“Snow days” are a great time to collect ones thoughts (not to mention the obligatory opportunity to shovel and scrape while pondering). When my work day gets tugged from under my feet in early February it means one thing… time for some travel planning! Where to this time? What’s there to see, do, experience? Research, bookings, bank accounts (eeks)… So begins our next excursion.
In effect, the selection process was really quite simple. We wanted somewhere we hadn’t visited, preferably warm, the offer of a solid cultural experience (history/food/people) and, finally, a destination not too hard on the pocket book! We consciously opted to leave the US out of the mix (time for a little break there) and really were not looking for straight up “All-Inclusive”. We’d rather chip away at learning about how others “spend their day”. Further, we wanted somewhere with a direct flight, having really only the week of March Break to work with and not wanting to lasso too much time in the commuting process.
In the end… Mexico was the choice, and Cancun the destination. Now this may outwardly seem a mighty strange choice for folks wanting to avoid the All-Inclusive… Cancun being one of the most “touristy and catered to” spaces in all of Mexico. However, having not made prior visits to the country, we thought it might create the perfect space for us to mix the beaches, drinks and comforts of a Caribbean trip with a region used to folks from up north. Our recent success with VRBO in a Paris booking provided an entire event in living among Parisians, as opposed to the customary partition of gates found on southern vacations. Maybe we can find that kind of vibe again in Cancun!
So… let the games begin. We committed ourselves by nailing down flights (our first time grabbing a WestJet flight so something new there). Next step is accommodations… secured by Janie and Monica as they explored the myriad of Air BnB, VRBO and FlipKey webpages. We eventually came to rest in our room search as preferences aligned with a somewhat removed fishing village, Puerto Morelos, tucked quietly between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. We’ve since booked a ground floor 2 bed/bath condo with pool, private beach, internet and our own funky kitchen. The owner has been very responsive / helpful in regards to our novice questions and it looks as though beach side restaurants, warm breezes and outdoor attractions abound in the area (everything from snorkeling to zip lines). We continue to research online for potential markets, excursions and locking in airport transfers… but much of this will be left to purchase when feet hit the ground in Mexico!