Final Days in Cancun: Relaxing, Xplor Adventures, and Saying Goodbye

11/25 – 11/27

Unfortunately my phone, which I used for about 95% of my photos, has officially died. At some point during the trip it must have gotten wet, and now it’s completely useless.

Since these days were more relaxed anyway, I didn’t miss too many photo opportunities. The only picture I managed to get was one poolside shot with my underwater camera.

Most of these days were spent just enjoying the slower side of the trip. We relaxed in the sun, wandered around the city for meals, and took things easy for a few days.

One highlight was Bingo by the pool. Shane ended up winning a bag, a headband, and a cup. Woot woot! Not exactly life-changing prizes, but still pretty exciting.

Other than that, it was just a few peaceful days soaking up the last bits of sunshine.

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11/28

Just south of Playa del Carmen there is an incredible natural adventure park called Xplor.

The park is built around a huge cave system, and all of the activities are designed to let people experience the caves while still preserving the natural environment. The whole place is really impressive.

There were several different activities to try throughout the park, including zip lines, amphibious jeep trails through the jungle and caves, underground river floating, and rafting through cave systems.

It was easily one of the most fun and adventurous days of the entire trip.

The zip lines were amazing. Some of them were incredibly high, and a few even sent you flying straight over the jungle canopy before dipping down toward caves and water.

We also drove through the jungle and cave system in these little amphibious vehicles. As usual, I let Shane do the driving while I focused on enjoying the scenery.

One of my favorite parts was floating through the underground rivers. Before getting in they guide you through a waterfall, which was absolutely freezing, but once you get used to the water it’s a really cool experience drifting through the caves.

The park photographers take pictures of you throughout the day at different activities. They turned out great, but they charge an arm and a leg. Since I’d prefer to keep all of my limbs attached, I might have to pass on buying them.

Thankfully we still managed to capture plenty of our own photos and videos during the day.

Little cavemen explaining our adventure

Walking up up up to our next zip line!

Long way down!!!!

Here we go! (I have so many great videos from this day, but will have to wait until I get home to do anything with them! The video camera on this works great)

On our way through a cave in a Jeep

I always let Shane drive. I prefer to enjoy the scenery.. 

Helmets on at all times!

Getting ready for some river floating. First they prep you with a waterfall.. colddd waterfall!!

11/29

Today is our last full day in Cancun.

It’s hard to believe how fast this month has flown by.

Today will mostly be spent packing up our things and enjoying one last night in this beautiful place.

I’m definitely going to miss it here, but I’m also really excited for the next part of our trip. Tomorrow we head to Florida to visit my family.

More adventures ahead. 

Coastal Exploring: Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos

Monday 11/5

We woke up early to watch the sunrise and plan out our day. For the first time since arriving, we had American coffee instead of Mexican coffee. We had to search a bit to find Folgers, and wow, it definitely tastes different.

After getting ready, we decided to take a drive south and headed to Playa del Carmen. We spent a little time relaxing on the beach before walking over to 5th Avenue (Quinta Avenida) to explore the shops. The streets are lined with vendors, restaurants, and all kinds of touristy stores.

Eventually we realized we were getting hungry. Playa del Carmen felt a little expensive, so we decided to head north to Puerto Morelos instead.

Lunch in Puerto Morelos

While walking around, we stumbled across a cute little beachfront restaurant called La Panza Es Primero. It ended up being one of the best meals we have had so far.

Our meal was about $24 total, including drinks. It came with:

• 2 pieces of chicken
• 2 pieces of steak
• Chorizo
• Beans and onions

Everything arrived in a sizzling hot bowl and it was way more food than we could finish in one sitting. The price and the quality were both fantastic.

The restaurant also had really cool old Mexican wrestling banners displayed all around the walls, which made the place even more fun. Of course I had to take a picture.

After lunch we spent a little time at the beach in Puerto Morelos before heading back to Cancun in time for sunset. It ended up being one of those perfect days where we saw both the sunrise and sunset.

Evening at La Isla

Later that evening we headed over to La Isla Shopping Village. The shopping center is really unique because there are canals running throughout the area. It also has lots of high end shops, an aquarium, a movie theater, and plenty of restaurants.

We grabbed dinner at a taco grill and had some of the best chicken and shrimp tacos. It was the perfect way to end a long day of exploring.

Beach Day in Cancun

11/06/12

After exploring a few nearby towns, one thing became very clear. From what we have seen so far, Cancun has the most beautiful beaches compared to Puerto Morelos and Playa del Carmen.

We spent the entire day relaxing on the beach and swimming in the water while collecting shells. I will share pictures of our shell collection soon.

We ended the day with something cold and refreshing while watching the waves.

Another perfect day in paradise.