Mexico - Day 2

After a fabulous afternoon parasailing, Mommikins and I headed back to the resort. I think we tried La Toscana (Italian) for dinner that night... looking back days are starting to run into one another! While La Toscana was very good for breakfast and pretty good for lunch, dinner was a miss for us. Mom devoured her lambchops but says she wouldn't order them again. I had chicken parmigiana with a side of fettucini alfredo. The coating on the chicken was as thick as the meat itself and not crispy and the fettucini? Ugh. Our advice? Definitely eat here for breakfast everyday, lunch when you're at the resort but skip the dinner offerings. Onto the fun stuff...

Day 2 in Mexico had us signed up to do the first thing Mommikins had said she wanted to do when we began planning our trip - ziplining! Neither of us had ever been before so we eagerly booked a half day with Selva Maya Eco Adventures which included ziplines, wall climbing, rappelling and swimming in a cenote. 

We had to arrange our own transportation which turned out to be no problem whatsoever as there's a kiosk at the resort where you can arrange all your taxi needs. We arranged to hire our own driver, Sergio, for five hours. Far more comfortable than the transport vans many companies used. I think we even arrived in record time considering how fast he was going - sometimes its not a good thing to be able to see the speedometer. 

All geared up and ready to go!

Our group was small yet again - maybe 12 of us in total including a couple of Australians, a few Americans (including a very nice couple from Oregon), and four folks from France. They crammed everyone into two 6 seater Polaris vehicles but Mommikins and I had the honour of driving in a tiny dune buggy with the fabulous Cesar. I'd say it was a 3-seater but there was really only one actual seat! Holding on for dear life, we roared off into the jungle and whipped through every puddle we could find (and Cesar found a lot). With no sides or top to the buggy, we were soon coated in mud from the waist down - my backpack still has mud on it. 

We all got fit for our gear and suited up ready to fly through the trees. After a short walk through the jungle, we climbed up the first platform and were introduced to the first obstacle - a double slatted suspension bridge. Just a hint: while your instinct will be to walk down the middle, its actually more stable and it'll be easier to cross on one of the outsides. Mom was up first. You can see her in the video below starting across. You can ALSO see the muy caliente Luis helping her get started. 

Give 'er Mommikins!

EDIT: the video doesn't seem to be working above so CLICK HERE if you want to view.

Unfortunately, Mom lost her footing about half way across and Luis (yum) had to go out and help her to the other side. While we weren't really high up, it still shook Mom pretty badly. We took a bit of a breather at the start of the next platform which was the first zip line. You could hear the rest of the group screaming in excitement as they flew down the line and further into the jungle. However, the slip on the suspension bridge was too much for Mom and she didn't feel up to it so we headed BACK ACROSS the suspension bridge, with Luis' help (hmmmm, was that the plan all along?!) and back to the ground. There was another opportunity to join up with the zipline half way through but she was still feeling wobbly. She was happy to let me go on without her but this was her adventure so we stuck together and rode in the polaris to the end point to meet up with the rest of the group.

The "waiting area"

The end of the zip lines is a short walk from the climbing wall. I took one look at this wall and laughed. There was no way I was going to get my plus-sized self up there. Mom gave it a good try but didn't get more than a couple of hand holds up either. Neither of us was too keen on the rappelling portion so we watched and cheered the rest of our group on.

The rappelling ends on the platform in the picture below right beside a cenote. It was gorgeous but we didn't end up swimming here. Instead we headed out to get changed and swim in two other centoes a short walk away. 

Both were underground and the water soooooo cool and refreshing. If you go to Mexico (Yucatan), you MUST swim in one. My favourite was the second one we visited. You had to crawl down an extremely steep ladder into a hole barely big enough to fit into. However, once you made it through the opening, you were greeted by a wide open cavern lit by lights they've installed; stalactites and stalagmites hundreds of years old if not older dripping down or poking up through the water. I could have floated there for hours. They even gave us flashlights to explore with so you could see all the formations and fish underwater and the bats in the ceiling; although neither of us thought to bring our waterproof cameras along...argh! We finished off our day with a lovely taco lunch (pork/chicken) and then back to Sergio waiting for us at the entrance. 

If you're looking for a great, fun day out, definitely book a morning or afternoon with Selva Maya Eco Adventures. We had a wonderful time even if we didn't end up doing most of the activities. Everyone on the crew was extremely friendly and we had a blast. Perfect for families too! 

Plus.... Luis. 'Nuf said.

Mexico - Day 1

We arrived in Mexico around 630ish the night before and didn't get in to the resort until around 8, grabbed a quick bite of completely forgettable food at the "International Buffet" before heading back to our rooms and sleep. 

SIDE NOTE: we NEVER went back to the Int'l Buffet again, not even for breakfast. My suggestion if you're visiting Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, stick to La Toscana (the Italian restaurant) for breakfast and lunch, and visit La Riviera (Mediterranean), Los Lireos (Steak / Fish), Fogo de Brazil and El Templo (Asian) for dinners. TRUST ME. Or even better, venture off resort to somewhere local and get some delicious Mexican fare!

Mommikins and I spent the morning of our first day getting acquainted with the resort, figuring out where our rooms were in relation to restaurants, lobby, the beach. A quick lunch and then we were picked up for our first adventure - parasailing! We had booked all of our excursions prior to leaving Canada to ensure we were able to do everything we wanted and I'm glad that we did. Through Trip Advisor / Viator, we went with some smaller companies that ensured a more personal experience than the large tour companies the resort was recommending. For our parasailing experience, we went with Parasail Cancun.

They picked us up early (yay!) and we were the only ones in the van, so we settled in comfortably for the almost hour long ride to Cancun. We didn't think much of it, figuring we'd meet our fellow adventure seekers at the dock. Were we in for a surprise! Turns out, we were the ONLY ONES to book a parasailing trip that morning. With a fabulous crew of three headed by Captain Leo, we set out onto the ocean alone. It was fabulous! 

The view from the shore (Punta Norte location in Cancun)

I have to say, if you're going to visit the Yucatan / Mayan Riviera, go in late January / early February. A common theme for our excursions as you'll see in upcoming posts was the very small group size. I don't think for any excursion there was more than 10 of us at a time. I digress.... (get used to it).

It didn't take long to get to a spot far enough off shore to send us up into the air. We climbed onto the platform at the back of the boat after getting strapped into safety harnesses, and were clipped onto a bar attached to a giant smiley-faced parachute fluttering behind the boat. Before we knew (or could prepare ourselves) we were swooped up by the air filling the chute and began climbing into the sky! Now, our family isn't all that great with heights and neither Mommikins or I enjoy carnival rides all that much so its a bit of a wonder why we originally chose to do this. However, once we got up in the air, the lurches in our stomachs were well worth it. The view of the ocean from 90 metres up is breathtaking.

Photo courtesy of Parasail Cancun (go ahead, buy the photo/video pkg when they ask you)

Because we were the only two customers, they let us stay up for double the amount of time we normally would have had - a full 20 minutes of flying time! WOOOOO! Mommikins took a little longer to become comfortable in the air but eventually settled in. They had hooked up us with a walkie talkie to let them know when we were ready to come down. We did try to use it a few times but they either couldn't hear us or chose to ignore us so were pretty much at their mercy. Again, totally worth it! 

It was a great experience and it get the opportunity to give it a try, DO! As you can see from the picture of Mom below, she had an awesome time. Either that or she was just so excited to be back at sea level... 

Mommikins loves the ocean. Or she's making google-y eyes at Pedro who's behind me...

¡Hola amigos! ¡Bienvenido a Mexico!

Mommikins and I recently took a much anticipated trip to Mexico and returned to a massive deep-freeze. Hell has truly frozen over... There will be a series of posts outlining what we did over the course of our week in Mexico, including pictures, but first I thought I'd share some general thoughts on our resort, the flights, the people, etc. Let's dive in!

This fellow is there to greet you at the entrance when you arrive.

So, we booked our all-inclusive through WestJet Vacations. Friends of ours and some family have been to the Sandos Caracol Eco Resort a few times previously so we figured we'd give it a go. The price was good, it included everything (except excursions) and we had the "family and friends" recommendation. I'd never flown WestJet before so I was looking forward to seeing what all the hype is about. They consistently seem to get positive comments on Twitter and other friends have said good things about them. TBH, I wasn't overly impressed. 

To be fair, I don't really have anything to complain about overall but I frankly didn't see why everyone seems to praise them when comparing to Air Canada. I will say, I felt a bit nickle and dimed during our trips there and and back (had to pay for food on the plane - 6 hour flight) and they charged me $60USD to check a second bag on the return trip home. Meh. They also don't have screens in the back of the seats anymore so I couldn't check on our flight progress (no, I didn't download the WestJet App in advance). Anyways, I wouldn't go out of my way to fly them again but if that's how to get my all-inclusive deal again, I'll do it. 

Coati everywhere! Adorable raccoon-like animals roaming all over the resort. Just don't feed or try to cuddle. See the claws?

Onto the resort, Sandos Caracol Eco Resort near Playa del Carmen. We weren't familiar with the area or whether it was better to stay in/near Cancun versus Playa but we lucked out. It was perfectly located for most of our excursions - half went north towards Cancun and half went south towards Tulum so travel time balanced out. After having driven through both towns/cities, I'm happy to stay outside both. The resort was very nice but seemed heavily oriented towards the family guests. They do have an "Adults Only" portion of the resort but from the volume of the music coming from that area, it wouldn't have been a good fit for us. The rooms were a good size (we each had our own) although both had a very strong mildew/mould smell to them. Don't get me wrong, they were both clean and well kept but let's face it - you're in a tropical location, right near the ocean; its extremely humid; they were located on the ground floor; and the air conditioner is going pretty much 24/7. The staff at the resort are extremely friendly and helpful. They put up with our very badly pronounced Spanish with plenty of smiles and despite the numbers of people coming and going every day, many of the staff recognized us immediately. 

The resort has lots to offer if you don't want to venture off site, however as I mentioned much of it seems family-oriented including a petting zoo with rescue animals including this sassy sow who kept trying to show the donkeys who the boss was (hint: it was her).

Despite getting the goods from family and friends not to miss the Saturday Fire Show, we ended up not making it to ANY of the shows Sandos had to offer. To be fair, they don't start until 8 or 8:30 and after a long day in the sun, swimming in the ocean or driving dune buggies through the jungle, we were exhausted and in bed, usually asleep by this time (sorry Sian!). The only late night either of us had was on Superbowl Sunday where Mommikins stopped by the theatre for a drink and to catch a bit of the game on the big screen.

In addition to the petting zoo, the resort has peacocks roaming the grounds. Gorgeous. Also, ducks, raccoons and a plethora of gorgeous kitties. They wander around and really REALLY don't enjoy it when you try to pet them. However, if you happen to eat at the Brazilian restaurant (Fogo de Brazil) one night, chances are one or six of them will join you, hoping to catch a bite. The resort does feed them but let's face it. If you had a choice between kitty kibble and Brazilian BBQ on a Stick, which would you choose?

She NAILED it - Classic over the shoulder red carpet pose.

I'm the last person anyone should ask "How was the food?" when I get back from vacation. I'm a notoriously finicky eater, especially when it comes to meat so chances are my response will be something like "It was alright but nothing to write home about" and that's a positive review. I had a few good meals while we were in Mexico but nothing spectacular. Mommikins had some great seafood at Sandos' La Riviera restaurant (Mediterranean cuisine, right on the beach) and we both had the most tender steak imaginable at Los Lireos, the Steak and Fish Club which is part of the Elite section of the resort. You could literally cut it with a butter knife, including mine which was well done. My only negative - it was quite fatty compared to what we are used to getting here. Other than that, it was quite enjoyable (WAY better than that horrible steak we had in Hawaii a few years ago).

The absolute best thing I ate at the resort (I'll talk about another DELICIOUS lunch in one of the excursion posts) was a banana crepe dessert at Fogo de Brazil on our last night in Mexico. Sauteed in rum or some other alcohol, it was so amazing I'm surprised I got a picture of it before I devoured it. The only part I didn't eat was the blackberry (not a huge fan) but it didn't go to waste - Mommikins ate it.

Its difficult but try to not lick the screen...

Unlike pictures of some of the resorts we looked at, Sandos had trees everywhere. Going down some of the side paths, you may wonder if you've wandered off of the resort. One of the most beautiful spots, other than the beach (sigh....I miss the water) was the Cristalino cenote located directly behind the main lobby. I'll let the picture speak for itself.

So... if you were to ask me when we first got back if I would stay at Sandos again, I likely would have said no, I want to try somewhere else. Having had a few days to reflect back on it though, I would say yes. Although I don't think I'd go for the standard room again (we were almost at the farthest edge of the resort from the beach which still isn't that far but you know...). Knowing now what to expect, its a very nice resort that doesn't necessarily feel like what you might think an all-inclusive might be. I always have images of 20-somethings drinking and partying their faces off... Its a short ride into Playa del Carmen and about 45 min to an hour from Cancun depending on how fast you drive (note speed limits and stop signs appear to be merely suggestions) so if you're planning on going off property, its a perfect location to reach just about anywhere.