Summer in Cancun
After a stressful house move, we decided to treat ourselves to two weeks in Cancun, just what we needed.
We stayed in an Adults only all inclusive complex where the food was fabulous with plenty of variety and choice and on tap 24 hours a day.
The hotel was quite a large complex with lots of facilities – gym, beauty salon, spa, sports and the activities around the pool looked quite energetic – you wouldn’t normally see those if kids were around! The hotel had a private beach and a large pool with a swim up bar.
The World Cup was on at the time which made for great banter as the Mexicans were enjoying a good run until they met Argentina and even then they should have won that game.
As it was our first two week break for a couple of years we decided we would go on all the trips we could. I will save the best for last but in our first few days we went to Xel-Ha, which is a national park where you can go into the Dolphin pools.
We jumped off high ledges into large lagoons and snorkelled in the open lake, which was an amazing experience. We were having a whale of a time until we tried Snuba diving, yes Snuba. It’s different from Scuba in that four of you share a tank that floats on top of the water, well we both tried it and didn’t like it, after about 10 minutes of trying to get used to it, we gave up deciding that we didn’t need that sort of stress on holiday – there was plenty more to do!
Xel-Ha is well worth a visit as it has various animals and attractions to keep you busy.
The Jungle Tour is great fun where you have your own little speed boat and follow a convoy of 6 boats through the mangroves and out to a snorkelling spot. We made sure we were at the back on the way out and the way back and were jumping over the waves the other boats were making and zig-zagging about!
By far the best excursion was to the Wet ‘n’ Wild water park where we signed up to the ‘Trainer for a day’, this was to spend a whole day with the Dolphin’s, learning about their feeding patterns and their way of life. The Dolphins are in large enclosures in the sea which is the other side of the water park, they have different enclosures for different stages of their lives and you are able to go in all of them.
The day is broken up by lunch (which is included in the price) which is a welcome retreat from the heat. Near the end of the day, you can choose for the Dolphins to push your feet along by their noses so you rise out of the water or if you’re not feeling brave enough, you can hold onto their fins – we did the feet push, you must try it! The whole day is filmed and you can buy the DVD, which I thoroughly recommend as it provides some lasting memories. There is a little surprise at the end which I will keep a secret in case you find yourself on the trip.
There are a few night clubs in Cancun and the most famous is Coco Bongo’s which is based on the film ‘The Mask’. All throughout the evening the music stops for the many tribute acts and scenes from the film and also trapeze artists appearing from the ceiling.
Cancun has plenty to do and see, but if you want to relax, you can soak up the sun on one of their many beautiful beaches as the weather is gorgeous in the summer.