I am so sorry that I have not been very active on my blog recently! After graduation I spent a few days in Charlotte with my extended family, and then flew back down to Playa del Carmen, Mexico for 10 days of pure bliss.  I think that I needed a little bit of time to just unplug (except from Instagram haha) and fully take in the experience without being tied to my computer each evening. And I have to say, I am so glad that I did just that. 

My family has been building a house at the Rosewood, Mayakoba and this was the first time that we were able to actually stay in the house. My mom is an incredibly talented designer and she has been working tirelessly for months on the physical layout of the home and materials as well as all of the interior furniture. It was so great to see all of her hard work come together and to be able to enjoy our home as a family. 

My mom and I wanted to go to the local markets to buy our grocery so that we could cook in the house, so we invited her good friend Lisa, who lives in Cancun, to show us the ropes. She led us to a colorful and vibrant market called DAC in downtown Playa del Carmen. All I was really interested in though were the huge mounds of fresh avocados. Looking back on the trip, I think it’s safe to say that amongst us all, we ate about 30 avocados . . . and I LOVED it!

I knew that my mom would be spending most of the trip working on the house, so I invited my good friend Sophia to join me for 5 days at the end of the week. She is very adventurous and we had such a blast exploring different activities outside of Mayakoba.

Our Magical Day at Isla Mujeres:

My mom’s friend who came with us to go grocery shopping owns a boat in Cancun with her other close friend’s family. So, on Sunday the group met in Cancun and took the boat to Isla Mujeres. It was absolutely breathtaking! The water was so turquoise that it felt as if we were in the Bahamas. 

The amazing part was that the water was so shallow that we could walk all the way from where we stopped the boat to the island itself. We got such a kick out of the whole experience because the two people who work on the boat sent us into the water with a huge raft that had chips and guac and several bottles of wine and beer for us to drink while swimming! 

That evening, we ate dinner on the beach and watched the sun set over the ocean and it was stunning. We sang along with the mariachi band, and even swam back out to the boat once the sun had gone down. It was a day that I will always cherish not only because of the experience, but because of the people. We had just met most of them that day and they were so welcoming and loving towards us and I can’t wait to see them next time we are in Mexico.

I have to say that this was one of those days that I just wish I could relive over and over again. It was truly the best day ever.

Exploring the Underwater Caves and Cenotes at Kenton Chi:

We have been to Playa del Carmen probably about 10 times now over the past few years and the one thing that I have always wanted to do was swim in the famous centotes! So, we did some research and ended up finding a place where a guide takes you through the natural underwater caves. We had to wear a helmet and often needed a flashlight to see, but it was truly magical to see the stalactites that were hanging from the ceilings of the caves. They told us that it takes 100 years for them to even grow one inch, and most of the stalactites we saw were several feet long! 

Exploring these underground caves was an experience that I am not likely to forget. I will be doing this again for sure in the near future when my dad can come along too! 

Overall, the week was exactly what I needed! I loved relaxing on the beach with a margarita and my book (I devoured the book Me Before You!!) and just taking in the scenery. We swam a lot, took long walks on the beach and even attempted stand up paddle boarding in the choppy afternoon waters. 

And now its time for the real world to kick in…

XOXO,

Rachael Claire