GO AHEAD, TAP THAT CLASS
GO AHEAD, TAP THAT CLASS
If you are a follower of BEING BOUJEE, you know travel runs through our blood. We are ALWAYS up for a trip. And a long weekend is one of the BEST times to sneak away for a few days. Cancun, Mexico, is always a quick, easy, cost-effective flight, and the weather can’t be beaten….usually. However, on our last day, it rained. BOO! NOTE: This appeared to be THE babymoon vacation spot. I saw so many women expecting – even one reading the “What to expect when You Are Expecting book.” There should be some support group for you all when you visit here.
COSTCO Travel: I am a researcher at heart, so I will spend hours over many weeks looking for the best deal. Costco Travel is usually one of my first stops while researching to see their available deals. They typically have great deals on flight and hotel combos, plus some Costco gift card incentives based on how much your vacation costs.
♥ Often, a travel purchase includes a Costco Shops Card (what they call a gift card) based on the cost of the trip. This booking would receive a $176 Costco Shop Card in the mail four to six weeks upon their return.
♥ The deal also included $200 in resort credit that could be applied (not all at once) to spa services, dinner upgrades (specific wines and meals), etc.
♥ Finally, the vacation package includes round-trip transfers from/to the airport and resort. TIP: Booking the private transfer always costs a little more, but we highly suggest it! You don’t want to travel resort t0 resort dropping off other guests before getting to your resort. Just pay the extra money and have the private transfer. You don’t regret it.
You do need to be a member of Costco to book through them. We are working on a unique BEING BOUJEE offer, so stay tuned for an update; hopefully, you will soon become a Costco member!
Not a Costco member? That’s ok…for now! We have also had excellent luck booking trips through TRAVELOCITY and highly recommend it.
AIRPORT TRANSFER: The round-trip transfer was included in the Costco package; therefore, after going through customs in Cancun, you head out the doors and to your right. Before you arrive outside, you will go through a barrage of people trying to sell you tickets to various excursions. I highly suggest you keep your head down and tell everyone, “No, thank you,” as you proceed outside.
Once you arrive outside, you will see people holding signs for various transportation companies, including taxis. Since I booked through Costco, I looked for the person holding the Costco sign. The employee checked me in and directed me to the shuttle area. From when I exited the airport to getting in a private shuttle, it was about 20 minutes.
RESORT: I booked Secrets, The Vine for accommodations for this trip. Why? Because I have heard great things about them and have always wanted to check them out! It is an adult-only exclusive resort, so it was worth the peace. No kids were running around screaming or splashing in the pool. The kid-free environment was pleasant and might be added to a future requirement list for selecting a resort.
When booking (and often when checking in), you can ask about upgrading to the Preferred Club. I didn’t do it this trip, so I can only tell you a little about it, except your room is on a higher floor, and you can access an exclusive restaurant and a preferred club exclusive pool on the 10th floor. You also can access the Preferred Club lounge for special food (breakfast, appetizers, drinks, etc.). It was an additional $90/night when I inquired about it during check-in. I didn’t think it was worth the upgrade, so I didn’t do it, and I feel like I got everything.
OCEAN VIEW ROOM: The ocean room was charming, clean, and modern…but the light switches were challenging to figure out after a few drinks. But it was great that there were multiple switches throughout the room, when you entered, at each of the bathroom vanities (there were 2) and by each side of the bed. Oh, the bed. I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I thought the bed was on the stiff side. I assume hotels select harder beds, so they don’t have so many beds, with sunken-in areas having so many people sleeping on them. PLUS = they only had one-bed pillow for each guest. I love having a couple of bed pillows to lay on as I toss and turn throughout the night. These were just meh.
The balcony area was excellent, with two comfy wicker chairs with cushions. It was a perfect spot to enjoy a morning cup of coffee or a cocktail before dinner. It was odd that you could see your neighbors through the dividers between the balconies, but they did it so it felt more open. I was laughing; one morning, as I was enjoying the balcony, my neighbor came out wearing just his boxers, saw me, and ran back into his room. Haha! So, while it has a modern look, it takes some getting used to as a guest.
The room had the standard coffee maker and a small refrigerator stocked with a couple of bottles of water, soda, and beer—nothing special in the fridge.
Turndown service each evening was lovely. While at dinner, they would come in and place a mat next to each side of the bed, with a pair of slippers, a bottle of water on the nightstand, and a piece of chocolate on the pillow. Plus, relaxing music would be playing on the TV, and the lights would automatically turn on as you opened the door. It is all those BOUJEE features that I enjoy in a resort room.
There are two closet areas in the room – one with hanging and drawers and the other with shelves and the safe. I didn’t use the safe at all but it looked functional and safe – pun intended.
ADDITIONAL RESORT INFORMATION: I did find the hallways to be loud – or at least the people staying at the resort for Labor Day weekend were loud. Doors were challenging to close and you had to slam them shut. Also, for some reason the lobby area of the resort was really warm and had a funny, musty smell to it. I was not a fan of it and have read other posts also complaining about the smell. It was definitely odd. US Dollars are easily accepted as tip money by bartenders, servers, and housekeeping.
RESTAURANTS and ROOM SERVICE
This is an Italian restaurant, and it was delicious! I decided to eat here twice because the lasagna was so good!
You don’t need to make any reservations, but men are required to wear closed two shoes and pants. I witnessed men being turned away because of their dress attire. HIGHLY recommend!
Open for dinner only.
SeaSalt Grill
This restaurant is known for its seafood and Is located outside by one of the pools. As a non-seafood eater, there wasn’t much else on the menu (ribs was about it), and they weren’t very flexible in making me something “special” (e.g., noodle and red sauce, grilled cheese sandwich, anything that could be found on a kids menu – ha!). I ate dinner here on my first night, and they had a great live musician playing for an hour and then dancers for another short performance.
Open for lunch and dinner.
The Halftime Sports Bar
Are you afraid of missing your favorite sports event? Don’t worry! The Halftime Sports Bar has you covered. There are at least 12 TV screens and a pool table, and the AC is always pumping. Decent bar food, such as potato wedges, boneless wings, burgers, and sandwiches, is available. This is also a great place to sneak away if you avoid a rain shower. NOTE: There is a long staircase going up to the sports bar, and I didn’t notice an elevator to bring up those challenged by stairs or who use a wheelchair.
Open mid-day to 1:00 a.m. for drinks, and food is served from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Bluewater Grill
This is the meat restaurant – haha! Want a steak? Check out Bluewater Grill.
You don’t need to make reservations; males must wear pants and closed-toe shoes.
Open for dinner only.
Market Cafe
Are you a buffet lover? This is the spot for you – but be warned, it is very repetitive. The same breakfast each morning. There is an omelet station with a few options, but it didn’t seem as user-friendly as other all-inclusive resorts I have visited.
I only did the lunch buffet one time, and it was fine. Nothing special.
Only open for breakfast and lunch and a memorable evening each week. When I was here, it was Mexican night in the buffet on Tuesday night.
Women, if you show up wearing a swimsuit top, you will be asked to cover up.
Olio
Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about this restaurant because I haven’t tried it. It is located outside on the 10th floor, so please remember the weather if you decide to have dinner here. I thought this was only for preferred guest room visitors, but I didn’t see that written on any sign near the restaurant.
Barefoot Grill
Do you want a little munchie as you enjoy the sunshine and pool? Barefoot Grill is the spot for you. Each day, they serve burgers with fixings and potato wedges. There is also a white tent set up outside SeaSalt Grill that has a different lunch option each day. On my last day, for example, they served tacos.
Dragons
Unfortunately, I can’t share anything about this restaurant as I only walked by it. I liked the ambiance of it, but I prefer Far East cuisine. If you try it out, let me know your thoughts so I can update this section. 🙂
Open for dinner.
The Bazaar Café
Coffee drinkers can’t miss the Café set-up in the main lobby area. In addition to coffee, they also serve pastries, small sandwiches, fruit, cookies (the chocolate chip cookies are delicious), and ice cream! They tend only to have three flavors of ice cream, so don’t get your hopes up, but on a hot day, it does hit the spot. There tends always to be a line for the Café.
Open 24-hours a day
Room Service
Room service has a limited menu available and takes about 30-40 minutes for delivery.
Available 24 hours a day.
POOLS
Here is the HUGE warning about this resort: NO swim-up bar. It might be a huge disappointment, but the servers do a good job taking the orders of those in the pools. Plus, two bars are only about five steps from two pools. . . so there are options close by an adult beverage.
One pool has a great ocean view, and the other has an infinity-edge pool. Only a few people brought pool floats, but a few enjoyed them.
I did laugh at one of the bartenders by the pool bar who inquired about my Stanley Cup. He stated he was starting to see more and more of them. I told him they were just popular at the time and a little more expensive than a Yeti. He said he preferred the Stanley Cup as they had a better twist on the lid. There you go! You heard it from the horse’s mouth – take your Stanley with you and make your bartender happy.
There were three pools available for all guests and ample seating options around the pools. Guests did get up EARLY to reserve chairs, so if you are picky about where you want to sit, set your alarm to get up and put stuff down on your chairs to secure them. I was often down there at 8 a.m., and the chairs with the best ocean view were already claimed.
ENTERTAINMENT
Are you outgoing and looking for “stuff” to do during the day? The entertainment team here does a fantastic job engaging guests in various activities. From pool/beach volleyball to water aerobics to floating blackjack in the pool to a massage class, they will keep you busy during the day. We enjoyed Name That Tune and Pictionary from the pool, and of course, we giggled at those doing water aerobics.
Each evening, there was an entertainment option in the Piano Bar. Entertainment ranged from various themes (70s/80s, piano) of singers to an opera one night (TIP: hard pass on the opera). There are often performers at the outdoor restaurant and by the pool daily. It felt like something was going on all the time.
I have stayed at other adult resorts that are completely dead in the evening – this was not one of those places. Entertainment usually started at 8:00 p.m. and ended at 9:00 p.m.
DAY TRIP TO ISLA MUJERES
Since I had the privilege of living on the beautiful island of Isla Mujeres for a month during COVID – and it happens to be my favorite place on earth – a day trip to Isla was needed on this trip. Be warned, a day trip can feel exhausting because of rushing and waiting.
I recommend taking the city bus from the main drag (one block from the resort) to the hotel zone port to pick up the ferry. The ferry schedule varies by port, so check out their website for more details.
The ferry takes about 20 minutes from the hotel zone, and if the weather is nice (but not too hot), I suggest sitting outside and listening to the live music from the upper deck. Of course, they will ask for tips at the end, but they are usually worth it.
TIP: I did notice many places on the island only accept cash (USD or Pesos), so keep that in mind if you want to visit the island. If you wish to cash, visit the grocery store in the middle of the island (Chedraui) and access pesos via the cash machine. The grocery store is also great for picking up souvenirs and pharmacy needs (Amaxicillin and Trentinoin – botox in a cream).
Since I spent so much time on Isla back in 2020 (and for Thanksgiving 2022), I knew my way around the island, and it was great to see it thriving after COVID. Instead of rehashing all the great things about Isla, I encourage you to check out our previous post. I would still recommend all the same stuff with that addition of one place – check out the beach by Mia Resort.
Follow directions to Mia, but avoid crossing over the wood bridge. Instead, go to the left of the entrance to the wood bridge and find a spot on the public beach there, OR pick one of the day beach clubs there to enjoy. The water and sand are truly unbelievable! THE BEST I have ever experienced. It is so soft, and the water is so clear right there – plus, it isn’t very deep, so it is an excellent spot for kids to enjoy.
LeAnn is a mentor and the ultimate BOUJEE glamour gal. When she left daily drudgery behind in favor of following her own personal path to joy, she made a promise to herself that she would help others do the same. All she’s ever wanted is to do is stay healthy, live her best life, and give back to others by introducing them to their inner BOUJEE.
