Thanksgiving in Cancun

The last couple of years we have been spending our Thanksgiving's on a warm tropical island. We don't have much family here and most of our friends are busy so seems pointless, the four of us just sitting at home. 

The first time we ventured out was in 2021. We were still dealing with Covid and we had found the strictest most Covid safe island and had the most magical time in Antigua. In 2022 we went to Jamaica. This year we revisited Cancun. The last time we were in Cancun was in 2016 and H was still in diapers!

We had an early morning flight, I had imagined us by the pool by lunch. But things didn't go exactly as planned. We had to disembark the plane due to low tire pressure and reboard over an hour later. The rest of the journey was uneventful. But once we got to the Cancun airport it was madness. And I hate to say it but we got scammed! 

We have been avidly traveling for almost 15 years now and have been to countless countries and it was Cancun that got us.. lol. Yes, I can laugh about it now. And it all was fine in the end.. actually worked out positively.. but we are still surprised we missed all the signs. 

So we get down to the baggage claim area and a lady rushes up to us asking us if we need to book a car. We say no. We'll take a taxi. So she ushers us to the right side to a bunch of desks saying we can book our taxi here. Okay. The man asks ask where we are going and where we are from.. how many nights we are staying.. basic airport small talk. When we say four nights he says oh well you are in luck. Did  you know that the government is running a promotion for all those staying in Cancun for three nights or more. We are slightly skeptical but thought we'd give him a listen. He goes on to say Moon Palace Resorts is launching a new hotel and they are inviting you to breakfast.. all expenses paid and also gifting you an excursion. We are on alert now listening so where the scam is.. because if it sounds too good to be true, you know the rest. He says all we have to do is pay a fully refundable $80 to hold our place. This was the moment we should have said no.. but for some reason we didn't. We paid. Got our very official government issued receipt, time and date scheduled, he gave us his phone number. It all seemed legit. We headed out. No taxi booked. Don't even get me started on the price gouging with the taxi's.. it may have been cheaper to book a car and drive ourselves to the hotel. But the whole breakfast and excursion things niggled in the back of our minds. 

We checked in and had a late lunch. We stayed at the Sensira Resort and Spa. 

It was a lovely spot away from the Cancun hotel zone and in the quieter Puerto Morelos. 

The next morning was our scheduled breakfast. I had done some googling the day before and figured it was most likely going to be a timeshare presentation. We had a car waiting to take us. We had a magnificent breakfast and endured a timeshare presentation. We have done two of these before in our much earlier travels. We had scored Universal Florida tickets with the first.. this was pre kids and the second had gotten us a rental car. This hopefully will most definitely be our last. Thankfully the sales reps were a lot less pushy then we remembered. And we were out of there in about 2 hours. It could have been worse and we got a free pass to Aqua World and our $80 was refunded. So it wasn't all that bad.. just can't believe we actually fell for it. 

Our hotel was lovely.. not too crowded, pool chairs always available.. unlimited fresh tacos being made at every meal.. 

The kids loved the indoor trampoline park, rooftop mini golf and other amenities to enjoy in the non pool hours. Plus they had a little movie theatre and fresh popcorn every evening. Plus ziplining, rock climbing and a bull!

 

On the day we had our Aqua World pass we were responsible for getting there. We headed out after lunch. It was 40 mins away.

First we rode the Speed Twister.. while I was expecting to get drenched, thankfully it was just a very fast boat that twisted and turned.

and then we went snorkeling and this whole excursion was technically free. 

We got to drive our own little boat which was super cool. 

I did not partake.. I have a fear of floating away and being left behind. The last time I snorkeled I kept poking my head up making sure I hadn't drifted away. It was not fun. But the water was so clear I could see so many fish from the comfort of my boat. 

The rest of our days were spent basking in the sun, M played volleyball and I read. The kids are now old enough to wander on their own and give us some time to ourselves as well. 

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