Hubby and I just returned from a week in Mexico. Everybody close your eyes, take a deep breath, and RELAAAAAAAAXXXX. Yep. That's how it felt for an entire week. It was dee-lightful and I highly recommend it. We stayed at the Riu Palace in Cabo and while they aren't paying me for this endorsement, they probably should because I am gonna lay it on THICK. I should start at the beginning though...the airport. SCARY. I am really thankful that my husband and I had both done some research so we were prepared. We did the whole line for customs thing, and it was really harmless, the lady smiled at us, asked us something super easy like "What did you have for lunch?" and stamped our passports. Our bags were lined up and waiting for us, we went through a metal detector, and then we turned the corner of no return. Literally, 25 people approached us in the course of a 50 foot walk to the door in an attempt to sell us time shares. They didn't say, "Would you like a time share?"...no. They pretended to be our ride to the resort, they told my husband he was going the wrong way, they tried to grab my paperwork out of my hands, they said they needed signatures...it was crazy. If they had cameras, it would have been like what I imagine a trip to Spago is for Jennifer Aniston on a date. (does anyone go to Spago anymore, or just tourists in Ceasars Palace?). We were cool (hubby wants to mess with them next trip--I say no), we made it to the doors where our airport transfer driver was waiting next to not one, but TWO bars with beer and margaritas. I love Mexico.
We got to the resort:
and were greeted with some rum punch drinks, given our keys and some dinner reservations for the specialty restaurants. I'm glad they did this at check-in because we were far too lazy to get up at the required 7:00am time to get reservations for the rest of the week. Forget that noise--this is vacation! The first thing we noticed is how CLEAN this place is. They have a huge staff and they are always cleaning something. Everyone was very welcoming--not obnoxious and fake--genuinely nice and ready to help. Our room down an open hallway and we were very pleased when we opened the door: The woodwork was beautiful, our view was awesome, and then there was this little goodie:
Yes, our room had an alcohol dispenser. I wish I could say we put it to good use, but neither of us drink hard alcohol. It was neat, but sadly wasted on the two of us. We had our swimsuits on in about 3 seconds and headed out to the pool.
...where we stayed for the next week. I kid you not. The biggest decision we made all week was pool or beach, followed by sun or shade. We laughed, we made eye contact and finished sentences, and I read 4 books that week. We made friends with Cristobel--the waiter at the pool, and Miguel, the poor kid who worked in the lobby bar who was deported from an electrician job in North Carolina and can't see his daughter. I only used my strightener once, and wore all my dresses and cute shoes.
We had massages on the beach, and ventured into Cabo a few times. Checked out their mall (the restrooms are pretty impressive, I kid you not!) and ate at some of the restaurants in the marina. We paid more than cover price for some paperbacks at the scariest drugstore I have ever been in. Seriously, I wouldn't buy a pen from this place but we were desperate for reading material in English. We took a water taxi from Leo, a cutie who gave a us a great tour around the arches and took my favorite picture of the whole trip:
Don't we look relaxed?!
Greatest trip ever. No contest. Hands down. If we could have flown our family down to be with us, we wouldn't have left. Yes, that good. Riu has resorts all over the world, and we were impressed enough to want to visit more of them.
So now my tan is fading, and I am back at work running numbers and starting to think about the budget for 2013. But sometimes I close my eyes, and I can imagine myself back on the beach, watching the vendors try to sell their hats and sunglasses, and I can almost pretend I'm back there again.
...and I will be. That's a promise.
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