Monday, November 18, 2013

Honeymooning in the Riviera Maya

The wedding was over in a flash, and soon it was time for our first big married adventure. We landed in Cancun Sunday afternoon, ready to see this resort we (okay, mostly I) had been daydreaming about for months. 
 
Secrets Maroma Beach did not disappoint. I was absolutely blown away by the natural beauty and friendly staff. Adam's only complaint was the lack of chicken nuggets, but somehow I doubt that's a problem for most people :) 

All photos personal unless otherwise noted.
 
Honeymoon champagne and a cork with our wedding date!
Showing off the new hardware.
We spent our time at the resort scouting wildlife, drinking way too much a normal amount of alcohol, and just basking in the glorious Mexican sun. There may or may not have been a substantial amount of Arrested Development jokes made, but that's no different from our everyday life. 
"This will keep me safe from the hot Mexican sun." 
While we LOVED the resort, hands down our favorite experiences were when we left the resort. Before the trip, I signed us up for two excursions with Local Quickies to swim with turtles, swim in some cenotes, do some zip lining, and take a sunset cruise by the Mayan ruins in Tulum. If you ever find yourself near Playa del Carmen, Cancun, or Playa Aventuras, we HIGHLY recommend booking a tour with these guys. It's not touristy at all - it's more like hanging out with friends who happen to know all the best local spots. 
 
Tulum, one of the most stunning and well-preserved beaches in the world. 
Getting introduced to one of our new favorite foods - cochinita pibil. (photo by Local Quickies)
Checking out sea turtles in Akumal. (photo by Local Quickies)
We really appreciated all the precautions taken to keep these animals safe. (photo by Local Quickies)
Now, the sunset cruise-around-the-ruins portion of this tour is *not* typically a booze cruise and is usually very family-friendly. We were warned in advance that a large bachelor party would also be on the cruise that day, to which we said, bring it on! The drinks flowed all afternoon, and soon an unexpected storm rolled in. 
 
You call that a storm?!
I'm sure we were totally safe the whole time, but we could see several waterspouts forming off in the distance. Normally this would be cause for concern but when you're on the adventure of a lifetime with your brand new husband and have about 27 drinks in you, waterspouts are celebrated.
 
The crew easily got us past the storm and we made it back to the harbor safely. I remember distinctly thinking at the time that this was one of the best days of my life, and it absolutely was. Adam and I had so much fun that day; there are just no words for it. 
 
Drunken catamaran life chats. Highly recommend. (photo by Local Quickies)
Enjoying drinks on our last day at Secrets Maroma Beach.
Hopefully we get to go back someday! It was truly the trip of a lifetime. 

4 comments:

  1. Looks like a lovely honeymoon! That water is breathtaking. It reminds me a lot of when hubby and I went to Jamaica at a Sandals a couple of years ago when we first got engaged. We didn't go somewhere quite as warm for our honeymoon (we rented a cottage in Vermont) but still nice.

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    1. Thank you and yes, the water was simply beautiful! Vermont would be lovely too, though! Sounds so relaxing.

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  2. This makes me anxious for our vacation in January to Cozumel! If only time could move just a bit faster! You looked like you had a blast!

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    1. That's crazy, I was actually just in Cozumel last weekend for a destination wedding! Talk about coincidence. Blog post coming soon all about it! I wish we had a winter vacation planned to get us through the cold months ahead. You're going to have a great time!

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