This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase!
To say I was dreading turning 30 is an understatement… 30 seemed like this monumental indicator of getting old and transitioning into being rusty and dusty, while leaving the glamour, appeal, and optimism of my 20s behind…
Check out this related post to shop all the outfits I wore to Cancun!
Well, now that I’ve crested that hill and am looking at the view, it’s really not as grim as I made it out to be. True, hearing the number “30” when referring to myself is still anxiety inducing, but I’ve decided we’re just not going to quantify life by that number. No magical reverse-Cinderella transformation happened overnight, and no, my back didn’t immediately start aching when the clock struck twelve. I’m still me, and I’m putting my energy now into using this numerical change to my advantage by opening the door for other positive life changes, like boundary setting and healing from trauma.
Most of all, I’m focusing less on what I possess and own and more on having experiences that are unforgettable and life-enriching. Enter the topic of this blog post: my celebratory 30th birthday trip to an all-inclusive Cancun resort!
I have to admit, I am brand new to the concept of world travel- only having left the borders of my native United States for the first time in the summer of this year for a trip to the UK. This trip south of the border was both a last minute leap of faith and a daring proving ground for my own personal healing.
I’ve always heard scary stories of traveling in Mexico, and as the first one to really travel there, I was definitely a little skeptical and more than a little nervous to take the travel plunge. But, I’m happy to say, this trip was one of the best vacations we’ve ever taken, and came at a time of dire need for a carefree several days of relaxation.
First of all, my husband and I have never before tried an all-inclusive vacation package, and I cannot recommend this enough, especially for first time Mexico travelers! It really took the stress out of asking “where should we eat?” every few hours, and the food really exceeded my expectations on a deliciousness scale. For context, we stayed at the Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach in Cancun. (Linked here to book!) This resort got great reviews, and all of their dining options were within a hop, skip, and jump from the room and beach. The only detractor (which was minor imo) was that reservations had to be made for most of the dining options upon check in, so we were at the mercy of availability for dinner times. But, room service was included, and there were a ton of beachside (no reservation) options for lunch, plus a delicious buffet for breakfast, so we never went hungry. (The exact opposite, in fact!)
Besides the food, the resort was beautiful and clean, and the beachfront was dreamy, brilliantly blue, and perfectly swimmable, which was great for water enthusiasts like us! Lounge chairs were plenty, beach towels were readily available, and the view to the Punta Cancun lighthouse and Isla Mujeres was spectacular. The employees were friendly and helpful, most spoke fluent English in addition to Spanish, and they were always available to bring you a beachside snack or drink (since tips were also included, there was no awkwardness or expectation either!).
Booking extra (ie not included) activities was easy as the hotel had contracted, legitimate travel agencies installed in their lobby to help plan experiences, which helped take the guesswork out and ensured security. We weren’t originally planning to book extra experiences, but we heard that the hotel next door had swimming with dolphins, and as a lifelong diehard dolphin lover, I immediately wanted to check off one long standing bucket list item! We booked the Delphinus couple experience for swimming with dolphins, and it was honestly amazing! It was in the range of $300-400 USD for the experience itself, with purchase of photos commemorating the whole thing by Delphinus photographers being an extra charge (if you decided to purchase, but tbh who wouldn’t?). The only negative, but honestly kind of expected, thing was that the photos cost almost as much as the price of the experience. We purchased their middle tier photo package with all images of the day being included for about $300 USD. I knew we would spend a lot, and the photos were great, but they weren’t Annie Leibovitz quality and $300 for about 100 photos seemed astronomical to me, especially since we couldn’t bring our own cameras or see the photos prior to give feedback on the shots. When in Rome, you know…
We ultimately had a great time and for that being the one major expense, it was fine to splurge. The hotel seemed to offer a lot, and we definitely didn’t take advantage of all of the entertainment and events the hotel had. We pretty much ate, relaxed on the beach, swam in the ocean, ate some more, and napped. Given the hectic and stressful nature of life lately, this was a more than welcome relief.
The ocean water seemed clean and clear, though there were some manmade structures on the beach and in the water that were partially buried, partially exposed (I’m assuming due to recent storms), like huge sandbags and a couple pipes. The fish seemed already busy in reclaiming these items for the sea, though, and you only had to wade ankle deep for hordes of colorful tropical fish to flash by. We bought snorkels at the hotel shop and spotted sea urchins, coral, and other sea life barely 20 feet offshore. The hotel also had a swimming platform anchored about 50 feet from the beach, which was perfect to swim to, relax on, and dive off.
The last day of our trip, our flight didn’t leave until the evening, so we spent the morning venturing into the Cancun Hotel Zone (aka the miles-long stretch of hotels, bars, restaurants, shopping malls, and beaches that are pretty well secured for tourists). There was a great walking and biking path for exploring, though with the heavy construction the further we walked, the path abruptly ended and we picked our way along rough sidewalks dodging the occasional wheelbarrow. Though it was a few miles down the road from our hotel, we were able to walk to the Scorpion Temple, a Mayan archaeological site smack dab INSIDE the grounds of a very modern hotel. It was difficult to get to or see from the road, but I’d definitely recommend asking the hotel security staff at the guard shack at the beginning of the hotel driveway, and they will escort you to visit.
The hotel where the Scorpion Temple was nestled was right across the street from the high-end shopping mall that contained designer stores like Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton. We crossed the street (sans a working crosswalk; just look both ways!) and wandered the mall, finding Starbucks and a pretty clean public restroom. After a quick Starbucks order, we embarked on the long and sweaty two mile walk back to our hotel. Avoiding the previous construction by staying on the lagoon side, we had a leisurely walk with a couple of surprises…
Yes, we stumbled across two rather quiet and chill giant reptiles right next to the sidewalk: a colorful iguana and sleeping crocodile! (The crocodile, our driver from the airport to hotel warned us, was one of many on the lagoon side.) Our hotel was surprisingly devoid of local wildlife besides birds, so seeing both of these critters was one of the coolest things of the trip!
Besides being sad to leave, the pre booked private transfer between the hotel and airport arrived three hours before our scheduled flight departure, which as we found out, was more than unnecessary. Security at the Cancun airport was quite minimal compared to US TSA, and the airport was basically one cramped marketplace of souvenirs, technology, and several American restaurants. We ended up sitting for hours at the airport waiting for the flight, and it really was probably the most crowded airport I’ve ever been to. We avoided eating at any restaurant, opting instead for bottled waters, so the three hours dragged on. Overall, though, the flight back was pleasant and other than walking what could only be described as a mini marathon from our arrival gate in LAX to baggage claim/customs, travel was pleasantly uneventful.
This all inclusive Cancun trip made my 30th birthday unforgettable, and I couldn’t be happier and more secure as I enter into this new phase of life! I’m still me, I’m still slaying, and I’m still a kid at heart!
Cheers to 30, flirty, and thriving!
Xx Tabi