Is 35 too old to go on Spring Break?
As a 35 year old woman who has recently gone back to school, it seems like work and study take up every waking minute of my time. That's why I jumped at the chance to take advantage of the Spring break at school and take a vacation to Mexico.
I tracked down some cheap flights and traveled with my friend Julie to the Xcaret resort in the River Maya area of Mexico and had a blast! As soon as we checked in we were given plastic orange arm bracelets that clashed with all of my outfits, but were the key to free food, drinks and entertainment for the entire vacation.
The resort is gorgeous! It has a very jungle atmosphere complete with squawking macaws in the lobby. It was like being on the set of Lost, but with mojitos and a disco.
There is water everywhere. A river runs though the lobby, directly to the Xcaret ecological park. There are also several pools that are all linked together and are each geared to a specific group. The fun pool is filled with families and has trivia contests, dance lessons, pool games and Latin and alternative music pumping though the speakers.
The next pool over is for the party crowd. This pool has a volley ball game going on almost continuously and has a swim up bar. If you managed to traverse the entire pool without getting your hair wet you are in trouble when you get up to the bar as you have to pass under a waterfall to get a seat. The next set of pools are designed for people who want to sit back and chill out with a book or relax in the Jacuzzi. One thing I couldn't find was a hot tub, but who's complaining? There is also a sea water pool on the Gulf of Mexico, I heard this was clothing optional pool, but was glad everyone was fully clothed on the day I visited.
The beach is a little small, so no romantic strolls along the beach at night. Unfortunately I didn't have to worry about this since my boyfriend wasn't able to join me on this trip. They do have romantic Thai beds on the beach, these are beds that are suspended by chains on a wooden frame and have floaty white curtains that can be drawn around the beds for privacy. Note to self, bring my boyfriend next time. There is a lagoon at the beach area and we went snorkeling and saw plenty of fish. Don't go too far out as we were told there was a strong undertow close to the buoys. We also had the best banana daiquiris at the beach bar.
Speaking of bars…there are bars and restaurants sprinkled throughout the resort. Swim up bars, beach bars, bars with swings, lobby bars, sports bars, pool bars and a disco all serving free drinks. I was ready for a kidney and liver flush when I got home. I was pleasantly surprised by the restaurants. Usually all inclusives translates to plenty of buffet food, but we were able to make reservations at the hotel restaurants every night. They have Seafood, Mediterranean, Steak, Asian and Mexican restaurants that are all included with the ugly orange bracelet. We did upgrade to a lobster dinner and a bottle of non house wine one night
The nightlife was a little hit and miss. There is a huge outdoor ampetheatre and they have nightly Broadway style shows and audience participation shows which are really not my thing. The sports bar has a pool table and you can usually find someone to enter into a poker game. There is also a disco that is a lot of fun, but the same songs are rotated each night.
All in all it was a great experience. I got to spend time with my best friend in a Caribbean setting with plenty of food, drink, dancing, massages, swimming and much needed lounging. This was not the Daytona Spring Break of my youth, but there is something to be said for lobster and champagne in a five star hotel vs. a keg in a Daytona Holliday Inn.