CANCÚN RECAP | Sun, Swim, & Piña Coladas

AHHHHH, Cancun. Ya did me well, my friend.

I ate. I drank. I got a tan for the first time in months.

My family got into the vacation spirit on Monday of last week, and by Tuesday I was booked on a flight to Mexico for Thursday.

Last-minute is kind of our thing.

I like to think we thrive in chaos, so much so that we create it. Damn, that’s poetic.

By ( late ) Thursday night, I was sitting in my hotel room at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa.

I went into the Cancun trip with two to-do’s in mind: reflect on this last year & mentally prep for 2017.

I wanted to take a break from writing, answering e-mails, & the general administrative tasks that plague my everyday.

I’ll admit, conquering my to-do list is a relaxing task for me, but this trip was about a different kind of relaxing.

It was about thinking big-picture & letting a creative energy take over, rather than flexing my usual, get-shit-done mentality.

My weekend getaway was about reflection & putting things into perspective ( AND getting a light tan, LOL ).

On Friday, I woke up late & headed down to breakfast with the family.

I should note here that my sister brought her boyfriend along, so the constant reminder of how single I am made me weirdly comfortable & energized.

It’s easy to mentally prep & plan for the year ahead when doing exactly what you want is an option. It makes me feel light & airy, ya know?

Also, it’s exciting to think of what 2017 will bring in terms of relationships. I’m not seeking to be in a relationship; I’m more of a “if it happens, it happens, & if it doesn’t, it doesn’t” kind of person.

In other words, I’ve got shit to do so we’ll let that whole situation work itself out if its in the cards.

BUT– a new year brings new possibilities, and sitting next to my little sister & her pretty serious boyfriend, I felt free & comfortable embracing the uncertainty that is to come ( if you really know me, uncertainty generally doesn’t work for me ).

What I Packed

Clothing

Accessories

Beauty Products

Anywho, we were discussing Friday’s very serious plans.

I spent the whole day, following breakfast ( fresh fruit, egg whites, & coffee ), laying at the beach, most of the time under a very large umbrella with a virgin piña colada in-hand ( because they taste 1000x better than alcoholic ones… & YES, I, drunken snapchat girl, just said that… ).

My mom & I chatted while my dad & my siblings took pleasure in boogie boarding for about 4 hours… which is totally not for me.

I don’t partake in beach/pool activities because,
1) all of my swimsuits are ENTIRELY too tiny to risk moving around too much ( hello, Cancun, meet my tits )
2) staying out of the sun is my specialty ( though the tan & the freckles ARE a plus ), &
3) who in the fuck wants to do ANYTHING active for 4 hours straight??

On Friday night, after a quick elliptical workout, we went to the ~fancy~ Italian restaurant at the resort for dinner. Wine, lobster, mashed potatoes, fondue. It was heaven.

On Saturday, things played out much like Friday.

Food, sunscreen, beach, read, food, sunscreen, virgin piña coladas.

Note: with all this sun exposure, I made SURE to keep my skin/body hydrated AF. Taking it easy on the alcohol definitely helped the hydration levels, too.

After a couple hours spent at the beach each day, before getting ready for dinner, I took a quick shower, and followed up with aloe & calming lotion all over my body.

For my face, I washed with gentle cleanser, sprayed hydrating facial mist, applied a light moisturizer to my skin, and finished my routine off with a light eye cream.

TBH, I didn’t wash my hair that much ( kinda gross, but whatevs ). For a true beachy texture, I drenched the ends in the ocean, let them dry naturally, & hit the roots with some dry shampoo. Perfection.

For dinner on Saturday, to make things a little more interesting, we headed off the resort to Porfirio’s, a place that a few friends & some of Y’ALL recommended!

I started with a guava margarita, ate lobster tostadas, and ended with the most CHOCOLATEY-CHOC gluten-free cake ever.

Important note: you MUST get the churro cart if gluten isn’t as fucking horrible to you as it is to me. The churros come on a mini cart ( presentation is KEY ) with a number of yum-o sauces for dipping. I was extremely jealous of that whole situation.

On Sunday morning ( our last full day in Cancun! ), after leading my poor mom through the resort grounds to take photos of me for Instagram ( I’m not proud of myself, OKAY? It had to be done. ), I got a couples massage with said mother on the beach.

My sister & her boyfriend had their beach-front massage, and then my MOM & I had OUR beach-front massage.

Another reminder of how single I am. LOL.

But, again, can’t complain. That shit was too good.

We relaxed at the beach again all day & had dinner at a restaurant in the resort that night.

I had the best grilled snapper, lots of red wine ( my vice… SO basic ) & tore through 3 desserts ( one cheesecake & TWO eggnog creme brûlées… yes, EGG NOG, you heard correctly ) with the family… because we are champions of dessert & all things fat.

 

Overall, Cancun was KILLER.

I definitely recommend the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa if you’re ever planning a trip to Cancun!

The food, the location, the amenities, the SPA…. everything was fantastic. Also, everyone there was nice & helpful. The vibe is super relaxed, clearly.

Sometimes you just need a lil vacay to slow down, clear your head, & think big-picture.

Vacationing right before the start of the New Year is my new favorite thing ever.

 

I headed back to Los Angeles on Monday morning, had to get my life together on Tuesday, and am currently sitting in the Vegas airport on my way to Texas for family holiday festivities.

Writing this recap is making me want to book a one-way flight back to Mexico ASAP.

So, Some Updates:
1) I’m thinking of vlogging some of my trips. Would y’all be into that?? I might even start with my holiday trip back home to Texas. It won’t be glamorous, but it’ll be… interesting, LOL. What do y’all think?

2) For 2017, I’m planning to switch back into a lifestyle-heavy mode when it comes to H+H. I’ll still be posting outfits a lot, but I want to share more of the other things that inspire me as well. I’m wanting to share TED talks, books, podcasts, art, talk about blogging, etc.

3) I’m getting together a few SNAPCHAT giveaway soon, so make sure you’re following there: PAYTON_SARTAIN !!

Love, as always. Talk soon. xx