Riviera Maya 2022

For someone who loves to recreate, I am not a great traveler. I have had three passports in my life and each has been used exactly once. My family of origin did a lot of western US trips, camping, house boating, and sports travel, but international travel wasn't really part of the equation. In my adult years, our money has mostly gone to raising kids, student loans, cars, the mortgage, childcare, etc. Because of my staggered childbirths, I've also basically had smallish children since 2005. We take a few vacations a year but mostly to visit family in California or to regional spots like Bear Lake, Las Vegas, or the many gorgeous Mountain West locations within a few hours of our home. But last October, on the heels of a two week trial and thirteen years of basically never taking a day off work, Robert told me to book a vacation. Anywhere I wanted, preferably somewhere pretty. Out of my element and unsure where to turn, I gravitated to my most trusted and reliable resource: Costco Travel. 

In short, this weeklong trip to Mexico was a big deal for our family. And now I'm wondering why we waited so long because we had the best time ever, and, for the first time, I feel like I actually got a vacation too. Not to dunk on our normal vacations, but they usually they feel like a ton of work. The packing, the travel, the cooking and cleaning on vacation. "Vacation" for me often bears an uncanny resemblance to my normal life bookended by stressful travel days. 

But this trip was a true vacation. First of all, this year I finally bit the bullet and got my kids tablets. I cringe saying it because I hate the sight of two small children scrolling frantically on devices, chipping away at their attention span and executive function. On the daily, I genuinely try not to give Harper and Ashton phones or tablets, even though they watch plenty of TV. But in the spirit of making this trip fun for everyone, including me, they got their own Amazon Fires and headphones. As a result, the travel days were easy peasy. I even got to read a book and watch movies on the plane as if it were one of my work vacations. 

Layover in Denver

The captain pulled Harper and Ashton into the cockpit. It felt very pre-9/11 to have that kind of access.

Prior to the trip, I had some low-level anxiety about three things completely out of my control: flights, seaweed, and rain. Perhaps due to fear-based social media content, everything in my feed was warning me about the perils of air travel including rampant cancelled and delayed flights. My weather app was showing daily thunderstorms in Cancun, and my Costco travel agent had long since warned me about higher than normal levels of sargassum, the noxious seaweed invading the Caribbean in summer. So my expectations going into the trip were that our flights would be cancelled, it was going to rain every day, and that the white, sandy beaches of my dreams would be clogged with mountains of seaweed. And of course there is always the background anxiety of traveling during covid and possibly getting sick or stuck in a foreign country. Good times. 

The reality? It was absolutely perfect and made even more so due to my modest expectations. Flights were fine, beaches were beautiful, weather was gorgeous. The Hard Rock Hotel in Riviera Maya was the most family friendly resort imaginable with nonstop activities and amenities. Every day the kids and I would hit the beach, the many pools, the water park, and the splash pad. Aidan and his cousin Bob, our two 16 year old travelers, loved pool basketball, volleyball, the escape room, and Hyper X Gaming lounge. Everyone loved the ubiquity of food. Around the pool, where we congregated most of the day, there were delicious street tacos, burgers, fries, fire oven pizzas, multiple full bars, and even swim-up bars where the kids could get virgin pina coladas and daiquiris. Room service was available 24 hours a day, and there was an amazing buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There were several restaurants, but the one and only time we tried the restaurants both Harper and Ashton fell asleep at the table so after that we stuck to faster, easier food options which, again, were literally everywhere. This is a small thing, but as an early riser, I also appreciated that there was hot coffee available by the pool at 5:30 am when I would wander out for daily morning walks. 

One reason we chose Hard Rock is their man-made Lagoon where the kids could swim and play in the ocean without waves or a heavy current. 

Harper called this our secret patio since no one else was ever on it the whole time we were in Mexico. 

Looking for fish

Water park

Splash pad

Pool basketball

Big slides at the water park

One of the many pools

Because it was Hard Rock, the music was everywhere and we danced all day, every day we were there. 

These thoughtful, early morning coffee carafes around the resort were clutch. I see you Hard Rock and salute your attention to detail. 

After beach, pool, and water slides, the kids were toast by dinner every night. 

In addition to the breathtaking number of amenities, the staff and activities made the trip extra special. Aidan and Bob participated in the resort's Mario Kart tournament, and both made it to the finals! A credit to his countless hours on every possible gaming device, Aidan brought home the gold, and Bob came in 4th out of 16 competitors. Another night there was a freeze dance party in the lobby for the kids, which sent Harper and Ashton into fits of giggles every two minutes. In the beginning of the trip, I felt guilty dropping the kids at Roxity, the Kid's Club, but on the fourth day of the trip we finally tried it because Robert and I had a couple's massage booked and needed childcare. They LOVED it and were sad when I came back a few hours later to pick them up. The next two days they did Roxity again and got their faces painted, made balloon animals and magic wand crafts, discovered Pokemon, and had a jump rope contest. My one regret of the trip was not taking advantage of Roxity our first three days there so I could sneak in more reading and yoga. 

Mario Kart tournament

Aidan was totally in his element here, and reveled in being the best gamer. While I don't usually condone showboating, in an early round he crossed the finish line backwards. One thing that was sweet to behold was Bob's complete faith in Aidan's gaming ability. Before the tournament even started, he told me multiple times that Aidan had it in the bag. 

With their Hyper X buddies.

First place! 

Kid jet skis in the pool

We beat the escape room! Mostly thanks to Aidan but with substantial contributions from the rest of us. 

Face painting day in Roxity.

The list of things we didn't get a chance to do was as long as the list of things we did do. We missed the zip line, nightly entertainment shows like Michael Jackson and Queen tributes. We never left the resort to visit the ruins or swim with dolphins; I never tried the gym or Temple Yoga like I planned. As mentioned above, we barely tried the restaurants. In part that was by design. I have become such a slave to productivity in my daily life that I was determined not to pack the trip with a mile-long to-do list or have FOMO for every activity we didn't get around to. Even after a week of the things we did do (beach, pool, water park, escape room, gaming lounge, dance parties, spa, Roxity, etc.), you know what Harper and Ashton said their favorite thing of the trip was? Walking to the lobby to get donuts with me every morning. Bless their hearts. 

Morning donuts

Apparently, this was the best part of the day. 

Morning sunrise at Hard Rock

A habit I picked up from my dad is never missing the beginning of any day. It's the only time of the day where I feel more like a soul and less like one of my many roles. Every day in Mexico, I woke up at 5:30, walked, prayed, stretched, and set my intentions. Sometimes I would listen to an audiobook and walk around before going back to get the kids for 6:30 donuts. 

One thing I insisted on during the trip was a small 20 minute family photo shoot on the beach because I know from experience is that 1) when it's all over, all you have are photos and memories, and 2) every October, I panic about getting a good family photo for the holiday card. How nice for me to have that done in June so I can get my cards ordered and out by Thanksgiving this year. Everyone was a pretty good sport for the photos even though I never, ever get all my kids smiling and looking at the camera at the same time. Also, the resort photography studio definitely runs quite the racket. They were up front that each photo would be $25. Gulp, pretty spendy for one photo, but if I could knock the holiday photo out for $25 that's undeniably a great deal. But then they take 100 photos, many of which are downright adorable and way better than the candids I took all week. I was told there is a "discount" on buying bulk photos and the cost of all 100 photos would only be... $700. Insert cackling laughter because there's no way I'm paying $700 for a 20 minute photo session. Ultimately, I was still a sucker though and spent $200. Oh well, my kids are only young once, and my 2022 family photos are done. Plus, we got Bob in our photos which will be a fun unexplained curveball on our holiday cards. 

#RivieraMaya

My dream life. Look how balanced we look with two teens and two littles. Thanks, Bob!

12 years and counting! Woot! 

Ashton's Riviera Maya face. 

Heading home

Sign of a great trip.

1:00 am in SLC waiting for the Uber

The trip is over now, and I'm already checking prices online to do something similar next year. Costco really was super easy to work with, especially for someone like me who doesn't travel a lot and feels overwhelmed looking at every conceivable option. In typical Costco fashion, they narrow down your choices to just enough acceptable options. Their agents are available and friendly and give great advice on what would probably work for your family. One thing I will say is that having 3-4 kids instead of 2, really cuts down options and almost doubles the cost of the trip. I can see now why my parents stuck to camping and house boats.  That being said, hopefully this won't be the last time my passport is used in this ten year period of my life.