The hubby and I had an opportunity to take a quick three night trip to Cancun - all we had to do was get ourselves there! Whoohoo! Since the hubby travels a lot for work, he had racked up some points and free nights with Hyatt that we needed to use by the end of September. After finding cheap-o flights on Frontier, we packed up our bags and went on our little adventure this past weekend to the Hyatt Zilara.
The trip was booked about three weeks ago. CRAZY! We've never planned a trip that last minute, but I have to admit that the spontaneity of it made our trip that much more exciting! There's something to be said about randomly packing up and giving yourself a few days of relaxation. I spent several hours just laying by the pool reading and soaking up the sun. I never read at home, but I find it so relaxing when I'm on vacation.
One of the things that I absolutely loved was how close the pool was to the ocean. I would look up from my book, and it looked like one endless body of water as the pool met the ocean. GORGEOUS!
One of the things that I absolutely loved was how close the pool was to the ocean. I would look up from my book, and it looked like one endless body of water as the pool met the ocean. GORGEOUS!
By the way, the loungers at this resort were the most amazing loungers that I have ever seen. See the little shade visor above my head? Every chair had one of these, so you could block the sun from your face. Genius! Even the hubby took advantage of this little novelty. Why didn't I think of this? I'd be a millionaire right now, lounging at the beach 365 days a year!
One theme to any vacation, at least our vacations, is a generous supply of alcohol, and at an all inclusive resort, that stuff just keeps on flowing! My drink of choice on Day 1 was a mudslide, but after mudslide #3, I figured I better switch it up or I'd gain about 15 pounds during our three day stay. If you're unfamiliar with what a mudslide is - think milkshake, mixed with coffee, mixed with chocolate, mixed with alcohol. Last time I checked, 3 milkshakes a day wasn't exactly the best way to maintain your figure. But dang, they are good!
One of the many things that made this resort so fantastic was the quality of service that we received from all of the staff. It was the best we've ever experienced - ever! The bartenders were especially entertaining, and they made sure that you always - and I mean always - had a drink in your hand. The first night at the resort, we went to the lobby bar looking to hang out a bit and chit chat with other vacationers. What we didn't realize was how much fun we'd have interacting with the bar staff. The bartenders set up little challenges, like resting a bottle of beer on a glass with the cap end over another glass, and telling us to get the liquid in the glass without touching the bottle. (Use a lighter to heat the cap, the heat loosens the cap, and the beer starts to pour). If you couldn't figure them out, your punishment was a shot. Well, we didn't figure very many out, like none really...so yeah. We were in bed by 10:24 p.m. that first night. And yes, I know the exact time! I swore it was about 2 a.m. when we crawled into bed. I chuckled when I realized the time and said "Seriously? It's only 10:24?" Success!
One of the many things that made this resort so fantastic was the quality of service that we received from all of the staff. It was the best we've ever experienced - ever! The bartenders were especially entertaining, and they made sure that you always - and I mean always - had a drink in your hand. The first night at the resort, we went to the lobby bar looking to hang out a bit and chit chat with other vacationers. What we didn't realize was how much fun we'd have interacting with the bar staff. The bartenders set up little challenges, like resting a bottle of beer on a glass with the cap end over another glass, and telling us to get the liquid in the glass without touching the bottle. (Use a lighter to heat the cap, the heat loosens the cap, and the beer starts to pour). If you couldn't figure them out, your punishment was a shot. Well, we didn't figure very many out, like none really...so yeah. We were in bed by 10:24 p.m. that first night. And yes, I know the exact time! I swore it was about 2 a.m. when we crawled into bed. I chuckled when I realized the time and said "Seriously? It's only 10:24?" Success!
Day 2 was another fun day at the pool, followed by another early night. We made it to 10:30 p.m. on Day 2, though! Party animals!
Then Day 3 came. Oh, Day 3. We woke up to rain, thanks to Tropical Storm Ida. We didn't realize it was a tropical storm at the time and thought it might pass. We had massages booked for the morning anyway, so we weren't overly concerned. The hubby and I never get massages at home, but it's something that we really like to do when we take a trip...adds to the whole relaxation feeling of vacation. So, we booked the "Relaxation Couples Massage". Relaxation. Not the "beat the crap out of my back massage." But I'll get into that later.
Then Day 3 came. Oh, Day 3. We woke up to rain, thanks to Tropical Storm Ida. We didn't realize it was a tropical storm at the time and thought it might pass. We had massages booked for the morning anyway, so we weren't overly concerned. The hubby and I never get massages at home, but it's something that we really like to do when we take a trip...adds to the whole relaxation feeling of vacation. So, we booked the "Relaxation Couples Massage". Relaxation. Not the "beat the crap out of my back massage." But I'll get into that later.
We arrived at the spa a bit early, and were given a questionnaire to fill out. Pretty generic stuff to assess your health, stress, and fitness levels. Then I came to a weird question that caught me off guard. Cellulite? Well, yes! I do have that. Will this massage get rid of it for me, haha? It was so random, and it followed the question referring to your fitness level. I couldn't help but think that this series of questions was more of a psychological game than anything that had to do with my massage. You win spa. I answered "low" for my fitness level and "yes" for cellulite. I get it. You're telling me to hit the gym. Well played, spa. Well played. I'll lay off the mudslides next trip.
We had arranged for our massages to be in this little hut that was near the beach. We had been told by others that hearing the waves crashing against the beach really added to the experience, and they were right. The massage started out great. I was so relaxed! The masseuse started out on my legs and asked "Is the pressure ok?". It was, and I was sure I would fall asleep in relaxation bliss. Then, she hit up my back. It started out fine, but she must have quickly determined that I had a lot of knots in my back and it was her mission to remove them. Every. Single. One. She twisted my arms and shoulders in so many ways that I had never experienced before. Remember that low fitness level? She dug her fingers along my shoulder blades and pressed so hard I almost told her to stop twice. But, as uncomfortable as it was, it also felt good. It was the weirdest feeling. I couldn't tell if I liked it, or if I hated it. Later that day, my shoulders were sore (and they are still a bit sore as I write this four days post massage) so I think I hated it. But I also loved it. I still don't know. The knots are gone in my back. I loved it...and hated it.
We had arranged for our massages to be in this little hut that was near the beach. We had been told by others that hearing the waves crashing against the beach really added to the experience, and they were right. The massage started out great. I was so relaxed! The masseuse started out on my legs and asked "Is the pressure ok?". It was, and I was sure I would fall asleep in relaxation bliss. Then, she hit up my back. It started out fine, but she must have quickly determined that I had a lot of knots in my back and it was her mission to remove them. Every. Single. One. She twisted my arms and shoulders in so many ways that I had never experienced before. Remember that low fitness level? She dug her fingers along my shoulder blades and pressed so hard I almost told her to stop twice. But, as uncomfortable as it was, it also felt good. It was the weirdest feeling. I couldn't tell if I liked it, or if I hated it. Later that day, my shoulders were sore (and they are still a bit sore as I write this four days post massage) so I think I hated it. But I also loved it. I still don't know. The knots are gone in my back. I loved it...and hated it.
After our massage, we realized Ida was still in full force. What a way to end our trip, huh? We ended up going back to the room for a bit. The hubby watched college football and I watched some shows I had downloaded onto my iPad. After our massage, all I really wanted to do was sleep, so I was actually totally ok with taking a little down time. The rain did finally turn into a drizzle and we made it out to the pool around 4 o'clock. We weren't going to let a little rain keep us from the pool our last day in Cancun! And Day 3 ended up being our most successful night at the bar. I think we stayed until about 11:30 p.m. Go us!
We had a great time on our quick little trip, and would love to go back to this resort one day. I would say we didn't want to leave, but it was still raining on Sunday when we left, so it made it a little easier to part ways. But, man do I love getting away. This was such a fun trip!
If you've made it this far, I hope you've enjoyed my little recap. Enjoy your day, and thanks for reading!
Where is the last place you vacationed?
We had a great time on our quick little trip, and would love to go back to this resort one day. I would say we didn't want to leave, but it was still raining on Sunday when we left, so it made it a little easier to part ways. But, man do I love getting away. This was such a fun trip!
If you've made it this far, I hope you've enjoyed my little recap. Enjoy your day, and thanks for reading!
Where is the last place you vacationed?