Ahhh... another Autumn trip to the Mexican Riveria. We stayed in the Iberostar Paraiso Maya resort, the same one we did last year. We flew on a direct flight from Pittsburgh on USA 3000. Not your common airline. Even when we arrived at the airport, the sign that said where to check in for USA 3000 was practically home-made and also incorrect. One of the airport workers told us to go to the Delta line. The flight was uneventful. The kids ate some of their halloween candy during the flight and read or drew. Below is a picture of Asia and Zach fighting for the air-conditioning vents once we got on the shuttle to the hotel.
After checking into the hotel, we decided to talk to our rooms instead of waiting for the typical golf carts that can zoom you off to different destinations. On the way, we ran into a family of coatis. I remember seeing one or two last year, but their were tons of little baby ones this year.
In this picture, you can tell Asia is looking at something - the camera flashed off its eye.
In this third picture, I took a walk alone in the morning and the boardwalk was covered with these little coatis. Here's a video of them. You can either play cute music in the background or think menacing music as they sneak up behind me ready to attack!
Someone forgot to tell us about the early time change in Mexico. We were ready to go to lunch only to find they were still serving breakfast the next day at what we thought was still noon. It took us awhile to get used to having a later lunch and a bigger breakfast or multiple breakfasts. The main lunch buffet didn't open til 1 PM. Breakfast was served til 11:30 AM. We eventually figured out you could snack packs of cookies, fruit and granola bars from the breakfast buffet to save for munchies later on. I even grabbed some for the airplane ride back.
When it came to the meals, it would have helped to be able to speak more Spanish. I found that true in Paris as well. When you're in a restaurant and want to know the ingredients of a dish in a foreign country, basic language skills just aren't up to par. I stumped a few of the cooks/servers when I asked for soy milk one morning. I was shown the oatmeal and the dried oats. Eventually I learned to just ask the bartenders and drink servers for soy milk for my coffee instead of the line cooks. Another time I asked whether the eggs had milk in it and the server had to get another manager out who could speak English. He looked like a college student and his English was pretty good. He asked if I had a milk allergy and I nodded, not about to explain that it was really just a lactose intolerance. I basically learned to take lots of Lactaid pills or else avoid anything that had white stuff on it - assuming it was cheese or sour cream.
Some of the perks of the hotel room? Patio balcony of course. Jacuzzi tub - definitely. Stocked and often replenished mini-fridge full of water, sprite, beer, and other drinks.
Swim up bar.... Asia loved swimming up to that bar and asking for a kid's pina colada.
Reading poolside....
The wave pool....
The kids are wearing the funky blue swimcaps because they were in the kid's club. One way for the counsellors (aka babysitters) to know which kids were theirs.
The beach....
The food... Each night you could sign up for a different theme restaurant or just eat at the buffet. The star below is of fried rice - Japanese steakhouse restaurant. Unfortunately the kids were so tired this night that they almost fell asleep at the table, so we skipped out on dessert.
But most other times we helped ourselves to the appetizer and dessert buffets.
I don't know if you can tell, but the pastry to the right is in the shape of a swan - cream-filled. And the chocolate molten cake next to it was decadent. Not that I felt that great afterwards, but I couldn't resist!
Zach ate really well in Mexico - buffet-style always helps when you have a picky eater. Here he's enjoying some ribs while John flashes the big 4-1 for his birthday dinner.
Zach ate really well in Mexico - buffet-style always helps when you have a picky eater. Here he's enjoying some ribs while John flashes the big 4-1 for his birthday dinner.
Early morning walks on the beach.. John and I would trade off...
And the towel sculptures!
In this third picture, you'll see a towel birthday cake. John's 41st birthday. The kids made him cards and tried to keep John happy all day. A couple of times, Zach got grumpy over something like losing a chess game to John, and then Zach would remember it's a special day and give John an extra hug. Below is a picture of John reading Asia's birthday card and wearing a paper hat she made him.
Asia even did her homework - half of it at least - while in Mexico. The little boy who shall remain anonymous forgot his homework at school so he ended up doing it all on the Monday that we got back. Luckily Zach's teacher only gave him a little homework. Mr. G had told me that he wanted Zach to enjoy his vacation. Asia, on the other hand, had gobs of homework that she spent most of that Monday evening finishing up what she didn't get to in Mexico. They only missed 3 days of school yet it seemed like Mrs. M had given Asia an entire week's worth of schoolwork.
Another part of the resort the kids liked was the mini kids club. You could sign them in during the day and they can meet other kids their age - many from New Jersey who had the week off or Quebec or Toronto. At night, there would be the mini-disco on the stage. One night, we found the kids doing the hokey-pokey on stage and then a game of musical chairs. John and I had gone out to the French Gourment restaurant that night which was adults only, so the kids went to the kids' club for dinner. I don't think they would have gone up on that stage if they had been with us, since they were with the club counsellors, they didn't have any choice but to participate.
Notice how many kids are starting out in musical chairs? Now watch the two videos to see the outcome of the game.
The final two had to run around their chairs as well as around the host. And the winner is?
The happy couple
The scenery of course...
And the towel sculptures!
In this third picture, you'll see a towel birthday cake. John's 41st birthday. The kids made him cards and tried to keep John happy all day. A couple of times, Zach got grumpy over something like losing a chess game to John, and then Zach would remember it's a special day and give John an extra hug. Below is a picture of John reading Asia's birthday card and wearing a paper hat she made him.
Chess was a favorite pasttime for John and the kids. I played one game against Asia and she forked me twice, castled, and checked me once. I did eventually win but not without some cool calculations against my 7 year old. I played Zach twice. The first time, he checkmated me in about 3 moves. The second time, it took a few more moves before he once again checkmated me.
Asia even did her homework - half of it at least - while in Mexico. The little boy who shall remain anonymous forgot his homework at school so he ended up doing it all on the Monday that we got back. Luckily Zach's teacher only gave him a little homework. Mr. G had told me that he wanted Zach to enjoy his vacation. Asia, on the other hand, had gobs of homework that she spent most of that Monday evening finishing up what she didn't get to in Mexico. They only missed 3 days of school yet it seemed like Mrs. M had given Asia an entire week's worth of schoolwork.
Another part of the resort the kids liked was the mini kids club. You could sign them in during the day and they can meet other kids their age - many from New Jersey who had the week off or Quebec or Toronto. At night, there would be the mini-disco on the stage. One night, we found the kids doing the hokey-pokey on stage and then a game of musical chairs. John and I had gone out to the French Gourment restaurant that night which was adults only, so the kids went to the kids' club for dinner. I don't think they would have gone up on that stage if they had been with us, since they were with the club counsellors, they didn't have any choice but to participate.
Notice how many kids are starting out in musical chairs? Now watch the two videos to see the outcome of the game.
The final two had to run around their chairs as well as around the host. And the winner is?
The happy couple
