The DeShazer Family: Mexico con los ninos!

The Hansens and we went on a Mexican adventure. We wanted to go on a tropical adventure, with a direct flight, that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg with the kids. We considered Hawaii, Belize, and Costa Rica but ultimately landed back on the Yucatan Peninsula, just a little farther south than where I typically go. It was such an amazing trip, I really do not think anything else would compare. The house was amazing, we went on daily adventures, all the food was fantastic (our house came with a cook!). Zoe and Ripley played all day on our own private beach; Grey was constantly in the water, snorkeling along side us checking out the sea life. He was in heaven! We got to kayak, climb pyramids, drink delicious margaritas, eat yummy ice cream, swim with sea turtles, have a tropical storm, meet new friends and eat on the beach at a hidden restaurant! When can I go back??!

4 am shuttle ride!! Let the party begin!

Grey is such a great big brother :)

Our suite ride for the week!

Our own private beach. We saw only a handful of people on the water or along the beach the whole trip. True paradise :)

View of the house from the water

The kids were sweet enough to get us up for the 6 am sunrise every day!

Our kitchen for the week. The best drink makers in town busy making us some tasty treats!

It really doesn't get much better. Coffee while watching the kids play on the beach. Well, I guess it would have been slightly better if the kids would have gotten up more around 8 :) But look on the bright side, we got to really enjoy more time...we can sleep at home!

Checking out the local fauna

Tram ride to the Tulum ruins

Enjoying fresh coconut

Seriously, have I told you how amazing this place was??

came with 6 kayaks, Zoe loved going for rides

Mariah and her tequila...trouble!

We adventured inland to Coba, some of the more recently discovered ruins. They are really spread out so we rode little bike taxi's through the jungle and the waited for us as we explored all the little areas. Everyone but Zoe and I headed to the top of the highest pyramid currently in the area! We felt like little explorers!

Zoe and I exploring while the others went up, up up!

Very important ice cream stop!

In my research before we left, I heard about this off the beaten path restaurant, Chamico's, that everyone raved about on some forums of the area. Some people couldn't ever find it but those that did, loved it. I had told everyone about it and how I really really wanted to go dine at this place. Well, as we were driving down this deserted road, every one kept looking at me like I was crazy. I kept telling them to keep going, it was near the end. I was about to be kicked out of the van when we came to a dead end and a fenced off area that said no trespassing. All we could see was this lone guy doing some yard work. I jumped out and asked if he knew where Chamico's was. He smiled and said we were there! We parked our car and as we walked toward him, we saw the little kitchen hut, outdoor tables, and hammocks. It was one of the best experiences of the whole trip. The food was outstanding, people were super friendly, and there was only one other table occupied the whole time we were there. But we got to play and eat on another bay just north of where we were staying, explore an old beached boat, see iguanas, find tons of conch shells and relax in some hammocks before the rain came pouring down!

Seriously, it doesn't get any better than climbing out of bed to go play on your own beach. If you don't hear from me, you know where I went!

Zip making friends with the local dogs. There was a little restaurant right down the road from us by the cenote that made the best margaritas. I bet you can guess where we were for happy hour!

Brandon giving Grey his first boogie board lesson :)

The fresh water cenote by our house...it is basically a river that cuts through all the limestone. There are tons of fish and birds to see as you meander through it in a kayak. It was so quiet and peaceful! We were able to ride our kayak out on the sea then walk them across the road to enjoy this little hidden area.

Zoe making friends at the cenote restaurant

Another favorite part of the trip was me dragging everyone on a rainy day to Akumal. When I was in the area last year with Stephanie, we discovered this place. Akumal means place of the turtles. When Steph and I were here last we were able to see a couple of sea turtles and I really wanted Grey to see them since he was loving snorkeling so much. He went out with Tor and Brandon and they ended up seeing 5 turtles and 2 sting rays! Grey was THRILLED!!

Making the most of it in the rain storm! Dancing in the rain :)

I absolutely love the calm water of the Caribbean. Zoe became a little water rat while we were there.

Our road after the rain

The last day we were there, the caretakers who lived on our property were out kicking a soccer ball around so you would never guess who asked to join in!

They were impressed with Grey's skills :)

Enjoying some time out of the sun during a storm

We stayed at the second house on the property the last night instead of moving closer to the airport because we just didn't want to leave. It was nice but not as great with the kids in tow. Each room was in suite so had a separate entrance and there wasn't a bathroom in the main living area. This would have been fantastic with 3 couples.