Celebrating K''s big 30 in Cancun
Sunday - Aug 19 - Fly in
Wake Up + Leave for the Airport.
Flight to Cancun.
Shuttle to Grand Moon Palace.
Check-In. This was a little bit of a nightmare because we got to our room and it was looking out to a brick wall and it was right next to the kid's pool, which would be fine if we had kids and didn't mind them running by our room. We complained and it took a bit but finally, they agreed to move us. Our new room is AMAZING. K was behind this fix. We ordered room service since we had some time before dinner. The hamburgers were delicious but the fish and chips were just okay.
Dinner at Cusco. The Peruvian food was really good and the waitstaff was so friendly. We loved everything we got (Nikkei style tuna and palta, empanadas, Shrimp tacu tacu, Peruvian cookie and pumpkin custard)
Walked around the Resort. The weather was perfect and we needed to work off our meal.
Monday - Aug 20 - Get Acquainted
Breakfast. We had breakfast at 9 am in the Grand Lobby buffet. We had to wait in a short line before we were seated. Once seated they take your drink order, then you are free to make your selection. The highlights were the omelet stations, thyme potatoes, and waffles.
Talked to a Planner. We worked with a planner to put together the excursions for the week. Of course, she tried to sell us on more than we wanted so it's good to be firm after hearing their spiel. We did splurge on snorkeling but used our resort credits on everything else. She booked our spa appointments and a chef's romantic dinner for us as well.
Nails. The basic manicures and pedicures are free! (I think this is because my mom is a member but not too sure. I didn't ask too many questions once they said it would be included with the stay.) She did a very good job and the nail polish they have are a great quality. I am very pleased.
Walked on the Beach to Nizuc Moon Palace (neighboring sister property).
Pool + Lunched at Los Tacos. I like the pool by Los Tacos because it is easy to get available lounge chairs and shade.
Nap.
Dinner + Show. We dined at Le Chateau (French) and it was very good. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and provided us with wine recommendations for our food. His pairings were spot on. We got the Duo de saumon*, Bouquet de filet de bœuf*, Gratinée à l'oignon et raclette, St Jacques sautées, Poisson du jour au jus de viande, and Pavé de bœuf grillé*. I placed a (*) by my personal favorites but it was all fantastic. After dinner, we were going to go to the Micheal Jackson Show. The preshow was a bit boring so we went back to the room and read our books.
Club Dancing. Around 11 we made our way to the dance club on the property. But before that, we heard really fun music by the pool we decided to check out... we were not admitted to that (private party - sad). The club was fun. The crowd is older which has its own entertainment in itself. On our way out we stopped at the 24-hour bakery to pick up dessert. K got the macaroons and I opted for some Oreo ice cream.
Movie in Bed. We watched easy A and were soon fast asleep.
Tuesday - Aug 21 - Mayan Culture
Breakfast. We did room service for breakfast and packed it to go for Tulum.
Tulum. This was an early morning for us. We had to catch the bus in our hotel lobby at 8 am (which was a bit of a struggle but we made it). We napped on the 1-hour bus ride to the historic site. We got there and it was a 1/2 mile walk to the site. It is very hot at the site so I was very happy to have shade (Kevin made us take his ridiculous hats). We found a shady spot after the tour and ate our breakfast. Since it was by the beach, we got a good warm breeze from the ocean. This whole thing took half the day.
Lunch + Nap. When we got back we immediately hopped into the shower because we sweated so much in Tulum. They were working on the cables in our room block so we couldn't call out for room service. K went over to Los Tacos again and picked up some to go for us. It is literally a 2 min walk from our room. We napped after lunch.
Dinner at La Trattoria. This was located on the golf course so we had to take the air-conditioned bus from the lobby to the other location. The grounds were beautiful but I was eaten alive by mosquitos when we were waiting for the golf carts to take us back to our hotel. Dinner was okay, very small portions, not our favorite. We got the calamari, scallops, tuna tortellini, risotto, lamb, and salmon. The salmon was good but was served with no sides so I had some of the potatoes that came with K's lamb. There were only three little pieces of lamb on K's plate. The calamari was grilled and not fried. I prefer the calamari fried. The scallops were served cold, K would have preferred it being warmed.
After dinner entertainment. The golf cart ride to the Nizuc lobby was very exciting. It went through this crazy jungle. A definite highlight. We stopped by Sunrise and scoped it out. We found a bar that had swing seats that we sat out for a bit drinking strawberry daiquiris. On our way home, we stopped off at the 24-hour bakery to get some dessert - macaroons, smores cream puff, some assorted flavored chocolates, latte, and a chocolate muffin.
Wednesday - Aug 22 - Snorkeling
Open Water Snorkeling. Our highlight for the week. We saw schools of fish, lobsters, stingrays and missed the barracuda and puffer fish. It had taken me a moment to get my bearings with the equipment and being in the open water. K was nice enough to swim by me while I figured it out so we, unfortunately, missed some of the tour stuff (like the first 5 min) but we stuck with the group for the rest of it and it was really amazing. We did have to pay extra for the snorkeling but it was worth it.
Adult Pool. Snorkeling was a half day excursion so we were back at the hotel around noon. We were already wearing our suits so we figured we would just go to the pool. We got there at the best time. There were only a few people so we got a prime spot before it got busy an hour later. We had lunch at the pool and many drinks. The music was good and the people watching was even better.
Jacuzzi & Movie. We headed to our room around 3 or 4 to shower and nap.
Romantic Dinner (Sort of...). We had used some of our resort credits on a romantic dinner. I have mixed feelings about this because I did not enjoy the chairs, that the musician arrived late, the first 2 courses and the fleas that were biting my feet. I loved the bread, tuna dish, and that the waitstaff was willing to let us leave and have the remaining two courses (filet mignon and lobster and dessert which was a creme brulee) in bed. Room service dropped it off about 20 min after we got to our room. The lobster was amazing. So, good dish but bad experience. Mixed feelings here.
Reading & Movie in bed. Since we were already in bed. I read my book, Divergent, and K watched one of the movies we had brought with us.
Thursday - Aug 23 - Spa Day
Breakfast. We went to Habibi for breakfast. Not my favorite but I got the hot chocolate and I have gotten it every day since.
Couple's Citrus Massage. We were separated in the beginning. I went to the female side and K to the male side. We changed into our robes and met back up in the waiting room. This was one of my favorite rooms. They have these giant bed swings hanging from the ceilings. K was already in one and I scooted in next to him as we waited for our room to be ready. The massage was great. K said it was his favorite thus far (but he's only had 2). We stayed in the quiet room for an hour after our message.
Spa Pool & Amenities. Next, we headed to the spa pool, jacuzzi, and steam rooms. It was great and we practically spent the whole day there.
Lunch. Around 2 we figured it was time to go and get lunch before our pedicures. We went to one of the buffets and K loaded his plate with sushi and dessert. He was very happy with his selection.
Deluxe Pedicure. Really great. We read while they spent the 50 min rubbing, cleaning, and doing other treatments to our feet.
Nap
JC Steakhouse. We loved everything here. The garlic bread, the wine, the fried calamari, the crab cakes, K got a steak, and I used some resort credit on a lobster. I couldn't resist, the one the night before had been fantastic and so was this one. We were so full, we left no room for dessert. We walked back to our room on very full, very happy bellies.
Movies & Dessert in Bed. We watched pitch perfect 3 and ordered dessert in bed. I got a little chocolate cake and K got a flan. The chocolate cake is a must order. I also finished my book this night and requested the next book from our library. It was a great read. If you liked the Hunger Games then the Divergent series is for you.
Friday - Aug 24 - Pools, Beaches & Mini Golf
Breakfast Buffet at El Caribeno. I enjoyed my scrambled eggs, toast, and watermelon. K had fruit and french toast. This buffet has fewer options than the buffet in the lobby but it also has way fewer people so that was a plus.
Activity Pool. When we got there, a game of volleyball had started. I checked on some work emails and K waited to use the swimming lanes. We spent an hour or two at this pool before we decided it was too busy for us. This child kept swimming into us with her giant unicorn floaty. "WHERE WERE HER PARENTS!"
Beach. We made our way to the beach because the seaweed seemed to be more under control than the other days. We walked in and was surprised by how warm the water is. I also learned that K is deathly afraid of sharks and being the only one in the ocean. Once we had gotten in, others followed, and K was at ease again. We walked by the area that the sea turtles hatch before making our way to the kid's pool.
Indoor Mini Golf. The kid's pool has an arcade room with mini golf, laser tag, bumper cars, and more. We played a few games including golf where K ultimately won but I was the only one to get a hole in one twice.
Pool Slides & Lazy River. We did all the slides once and did 3 laps in the lazy river. It's basically a pool with a low current so your floaty takes you around the area.
Lunch at Tavola. The bread was fantastic and I loved my pesto gnocchi with sun-dried tomatoes and shrimp. K's seafood pizza was a little spicy but he mostly liked it. He ate half of my gnocchi so he liked mine more.
Shower & Nap
Momo. We had made reservations to watch the chef make our meal and it was a treat. Our favorite item made was the dessert french toast and the knife work/show at the start of the meal.
Long walks home. We walked from the Sunset side of the resort to our resort (The Grand) on the complete opposite side. It was a really beautiful night and we were happy to do the walk. We stopped at the outdoor mini golf and played a round. Again, K won slightly but I was the only one to hit a hole in one. There was lightning in the distance and it was really pretty the way it lit up the clouds above the ocean. When we got to our room we sat outside on our balcony watching the lightning, listened to our audible, and I worked on my blog. I really love nights like this.
Saturday - Aug 25 - Last Day
Breakfast in Bed. We ordered room service for breakfast. I got the Huevos Rancheros and French Toast. Kevin got waffles and fruit and we shared hot chocolate.
Walked to Sunrise resort so Kevin could Ride Flow Rider. He did well but when he fell off he ended up cutting his foot. We walked back into the lobby to have a medic look at it and bandage it up.
Dessert then Lunch.
Sunday - Aug 26 - Fly Home
Wake Up + Leave for the Airport.
Flight to Cancun.
Shuttle to Grand Moon Palace.
Check-In. This was a little bit of a nightmare because we got to our room and it was looking out to a brick wall and it was right next to the kid's pool, which would be fine if we had kids and didn't mind them running by our room. We complained and it took a bit but finally, they agreed to move us. Our new room is AMAZING. K was behind this fix. We ordered room service since we had some time before dinner. The hamburgers were delicious but the fish and chips were just okay.
Dinner at Cusco. The Peruvian food was really good and the waitstaff was so friendly. We loved everything we got (Nikkei style tuna and palta, empanadas, Shrimp tacu tacu, Peruvian cookie and pumpkin custard)
Walked around the Resort. The weather was perfect and we needed to work off our meal.
  |
| (Left to Right) View from our room & Forgot to take the picture before we killed the Tuna dish... |
Breakfast. We had breakfast at 9 am in the Grand Lobby buffet. We had to wait in a short line before we were seated. Once seated they take your drink order, then you are free to make your selection. The highlights were the omelet stations, thyme potatoes, and waffles.
Talked to a Planner. We worked with a planner to put together the excursions for the week. Of course, she tried to sell us on more than we wanted so it's good to be firm after hearing their spiel. We did splurge on snorkeling but used our resort credits on everything else. She booked our spa appointments and a chef's romantic dinner for us as well.
Nails. The basic manicures and pedicures are free! (I think this is because my mom is a member but not too sure. I didn't ask too many questions once they said it would be included with the stay.) She did a very good job and the nail polish they have are a great quality. I am very pleased.
Walked on the Beach to Nizuc Moon Palace (neighboring sister property).
Pool + Lunched at Los Tacos. I like the pool by Los Tacos because it is easy to get available lounge chairs and shade.
Nap.
Dinner + Show. We dined at Le Chateau (French) and it was very good. Our waiter was very knowledgeable and provided us with wine recommendations for our food. His pairings were spot on. We got the Duo de saumon*, Bouquet de filet de bœuf*, Gratinée à l'oignon et raclette, St Jacques sautées, Poisson du jour au jus de viande, and Pavé de bœuf grillé*. I placed a (*) by my personal favorites but it was all fantastic. After dinner, we were going to go to the Micheal Jackson Show. The preshow was a bit boring so we went back to the room and read our books.
Club Dancing. Around 11 we made our way to the dance club on the property. But before that, we heard really fun music by the pool we decided to check out... we were not admitted to that (private party - sad). The club was fun. The crowd is older which has its own entertainment in itself. On our way out we stopped at the 24-hour bakery to pick up dessert. K got the macaroons and I opted for some Oreo ice cream.
Movie in Bed. We watched easy A and were soon fast asleep.
 |
| This hand blown glass chandelier is in The Grands lobby bar. It is my favorite piece. The white circles are bubbles, the purple half circles are jelly fish, and the white stingrays are at the bottom center. It is a really beautiful piece. |
Tuesday - Aug 21 - Mayan Culture
Breakfast. We did room service for breakfast and packed it to go for Tulum.
Tulum. This was an early morning for us. We had to catch the bus in our hotel lobby at 8 am (which was a bit of a struggle but we made it). We napped on the 1-hour bus ride to the historic site. We got there and it was a 1/2 mile walk to the site. It is very hot at the site so I was very happy to have shade (Kevin made us take his ridiculous hats). We found a shady spot after the tour and ate our breakfast. Since it was by the beach, we got a good warm breeze from the ocean. This whole thing took half the day.
Lunch + Nap. When we got back we immediately hopped into the shower because we sweated so much in Tulum. They were working on the cables in our room block so we couldn't call out for room service. K went over to Los Tacos again and picked up some to go for us. It is literally a 2 min walk from our room. We napped after lunch.
Dinner at La Trattoria. This was located on the golf course so we had to take the air-conditioned bus from the lobby to the other location. The grounds were beautiful but I was eaten alive by mosquitos when we were waiting for the golf carts to take us back to our hotel. Dinner was okay, very small portions, not our favorite. We got the calamari, scallops, tuna tortellini, risotto, lamb, and salmon. The salmon was good but was served with no sides so I had some of the potatoes that came with K's lamb. There were only three little pieces of lamb on K's plate. The calamari was grilled and not fried. I prefer the calamari fried. The scallops were served cold, K would have preferred it being warmed.
After dinner entertainment. The golf cart ride to the Nizuc lobby was very exciting. It went through this crazy jungle. A definite highlight. We stopped by Sunrise and scoped it out. We found a bar that had swing seats that we sat out for a bit drinking strawberry daiquiris. On our way home, we stopped off at the 24-hour bakery to get some dessert - macaroons, smores cream puff, some assorted flavored chocolates, latte, and a chocolate muffin.
Wednesday - Aug 22 - Snorkeling
Open Water Snorkeling. Our highlight for the week. We saw schools of fish, lobsters, stingrays and missed the barracuda and puffer fish. It had taken me a moment to get my bearings with the equipment and being in the open water. K was nice enough to swim by me while I figured it out so we, unfortunately, missed some of the tour stuff (like the first 5 min) but we stuck with the group for the rest of it and it was really amazing. We did have to pay extra for the snorkeling but it was worth it.
Adult Pool. Snorkeling was a half day excursion so we were back at the hotel around noon. We were already wearing our suits so we figured we would just go to the pool. We got there at the best time. There were only a few people so we got a prime spot before it got busy an hour later. We had lunch at the pool and many drinks. The music was good and the people watching was even better.
Jacuzzi & Movie. We headed to our room around 3 or 4 to shower and nap.
Romantic Dinner (Sort of...). We had used some of our resort credits on a romantic dinner. I have mixed feelings about this because I did not enjoy the chairs, that the musician arrived late, the first 2 courses and the fleas that were biting my feet. I loved the bread, tuna dish, and that the waitstaff was willing to let us leave and have the remaining two courses (filet mignon and lobster and dessert which was a creme brulee) in bed. Room service dropped it off about 20 min after we got to our room. The lobster was amazing. So, good dish but bad experience. Mixed feelings here.
Reading & Movie in bed. Since we were already in bed. I read my book, Divergent, and K watched one of the movies we had brought with us.
Breakfast. We went to Habibi for breakfast. Not my favorite but I got the hot chocolate and I have gotten it every day since.
Couple's Citrus Massage. We were separated in the beginning. I went to the female side and K to the male side. We changed into our robes and met back up in the waiting room. This was one of my favorite rooms. They have these giant bed swings hanging from the ceilings. K was already in one and I scooted in next to him as we waited for our room to be ready. The massage was great. K said it was his favorite thus far (but he's only had 2). We stayed in the quiet room for an hour after our message.
Spa Pool & Amenities. Next, we headed to the spa pool, jacuzzi, and steam rooms. It was great and we practically spent the whole day there.
Lunch. Around 2 we figured it was time to go and get lunch before our pedicures. We went to one of the buffets and K loaded his plate with sushi and dessert. He was very happy with his selection.
Deluxe Pedicure. Really great. We read while they spent the 50 min rubbing, cleaning, and doing other treatments to our feet.
Nap
JC Steakhouse. We loved everything here. The garlic bread, the wine, the fried calamari, the crab cakes, K got a steak, and I used some resort credit on a lobster. I couldn't resist, the one the night before had been fantastic and so was this one. We were so full, we left no room for dessert. We walked back to our room on very full, very happy bellies.
Movies & Dessert in Bed. We watched pitch perfect 3 and ordered dessert in bed. I got a little chocolate cake and K got a flan. The chocolate cake is a must order. I also finished my book this night and requested the next book from our library. It was a great read. If you liked the Hunger Games then the Divergent series is for you.
Friday - Aug 24 - Pools, Beaches & Mini Golf
Breakfast Buffet at El Caribeno. I enjoyed my scrambled eggs, toast, and watermelon. K had fruit and french toast. This buffet has fewer options than the buffet in the lobby but it also has way fewer people so that was a plus.
Activity Pool. When we got there, a game of volleyball had started. I checked on some work emails and K waited to use the swimming lanes. We spent an hour or two at this pool before we decided it was too busy for us. This child kept swimming into us with her giant unicorn floaty. "WHERE WERE HER PARENTS!"
Beach. We made our way to the beach because the seaweed seemed to be more under control than the other days. We walked in and was surprised by how warm the water is. I also learned that K is deathly afraid of sharks and being the only one in the ocean. Once we had gotten in, others followed, and K was at ease again. We walked by the area that the sea turtles hatch before making our way to the kid's pool.
Indoor Mini Golf. The kid's pool has an arcade room with mini golf, laser tag, bumper cars, and more. We played a few games including golf where K ultimately won but I was the only one to get a hole in one twice.
Pool Slides & Lazy River. We did all the slides once and did 3 laps in the lazy river. It's basically a pool with a low current so your floaty takes you around the area.
Lunch at Tavola. The bread was fantastic and I loved my pesto gnocchi with sun-dried tomatoes and shrimp. K's seafood pizza was a little spicy but he mostly liked it. He ate half of my gnocchi so he liked mine more.
Shower & Nap
Momo. We had made reservations to watch the chef make our meal and it was a treat. Our favorite item made was the dessert french toast and the knife work/show at the start of the meal.
Long walks home. We walked from the Sunset side of the resort to our resort (The Grand) on the complete opposite side. It was a really beautiful night and we were happy to do the walk. We stopped at the outdoor mini golf and played a round. Again, K won slightly but I was the only one to hit a hole in one. There was lightning in the distance and it was really pretty the way it lit up the clouds above the ocean. When we got to our room we sat outside on our balcony watching the lightning, listened to our audible, and I worked on my blog. I really love nights like this.
Saturday - Aug 25 - Last Day
Breakfast in Bed. We ordered room service for breakfast. I got the Huevos Rancheros and French Toast. Kevin got waffles and fruit and we shared hot chocolate.
Walked to Sunrise resort so Kevin could Ride Flow Rider. He did well but when he fell off he ended up cutting his foot. We walked back into the lobby to have a medic look at it and bandage it up.
Dessert then Lunch.
Sunday - Aug 26 - Fly Home