Winter break caught me by surprise – kids barely got back to school, and we are off again? Lucas has no winter break, and sitting at home with two bored teenagers was not an exciting perspective, plus I needed a real break from work. So – quick flight to Cancun and some easy all-inclusive resort for 4 nights were going to do it. I love how we are 4 hours door-to-door from amazing beaches. Choices were not limited, however late I seemed to be; even flights were available on Saturday for a Tuesday winter break departure.

Resort – Moon Palace Sunrise – 15 mins from the airport. Massive, I later compared it with a huge cruise ship without the floating/water. It had that vibe and feel. All-inclusive with nice restaurants, you had an option to reserve ahead. Finally, I am reaping the benefits of teenagers who do not want to eat at 6:30 like the small kids, so later times were always available. Arcade, surf slides, kids clubs, competitions – ouch, I am not kid-friendly at this stage. I understand it, the families, and the relief of the clubs and playgrounds and entertainment, but I don’t need to be part of it. I am here to sit in quiet and read a book. That was not the pool area but the beach—literally, no one was on the beach. Mostly b/c they were jellyfish in the water (so they said), but also b/c of the algae. I didn’t mind at all – empty beach with a view of gorgeous water and nobody there. – sign me up, I mean – move me in here. A straw umbrella with a gorgeous chair and a waitress walking by with margaritas? I am in. Who needs pools?

We did manage to fit in a few extra things. One was Max’s first massage ever, which he was surprisingly nervous about. I love the selling jobs these resorts do; they are quite good at it. What is worth $10 (manicure) is pitched for $50, but you get a 50% discount because you are special, so it only costs you $25 – I had to laugh. The second adventure was a snorkeling trip, which was an organized tour. Normally, I’m not a big fan, but the kids loved the idea, so we went for it. This turned out to be a tourist trap, but it was not a surprise. The first stop was a mini lake with fresh rainwater—there were a lot of people and barely anything to see – except a gorgeous green iguana on a tree – but the fish were barely visible. There was a zipline and a large jump, so Max and Mia were happy.

Before we got there, the tour guide told us that we would see a lot of animals – coati (Mexican raccoons), which we saw in our resort; birds; and monkeys – and then the other 2 tourists in our bus (older ladies from Florida) go – and what about some tarantulas? We saw some last time. I went white, and Max and Mia stare at me with eyes wide open – mom is going to freak. Yeah, mom is going to freak. Mom had to go to the bathroom and was looking at every inch of everything surrounding her everywhere. Way to make me enjoy a trip. At the end of it, we saw gorgeous birds, had lunch, and then went to snorkel in beautiful caves. Those were truly amazing – beautiful clear blue water with not a speck of dirt – but it was dark – it was impossible to see above the water even though we had light on our heads. Our last spot was a salty enclave, which would have been nice for snorkeling if it weren’t for hundreds of people everywhere. So, overall – agh, not awesome but good enough.

As I said, overall – a cruise ship on the ground with decent food, enough space to do your own thing and hide and totally fine quick getaway.

Well, until the flight back. Scheduled for 4.45 pm, we get there at 2 pm – the three prior Atlanta flights are still there, delayed. The airport was packed with not a single chair available. 2 hours later we board, and then the fun starts – captain announces that b/c of the delay, they are likely to clock out while we are on the tarmac. Later he brings better news that they won’t be able to get us to Atlanta, but they would to Orlando; switch the crew and continue. Then, another announcement – too much fuel, so have to get it out. At this point, the crew doesn’t think we will even make it to Orlando. News starts pouring in on the unrests in Mexico and the US State Department warning people to shelter in place. We sure hope to get out now. More news coming – if we make it to Orlando, we will have to go through customs, unload luggage, get out of the plane, go through immigration, recheck luggage, and go on. Long story short – we get home at 3 am – what a flight! It was a great little getaway for us all. Mexico always delivers.