Mexico 2011

Ahh, bliss. Arriving in Mexico and seeing this peaceful view made the craziness of the past few days all worth it. Up until 2 weeks before Christmas, we thought Chris had to work this year during the holidays, so when he talked to the other staff members and found out he didn't have to stick around, we quickly started searching online for trips to somewhere warm. We wound up booking a suite at El Dorado Seaside Suites. We booked on Sunday, Dec. 18 and left on Dec. 22. Yikes!! I'm surprised I survived. Usually I need a few months notice to mentally prepare!

This vacation was absolutely perfect. It was an adults-only, all inclusive, smaller resort designed around relaxation. I didn't realize how badly I needed to reconnect with my husband until we were given this opportunity to just be with each other. It was perfect.

The food was amazing. It was all a la carte dining, which meant that it was all restaurant dining. There were 5 restaurants to choose from and they were all fantastic. We got to try new foods that we normally wouldn't order and we definitely had fun with that!

One of the pools at the resort. We really didn't swim in the pools as they were cold and there was so much lush greenery and palms around the pools that it didn't allow a lot of sun through, so we stuck mainly to the beach.

Chris was super pumped to do some scuba diving. He started in the pool at the resort, then wound up doing a day trip to Playa del Carmen to scuba diving about 40 ft under water.

I would say 90% of our time was spent like this. Relaxing under a cabana, soaking up the sun. I would send Chris out each morning at 6:30 to go put our towels in one of these coveted cabanas so that we had the option of sun or shade. It was perfect!

We dined at the Asian restaurant. It was one of our favourites!

Many of our breakfasts were taken in at the Garden restaurant because Chris loved the french toast. He talked about it every single day!

In all fairness, it was pretty amazing french toast. Strawberries, cream cheese and whipped butter. Yum!

Some afternoons Chris would head back to the hotel for a proper nap, but I wasn't willing to waste a minute of glorious sunshine. I mean, come on... would you head inside if this was the weather outside??

This was taken in the Mexican restaurant.

As we were leaving, this tiny little man insisted that I take a picture with him. He was so tiny!

I didn't realize how early it gets dark in Mexico. It was pitch black by 5:30. I mean it makes sense because the sun is up and hot so stinkin' early, but it was still a surprise to me.

This next picture makes me laugh. One of the amazing staff members picked us up in his golf cart and gave us a halarious tour of the resort.

Here we are, waiting for our tour bus to take us to Xel-ha and Tulum.

Oh yes, the traditional Mexico picture with a huge lizard!

The tour in Tulum was disappointing. We had a terrible guide, and the tour was rushed and crowded and hot, but we were still able to quickly check out a few of the ruins before being rushed back to town.

Enjoying the lazy river in Xel-ha.

Of course, we indulged in many yummy drinks.

Haha. Now I'd like to take credit for this cheesiness, but alas, I can't. We were just walking around the resort and saw it so Chris insisted I take a picture.

And the best part about the vacation? Coming home to these two crazy kiddies. Here they are, proudly displaying their Mexican guitars and Chelsea's dress. As much as I loved going away with my best friend and relaxing in the sunshine, a week was a few days too long to be away from these two. They definitely hold my heart!