Hola!   This post is overdue.  I admit it.  I told you we were  going here.… and now it’s been more than two months since we’ve been home from Mexico… It took me  for. ev. er. to get through vacation withdrawal.  I only recently put the luggage away (I know… “slacker.”).  And the little bag of souvenir sand from Tulum had been sitting on the table… waiting. Patiently.    

When I  finally  put the sand in a bottle a couple of weeks ago, the act of  corking  it seemed to somehow officially mark the end of the vacation. Dreaming or not.

I really clung to vacation for all I could.  But it was rough.  For weeks once we were home I’d  get up in the morning and fail to find any chefs in my kitchen waiting to cook my breakfast. What’s up with that?

And the concierge for my “building”  was nowhere to be found. It’s like now that I am home I have to make my own  dinner plans or something.

Like I said: it was rough.  Really.  Because all of these things are just the norm at the all-inclusive Iberostar Paraiso Maya where we spent eight full nights relaxing. It takes time to get over that not-a-care-in-the-world lifestyle.

This was an intentionally lazy vacation. We generally enjoy the shows and activities they offer at Iberostar… but we were just fine people watching and relaxing this go ’round.  That’s what is nice about the resort; you do what you want to. You either can lay low and “veg”… or play volleyball and take scuba lessons. You can have spa time or play golf. You can catch the shows in the evening or just stroll along the paths and people watch.

We were ambitious {wink, wink }.  Some days we sat by the pool, some days we went to the beach. On some days we got crazy and did both ! We did the river too.  The lazy one.  You have no idea how quickly that made the time pass.

And it did.

Pass.

Quickly.

It was hot. (duh… it’s MEXICO).  Hot weather makes frozen mudslides go down faster. (WARNING; “Vodka.”  Said the rum girl. In hindsight.)   Frosty Mexican beers also taste delicious… we were happy to have SOL beer cerveza again. Yum.

During an all-day excursion to the ruins (more about that in another post), we were introduced to Pacifico cerveza out of Mazatlan. It’s light… good for hot weather, and we have found it at home so we’ve enjoyed it on our sand-on-the-brain tiki deck all summer.

Did you know that cerveza pairs nicely with guacamole? Guacamole pairs nicely with everything;  Omelets. Roast chicken.  Skirt steak. Tortillas. Potatoes.  Seafood.  All qualified to be guacamolied. Yes. It’s a verb. Like googled.  “I guacamolied my eggs at every breakfast.”    See also; Salsa-ed.

Where was I… oh yah.  The point here is the food was plentiful and yummy. Apparently this vacation was about being lazy and  eating.  Having been our fourth time here, we knew what to expect.  We knew there  would be guacamole.  Tacos al pastor.  Chopped onions with cilantro and jalapenos that make everything better.

For my sweet tooth….. a nice cappuccino poolside with Mexican pastries, fresh fruit… Flan.  I love flan. Not every day at home… just on vacation in Mexico. It’s cold and creamy and so good.   Even colder; coconut ice cream that I had every day.  Yes; Every day. A scoop that challenged me to eat it before it melted as I walked along the pool back to my chaise. Best ever.

And then it was all over and we were clearing customs back in Chicago.

And back to work.

If you’re thinking of going to Mexico, we’d say give the Mexican Riviera region and the Iberostar Resorts a thought. Great destination to get from “sand on the brain” to feet in the sand!