Mexico Day 4 & 5

Well the last two days weren't nearly as exciting as the wedding!  However, they were just as amazing!  The last day was just pure relaxation and enjoying the amazing location!! 

We slept in and then enjoyed our breakfast norm :) Which of course was amazing as usual!

 

 

 

After breakfast I tried to do a little active clean up/packing in our room since we were leaving the next day but it just depressed me that we had to leave so I stopped! haha

We found out that there were a bunch of people hanging out at the pool so we went to check it out.

Turns out we spent the entire day at the pool/beach just talking and hanging out with everyone.

We tried to get some jet skis set up for a fun activity for everyone to do but the guy we dealt with literally wanted to charge us an astronomical amount of money to use his skis?!

So, we opted for beach volleyball! 

I ended up just sitting on the side lines and running the music and reading :)  Wanted to get one last day of reading in before we had to get back to reality! haha

As we were walking back to the room to get ready for dinner, I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures of the actual resort... this was the hallway to our room.

 

This is what all of the walkways around the resort looked like :) Sorry it is a little dark...

 

 

This is when you look over the railing... as I said before... total tropical paradise.  Constant sounds of water running and beautiful grounds and flowers!

Room 2152 :)

 At dinner that night we had such a great time visiting one last time with everyone who was still there.  Another great thing about an all inclusive resort is that you don't have to worry about who is going to pick up the bill or if they will split it... haha no matter how many people you have everyone just gets whatever they want!!  After our amazing meal we were looking at the dessert menu and couldn't decide what to get so the waiter suggested we try everything!! Haha  Awesome idea right?!? 

So, we did.. they were so cool looking I had to snap a couple pictures of a few of them... there were about 6 more! haha 

 

 

After dinner everyone said their goodbyes and headed back to their rooms.  The next morning we flew out and headed back to our reality!  Good Bye Grand Velas! 

 

 

 

Needless to say it was the trip of a lifetime and I am hoping we can repeat it next summer!!  Anyone else in?? 

Mexico Day 3 - Wedding!!

Phewww sorry for keeping everyone waiting for the rest of the trip (Eventhough I am pretty sure there are only 2 people that read this! haha oh well :) )  I have been traveling for work a lot the past week so I haven't had a chance to post but back to Mexico we go... PS... I love writing about our trip because it totally transports me back there and makes me feel like I am sitting there on the beach instead of at my computer! :)

So, Day 2 we woke up and of course had our amazing breakfast like usual!  Then because the spa was such an amazing experience for me the day before I wanted Bryce to experience it as well, so I had signed us up for a couples massage and believe me it did NOT disappoint!  As is their policy because we got a spa treatment the hydro therapy that I walked you through yesterday was included.  They gave us the option to get there early and do it before or wait and go through it after the massage... of course I wanted to sleep in and enjoy a leisure breakfast so I picked that we go after. 

Anyway, the massage was a total experience as well... here in the states you go in for a 4:00 1 hour long massage and you go back to the room at 4 and then you are walking out the door including paying at 5... so really you only get about 45 minutes of actual massage.  Mexico is a complete experience like I said before... nothing is rushed, they go completely at your pace and give you a FULL hour of massaging... so the total experience was probably about 2 hours.

So, we started out changing into the literally made from clouds robes and they gave us slippers to wear and if we wanted one of those hot neck wraps that we could walk all over with and if you asked them they would bring you a fresh one whenever the one you have got cool!  Again... as with EVERYTHING so far OVER THE TOP service.  So, we walked into the room and they had us sit on this bench and put our feet in this dry rice and sand mixture which was heated! It felt heavenly!  They said it was to "pull the toxins out of our bodies" but really it just felt warm which for my all the time cold natured self was wonderful!

They had us sit there for a little while to completely and totally relax. The music was very peaceful and zen like you would expect from a world class spa! 

Then they had us actually get on the tables and below the face pillow was a bowl of scented water so the entire time you were smelling these heavenly scents.  Now, the two ladies the performed our massages were very little and short so I was a little skeptical about the quality of the massage but again... the BEST one I have ever had in my life!! 

So, after the massage we got to experience the hydro therapy treatment again. Bryce loved it just as much as I did!! :)  After we were done in the spa, it was time to head to the pool/beach! :) This time we took advantage of the "adults only" section of the resort and hung out at that pool all afternoon with everyone until it was time to get ready for the wedding! 

 

The wedding was gorgeous!!  The bride was beautiful, the wedding party looked wonderful (especially one handsome looking groomsman! ;-) ) and the setting was so picturesque!! Below are a few of the pictures from the ceremony on the beach...

Panoramic View

The Handsome Groomsmen!



Ring Bearer & Flower Girl



How adorable is her dress??

The Beautiful Couple - So blessed to be included in their special day and to call them friends!!

We are Hitched!! haha :-D

So fun to be married to this guy!! :)

Being silly on the beach :)

 

The centerpieces

The place cards

On a side note, the entire wedding had a sand dollar theme to it as well (apart from the obvious tropical wedding theme)... the place cards and then the welcome bags had a card inside that went through and explained the "Legend of the Sand Dollar" Which is such a beautiful picture and example of the birth and death of Jesus.  I love that these two wonderful people chose to focus their wedding and their future on the only solid foundation of Jesus Christ and remind all of their guests that this was the reason we were all coming together!  :)  Below is the legend if you are wondering what I am talking about! 

 

Now back to the wedding...

Here are a couple of pics of the reception setting...

 

 

 

Their first dance was so beautiful as it was on the walkway over one of the infinity pools!!

(Sorry the pic is kind of grainy)

 

 

After all of the formalities, the party really got started!! :) We all had a blast dancing the night away and before the night was over the ENITRE wedding party and most of the guests ended up in the pool!!  Yes including the bride!!  Such a blast!!!!

 

 

 

Mexico Day 2 - Spa & Welcome Reception

Day 2 of the trip was just as amazing as the first one!

It started off pretty early which as many of you know is a rarity for me when I am on vacation!  However, the lure of the spa was worth it to get up early.

A lot of the girls that were there early (either they or their husbands were in the bridal party) met at the spa to have a variation of amazing treatments done.  I wasn't sure how I felt about an all day spa experience yet so I had what they called the Hydro Therapy Treatment then would decide later if I wanted to add on to it! 

Needless to say, the spa was amazing so I definitely went back for more! 

Below are a couple of pictures of the lounge area... sorry for the lack of pictures I was too focused on relaxing to think about pictures plus all I had was my phone and as the name gives away there was a lot of water which electronics and water.... yeah not so much!

 

 

 

So to walk you through this experience we came in wearing our bathing suits and they gave us these heavenly robes to wear all throughout the process.  We started out in a rain shower of warm water to relax the muscles and prepare for the rooms.  The first room was a sauna - it was hot but they gave you cucumbers for your eyes and a frozen towel to cool off if you needed it.  The entire room was made of cedar planks so when you walked in the smell was heavenly.  They allotted you about 8 minutes in each of the rooms but could stay longer if you wanted to!  On a side note, in this spa we received probably the best service ever... the ladies that attended to us were so incredibly nice and always soft spoken!  (I think that was probably to add to the tranquility! haha)  Literally anything you asked for they would magically appear with - A fruity juice drink of course maam, a plate of fruit no problem! You were definitely pampered! :-D

  The next room was the steam room... this was my favorite!! As soon as you walk in you could feel your muscles start to relax and the tenion and stress knots as I call them just melt away!  I always stayed here longer than they said (Yes if you are wondering I went through this treatment about 3 times throughout the weekend! :) )  The next room was the Ice Room... yeaaahhh didn't like this one so much... again if you know me at all you know I am a VERY cold natured person so to walk in and sit down in a room that is purposefully cold...?? NOT relaxing to say the least but they said it was part of the process so I gritted my teeth and got through it... needless to say this was always the minimum time and NEVER extended! haha

The last room was what they called the clay room.  It was similar to the steam room but not as intensive but they would give you a tray of clay to rub all over your body, a conditioner for your hair and then aloe gel for your face.  After sitting for a few minutes you would rinse off with your own personal shower head and then go back to the rain shower for a final rinse. 

After the room process you would go into the pools process.  This started off two long skinny and shallow (about calf deep) pools (one HOT and one COLD!) You would walk the length in the hot pool and then walk back in the cold pool.  You did this about 2 or 3 times and then moved on to the jet pools. This you could go at your own pace but they had different areas of the pool that had different jets you could massage your body with.   One strong one for the neck and shoulders then on to the bubbles for your legs, then on to the lounge chair jets for back.  You could stay for 5 minutes or an hour if you wanted to, just whatever you felt like!  Another cool thing about the pools is that by the time I got to this part some of the other girls that were in our group were also wrapping up with what they were doing (massages, mani/pedi, etc) and were in the pools too so we got to hang out and catch up and of course talk about how amazing the spa is!  The final step to the hydro therapy was about 10 minutes in a hot tub and then a quick dip and I mean  QUICK dip in the Ice cold tub.  At this point you are finished with your experience and you can either re do it all, hang out anywhere in the spa or go do something else in the resort. I chose to sit by the "lazy river" haha I know im classy and read for awhile! :)  The entire process from start to finish took about 2 hours and it was worth EVERY minute! :) I walked out of there feeling the most relaxed I have felt in a long time! :)

Side note... before I left, I signed me up for a mani/pedi and Bryce & I up for a couples massage!

 

After the spa experience, I decided to go in search of Bryce.  The guys were supposed to get up and go on a chartered deep sea fishing excursion but weather didn't permit the boat to launch so they had to cancel but don't be too sad for him because he got to sleep in and finish off the breakfast that I had delivered early that morning :) Every morning this was how we got our breakfast delivered to our room...

 

 

It was always delicious and then underneath the table was a hot box so that if you ordered eggs, bacon, an omelet or whatever, it would stay hot until you were ready to enjoy it! :) Amazing!

After relaxing at the pool for a bit with him, I went back to the spa for my mani/pedi which as with everything else, was the best one I have ever had! :)

 

Then it was time to get ready for the welcome reception.  Most of the wedding guests arrived on Friday so this was a way to get everyone together to meet and get to know each other and get ready for the wedding on Saturday!  :)  We met so many amazing people that will definitely be life long friends, we are so thankful!!

 

 

And of course Bryce was the life of the party... I mean did you expect anything less? ;-) haha

 

Also, I found a picture of the entrance that I was describing in my last post :) They should just hang a sign... prepare you are entering Heaven! :) haha

 

 

 

 

Mexico Day 1

Mexico! What an amazing place!! Seriously there are no words to describe just how incredible this place was but I will attempt to!  As with the last one... this will be a long one and will break it into days for you but please don't forget... food and water ;-)

 

Before I get ahead of myself and start gushing about the fabulousness let me explain what took us to this paradise! 

As I mentioned in my earlier post, Bryce and I usually take an anniversary trip every year.  This year however, we found out that some of our closest friends, Courtney and Kristin were engaged and decided to have a destination wedding!! We were so excited and were immediately in agreement that this would be our anniversary trip as well!  I mean with white sand and clear water what more could you ask for?! :)

On the plane! Sooo ready!

To make it even better, Courtney asked Bryce to stand with him as a groomsman!  We were so honored and even more excited because that meant we had an excuse to extend our trip!!  So, we ended up flying in on Thursday morning and then flying home Monday afternoon.  We seriously could have stayed all through the next week too but reality was calling us home!

 

When we landed in Cancun it was a little worrisome because it was raining and someone informed us after we asked that this was the start of their rainy season... my immediate thought was about the wedding on Saturday and if it would be raining because it was on the beach.  However, I immediately dismissed the thought because as many of you know it rained on Bryce and my wedding day and it was amazing so I didn't worry too much! :)

 

The first thing we had to do was find our transport to the resort in Playa Del Carmen (About a 45 min drive)... we had prearranged this (which I HIGHLY suggest because as soon as you get off the plane you are bombarded with people trying to get you to hire them to help you with your bags, drive you somewhere or sell you something!) so we just kept asking for Lomas Travel and they kept pointing us in the right direction.  After we got there we waited for 2 other couples but it wasn't long at all and then we were off! :)

 

The first hilarious story of many from the weekend was this picture right here... this was posted on almost all of the taxi's and for hire transport vehicles... if you read it it says it is strictly prohibited to serve drinks while vehicle is in motion... BUT if you want two beers it is $5!!?? Wait... what??  Haha needless to say all of us in the van got a pretty good laugh out of this one!! :)

When we arrived at the resort it was like we were arriving at some secret and exotic compound because it has this huge concrete wall and then two bridges over these beautiful pools to go in and out of the resort! I wish I had thought to get a pic of the entrance but there will be plenty of picture so you will just have to take my word for it... it was awesome! haha I totally felt like a movie star arriving at my own private resort :-D

 

 

 

 

These pictures are the lobby of the part of the resort where we were staying... 

 

Very cool roof/ceiling!

Bryce is already so Zen! :)

 Yes I said the part that we stayed in because there were 3 parts! :)  We had access to any of them because they all offered a completely different feel, atmosphere, and restaurant/bar offerings :) The part we stayed in I referred to as "The Jungle one" because it was all about zen and relaxation!  This area also conveniently had the spa which we both partook in but more on that later!! :)

 

These are a few shots of our room... LOVED it! Seriously wish I could live there!! :)

The A...MAZING bathroom!

Walking into our room

 

 

The main part of the room with our own private balcony.

 

 After we got settled into the room and they delivered our bags, we went in search of everyone else!  We found them at the pool so we hung out with everyone until it was time to get ready for the rehearsal/rehearsal dinner.  It was raining a little bit when we went down for the rehearsal so we had the rehearsal right in the lobby of the "Ambassador" section.  YES it was that big that we could have a "walk" and a ceremony in the lobby! haha

We had dinner at the italian restaurant on site - the food was delicious (a theme you will see throughout the entire trip!) and the company was wonderful!  Another amazing thing about this resort is that it was All-Inclusive!  If any of you are considering a trip like this All-Inclusive is definitely the way to go!! No matter where we were on the resort or what we wanted... it was included... A-MAZING! :)  It is just such a load off to not have to worry about carrying around money and worrying about how much everything is! 

After dinner we headed over to the karaoke bar in the "Ambassador" section and sang/danced the night away! For a karaoke bar in Mexico, I think they had more options than most places in the states!  :)  So fun! 

To give you a little more about the "Ambassador" section of the resort, this part was beach front and it was all about fun!  Totally family friendly, a HUGE pool and fun beach games - volleyball, jetskis, etc!  Also, each section had a pool and an in-water bar.  This is where we ate most of our lunches while we were there because we were all hanging out at the pool and didn't want to leave to go to a restaurant! :)  So convenient! haha

 

Alright that's long enough for now... more to come...  :)