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.