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We stayed at the NH Riviera Cancun resort, in "Riviera Maya." This resort area is just outside the town of Pueblo Morales, Mexico.
The forecast for the week included rain most of the week. We were a bit upset that it looked like the week could be such a washout. When we left Philadelphia, on Sunday January 24th, 2010, it was about 29 degrees F. We were treated to a beautiful 80 degrees when we landed at the Cancun airport at about 10am local time.
An Apple Vacations representative met us as soon as we stepped out of the airport with our bags. We were then whisked away on a tour bus to drop off other Apple Vacations tourists at their resorts. We were the last to be dropped off at our resort, but were only on the bus about an hour, but were at the resort by lunch time. Once we checked in, and got to our rooms, it was time to relax by the pool! I must say that relaxing was our number one priority for the week and we were ready to get started! The surf was really rough, and the beach was rocky. A bit disappointing, as we were looking forward to enjoying the ocean.
After a buffet lunch, quite a few pool side drinks, and a buffet dinner, we were ready to retire after as we were quite tired from the trip.
Monday: Forecast=Rain, Actual=Sun/Clouds with no rain, 80 degrees.
We booked two excursions with our Apple representative, Sergio, today. We will be going to Chitzen Itza, and on a snorkeling trip later in the week.
In the morning we had a great breakfast buffet, and relaxed by the pool for most of the day. The wait staff at this resort was very attentive most of the time, delivering drinks relentlessly.
The surf was much calmer today and Wayne and I decided to brave the rocky surf. We found it very difficult to even walk out into the ocean with all the 'brain coral' and rocks. We again were bummed that we couldn't use the ocean as we had anticipated.
It was today that we discovered the Sauza tequila bar next to the pool. There were about 6 or 7 bottles of Sauza tequila with different fruits, and peppers in the bottles. After trying most of them, we found that we liked the Lime flavor the best. Boy, was it fun trying them out!
Wayne and I tried out our snorkels in the pool today, to get ready for our snorkeling excursion later in the week. Great fun after much tequila!
For dinner today we ate at the Asian restaurant and called it an early night. So much relaxing really wears you out!
Tuesday: Forecast=Rain, Actual=Sun all day.
Today we lounged by the pool all day, yet again! What an enjoyable resort experience. Today we drank a ton of "Pink Lemonade." The sign said it had "Cramberry" juice in it. We laughed... regardless, of the contents, we enjoyed them. Our pool side server today was Eduard. He was great, and brought us drinks by the tray-full. All we had to do was tell him, "Quatro!" and he would bring us four drinks. What a guy!
At one point today, Wayne and I were at the swim up bar, getting drinks from Carlos, and I said, "Did you feel that, is it raining?" Wayne replied that he thought he felt a drop or two of rain as we swam up to the bar. Those were the only rain drops all week. Wow, were we lucky with the weather?!
Tonight we ate at the Mexican restaurant. There was a mariachi band playing and making their rounds from table to table. We had another nice evening.
Wednesday: Forecast=Rain, Actual=Overcast, but no rain, 77 degrees.
Today we went on our tour to Chitzen Itza to see the Mayan ruins. This was a very enjoyable trip that we all enjoyed. The vendors on the property would tell us, "Just one dollar", "Cheaper than Wal-Mart", "Almost free, cheaper on the way out." They didn't speak much English, but they sure knew how to try to rope you in to buy their wares.
On the Chitzen Itza site we were treated to a great lunch buffet, and some dancing where the ladies balanced Coke bottles, or serving trays on their heads while they danced. They were quite entertaining.
We also saw a cenote were people were diving and swimming. We just watched. We were back to the resort at about 7pm, and just ordered room service since we missed our Italian restaurant reservation. The weather was perfect for this tour since it was overcast, it made for perfect conditions. It was the "worst" weather all week! How fortunate we were!
Thursday: Forecast=Rain, Actual=Sun all day with no rain, 80 degrees.
Today we went on the "Mayan Adventures Snorkeling Trip." Guiper, and Cheeto picked us up right on time! They were great tour guides, and kept us safe and entertained all day! The snorkeling started at an open cenote where we enjoyed using the zip line and a platform to jump off of. There weren't many fish, but the cenote was interesting to see as it was our first snorkeling experience.
We were then off to a cave to do a little snorkeling there. We didn't see much marine life there, but it was a neat experience never the less.
After the cave, we had a great lunch buffet that was included with our tour. Nice! We were then off to our last snorkeling site that was south of Playa del Carmen, at a lagoon. Here we saw some colorful fish, and got to see the cooler fresh water mixing with the salt water from the bay. We also saw a sea turtle, and took a few fuzzy pictures with our cheap underwater 35mm cameras.
We were dropped off at the resort by mid afternoon, in time to get cleaned up and relax before dinner at the Asian restaurant. Our chef made our dinners in front of us on the grille. We were all disappointed that he didn't have as much enthusiasm as some of the other chefs at the restaurant. Oh well, dinner was enjoyable, and I tried seaweed for the first time, provided by another guest at our table.
After dinner we went to the courtyard to see the "Fuego" show where there were fire handling performers. We proceeded to again drink our fill of drinks and tequila shots from the bar. What an evening.
Friday: Forecast=Rain, Actual=Sun all day with no rain, 85 degrees.
Today we did something different... we lounged by the pool, and relaxed!
We ate dinner at "Senses" restaurant this evening. This was the most formal dinner of the week, although we were pretty casual most of the time. I think all of the relaxing was starting to catch up with us, and we retired early tonight.
Saturday: Forecast=Rain, Actual=Sun all day with no rain, 85 degrees.
Today was just like yesterday, lots of relaxing, and enjoying the pool. We also decided to try our luck with the ocean again. We hadn't even walked the beach due to the shells, coral, and rocks that we encountered early in the week. With many people in the water today we thought we had to at least try. What a difference a few days makes! There were almost NO rocks! We figure some of the smaller ones must have been washed away, and the larger ones covered by sand from the tides. Whatever the reason, we had a blast in the ocean. The ocean was warmer than the pool, by a few degrees, and the waves were great! What a great way to end a near perfect week!
Tonight we had a Mexican buffet dinner and enjoyed a show with authentic Mexican dancing and entertainment.
Sunday: Forecast=Rain, Actual=Cloudy, windy, rainy, 75 degrees.
Today we packed up our stuff and were whisked off to the airport by an Apple Vacations bus. We no sooner left the resort than it started raining. It actually poured. How fortunate that we had no rain until we left the resort! We arrived at the airport 2 hours before our flight time. We found our flight was delayed by 45 minutes, which left us plenty of time to grab some food at the Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Company. It was the most money we spent all week, as our dinner for 4 (2 hamburgers, and two orders of Chicken Fingers with Fries, and 4 drinks) cost us over $100 usd with the tip.
The flight home was fast, and uneventful, and we were greeted in Philadelphia by 23 degree weather, and snow on the ground. It was quite a difference from our week of 80 degree bliss.
We just can not say enough about how great our trip was, and how much we enjoyed the company of our friends. This trip would have been fun if it and been just the two of us, but it was just out of this world with Wayne and Nancy. We are so fortunate to have such great friends! We can't wait for our next vacation together!
244 files, last one added on Feb 07, 2010
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