Lovinnnnn' Cancun. Yes, it is Westernised and, yes, there is a long strip of hotels where it gets a little tacky at times, but it is exactly what we both needed at this point in our trip. Somewhere nice, clean, affordable, fun and beautiful. Cancun ticked EVERY box. Our hotel was huge with a great big pool and pool bar and, within just a few steps, led you straight to paradise; a gorgeous white sand beach and the most spectacular sea I have seen in a loooong time. Seriously, the sea is crystal clear and starts as a bright turquoise before merging in to a deeper darker blue. The best part? Our room had a spacious balcony that gave us an incredible view of both the pool and the sea, where we sat sipping on icy drinks and munching crisps whilst playing cards. I could not have asked for more. We had been so "on the go" for the past week with hikes, walking, sight-seeing and travelling, that doing nothing in the day but soak up rays and read our books for 3 days was all we wanted and needed.
The long:
Wednesday:
It seems that my prayers were answered, because when we stepped off that plane we were slapped in the face by roaring heat. I usually hate landing in a hot country in the middle of the day but I have been craving some real warmth now since we left Tamarindo so, on this one occasion, it was more than welcomed. Our hotel was a short drive from the airport and I must have been in my bikini ready to hit the pool within an hour of landing (much to Michael's dismay... "I hate getting oily").
Unfortunately, it wasn't too long before the sun disappeared behind our hotel and I had to throw in the towel (figuratively and literally), so we got ready to head out and explore the strip. Whilst doing so, I drank my first whole beer of the holiday - go me! (ok, it was a corona light; easing myself in gently), since everything else in the hotel shop was too expensive. I can't say that I'll be ordering them out of choice anytime soon but I will readily accept them as an affordable option when the purse strings feel a little tight. We had chosen where to eat dinner based on Tripadvisor reviews, and knew that our hotel was a 20-minute walk or 5-minute bus away. We walked. Uh oh... I was wearing a dress. Michael was wearing a shirt and jeans. Within 5 minutes he was only wearing jeans. Granted, it was hot and rather sticky, but I was fine in my breezy dress so found the whole "heated episode" rather amusing.
The restaurant was Italian and really rather beautiful to look at, with an attractive painted dome ceiling and huge candle display. The service and table bread (of which we always ask for thirds; free food and on a budget... hello?!) were second to none.
It was due to be our "nicest" dinner for a while, and once I had spotted seafood linguine on the menu, it was going to be hard for me to choose anything else, despite the higher price tag. I convinced myself it was worth it. IT WAS NOT. Seriously, the worst seafood linguine I have ever had. Although the seafood portion was generous, it was lacking in flavour and I just found it to be generally very bland. Plus, the lobster was overcooked.
Michael, on the other hand, had been served a masterpiece. For £5 less (huge disparity within our limited funds), he received the most exquisite creamy prawn, crispy prosciutto, crunchy asparagus, spaghetti ever. It was a party in my mouth. Anyway, perhaps I should not praise it so highly as it was also the most probable cause for the poorly tummy that hit Michael shortly after.
Thursday:
Is there anything better than opening your curtains and the sun blinding you? I think not. Sunshine makes me so happy. It was a glorious day. We got out in to the heat ASAP. I think I may have overestimated my skin's stamina however as when we came up to the room a few hours later, it wasn't long before my beautiful bronzed skin turned in to more of a bright lobster red. Whoops. (Yes mum, I'll wear a higher factor tomorrow). We played cards on the balcony and tried out a new combo of rum & tonic; I can't say that it replaces my baby G&T's but it was certainly drinkable!
Michael's bad stomach then came back with a bang, so we decided to just go get some food in us and come back to the room. We hit a proper Mexican (in hindsight, perhaps not the best option for him) for some roasted pork tacos; daymmmmn, they were good! At £3 per person, I was fairly astounded at how yummy they were. Mexican all day every day? Maybe not, but I would go back there a hundred times over.
Friday:
With 10 hours sleep under our belt and the "no" vote on Scottish independence announced, Michael thankfully appeared to be feeling a bit sparkier and back to his usual self. After a few hours of tanning and a wonderful little frolic in the sea (in his new sexy birthday swim shorts may I add!) which, by the way, is the most delightful temperature EVER, we thought we would give our skin a break from the sun.
We thought we'd go for a snoop around one of the many oversized Cancun shopping malls in search of a few items that both of us were on the hunt for. After having looked high and low at every possible opportunity so far for an underwater camera to replace the one we lost whilst tubing in Costa Rica, I had my heart set on purchasing one before leaving Cancun, as this would be our best and last chance to do so before swimming with whale sharks and sea turtles next week. Unfortunately, the evil little bug residing in Michael's stomach decided to rear its ugly head once more and the poor boy deteriorated again. To make matters worse, the mall that we visited first did not have any suitable replacement cameras. My boy soldiered on and we travelled a further 30-minute bus ride away to "downtown" with no promise that we would have better luck there. THANK GOD we did. We didn't find the exact same camera but we bought one similar enough; at least all Michael's pain and our effort was worth it!
By the time we successfully completed our mission it was rather late and we were both ravenous. To the food court we went. Michael wanted something safe so got himself a burger and chips; the 9th in 20 days - fast becoming his favourite meal?, whilst I opted for shrimp ceviche with tostadas; freaking scrumptious and £4 for all this:
Trust me, it was goooood.
I should also really mention that you can choose to travel along the strip either by bus or taxi; the taxis are super overpriced and the bus is less than $1 per person no matter what stop you get off at... fairly obvious choice really! The "best" part of these buses though is that musicians jump on and off, forcing you to endure their talent (or lack thereof), which had its moments! On one journey we had the pleasure of listening to a guy with a pretty great voice singing along to his guitar; on another, a guy playing backing music from a cassette player and shouting... I mean rapping, in a hoarse voice. It happened on every bus journey that we went on so is clearly the norm here. It has its perks but renders quiet time or a hushed conversation fairly impossible; I'm not convinced that we need to introduce the custom in London just yet.
Saturday:
We don't want to leave. Seriously, I do not want to go from this haven. I know that Isla Mujeres will be stunning, but I can't help but feel that Cancun and I are just getting warmed up, and are on the brink of a full and flourishing life-long friendship. It was a shame that Michael felt unwell and we didn't get to experience the "wild and fun" that Cancun is so famous for, but mostly I don't want to leave our hotel and lovely room and views. This is the first time that either of us has really wanted to stay somewhere for longer, so speaks wonders of our impression of the place! Maybe... one day... we will return. Heartbroken, we make our way to Isla Mujeres.
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