SPRING BREAK 2019 here I come…those were the words written on my bedroom wall calendar as I counted down the days to April 20th. I desperately needed to take a trip to get away from my hectic schedule in New York City and to my sweet surprise, the idea of visiting Cancun fell on my lap. Over the years, the idea of traveling out of the country always scared me. WHY? If you know me you will know that I am terrified of planes and I get very anxious about the idea of being thousands of feet in the air. Yep, this also means I am scared of heights! However, I decided to put my trust in God to enjoy some fun in the sun and I do not regret it one bit…
A couple of days away with the love of my life in another country we have never been before was absolutely breathtaking. I never understood why Cancun was such a hot spot until now.
NOTE* Since I am not a regular traveler I decided to book our whole trip through CheapCaribbean.com thanks to a recommendation from a friend. They did such an awesome job in creating an easy and affordable package which included our flight, all-inclusive resort, transportation to and from the hotel as well as travel insurance.
JFK to Cancun International Airport
Being that I do not like stop over flights I made sure our flights were nonstop in both directions. Our flight to Cancun was at 9AM and let me tell you I could not sleep ALL NIGHT lol. The fear of being in the air was slowly creeping up on me. I stayed up to make sure our bags were packed with all the essential documents in hand. Again, thanks to my organizational skills I bought my suitcase and travel cubbies two weeks in advance and packed lightly. On the other hand, he did not LOL. I guess opposites attract right?
Anyway, our flight was 4 hours and 5 minutes. As soon as we got on the plane all I could do was quietly cry and pray to God to get us there safely. But there’s a catch! As we were approaching Cancun our plane had a lot of turbulence and it was not pretty. I almost had a panic attack LOL but I had to show off that I was tough (yea sorry love I was low-key scared but momma ain’t raise no chicken).
Day 1
Once we got to Cancun airport, we had to go through immigration. Make sure you fill out the immigration forms online, it makes it way easier for you to leave the airport. It is also important to keep it with you during your entire trip. You can be stopped at any time during your trip regarding the reason for your stay. After we went through immigration, we were greeted by Amstar who was in charge of our transportation to our Hotel. When booking your flight it is important to figure out how you will get to and from the hotel. Otherwise, people will try to scam you. Do not exchange money at the airport either. They will cheat you and give you fewer pesos for your dollar. Wait till you get to your hotel to exchange money there or at the money exchange bank.(PLEASE DO RESEARCH ON ANY COUNTRY YOU DECIDE TO TRAVEL TO: READ REVIEWS, WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS AND ASK PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRAVELED THERE).
Once we got into the van, we drove about 15-20 minutes to our hotel, and to my surprise, Cancun is heavily Americanized. I did not expect to see a Zara, YSL, Loui Vuitton, or Starbucks. I was not aware that most hotels and resorts are located in the tourist part of Cancun in which they call the “hotel zone”. We had the pleasure of staying at Melody Maker which is an all-inclusive resort that has additional services such as a 24/7 room service, private pool, beach, five free restaurants, a spa, and VIP services. In my opinion, it was definitely worth the money. It gives a weight off your shoulders with having to pay for extra amenities. Since we got to our resort early, we had to stand in line to wait and check-in. Fortunately for me, two of my friends were also checking in at the same resort and that was another plus to my trip. After we checked in, we went straight up to our room and got ready to hit the resort beach. The beach had everything you can dream of! A beautiful view of the ocean with an open bar and food truck. Not to mention amazing spots for those vacation photos plus beach beds to take a quick tan or nap! After hanging at the beach, we headed upstairs for a quick nap and got ready for dinner in the evening for the remainder of our day. We decided to have dinner at Talavera Mexican Restaurant and the food was amazing. Oh and we ate again LOL. We headed down the hall to The Social Buffet Market Place. The food here is also really amazing and has everything you can imagine. Before coming to Cancun, I was told the food was horrible. Wrong! I give it a 5/5 across all boards. We then took the bus for $1 each to explore downtown. We decided to keep our first day as “chill day” to explore and relax.
Day 2
The following day in Cancun we stayed in and decided to have some time for ourselves which means we woke up at 11am and ordered some room service and it was delicious. I definitely recommend ordering the Benedict eggs with potatoes, waffles, fruits and orange juice for just a $5 delivery fee.
After that we got ready to spend some time at the pool and were shortly joined by my friends.
At the end of the night we got ready to hit the town and ended up getting into a club called La Vaquita for $30 per person with an open bar and section to ourselves. If you’re looking for a good time with lots of good music with throwbacks and dancing then this is the place for you. I was amused every second. Mexico definitely knows how to party too. Shortly after our night was over we walked down to a local food spot called Ah Barbaro and their tostadas were the best I ever had. Try it with the flank steak you won’t regret it. Guess what? For the 4 of us it cost $27! Can you imagine? Nothing beats that! Since we had to wake up early for our excursions we ended our night there.
Day 3
On the third day, we woke up early for a day filled with adventure. We decided to indulge in some Zip Lining, ATV, and Cenote at Extreme Adventure Park. Since I wasn’t sure of doing any excursions I decided to book it through their WhatsApp number and paid in person. (I suggest waiting till you get there to book activities. You never know If you have a change of plans or find excursions for a cheaper price) We paid $178 for the two of us. We waited for our driver at 8:20 AM and headed to Puerto Morelos which was about 50 minutes from our hotel.
Although I am not an adventurous person, zip lining was a blast and the rush definitely made me destress. However, while doing ATV I fell off my bike LOL but that’s okay its a story for the books. Beware the road is very rocky and muddy so make sure you’re staying in control of your bike. Shortly after, we took another small trip to the Cenote to cool off in the water.
After spending our time at the park, we headed back to the hotel and ate at the buffet and hung out in my friend’s hotel room. We then decided to end our last night at Deliro Beach restaurant and let me tell you the place is beautiful. We were given a fixed menu with salad, appetizer, two small entrees, and dessert. We ended the night with conversations about life, school, travel, everything you can imagine.
Day 4
Our last day in Cancun, we decided to explore the shopping mall for a bit. We explored the attractions and bought some souvenirs for ourselves and our friends back home which was a total of $113. Pretty expensive I know!
We took a walk around the area and took some photos. We then checked out and had our last meal at the buffet. I think I gained about 10 pounds on this trip..seriously!
TO NOTE:
Before you decide to travel, make sure you have enough money to travel. A lot of people on Instagram make traveling look easy but it takes a lot of planning, organizing, and saving to travel…
For me, I planned this trip VERY last minute and this was a personal choice for my health. For both of us we spent over $2k plus personal expenses on the trip of $500 for both of us.
Additionally, be aware of getting scammed for high prices from locals. Locals will come up to you to try to get you to pay for clubs, restaurants and, various excursions. Be smart! Always take the bus around it is cheaper. Taxis will try to charge you $15 for a simple destination.
In the end, from the start to the end I had a blast. The staff at the hotel were super friendly and willing to assist you with any help you needed. If I decide to come back I will definitely reroute and take a trip to Tulum, Mexico. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed my travel recap + itinerary. Feel free to message me or email me for any additional questions.
