Weekend Getaway to the Rivera Maya

When you find plane tickets for $78 a person from Monterrey to Cancun, you say "yes" to a weekend getaway to the Caribbean without hesitation.

Yes, we do LOVE traveling

Here are some pictures from our quick three nights in the Rivera Maya. We ended up staying in a great airbnb condo at a place called Puerta Adventuras. Little did we know that this was the perfect place for kids, because a rock barrier off shore protected the beach from waves (and also seaweed that has been plaguing the area). The lake-like, calm water allowed for great swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding. There was also snorkeling close to shore, so the twins were able to do that with Ben as well. The water was so clear that Josh and I even got to see some fish that were hanging out closer to shore! 

View from our second story condo (find Ben and the twins for bonus points)

 It was all of our first times on a paddle board (Seth on it here) 

 I love this picture

 Just enjoying the Caribbean

 I have decided that paddle boarding is my kind of water sport, because you do not actually have to be in the water. I really, really enjoyed it (after recovering from my first fall-in, because Josh "lovingly" gave me a strong push off from shore).

 Josh's first time at the beach without water wings. He did great! 

 Ben and Seth; it was so cool that the condo provided the paddle board and kayak. If anyone wants the recommendation of where we stayed, I will totally pass it along. We will stay there again in a heartbeat.

 Ben and the twins. (Sam sitting closer to Ben)

 Going out exploring (the clouds were just so beautiful this day)

 The beach where we stayed

 Big mistake failing to put a shirt on Josh on day 1...by day 3 he was a lobster (even with wearing a shirt the rest of the time). Day 4 (when we had returned home), he had sun sickness (fever, chills, tummy ache). Poor boy. Lesson learned: don't mess with sun and extremely white skin.

 Cool iguana by the pool

 Josh is so funny with his stuffed animals. He wanted Piglet and snoopy to enjoy the vacation too. 

For lunch on day 1, we returned to a restaurant we loved last trip called, "The Buena Vida." It's vibe is super cool and it's literally on beach right next to the water.

Then we returned to a favorite boogie boarding beach, X-puha. Ben and the big boys had a blast. Poor Josh, though...he's not quite ready for the big waves yet and had to settle with just playing in the sand with mommy. 

 Sam, Josh, Seth

Happy travelers.

 Sunset night 1

 The forecast for day 2 was thunderstorms all day...the actual weather was gorgeous...even better than the day before. 

I started out day 2 with a walk around area. I loved this tree.

And found a friendly pelican too.  

Meanwhile the kids and Ben were doing this...how about those clouds and the color of the water?

We took a break for lunch. The cool thing about the area we stayed at was there is a place called Dolphin Adventures just around the corner. So, you can watch all the people (who paid ridiculous prices) feed, pet, and play with dolphins. (Actually this is a picture of people feeding manatees.)

 We ended up eating at the restaurants nearby twice, just to watch the dolphin shows (for free!)

It was super fun to watch! Dolphins are very amazing creatures. 

Afternoon day 2 we went on a wild goose chase to find a couple beaches, both of which we were closed (who would have known that public beaches could "close" at 5 pm? Anything can happen in Mexico.) However, that just meant hanging out at our beach for the sunset, which was quite spectacular. No complaints. 

 We had the place almost to ourselves.

 And because of that, combined with the absolute calmness of the water, Josh was able to learn how to paddle the kayak all by himself. He was SO excited! 

 Kid heaven. 

 It was a beautiful evening.

 I love this one.

 Gosh I love these boys! Josh, Seth, and Sam.

 An excellent sunset. 

Day 3 was just a half day, with our flight leaving Cancun at 5 (the great thing is that we gained an hour going back to Monterrey, so we left at 5, and got into Monterrey at 6:30, perfect timing to get ready for work and school the next day). We spent the morning at the beach, then ate lunch where we could watch the dolphins before heading to the airport. 

 The great news was that we got someone to take a family picture! I love it!

And I just had to get a picture of Ben and the boys by the jeep that Ben rented. I thought Ben was joking when he said he got a jeep...maybe I should know my husband better than that. It was a good vehicle to have as Ben was searching for all his hard-to-find beaches.  We sure had a blast and are so thankful for these opportunities!