To showcase part 2 of my honeymoon adventures (click here for Part I if you missed it!), I have chosen none other than "throwback Thursday" (a.k.a. #tbt) to do so. After a wonderful vacation in Cabo, my husband and I grabbed a cab first thing in the a.m., hopped on a plane and made our way to the Mayan Riviera, stopping first in the historically charged Mexico City. For your information, Cabo San Lucas and the Mayan Riviera are at opposite ends in Mexico, so it wasn't a very short distance away, but we got to see a little more this way. =)
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| The beautiful Mexico City |
By the time we arrived to the resort, this time at the +Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun, it was night time, so my husband and I did what we did best and ordered room service right when we got in. And actually, the food was slightly better at this resort than it was at the Dreams (as our travel agent mentioned when we were first scoping out different options), but the rooms were definitely not as impressive as they were in Cabo. As seen in the picture to your right, it looks like a standard hotel room, not even comparing to its Dreams sister-resort.
Excursions
The first Mayan adventure on which we decided to embark was Chichén Itzá. Its distance from the resort is roughly 2.5 hours, so our tour guide make a very appreciated effort to give us as much information and fun facts as he could to keep up entertained on the road. We learned about the Mayans, their extensive history, their cultural beliefs and practises, and also about the different areas through which we were passing. And before getting to the ruins, we stop in a nearby village to do some shopping and indulge in some traditional Mayan cuisine, which included shredded pork, a tortilla, a sort of cabbage salad and orange slices.
The Mayan ruins were gorgeous. We were hit with very heavy rain for about 10-15 minutes at one point, but the sky quickly cleared up for about an hour or so, only to introduce us to another downpour shortly afterwards. But then the hot, beaming sun came out and tried helping us dry our drenched clothes (seriously, everything got soaked).
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| See those clouds? Yeah, not as innocent as they look. |
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| The proof is on those shorts--I mean, in the pudding. |
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| Fact: Did you know that as of a few years ago, authorities no longer allow anyone to climb the stairs of these pyramids? |
One important lesson my husband and I learned that day was this: Wherever you go in Mexico, make sure to wear a bathing suit underneath since you never know when you will be taken to a cenote! This, my friends, was our second stop of the day. It too was gorgeous, and I was so jealous of everyone who brought their swimsuit, as the water looked so cool and refreshing.
The next excursion we did was the following day at the fun +Xel-Há Park. We actually bought the tickets for this excursion while we were waiting for our plane in Mexico City. They were cheaper this way (we compared the prices when we got to the +Secrets Resort). So just a little heads up to all of you who like to save a little cha-ching here and thing. This park is so much fun. Honestly, when friends and family were describing the place to me, it did not seem as appealing and it felt like they were exaggerating. But I cannot say enough good things about this place! It's like an all-inclusive EVERYTHING. (Alright, there are some things you need to pay extra for, like swimming with the dolphins and stuff, but still.) Their food is all-inclusive and so are most of the attractions (and there is a WIDE variety of inclusions). Some of the activities we did at Xel-Há were: swimming with the very sweet and adorable dolphins, the lazy river, snorkelling, eating, cenote-exploring, walking through the jungle trails, lounging in the hammock
area, etc. Seriously, it was such a great day, I felt like a child at an upgraded water park.
The Resort
As mentioned before, we stayed at the +Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun. And as I also mentioned, the rooms did not look as fancy and as "next level" as the ones at the Dreams Los Cabos. However, the foyer and the grounds of this resort were breathtaking. The decor, colour scheme and fresh flower arrangements made for a very enriching experience. Staff members were very courteous, the resort was very clean, and there was even a bar on the first floor where guests could watch their football.
The beach at the Secrets Capri was swim-safe, so we were able to swim in the Caribbean sea as we pleased. But I do have to say that the water sometimes got cloudy with seaweed and other things, so I was not as tempted to dunk my whole head it at times. On another note, they had a very engaging fitness staff that often encouraged people to play sports and participate in various physical activities. My husband and I really got into the volleyball that was offered and quickly made friends with a few American visitors. I even got to try sea-doing! It was so much fun, but we (I'll say "we" for my husband's sake, but it should really be "he") lost control at one point and got flung into the water. Come to think of it, it was pretty awesome, and we both had a good laugh at it afterwards lol.
What was also nice at this resort is that they brought in different exotic animals for people to take pictures with. Not only that, but they also offered different types of photoshoots, and people could pick and choose photos they wished to purchase at the +Secrets Capri's professional-looking media section.
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| I think this has to be my favourite face to look at... <3 |
Thanks!
-Alesia D.
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Ever been to Riviera Maya? Tell me where you stayed and your opinion!
