México!
The perfect trip to wrap up the summer
This is the fourth year in a row I’ve had the privilege of traveling to Mexico. In the fall of 2021, it was the trip that helped restore me after the worst of my interactions with my ex. In the summer of 2022, I got to explore a bunch of cities and towns outside Mexico City I had never visited before. In March of 2023, we celebrated a wedding in Riviera Maya, and then returned in July to Mexico City and Lake Tequesquitengo. I realize as I’m writing this that I never did write a full post about last summer’s trip and all the emotions that came along with meeting many of my dad’s friends and cousins for the first time. Still gonna leave that for another day…
This summer it was Isla Mujeres and Akumal to enjoy quality time with friends and family. We woke up at 3:15 am for a 7:00 am flight. After a plane ride, and a shuttle to the dock, we hopped on a ferry for a ride that was very sweaty, but also provided gorgeous views and some saxophone serenades. I didn’t know it was possible to play Eiffel 65s “I’m Blue” on a sax but I was very wrong. We went from ferry to golf cart and immediately to a beachside restaurant. Being able to enjoy incredible food (and a very strong margarita) while the kids play nearby in the ocean is probably one of my favorite things in the world… even if we were all extremely exhausted and still very sweaty.
After lunch we made our way to the Air BnB, settled in a bit, and then went out for a drive around Isla. The whole island is only 4.3 miles long, so it didn’t take long to go from the northern end to Punta Sur, the southern tip.
Our four days on Isla were spent swimming, relaxing, reading, and eating more delicious food. Our adventure day was spent zip lining, snorkeling and swimming with dolphins. To say the boys were happy is a huge understatement.
Worth mentioning: these changing towels (Gabe’s wearing his in the photos above) have completely changed the game for getting the kids into bathing suits or back into dry clothes. I bought them at a surf shop in OC earlier this summer and can’t believe how much we use them. Fabulous parenting hack, especially if you have a sensory kid who hates being in wet clothes.
After our four days on the island, we went back to Cancun on the ferry (no saxophone this time) and drove south to Akumal. Over the last few trips Mary and I have gotten pretty good at finding places that will comfortably sleep our large group and still give us beautiful views. This place was next level.
I spent the first afternoon on the beach bed finishing one book and starting another. Later that night, from the exact same spot, we watched a sea turtle make her way along the beach, digging and searching for a spot to lay her eggs. The moon was incredibly bright because it had been full the night before. It was one of those magical “I can’t believe this is happening right in front of me” kind of moments.
In Akumal, we ate, we drank, we swam, and we played lots of family games at night. Over our five days there we had three adventures. First was to Xcaret to enjoy the park and the underground river.
Next was a gorgeous sunset cruise on a catamaran. The boys got to steer and had so much fun jumping off the front of the boat.
And finally, we found a cenote with a jump spot! I didn’t love the little fish nibbling at our feet, but I did love witnessing the completion of Lucas’ transition from the beginning of the week, when he claimed he couldn’t swim in the deep end of the pool, to the daredevil you see here.
Traveling with kids is not easy or stress-free. I was perpetually making sure they were wearing enough sunscreen, eating enough, and drinking plenty of water in the excessive heat. It’s definitely worth it, though. There were multiple days on this trip when my kids went from saying, “I don’t want to do that” to “Mommy, this is so cool!” or even, “This is the best day of my life!”
Although I would have been happy with a bit more sleep and downtime, I’m so thrilled with all the memories we made on this trip. And of course I still enjoyed some late night mezcal and chats with friends and cousins, and read a few books.
Oh, and I bought this amazing little miniature tienda!
Now the boys are back in school (today’s the first day!) and we’re very excited for the cooler weather and all the spooky fun in the very near future.
Until next time…