Posted in Travel

Mexico Recap: Part 3 (the end)

Hola! I have one more post about Mexico. Post one was all about our first few days, and post two focused on our excursion to Isla Mujeres. Today, I’m wrapping up our last couple of days on vacay.

Thursday:

Before we went to bed on Wednesday night, I deemed Thursday as a lazier day. I just knew we’d need to sleep in a bit and most likely have less activity time just after such a busy day going to Isla Mujeres.

Well, Thursday was also Trav’s birthday!

We started the morning with coffee in the lobby bar.

Then, we hit up the buffet for breakfast with kids.

After breakfast, Travis and I hit the spa. So, one of the “perks” that was included in our “privileged” package was one hour at the spa for each adult. We decided to book our one hour to start off Trav’s birthday.

When we arrived, the sweetest lady escorted us to the locker rooms and gave us a towel. We each put our belongings in the locker and then met up outside of the locker rooms. We had the whole place to ourselves. She then escorted us to the sauna and suggested we stay in there fifteen minutes, but that she’d check on us…and she did. The sauna is not my fave, and I joked I wouldn’t last five minutes. That being said, I got used to it. She checked on us at around ten minutes, and we were good to get out.

Then, she had us dip in the small cold water pool before heading the steam room. Now, we love a steam room! Again, she suggested fifteen minutes, and we did stay in there the whole time. She checked on us a couple of times and added in mint to the steam. It was so nice and relaxing, plus we did have an ocean view.

After we left the steam room, she said we could get our phones and sunglasses if we wanted because we then got to hang out in the infinity pool for the remaining thirty minutes.

It was glorious.

On other days, from the beach, I could see people up in this pool and there definitely were some who were posing by the ledge and having their photos taken. The sweet hostess offered to take our photo…we did not sit and pose on the ledge. 😂

When our time was up, we headed back to the room and then to the beach for a bit. It was pina colada time, obviously!

Then, we split up for lunch. Travis and Hayden wanted burgers and pizza, and Hadley and I hit up the Mexican restaurant again.

After lunch, Hadley got another crepe! (and I had some ice cream)

Then, I went back to the beach for a bit while Travis hung out in the room and the kids swam in our pool.

After that, we got ready for dinner.

We stopped by the boardwalk for a few photos.

Then, while we waited for our table, I took a family’s photo, and they returned the favor. This view was so nice, and I’m glad to have the family photo for the memories.

We went back to the Grille because we enjoyed it so much on Sunday, and we wanted to treat the birthday boy right!

Honestly, I’d raved so much about the sea bass that both Hayden and Travis wanted to try it.

This time, our table was inside which was much cooler, and Hadley and I had a view of the ocean.

We all got dessert, and Travis picked cheesecake for his birthday dessert.

After that, we headed back to the room. Hayden swam a bit, and we all hung out and then went to bed.

Friday:

On our last full day, I had requested Beloved for breakfast. This is the place that had the avocado toast that I loved and the chocolate chip pancakes that the kids loved. Travis usually got eggs and bacon. Both times we had breakfast there, we got the fruit plate to share. There were items on there we were both familiar with with also new to us. Hayden did try the fruit on the left…he said it was “slimy but fruity” haha

Also, while we were there, I mentioned how we never made it there for lunch, so Travis suggested I go there on my own because….he took the kids next door to Planet Hollywood. They left around 11:00 for PH and just walked next door. They checked in at the front desk, paid the visitor’s fee, and got the bracelets for access to activities and meals.

I worked out (elliptical) and then hit the beach.

Once I got to my chair, I looked up and loved my view:

I started one more book:

Then, I did hit up Beloved for a solo lunch.

If this meal doesn’t say “last day at an all inclusive,” then I don’t know what does. I ate all the things. They brought the chips and guac with my drink. I ordered the gnocchi (my fave pasta!) and then couldn’t resist the lemon cake for dessert.

While I was eating, Travis texted me the only pic from their day there and said, “Happy Mother’s Day” 😂

Hayden was excited to try a burger from Guy Fieri’s restaurant.

After lunch, I went back to the beach for an hour or so. Since I knew it would be my last bit of relaxation time at the beach, I enjoyed it.

Then, around 4:30, I went back to the room to start getting organized for our return home on Saturday. I also went ahead and showered and got a bit of a nap in before Travis and the kids got back around 5:30.

They filled me in on the lazy river, slides, and restaurants, but Hadley did say she preferred our hotel. I’m glad we made the right decision.

We had a 7:30 reservation for dinner at the Hibachi place again. We all love hibachi and don’t go often at home, so we thought we’d hit it up again.

Our server was so sweet. He was so patient and gave Hayden a few lessons on using chopsticks. Hayden got the hang of it by the end.

After dinner, we walked around a bit and kids played in the game room for about 30 minutes.

The view of the lobby as we walked back to our room was so pretty.

Per evening tradition, Hayden swam a bit in our pool, and then we were all ready for bed by 10:00.

(By the way, on maybe the third night, I finally read the sign outside on our patio and said pool hours were from 8:00-8:00…I guess that’s the big pools and the private pools. It also explains why I never really saw anyone else in their pools while Hayden splashed around most nights. That being said, Hayden was my only night swimmer, and he was quiet…and never in the pool past 9:30. Truly, it was always so quiet at night by our building which was so great.)

Saturday:

Our flight wasn’t until 3:30 on Saturday, so we didn’t have to be in the lobby for our transportation until 11:30 or 12. While we were ready to head home, it was nice to ease into the day. We slept in, packed up, and then hit the buffet one more time for breakfast (and one last churro!)

Then, we went back to the room and made sure we had everything. We were only in the lobby for a few minutes before the van picked us up. The car ride to the airport was about an hour long.

Once we arrived at the airport and got to the check in, it moved so quickly. They had so many Nexus people scattered throughout the lines that they could look at passports, ask us questions, and keep us moving. Once we checked my bag, we headed through the security lines. That was definitely a bit more hectic, but it was fine. We had about 1.5 hours until the plane left, so we shared some sandwiches, hung out, bought some snacks and got ready to board the flight.

The flight took off on time, and the kids slept off and on most of the way. I did the same along with read my book.

We landed at 7:20, went through customs, waited on my bag, and then finished up in security/customs/bag check. Then, we went out to catch the shuttle to our car. It was probably 8:45 before we reached our car. It was a long travel day, but it went so smoothly. Everything was on time, and we hardly had to wait at any point.

As soon as we got in the car, we decided on Chick-fil-A for dinner #helloAmerica and Hayden asked for a country music station! CFA was probably our biggest delay of the day! It seemed to take forever to get our food. We were back in Lex by 10:30. Everyone was excited to see Homer. We unpacked a bit, showered, and were in bed around 11:30.

Homer got lots of snuggles on Sunday…and then Hadley headed to camp!

Shew! If you made it to the end of post #3, you’re the real MVP. Let me know if you have any questions! I’m happy to answer them…especially while everything is mostly fresh in my mind.

Also, did you see the reels I’ve posted on my Insta page? I decided it would be fun to figure out how to make reels as another way (besides these posts) to remember our trip. Hadley was very impressed with what I created…which is the real stamp of approval. haha I’m posting the third reel today! They were fun to put together.

These last few weeks of summer are kind of hectic (what’s new?). I will still be posting…but maybe just a tad bit more infrequently. We’ll see!

As the bellman said when we checked out, “¡Hasta luego!” When I said, “Adios,” he said that means we’ll never be back…”¡Hasta luego!” is better because it means, “See you later!” I loved wrapping up our trip with that sentiment.

Posted in Travel

Mexico Recap Part 2: Isla Mujeres

Hello!

Usually on Fridays I link up with Andrea and Erika to share all my favorites from the week, but instead, I’m going continue sharing about our Mexico vacation because it’s certainly a recent favorite for us.

I shared part 1 of our trip yesterday, and today I’m diving in to part 2.

Before we left for our trip, we had a few people tell us that we should ferry to Isla Mujeres, rent a golf cart and tour the island. So, Travis asked the front desk for information, and they actually had that excursion available that could be booked through them. So, Travis went ahead and signed us up for Wednesday. We thought that would be a good activity to break up our pool and beach time. It was $100/person and at first, I wondered if we should just get a cab to the ferry, get a golf cart, and do our own thing. Well, by the end of the day Wednesday, I was glad we paid for the excursion because it was such an amazing experience.

Wednesday:

Since we were to be in the lobby by 8:30, we decided to keep breakfast simple and go to the buffet. After breakfast, we went back to the room to get packed up for the day. I almost put sunscreen, towels, etc. in our beach bag, but then we decided to use both of the kids’ backpacks. That ended up being a great decision because we were on the go so much that day that it was easier to have our belongings on our backs than carrying a beach bag.

I hate sitting around all wet, so I did pack us all an extra swim suit in case we wanted to change at some point during that day. Again, I was glad that I did that.

A van picked us up to take us to the port. There were two other families in the van with us. At the port, all the workers spoke multiple languages. We heard Spanish, English, French, Italian and more! It was so neat.

After we got checked in, we had to wait a bit for the boats to be ready and for everyone to arrive. We chatted with one of the families from our hotel. They were from Canada and were so nice. Their kids were 15 and 19, and we ended up sitting by them on the boat to and from.

I wondered if any of us were the seasick type. We’ve all been on boats on the lake, but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever been on a boat in the ocean. Thankfully, we were all good!

Our boat’s name was Marathon which I thought was a fun name considering Travis and the kids like to run. I’d say there ended up being about six families on board (around 25 people) as well as the captain and four or five crew members.

The kids headed straight to the front of the boat. They were excited to see everything. Once we got moving and there was a breeze, I approved that decision. haha

After only about five minutes of sailing, it was time for the snorkeling. Travis didn’t really give me the details on this…but I put on my life jacket and snorkel and hopped right in the water. Seriously though, it all moved so quickly. The main tour guide told us to jump in and stay with the leader. One of the guys just swam holding a life preserver and we followed along…for probably a half a mile…we just kept swimming!

You didn’t have to snorkel, and some people did stay back on the boat.

I could tell the guide kept looking up to count and make sure he hadn’t lost any of the fifteen of us swimming. Hayden really took to the snorkeling, and if I ever needed to find him, I’d just look for the tour guide because he stuck close to him. We did see so many amazing fish and reefs. Also, towards the end, there was an “underwater museum” that had statues.

The boat had moved to pick us up after our 30 minutes of snorkeling.

Of course, there aren’t snorkeling photos but it was a great experience.

Once we got on the boat, we dried off, and got settled for the 45 minute ride to Isla Mujeres.

The water was stunning, and I probably have thirty photos on my phone that look just like this:

…and this…

The main tour guide was awesome. He was funny and knowledgeable. The other crew members continued to offer drinks and were just so kind and fun.

At one point, the tour guide told us to go stand at the front of the boat and he’d take our photo, and I couldn’t love this photo more.

….and then he told us to put our hands in the air! haha

Once we arrived at the Beach Club, the captain said he’d be back in two hours. Included in the ticket price was access to the beach club. We paid an extra $40 (or $50?) for the golf cart tour. So, those who weren’t doing the tour could hang out at the Beach Club, but otherwise, we followed one of the crew members who got us the golf carts and led the tour.

We drove for a few minutes to our first stop.

…which was stunning.

…another great photo op.

Then, we continued the drive and stopped about ten minutes later at Punta Sur. The tour guide told us we had about 15 minutes here.

So we snapped a few pics, and the kids got ice cream, and I got a coconut drink.

Then, we got back in the golf carts and drove around a bit more. Hadley and I were in the back of the golf cart, and had some of the best views as we continued the tour.

There were so many amazing houses with beautiful views of the ocean. We drove through a cemetery, and then ended the tour driving through parts of the town. We even saw some kids outside playing at school.

Then, we got back to the beach club and had about one hour to eat (the beach club buffet was included) and some beach time.

Hadley’s always up for a photo op!

The kids swam for about thirty minutes, and then it was time to get back on the boat.

Once we were settled on the boat, we had about a twenty minute drive to North Beach which apparently is the best part of the island. As we sailed there, the guide pointed out Ricky Martin’s house…or so he said!

We arrived at North Beach at 2:30, and had two hours at that stop. We all disembarked, and at first it was a bit hectic with all the people and shops. Our ticket included tequila tasting at the city center but we didn’t do that.

We walked a few blocks to a less crowded area of the beach. Again, the water was just so pretty and actually cool.

The water by our resort was warmer, and this Caribbean water was refreshing.

After about an hour in the water, we were hungry. Travis said he’d walk a bit to see if there was a good spot to get something quick to eat. Well, right in front of where we’d put our towels was the Playa Norte Beach Club. I laughed because only we would put our towels right in front of a beach club. #bouji

Anyway, we dried off and had about thirty minutes to get a drink and something to eat. Since we were on a time crunch, we just stuck with chips, salsa, and guac since that would be quick. It was so good.

Since we had to walk back to the boat and weren’t completely dry, Hadley and I changed our swimsuits, so I was glad I had the extra suit to wear under my cover up. Just more comfortable for the ride home.

We went back to the dock and boarded the boat for the ride back to port. It was about an hour, and it was so nice out. There were clouds, so we caught a break from the sun…and the kids even fell asleep!

We chatted with another family from Canada. They had two teenage girls, and were super nice. They told us they were staying at Planet Hollywood which was right next door to our resort. Travis had thought about taking the kids to another resort one day to do slides and other activities. They were so helpful with info about Planet Hollywood that Travis did end up taking the kids there on Friday.

Once we got back to the dock, we only had to wait a few minutes for our ride.

Once we got back, it was probably 6:00, and we took about an hour to cool off and swim in our pool and take turns showering.

We were tired but just kept chugging along. We were afraid if we napped, we’d never get up for dinner. haha

We decided to go to Beloved for dinner, and I couldn’t get over the sunset photos as we walked past the pools.

Then, as we arrived at the restaurant, this view stopped me in my tracks:

(and it’s now the screensaver on my phone!)

We got settled on the patio as the sun continued to set.

Hadley was excited to order the salmon (her fave) and I ordered the risotto. Both were so good. I can’t remember what Travis and Hayden ordered.

Unfortunately, while the view was pretty, for some reason, we were eaten alive and left with bug bites that lasted for days!

After dinner, we headed back to our room. It had been a wonderful but long day. We were ready for bed!

I’m so glad we took the trip to Isla Mujeres. I have a couple of friends who have said they stayed on the island on their trips to Mexico. If we ever get back, maybe we will have to look into that!

Weekly Recap:

I hope you have a great weekend. Next week, I’ll write one more post to wrap our trip. Thanks for following along!

Posted in Travel

Mexico Recap: Part 1

Hola!

Well, I had some time to sort through my photos and look at my notes in order to get started sharing about our vacation.

We were all so excited for this trip, and I’m glad we waited until early July. We were plenty busy in June, and now we still have some summer left after this vacation.

So, let’s get started…

Saturday:

We were up bright and early on Saturday to finish packing last minute items and hit the road for Cincinnati. Our flight actually didn’t leave until 12:30, but we left our house at 8:30. We hit up Starbucks for coffee and breakfast before starting the one hour 15 minute drive. We got our car parked and took the shuttle to check in. The line was pretty long for me to check my bag, but once it got moving, it was fine. Travis and the kids went on through security while I waited to check my bag.

I found them in terminal A, and we had a Subway sandwich while waited to board the plane.

Poor Hadley…our trip started off with some major tummy troubles for her…

…but we were excited to get on the plane.

Thankfully, everything was on time with no cancellations or delays. We were on a chartered flight, so maybe they were having less issues than the other bigger airlines?

Cincinnati to Cancun was a three hour direct flight. We all snoozed a bit, and I finished a book on my Kindle.

Hayden had the window seat and snapped this photo as we arrived:

We landed in Cancun around 3:30, and walked down the plane’s stairs directly to a tram that took us to customs. We got our passports stamped and headed to baggage claim (for just my bag *sigh*) After about twenty minutes, we got my bag and got in the chaotic line to turn in our forms for our stay in Mexico. Then we went outside to find our transportation. Nothing says vacay like a bar right by the transportation lanes. Travis snagged a beer, and we waited about 15 minutes for our van. We used a travel agent, and she set up the transportation through Nexus, and they were so efficient and helpful. We had a van all to ourselves for the 50 minute ride to …

Catalonia Grand Costa Mujeres

(Again, with the help of our travel agent, we narrowed down our choices to Catalonia and another resort…I believe it was Dreams, but we ended up showing both to the kids for their input. Dreams seemed to have a few more things like slides and lazy river, whereas, Catalonia had the private pool). A friend of mine told us to join Facebook groups for the places we were interested in, and Travis did that. The private pool was the determining factor for the kids. Again, both seemed like good choices, but in the end, we were very happy with our decision.

This was the view right when we walked in to the lobby…and the ocean can be seen there in the distance.

While Travis checked us in, I hung with Hadley who still wasn’t feeling well, and Hayden enjoyed a welcome drink! haha

Basically, this resort had four main buildings of rooms. The bigger pool (party like pool) was between buildings 1 and 2. Between buildings 2 and 3 was 5th Avenue with restaurants, shops, and often times the nightly entertainment. Then, the family pool was between buildings 3 and 4. Because of the Facebook group, Travis knew to request building 4, and I’m so glad he did. It was the perfect spot for us.

We even got lucky to be at the far end of building 4 with only one room between us and the boardwalk to the beach.

We were in a “Privileged Grand Family Suite and Swim Up.” Besides having enough space for all of us and the private pool, “privileged” status meant we had access to a couple of restaurants that others didn’t as well as the shaded area of the beach, one hour at the spa for each adult, percent off of some items, and a few other “perks.”

This is the view as you walk in the room. It ended up that my kids took turn on the bottom bunk and then the other slept on the pull out couch. That pull out couch was an added bonus that I didn’t realize we had. There was a sliding glass door on the right with access to the private pool. There were smart tv’s in the living room and main bedroom, but we never turned them on.

As you walk in, to the left is a huge area with space to hang clothes, cubbies, fridge, etc. To the right was a really big bathroom and then the bedroom. The bedroom also had a sliding door to the patio/pool.

The room key was on a wrist band. We all had wrist bands, but at first, only Travis and I had the key on them. After a couple of days, we had the kids get the wristbands with the keys.

We got settled, and then I lost Travis. Well, I found him at the poolside bar which was right by our room. How convenient. (That bar did close around 7:00, so it was never loud). He did bring me back my first margarita of the trip. He handed it to me, and said, “I don’t think it’s skinny!” haha We later learned, if you say, “no sugar,” you got a skinnier version of the marg.

We let the kids swim for a bit….

…and then I wanted to see the beach!

The boardwalk was steps from our room.

The sun was setting, so we stayed a few minutes before heading to dinner.

For most restaurants, you needed a reservation for dinner, but not the buffet, so that’s where we went for dinner. When we got there, we realized there was a private room for privileged guests which was a nice touch.

The buffet was so nice, and had so many options. An overwhelming amount of options. Hayden ate all the things, and Travis and I had tacos. #wheninrome Poor Hadley could barely finish her toast.

After dinner, we walked around to get acclimated…

lobby area

This is 5th Ave. where there are shops and restaurants.

We came back to the room, and Hayden swam for a bit. Hadley still wasn’t feeling well, and we all were asleep by 10.

Sunday:

Since we woke up pretty hungry, we just hit the buffet again…and that’s when I remembered how much I love a churro. Hadley woke up feeling 90% better, so we were all thankful for that.

Usually if we had the buffet for breakfast, my fave breakfast was just coffee, an egg, pineapple (and maybe a churro ;).

On the way back to the room, we realized that lizards and iguanas are all around the property. Throughout the week, we really only saw them in the morning, so we knew to be on the lookout…not that they would harm anyone…just didn’t want to step on one…or be startled.

We made our way back to the room and then went to the beach for a few hours. Travis and Hadley rented the kayaks and had a great time. Hayden and Hadley went back out for a bit too. It was a good activity for them. (Also, there was a kids club at this resort, but I think it went to age 12, and my kids were fine just hanging with us. Again, the private pool allowed them to swim while Travis took a nap or I read) Later in the trip, we found the game room…I do think the kids would have used it a bit had we found it sooner.

I started Emily Giffin’s new book…I read it in two days. Loved it.

Then, the kids wanted to check out the other pool. Now the bigger infinity pool with waterfall and a few other things was “Pool A”….but my friend who was there a couple weeks before us mentioned it as more of a “party pool”…later in afternoon…and that did seem to be true. (This pool also had activities in the morning like aerobics, games, and more) We were there until around 2:00, and it was fine. (Also, both pools closed around 8:00 every night) The kids had a great time, and then it was time to find lunch.

We ended up on 5th Ave. at a burger/pizza place. Travis and Hayden got burgers, and Hadley and I had a couple of slices of pizza.

After lunch, I went back to the room. We stopped by the bar at the family pool and got a couple of margs. They kids and Travis hung out in the family pool…and this was my view from our pool:

(peep Hadley doing a handstand. haha)

We had a 7:00 dinner reservation at the Grille. This was our view while we waited:

Travis and Hayden ordered steaks, I had the sea bass (so good! and one of the reasons we went back there a few days later), Hadley had Caesar salad and mashed potatoes. She loved every bite.

(All the restaurants had the QR code that you could scan, and then for the dinners, you always had appetizer, entrée, side, and dessert options that you ordered all at once. The “Executive” level people had a few extra menu items and a couple of extra reserved tables and an additional restaurant…I guess those are travel members/time share holders?) We never had an issue getting a reservation, but Travis stayed on top of it, and you could do your reservations two days in advance.)

After dinner, we headed to 5th Ave. for the nightly entertainment. (I will say that if you were staying in the buildings between 5th Ave, the entertainment was always over by 10:00, and some nights the entertainment was in the theater or by the lobby)

Monday : 4th of July

Monday was the 4th of July, and Travis and I got coffee at Beloved which was one of our favorite restaurants. You don’t need a reservation there, but it’s reserved for “Privileged” and “Executive” guests.

We had coffee with a view and then took the kids to the buffet (Hayden loved the buffet!) for breakfast.

The buffet was decorated in red, white, and blue which was fun…so was Hadley!

Travis had already been to the gym, so I decided to get my elliptical workout in while I actually felt like doing it.

Then, we had some beach time…

Travis and the kids went back to the “party” pool for a bit while I stayed at the beach and read my book. Of the four of us, I enjoy the beach the most. That being said, I don’t get in the water much…it’s more about the view and shade of palm trees while reading that means vacay for me.

Travis and the kids were back in the family pool chatting with a family we ended up seeing most every day. They were from San Antonio and had kids my kids’ ages. Hayden suckered Travis into buying a football, but that is what kept Hayden entertained in the pool…and they’d play with the other kids too.

While I got ready, the kids hung out in our pool before dinner.

We had 6:00 dinner reservations at the Mexican restaurant (Adelita). Needless to say, they make a good margarita and guac! I got the fajitas, and they were amazing.

After dinner, we went to the beach for about 30 minutes to watch the sun set, and snap and 4th of July family photo.

We sported our red, white, and blue in a lowkey way. 😉

Then, we went and watched the entertainment. It was USA themed with all kinds of popular songs, dance routines, and some of the dancers were dressed as Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, the Statue of Liberty and more.

Around 10:00, we headed back to the room. Right as we got in our room, I heard fireworks. Hadley ran outside, and we were able to catch a short fireworks display from the resort next door. It was brief, but it made my American heart happy!

Tuesday:

We started the morning with breakfast at Beloved. And…this is where I fell in love with their version of avocado toast (avocado “tostada”).

One thing I’m glad our travel agent told us to do was bring cash…mainly ones and fives to tip the bartenders, servers and cleaning staff and others. We didn’t have a single bad experience. Every server was friendly and made every effort to get our food out to us, refill drinks, and more.

More beach time…where I finished my book.

The kids had strawberry daiquiris…

…and then the weather turned iffy. These were the only rain clouds we saw all week.

….and there are all three of my people realizing maybe they should come in!

Right as they got out of the water, it down poured. We grabbed our stuff and headed straight to the kayak rental hut. After 15 minutes, the rain moved on and we went back to Adelita’s for lunch.

Tacos on a Tuesday…is there anything better?

Between pool A and 5th Ave., there was a crepiere that Hadley was dying to try. They served ice cream too, but both kids got Nutella crepes. This place was just open during the day, and there was also a couple of food trucks there too.

I went back to the beach and started my second book of the trip while the kids and Travis went to the family pool.

When we got back to our room, this is what we found:

(I had flashbacks to our honeymoon and seeing these fun towel displays) The kids thought it was so neat!

We had dinner reservations at the hibachi place (Ayami), and we sat next to a sweet family from Chattanooga. They had four young girls!

I chose sushi as my app, and it was so good. The chef provided wonderful entertainment while cooking our meal.

Then, we hit up the theater for the entertainment. The performers sang and danced to American songs through the decades. We enjoyed it…especially Hadley!

Well, that’s the first part of our trip! We really did have a great time, and with each day, we settled in and relaxed a bit more. We also became acclimated about where things were, restaurant options, reservations and more.

Thanks for hanging with me for all the pictures and details. I never know what others may want to know…plus, I want to remember what we did.

Part 2 will be all about Isla Mujeres. It was such an amazing experience.

See you back here tomorrow!

Posted in Friday Favorites, Travel

Friday Favorites {#120}

Hello! How was your week? Ours was amazing.

We spent our time at Catalonia Grand Costa Mujeres this week, and it was a wonderful family vacay.

I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorites.

Here are some favorites from the week:

I’m sure our Mexico vacay will be its own post (or 2?), but here are some fave photos from the week.

We flew out of Cincinnati on Saturday.

A margarita within a few minutes of check in to our hotel…

We had a private pool right next to the family pool which ended up being a perfect luxury on this trip.

The beach was only a few steps away from our room.

We celebrated the 4th of July in our (low key) red, white, and blue.

Daiquiris on repeat…

Tacos…on a Tuesday!

We took a boat (& snorkeling) excursion to Isla Mujeres.

The views were breathtaking.

The water was amazing.

The kids had so much fun.

Nothing beats sunsets at the beach.

Trav’s birthday was yesterday, and we spent some time at the spa.

Then, we celebrated with a birthday dinner at the steakhouse.

Hayden really embraced the all inclusive life, Hadley loved swimming and activities, Travis enjoyed “Mexican apple juice” (cerveza!), I read three books this week, and we all have sun kissed cheeks.

As always, we loved the family time, but we are ready to be reunited with Homer.

Favorite Mom Meme:

Even on vacay … 😂

Weekly Recap:

I had a full week of posts…

Not Just a Mom:

We have our NJAM link up on Monday.

This month’s topic is: family food traditions. We hope you’ll link up with us!

What do you have planned this weekend? I have a feeling re-entry will be rough for us. We’ll take the weekend to get back on track with all the things.

See you back here on Monday!