Its been three weeks since Tyler and I got back from Mexico and I've asked him at least once a day if we can go back. We spent our week at The Royal in Cancun, a five star, adults only, all-inclusive resort right on the beach, and it was by far the most luxurious and relaxing places I've ever been.

The Cancun airport was confusing and busy as we stepped off the plane. We tried to put our extremely limited Spanish language knowledge to use to decipher the signs for customs, but instead decided to follow the crowd and hope for the best. Thankfully, we ended up right where we were supposed to be. After going through customs, the next challenge was figuring out a way to get to the hotel, an arrangement I was most likely supposed to be in charge of before we left the States (though I like to think Tyler dropped the ball on that one). The shuttle area was loud and confusing as we were bombarded with people shoving brochures in our faces and asking if we needed a ride or wanted a time share, offering shuttles, taxis, vans, and just about any other form of transportation imaginable. I was too overwhelmed to make a decision, so Tyler talked to a man in charge of a line of shuttle vans and secured two seats on the next shuttle to the Hotel Zone. About ten minutes later, we threw our bags into the back of the van and were on our way. The first stop was for a couple checking in at the Ritz-Carlton. Tyler and I laughed at the thought of going to the Ritz-Carlton, but little did we know that our hotel would prove to be just as luxurious.

Upon arrival, we were given a glass of champagne and cold towel. The lobby was extravagant and one of the first things I noticed was the lack of glass on the window openings. The entire hotel was open to the wonderful breeze coming off the ocean. A bell boy took our luggage and I was given a sarong before we headed up to the room. The view was absolutely amazing and after waiting for our luggage to be brought up, we headed straight down to the lobby to get a drink and go out to the beach. My first drink was a red and orange fruity drink, exactly what I had pictured, and Tyler had a Mexican beer that ended up being his choice beverage while we were there. We walked out to the pool area, surveying the swim-up bar, oceanfront restaurant, and beach bar before walking out to the ocean. I've never seen water so beautiful and so clear in my entire life. It was still pretty cold, but I was amazed at the incredible teal color and the way it changed to a bright blue and finally a darker blue further from the shore. We found beach chairs right by the water, ordered two more drinks when the beach butler came around, and enjoyed the warm air and sunshine until dinnertime.

At Pelicanos, the restaurant right over the pool and literally on the beach, we were given a menu. I was expecting a slim choice of buffet-type items, but we were amazed at the tuna, steak, shrimp, sea bass, pasta, salad, and soup selections we could choose from. We continuously asked our waiter if everything was actually free, as we expected a huge bill at the end of the meal. That's when the realization hit--we definitely did NOT belong at a place this nice. We made that joke the entire trip as The Royal continued to surprise us.

One of the days of our vacation, we signed up for an excursion to see the Mayan ruins. Along with that tour, we also ziplined and repelled through a jungle, kayaked to an underground swimming hole, and hiked through the woods. It was definitely an adventure! It was about a two-hour drive to the ruins, and we were picked up at 7am by the van to take us there. It wasn't until we got out of the Hotel Zone that you could really see the poverty that I had no idea even existed. We passed through small towns where children were walking to run-down schools with no windows and shabby playground equipment. After making our way into the jungle area, we geared up for the rappel descent and then hiked up to the ziplining area.

Next up was kayaking and the cave swimming hole. The water was cold but so clear, and our guide pointed out the stalagmites and fossils in the rocks.

After lunch, we rode to a Mayan village to tour the ruins and climb the Mayan temple, Coba. We toured the first village and then rode bikes to the temple to conclude our excursion.

Every night at the hotel, there were shows and dinners hosted by the hotel. We made friends by the pool one of the days and went to the Mexican-themed dinner with them, where we were served margaritas, listened to mariachi band, watched people ride a mechanical bull, and saw a cock fight on the stage. Another night, they had an international-themed show where they dressed up in costumes from countries around the world and danced to various music. There was always something going on, and that's one of the things we liked about The Royal. They had coffee tastings, beer tastings, wine tastings, and martini tastings in the lobby, and we never went more than five minutes without an employee asking if we would like another drink. The food was exceptional and the beach was perfect.

On our last night, the hotel hosted a Caribbean-themed dinner right on the beach. They set up tables with colorful tablecloths, a beach bar, a stage area and live music. We were served fish, steak, chicken, potatoes, vegetables, corn on the cob, rolls, baked potatoes, and of course, our selection of alcoholic beverages. I was so sad it was our last night there. The Royal really was an exceptional hotel and we even tried to contact Travelocity after our first day in Mexico to change our flight to a day later because we knew we wouldn't want to leave. But the Caribbean night was the perfect way to end a wonderful trip.

We didn't have to leave for the airport until 1:00 the next afternoon, so we had the morning to enjoy the last bit of our vacation. I cried when we packed our bags to leave; I wasn't ready to get back to the real world yet. It was the best vacation I've ever been on and we're already making plans to go back!

Happy June!
Nicole