Vacation in Cancun, Mexico

Mexico, finally! 🥳 I’d been wanting to visit for almost eight years, ever since *le husband went for the first time. Even though his trip back then wasn’t exactly the best, the stories he came home with made me fall completely in love with the idea of Mexico. It always felt like one of those faraway, exotic destinations I’d only ever dream about.

To make the trip even more special, we planned it around Valentine’s Day. On our way to the airport, we were driving through piles of snow, and all I could think about was that in less than 24 hours I’d be lying on a beach in a swimsuit, soaking up the sun. It was our first tropical winter getaway, and honestly, I think that contrast is what I loved most.

This time, we booked everything through a travel agency, so we didn’t have to worry about planning or logistics. We packed our bags, showed up at the airport, and that was pretty much it. 😄

Getting to Cancun took a while and included a layover in Munich. Since we had the extra time anyway, we decided to spend a night there and catch up with some friends before hopping on our eight-hour flight to Mexico.

Our activities during our Cancun vacation:

Chichen Itza

I don’t think you can visit the Yucatan Peninsula and skip Chichen Itza. It was at the top of our bucket list.

Seeing El Castillo in person was one of those moments that actually lived up to the hype. I’d seen it in photos and documentaries over the years, but it’s so much more impressive when you’re standing right in front of it.

We also visited the Temple of the Warriors and the Temple of the Jaguars, but honestly, if there’s one thing I remember most from that day, it’s the heat. I’ve never appreciated a bottle of ice-cold water more. 😅

Cenote Ik Kil

If I had to pick just one favorite place from the entire trip, it would probably be Cenote Ik Kil.

It was absolutely stunning. The water was the most incredible shade of blue-green, and the vines hanging down from above made the whole place feel like something straight out of a movie. Out of everything we saw in Yucatan, this is probably where I spent the most time simply taking it all in.

My only regret is that I can’t swim. Watching everyone else jump into the water while I stayed on the sidelines definitely gave me a bit of FOMO.

Tropical flora

One thing I wasn’t expecting was how much I’d love the vegetation. Tropical flowers and plants were everywhere, even around the resort. The Ixora flowers especially caught my eye—the colors were so vibrant they almost looked fake.

Beach time

But if I’m being honest, I spent most of this vacation doing… absolutely nothing. 🫣

We lounged on the beach, sipped ice-cold margaritas, ate way too much good food, jumped in the Caribbean whenever we felt like it, and took long walks along the beach in the evenings. After the last few months, it was exactly the kind of vacation I needed.

We also had a little hotel adventure. Because of an administrative mix-up, we ended up staying at two different resorts. At first I was pretty annoyed, but I decided to make the best of it. We got to experience another hotel, another stretch of beach, and a different side of Cancun. It wasn’t part of the plan, but it definitely didn’t ruin the trip.

Cancun Vacation: Final thoughts

What we liked:

1. The food: Mexican cuisine is still one of my all-time favorites.
2. The cenotes: Somehow they’re even more beautiful in real life than they are in photos.
3. The beaches and the water: That unreal Caribbean turquoise you see online? It’s 100% real.
4. Escaping winter for a week: Trading snow for sunshine in the middle of February felt amazing.

What we didn’t like:

1. The mix-up with the hotels: I would’ve preferred staying at the resort we’d originally booked.
2. The jet lag: It hit me harder than I expected, and one week just wasn’t enough time to fully adjust.
3. The crowds: Cancun was packed with young American tourists. There were beach parties every day, lots of noise, and plenty of alcohol. It didn’t ruin our vacation, but next time I’d definitely choose a quieter time of year.

Where we stayed:

Our original booking through the travel agency was at The Pyramid Cancun by Oasis, but because of the hotel mix-up we only spent our last night there. We stayed at Dreams Sands Cancun Resort & Spa for the rest of the trip.

We had originally hoped to stay at Secrets The Vine Cancun, but it was outside our budget this time. I guess that’s one more reason to come back someday. 😉