Amazing Mexico Trip!

We had the most amazing trip to Mexico and I have plenty of pictures to share. We are ready to head back any day now!! We stayed at an all-inclusive which turned out to be ideal with the kids. It was so convenient having everything we need in one spot and not having to leave to search for restaurants. The resort was on 42 acres of beautiful tropical forests. There were eco paths everywhere, 4 (or more) pools, various types of restaurants, wild animals galore, and a nice sandy beach. We could walk everywhere, but the times we were getting tired we could jump on one of these golf carts and they would take us to the beach or pool.

The beach was a little small, but it didn't bother us at all. The sand was so soft and the water was so calm and warm. It was perfect for the kids. We spent many days building sand castles, snorkeling, swimming, and floating around.

 We saw a ton of wild animals. Each afternoon, the macaws would be in the lobby of our hotel. There were about 8 of them we saw everyday. We also saw monkeys swinging through the trees, iguanas EVERYWHERE (even poolside), these rat/anteater looking things, coatimundi's, deer, the most colorful birds, flamingos, spiders (Mark's favorite), geckos, on and on.....

There were so many restaurants that we never got sick of the food! In the evenings we picked a different restaurant to eat at each night and for breakfast and lunch we usually ate at our favorite spot...the beach restaurant.  It was a huge palapa with a giant deck overlooking the most beautiful view of the ocean and beach.

This was the view from the palapa looking out at the beach area. There was a bar in that other palapa and yoga on the second level.

And the other side overlooked the ocean. This was taken the night of our fish dinner which was our favorite meal.

Isabelle and Mark did some slow dancing on the patio. It was adorable. There was a wedding going on and they saw the bride and groom dancing so they decided to go to the deck and do a little dancing too.

This was one of our breakfast mornings. The fruit and juice was amazing!

We spent a lot of time hanging out in the hammocks after breakfast or lunch.

Each night they had shows going on. This was the Mayan boat that came through the lobby. They played the drums and did a fire show.

 They also had something for the kids every night. On this particular night they got to break a pinata on stage. Here is Mark being very brave announcing his name, age, and that he lives in Denver, CO.

 

 

We had a lot of very nice happy hours.....

Tequila night. Jamie giving them a try. I actually liked some of them too!

Mark's typical happy hour. Glasses on, shirt open, under the shade of the stroller, with tropical fruit drink. Can't beat that.

Belle usually didn't sit long enough to have her fruity drinks. She was too busy exploring the place and finding animals. One of her favorite happy hour places was in the main lobby area where there were rivers, fountains, and a huge water area with fish and turtles. 

 Don't be fooled though....I can get her to sit still if she sits on my lap. One of our favorite things to do!

Back to the beach!

Beach time with Papa. Isabelle did not stop swimming. She was in the water at all times unless we pulled her to go eat or rest. Mark was usually in the sand building something. He always had sand all over his body, including eyes and ears.

One day they had a water balloon fight and Mark and Belle got in on the action.

 

 This was our favorite pool. It was quiet, lots of shade, and not very crowded. If we weren't at the beach you would find us here. 

 

Heading to our Mexican dinner night...

Playing outside the restaurant near the stage where we watched the nightly shows.

 

 One day we took a taxi to Akumal which was an area my family use to take us when I was little. For the most part it looked just the same however, unfortunately, the coral reef had been destroyed a bit and the snorkeling wasn't nearly as good as it used to be. We still saw some amazing things like giant turtles, stingrays, and squid. The kids even went out and saw the turtles which was really amazing for them.  Here they are playing with a hermit crab which lent itself to hours of fun. I remember doing the exact same thing as a kid.

 One of the many adventures we took around the resort. We even hiked to some Mayan ruins.

One day we went into Xcaret Park to the see the dolphin. Someday, when the kids are a little older, I would love to take them swimming with the dolphins!

 We were sad to leave. We had so much and were so relaxed the entire time we were there. This one goes down in the books, but there is no doubt that this will probably become a yearly adventure for us. We are ready to head back here next year!

 Have you ever seen a Chupa Chup as big as your child's head? Well, here you go. Only at duty free in the Mexican airport.