and quickly discovered the island was about to be overrun with athletes. The 2021 Ironman Cozumel competition was being held the day after our departure day back to Cancun. Until we arrived, we had no idea this was going on and had we known, perhaps we would have planned our trip a little differently so we could be there for the race. Needless to say, the atmosphere on the island was filled with excitement and soon turned into witnessing a bunch of ironman athletes perform their tampering swims, rides, and runs. While I'd never compete in an Ironman, it was inspiring to see these athletes and helped inspire us to get a 10km run in one morning. 

We stayed at the Westin, which is about a 10-15 minute drive from the ferry. We (Z) picked this hotel because of the snorkelling right off the beach. Here we also booked an ocean front room and were upgraded to a corner room with wrap around balcony. The room was very spacious, well appointed with an amazing ocean view. The beach here was quite smaller in space than our first hotel in Cancun, and it was a lot more rocky than the white fine sand that I got spoiled with at first. There were plenty of loungers though to relax and soak in the sun and views. The hotel wasn't that busy at first, but later in the week, a bunch of Ironman athletes arrived, though they pretty much trained every day and didn't really hang out by the beach so we never had any trouble finding a prime spot to sit. The snorkelling at this hotel is pretty awesome.  You could literally stick your head in just past the water's edge and start seeing the abundant marine life. The shoreline is lined with corral and rocks and this is where the many fish hung out. Swimming around the dock towards the shoreline by the restaurant building provided the more of a view of the diversity of the marine life. While out on one of his solo snorkelling adventures, Z saw a stingray. He followed it for awhile before the stingray scurried off. Not sure how I would have reacted to seeing this mammoth ray. Well, let's be real I would have panicked and freaked out even though I know they are not aggressive unless provoked.

We wanted to explore Cozumel a bit and decided to rent a car one day. Driving around the island is fairly easy as there is only one road that takes you around the whole island so the chances of getting lost are fairly slim. We were staying in the northwest part of the island and thought it would be cool to drive to the east coast and then south to Punta Sur Eco Beach Park. Along the way we stopped at one of the many playas, but adhered to the warnings we read about not swimming or snorkelling on the east coast because of the unpredictable undertows and we didn't want to end up on an unintended trip to Cuba. We enjoyed a fresh lemonade while enjoying the beach for a bit before hitting the souvenir shops before heading back on the road.  Destination.... south. we actually drove a good part of the bike and marathon route for the Ironman and it looked like an absolutely breathtaking course. Punta Sur is the southern point of Cozumel and is part of a 247-acre ecological park made up of pristine beaches, reefs, lagoons, and forest. There is an entrance fee to the park, which allows you to hang out at one of the many beach clubs, gives you access to tour the lighthouse and nautical museum, as well as the lagoon which has a crocodile observation area and is great for bird watching. We started at one of the beach clubs with Z going snorkelling to the reef which was quite a ways out, too far for my liking so I stayed back. After his extended snorkelling adventure, where he once again saw a stingray, he returned quite giddy telling me all about the variety of fish he saw. Shortly after his return, the sky opened up and the rain came down so we hunkered down under cover at the beach club restaurant and had some lunch. It was here where we noticed that there was a family of wild racoons hanging around looking for food scraps. While it was a bit strange to have racoons roaming the beach, they didn't really bother us and weren't aggressive. Not too long after we cleaned up from our swim time, the rain mostly stopped and we made our way to the lighthouse and nautical museum before stopping in at the crocodile lookout. It was a little nerve racking walking on the wooden walkway over the lagoon knowing that it's highly likely that right beneath you is a crocodile waiting in wait. We got a good up close look at these giant reptiles with one not afraid of showing off its teeth. The bird watching at this lagoon is quite amazing as well. 

Overall we had an amazing, relaxing stay on Cozumel and before we knew it, it was time to take a ferry back to the mainland and chill out in Cancun for another week. It's a lot more laid back and relaxed on Cozumel with less hustle and bustle, but I guess we did mostly stay at the hotel property and didn't witness the influx of tourists when the many cruise ships came to port for the day. San Miguel (aka downtown) then was probably busy and crowded. Thankfully the ferry ride back was a lot smoother than the ride over and we sat in the blazing sun on the top deck listening to the live music playing below. 

Cancun

The Royalton collection was recently brought into the Marriott chain. We stayed at the Royalton Chic, an adults only all-inclusive that was fairly recently renovated. As part of Z’s loyalty we got upgraded to their Diamond Club which gave us a special check-in service, a personal butler, and a designated beach area with buffet lunch service, and pool with pool bar serving more premium alcohol than the other bars. You get a discrete wrist bracelet that doubles as your room key which was really cool because now we didn't have to always make sure we had our key with us. After awhile though we seriously started thinking it tripled as a tracker device because our butler, Sergio, would randomly show up where we were at times to check in on how we were doing. The one time that made us really suspect this was while we were sitting in the hallway by the elevator waiting for our room to finish being cleaned and he just popped out of the elevator asked if everything was OK and then left when we said yes. Outside of that strange encounter, Sergio was great in helping us book things, making sure we had everything we needed and even surprised us on our last night with a special treat to celebrate our anniversary, even though it was his day off. 

We booked an ocean front room with balcony. The room was quite large, with a king sized bed, seating area with couch, and a pretty awesome rain shower. The ocean view from the room was  amazing and at night, when all the day time noise was gone, you could hear the waves crashing the shoreline; such a calming sound. As part of the Diamond Club you receive a complementary bottle of alcohol, which turned out to be a bottle of Canadian Club (rum), which we thought was quite funny considering Mexico is known for tequila. We also had a very nice bottle of Spanish Chardonnay and a plate of fresh fruit waiting for us when we arrived. It’s possible this additional welcome surprise had a little to do with us mentioning we were celebrating a milestone anniversary. But, I guess we'll never know...

The weather was a bit hit and miss during our stay at this hotel, but we usually got a few hours of uninterrupted sunshine each day. The sun usually dried things up pretty quick after the rain showers, and even went it rained it was still warm outside. 

Cancun is known for its party atmosphere and this hotel certainly catered to that with a themed party event every day. Typical of an all-inclusive hotel, there were plenty of activities to partake in if you wanted to. We enjoyed a few beach volleyball games, but mostly ended up chillin' on the beach or cooling off in the ocean. We checked out the evening entertainment each night, which often involved local talent and ended up as a dance party. On our last evening here, the weather finally cooperated for the evening entertainment outside and they brought in a very talented cover band. The staff did a great job in ensuring guests enjoyed themselves. It's here that we discovered that in addition to tequila, Mexico also produces wine. We did a wine tasting and got to sample a couple Mexican wines which blew us away; we had no idea. As we learned more about their wine production, it started to make a lot of sense given the climate in Baja California, their wine country. If only they marketed or exported this little gem a bit more. 

While we certainly made the most of the all-inclusive drinks, we also enjoyed the different restaurants on site. First, the breakfast buffet...OK, I was a bit hesitant with the whole buffet idea during Covid, but they did a really good job with it. Guests were required to wear a mask when getting their food (which we both think should be a requirement permanently at any buffet), they regularly swapped out the serving utensils, and had a lot of staff serving at different stations which reduced touch points. They served a wide variety of foods here, from your typical 'American style' breakfast items to traditional Mexican dishes. The fresh fruit was amazingly tasty and like always I couldn't get enough of the papaya. That and beans with rice were the staples on my plate each morning. Each evening we tried one of the four different a la carte restaurants: Agave (Mexican); Jade (Asian); Grazie Italian Trattoria (Italian), and Hunter Steakhouse. I think we agreed that all but Jade had really good food. As part of Grazie, they had a take-away pizza window which we discovered where they baked fresh made pizza to order. 

The beach at this hotel by far was the beach of all the different beaches on this trip. It's exactly the type of beach you envision when dreaming of the Caribbean.The fine white sand was soft, clean, and never got too hot to walk on, and the turquoise water was crystal clear and always warm. The water was fairly shallow for a long ways out here, which made it easier for me to navigate the waves. It was great for bobbing without getting toppled over by crashing waves. We were quite lucky with the timing of this trip because we missed the seaweed problem that has been plaguing the Yucatán coastline in recent years. 

If we're ever back in Cancun, this is certainly a hotel to consider again, not only because of the adults only nature, but the atmosphere, the food, and the beach being the topper to it all. 

Wait….what? We’re leaving on a jet plane….

It’s been almost two years since we last boarded a plane for a vacation to Rome. So much has happened in the world and our lives since then and while we’ve had some good local roads trips these last two years (this year’s being cut short due to devastating forest fires), it feels a bit surreal that we’re heading to Mexico for vacation. Covid-19 has really impacted the world, changed how we may view things, and changed how we operate. Will we remember the routine of packing and flying? I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to being a bit apprehensive to the idea of flying and heading to a foreign country, but our travel date came closer I started getting really excited and realized how much I actually missed travelling abroad.  I had not allowed myself to think about that much in the last two years. 

We were originally booked to travel to Mexico 18 months ago but Covid-19 hit and plans got cancelled and for the longest time were uncertain when we’d be able to go. We decided earlier in the year that we’d re-book for November (a favourite time for us to go on a sun destination vacation) with all cancelable reservations and just see how things played out. As our travel date approached, with still a bit of worry in my mind, I felt my excitement build and started to realize this was actually going to happen.  Shortly before our departure, the non-essential travel advisory was lifted, and that helped my mental state too. Time to dig out and dust off the old packing list, but wait it needs updating to include things masks, extra supplies of wipes…actually aside from adding wipes the packing list already included wipes and hand sanitizer. 

So what changed on the travel front? A bit of extra pre-travel paperwork, understanding Mexico’s entry and exit requirements, and making sure we had proof of our vaccinations on hand. At the airports and on our flights masks were required to be worn, and while a bit of an inconvenience, it really wasn’t that bad. Outside of a couple extra wipe downs of our plane seat areas, a bit fewer interactions with flight attendants, a few more pre-packed items and perhaps a few less service items, the flight experience was really good. The feeling of anticipation flooded back quickly. 

Before we knew it we landed in the warm tropical sunshine of Mexico, but first we had to cue up for the long immigration line….it felt like at least 3-4 planes arrived at the same time because the cue was crazy. There are no Covid-19 entry requirements required outside of completing a health questionnaire. Most everyone in the immigration cue respected the mask wearing signs but staying socially distant was nonexistent. We got through our line in about 20-30 minutes and then we waited and waited and waited some more before our luggage showed up.  That took a good 40 odd minutes, guess too many planes arrived at once and not enough staff or just completely disorganized; the real reason we’ll never know. We had arranged a ride to our hotel and after some searching for the company representative with some help of a random stranger, we were on our way to hotel one, the Royalton Chic all-inclusive adults only resort on the Cancun hotel strip.