06 May Mexico Diaries

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I went to Mexico last week for a 5-day vacation with my sister. Originally, we had planned to go in December, but I happened to check out the Finest Playa Mujeres, just outside of Cancun, at the end of March and saw that they had a 50% off discount. I messaged my sister about it and that evening we booked the trip.

Getting there…

We booked directly through the resort and chose the package which included the all-inclusive stay, as well as flight. The only downside was that we had to make a stop in Washington, or pay an extra $400 for a non-stop flight; we went with the layover option.

Cancun is actually an hour behind from Toronto, so we landed at 11:10 AM there. To get to the resort, we booked Canada Transfers as our shuttle back and forth. They send you instructions beforehand about where to meet and everyone who worked for them were super nice. It took 20-30 minutes to get to the resort from the airport.

The resort…

When we left Toronto, it was close to snowing. We walked into the resort and it felt like paradise: clean, marble floors, tropical scents, and 25 degrees. We opted into their Excellence Club for a couple of extra dollars, which is the adults-only building. It comes with extra perks like a private beach area, private restaurants, private pools, free hydrotherapy treatment. In my opinion, that package is 100% worth it for the peace and quiet that you get because there are a lot of families that come to the resort.

Honestly, everything at the resort was beautiful, from the rooms to the beach – it was perfect. The sun rose above the ocean and set behind the resort, so I made a point to see it happen at least once.

Everyone who worked at the resort was friendly and by the end of the trip, they knew us and would chat during meals.

The spa…

Wow is the word that comes to mind. The space is beautiful and the services are so high quality. A week before our trip, we got an email from the spa offering discounted services, so I booked my sister and I the detox black mud wrap + massage for our second day. Let me tell you, that was 100 minutes of pure bliss. I was so relaxed at the end of the treatment that I was laughing uncontrollably.

We also went back for the hydrotherapy treatment that was included in the Excellence package, and it was amazing. You have someone guiding you through the different steps: steam room, sauna, massage jets, the whole shebang. I don’t think that everyone at Excellence takes advantage of the service, so make sure to book your time slot with the concierge.

 

The food…

The resort has over 10 different restaurants, so there’s something for everyone. There are dress codes for each restaurant, so make sure to dress appropriately before heading over. Here are the spots that we tried out:

Buffet

Great for healthy options, or just eating unlimited food! We had it for breakfast a couple of the mornings, one lunch, and one dinner

Bistro

Adult-only restaurant that we went to for a French breakfast (crepes, croissants, and pains au chocolat!)

Lizo

Our first dinner was at this Mexican restaurant and it was delicious. The chicken in mole sauce was amazinggg, as were the churros. There was also a mariachi band playing during the meal, which was really nice

Surf & Turf

Nice casual seafood dinner by the water

Las Dunas Beach House

Casual food on the beach; paella, bbq chicken, quesadillas, chips and guac…

Le Petit Plaisir

We went here for our last dinner and you felt transported to France; the decor and ambiance was on point. Food was delicious, I would definitely recommend trying it out

Beach + Room Service

Most days consisted of laying on the beach in the Excellence area, and a couple of the days, we ordered food from our waiters to eat on the beach. On our last morning, we also ordered in room service for breakfast – why not!

The excursion…

There are free activities included in the stay, like kayaking, but there are also extra paid experiences that an excursion company provides from the resort. We ended up getting suckered into buying the Isla Mujeres 4 hour shuttle + snorkeling pass ($65 USD/person). The island is a 20-minute boat ride from the resort and once you get there, you’re free to do what you want. Here are notes on some of the options:

Renting a golf cart

Once we got off the boat, the group was brought to a golf car rental shop (they obviously work together) and they try to convince you to rent one. If you’re hoping to explore more than just the beach, you need one to get around; all the tourists are driving around in them. We ended up befriending 2 people from our resort who came on the excursion (they were actually from Vancouver!) and got a golf cart for all four of us. I was not mentally prepared to drive, so our new friends took the wheel. Would I recommend it? Yes, but be prepared to pay for it (Around $25/hour – we rented for 3 hours)

Turtle sanctuary

$3 USD/person to enter. Very basic, just a couple tubs with turtles in them. It’s nice because they rescue turtles and release them later, but it wasn’t extravagant. It was my first time being that close to turtles and it was still an incredible moment #banplasticstraws

Punta Sur

Southern point of the island with a restaurant and an option to pay $3 USD/person to enter a walking path. We didn’t pay for it because we were happy with the view from the free section. I would HIGHLY recommend making your way there – it was the most beautiful water I’ve ever seen in my life.

Beach

Umbrellas and chairs on the beach are something like $20 USD for the day. At this point, I didn’t have much cash on hand, so we chose to sit under palm trees at the back of the beach. We befriended a Spanish family and they watched our bags while we swam, and vice versa. The swimming area isn’t that big, so it gets a little crowded in the water. If you’re looking for a more exclusive experience, there are resorts where you can pay to use their beach.

Snorkeling

This happened on our way back from the island, so it was good that we had our bathing suits on under our clothes. The boat stopped at a small shipwreck in the middle of the ocean. Thankfully, it was only 10 feet deep, so the water was super blue and it wasn’t too scary. If you know me, you’ll know that open waters are a no for me, but somehow I did it! And it was fun! They gave us snorkeling equipment and fins and then we jumped overboard. We got 15-20 minutes in the water, swimming around, seeing a ton of fish. Then, we hopped back on the boat and got back to the resort.

All in all, the excursion ends up costing more than $65/person, but I was happy to get out and see some new things after being at the resort for a couple of days and I can check off snorkeling from my bucket list.

Final thoughts…

This was one of the best and most relaxing trips in my life. My biggest stress was deciding where I wanted to eat. If you’re looking for a stress-free vacation in Mexico, I would highly recommend checking out Finest Playa Mujeres.

ps – this trip is not sponsored at all, I paid for it all on my own!