Almost Paradise

Time for another partial and biased review from yours truly!  Up for discussion?  The Grand Oasis Cancun.   This trip of ours has been in the works for almost a year.  Considering we weren't planning on moving again this summer, and I wasn't planning on being pregnant yet, and we no longer have a little baby, we thought it would be the PERFECT time for a getaway before life throws us the next curve ball.  Or fast ball.  Or whatever that ball may be! 

Once we were able to figure out our calendar for the summer and narrow down what week would work best, we were fortunate enough to find help in the form of my mom and Amy and Jacob {younger siblings extraordinaire!} who were willing and able to come on up here and hold down the fort while Scott and I were in Cancun.  We finally pulled the trigger about a month ago and purchased our extravaganza online via vacationexpress.com, which took care of our flights, accommodations, and food, in an all-inclusive package that sounded like just what we needed.

My overall opinion of our package deal? Eh.  It was exactly okay.  Maybe even fine.  {Or fine enough.}  Since Scott and I have both been to Cancun before -- albeit a LOOOONG time ago -- the experience was perhaps colored by that.  The trip as a whole, though?  It was awesome.  And always nice to realize that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder with regards to the children.  Hahaha.  Even though we were only gone Monday through Saturday, it was long enough to kind of miss them.  And there were several times throughout the trip that both Scott and I almost kind of wished they were with us, too, because they would have LOVED the beach so much.  But then reality set back in, and we saw other families with little kids and realized that as much fun as it might be, it would also be a LOT of work without any breaks for us.  And a break for us was JUST what we needed! 

The front lobby -- a giant pyramid type structure with lots of jungle-y, growing things hanging all over.

As a whole, Cancun was a lot more crowded and commercial than I remember it being when I was there last {in 2001}.  People trying to sell you stuff EVERYWHERE, people trying to "upgrade" your stuff everywhere, and just lots of people period.  I will say that this trip made me more aware than ever that the adage, "Use it or Lose it," is totally relevant with regards to foreign language speaking skills.  Back in the day, I prided myself on how conversant I was in Spanish, considering my only resources were 4 years of High School classes.  This time around, it was maddening to discover that I hardly know anything!  Hahaha.  I'd like to think I could pick things back up if I made a concerted effort to study the language once more, but I don't think my current schedule will allow much time for such an endeavor. :(  Oh well!

Highlights and Lowlights of our escape to the Oasis include:

• I actually packed my running shoes and gear to stay on my training schedule, and in a vacation FIRST, I actually did some running!  Hahaha.  Our first night in Cancun, Scott was kind enough to accompany me on my five mile run down Kukulkan Ave in 90 degree heat with 90% humidity.  Okay, so it might not have been QUITE that temperature -- but it was close.  And Scott hasn't run at all since his Spartan Race madness, so really, it was quite the accomplishment for both of us!

 

 This was us in front of the hotel post-5-mile-run.  {And just to clarify, this was one of the HIGHlights.  Hahaha.}

• All the artwork in the resort seemed to have been commissioned by the same person.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but we both found the painting in our room to be a little odd for our taste.  

No really -- would YOU like these women staring down at you as you laid in bed trying to sleep??  Hahaha.

• The ocean view was aMAZing.  Seriously, seriously gorgeous.  It would be hard for the resort to mess that one up. 

This was seriously the view from our balcony!

• The beach was awesome.  The waves -- while a bit rougher on a couple of the days -- were still perfect for frolicking in, and the sand just begged for a castle or two.  :)

{Scott getting pummeled by a few waves.}

{Me flashing a peace sign for Eleanor and Penelope.  :) }

{My piece de resistance -- a sea turtle made from sand.  Not pictured my super awesome drip castles that got washed away by the waves.}

• The place was teeming with wild life.  Iguanas, peacocks, BIRDS everywhere -- it was a jungle in there!  Hahaha.  None of these were overly bothersome, but I will say that the iguanas CREEPED me out.  Especially as they sat staring at me while I was trying to eat my food.  Yuck!!

• Our room REEKED of mildew-y mustiness.  Or something.  It was gross.  And the customer service was certainly not awesome.  But the view from the balcony just about made up for all of that.  :)  

• The food was not awesome either, but we did find a go-to spot while we were there and ate at the rodizio grill every night last week.  There were also some delicious muffins and breakfast pastries that I enjoyed at the breakfast buffet each morning as well.  Other than that, though, some of it was kind of gross.

• Being accosted by a drunk Peruvian woman in the pool?  Definitely a lowlight.  Or a highlight if you're depositing it into your "good vacation stories" bank.  Hahaha.  This 50 or 60 year old woman from Peru swam up to us and attempted to have a conversation with us even though we couldn't really converse back.  There was a whole lot of her telling us we were "muy guapo" and "muy guapa" and a whole lot of "tan facil" that didn't seem to make sense and then next thing you know she was ugly-crying into her hands while rhythmically dunking her head backwards into the water.  Hahahaha.  It was the craziest thing ever and we couldn't get away!  She recovered quickly enough from the crying spell and went back to smiling and laughing and calling us guapo and after a few more minutes we managed to make our "adios" and swam as far and fast as we could.  Hahaha.  We avoided her for the rest of the evening and breathed a sigh of relief when we saw that she found a new couple to accost.  

• The Oasis pool was like lukewarm bath water, which could be refreshing or disgusting depending on your frame of mind and the time of day. 

• The swim up bar was a daily favorite for getting our non-alcoholic drinks on, with a virgin Pina Colada for me and Strawberry Daquiri for Scott.

•  And finally -- The coastline {shared by the entire hotel zone of resorts} was the PERFECT venue for walking along in our attempts to romantically stroll the beach at sunset .  Hahahaha.  It sounds so cliche, but it really was almost paradise.

I've decided that Heaven will have a warm, tropical breeze.  :)

Up next?  A day trip or two.  Stay tuned...