It was a hard decision to decide where I wanted to travel for the first time since the pandemic. Did I want to explore a new city or relax? After these past few years, I decided we all deserved a truly relaxing vacation!
Hours of research + Googling, I finally decided on where to go + the resort - Villa del Palmar in Punta Sam, a half hour outside of Cancún. I booked the vacation over Black Friday weekend taking full advantage of the travel deals + sales.
In full transparency, our vacation for two adults + one 3 1/2 year old child for 6 days 5 nights including airfare, ground transportation + the all inclusive resort came out to $3,200. An affordable family vacation! I've spent over a $1,000 just on a long weekend in the Catskills.
I couldn't have been happier with our decision. I know Mexico has been in the news with unrest + crime, but we felt completely safe during our travels in Quintana Roo the area of Mexico where Cancún is located.
Right when we got to Villa del Palmar we were greeted with ice cold waters + warm scented towels. At that moment I knew this was the best decision EVER. We spent the week lounging + swimming in the beautiful, heated pools + taking dips in the Ocean. There was a kid pool + splash area for the little ones. A beautiful beach with day beds + a beach bar with swings.
The best part of the vacation was the food. From breakfast, lunch + dinner the food was fabulous. Even though we stayed at Villa del Palmar we were able to dine at the exquisite new sister resort next door - Garza Blanca. I made our dinner reservations before we arrived. We ate at La Casona STK + Zama Restaurant in Villa del Palmar + Bocados Steak House + Gourmet Hall at Garza Blanca.
The food was phenomenal. We had everything from ceviches to dry aged steak, beef tartar, table side Cesar salad, lamb osso buco, flan + more. Zama where we ate every day for lunch, had the most delicious pastor tacos + octopus ceviche, I got it every day!
Not only was the food terrific, but the service was wonderful. Bartenders were friendly, making us delicious mudslides + mango tangos all afternoon. The staff + servers went above + beyond, all smiling + extremely friendly.
All in all, I couldn't have been happier with my decision to vacation at an all inclusive in Mexico. Our daughter Luna traveled like a champ. It is the best toddler vacation because it is stress free. She was in her element swimming all day, sipping virgin cocktails with me + devouring all the food + ice cream she could dream of. For the first time in a really long time, I was able to truly relax on vacation. I didn't have to worry about waking up to walk around a new city lugging all the toddler things or hunt for the best places to eat. The only thing I worked on was my tan poolside with a mudslide in hand as my daughter happily floated around the pool in her swimmies.
I already cannot wait to go back + I already know where I will be staying - Garza Blanca. I fell in love the moment we walked into the lobby. I'll see you soon Cancún.
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