February 28, 2015

The reality of being a flight attendant is having the desire to travel and being to fly anywhere in the world…

But having to have the money to survive when you get to whatever whimsical destination you landed in.

I had five days straight off at the end of February and knew I had to do something productive besides lay around and play catch up with all my favorite DVR’d shows.  So the decision was Hawaii or Cancun.  Flight to Hawaii were wide open going but coming back could be a problem.  Then once I got there I would have to hunt down a hostel, figure out transportation and island hop for a few days until I would be so broke that I would be eating ramen noodles and struggling until the next payday.  Although Hawaii seems appealing, I wanted to be able to splurge when I got there.

Next option was Cancun…to meet up with my mom and her cousins at the all-inclusive resort of Moon Palace.  They didn’t have to invite me twice, I was game.  I hopped on the first plane I could from Houston to Cancun.  It was a quick flight down to Mexico.  The flight in was beautiful upon landing.  

After getting thru the chaos of customs, tons of other vacationers and trying to get a shuttle ride…I got to the resort. 

I finally met up with my mom and cousin, changed into my beach attire and headed straight to the first buffet I could find…of course!  I was starving! That’s when the words all-inclusive became a reality.  The buffet food was nothing special but it got the job done.  They literally had anything you could ever want so no complaints there.  The staff however was amazing and made us all feel like royalty.  The hospitality in Mexico by far exceeds that of workers in the United States.  

After a quick lunch we headed to the swing bar.  A nice breeze, all-inclusive drinks and cute swings to sit and relax on.  We had a few drinks there before hopping into the pool.

Spent some time in the pool before heading to get ready for dinner. We got dressed then took the resort bus, to the golf carts, to the restaurant situation on the golf course.  My first night there was a fancy Mayan restaurant.  It was the kind of meal rich people eat on the daily.  Several courses and small portions but since it was vacation and an escape from reality it was a nice change.  I definitely could never be one of those high end people that enjoys things like that regularly.  I prefer messy, homemade, comfort meals, I’m from the south after all.  Nontheless, it was delicious!

First thing we got was the bartenders specialty cocktail.  I can’t recall the name but it was a type of margarita, but served in a martini glass, which tasted like a piña colada.  It was my favorite drink the whole trip!

My appetizer was what resembled chilaquiles or nachos.  Usually I snap a quick pic of the menus for memory but I forgot.  Once again a small portion but the flavor was good.

Next was the soup!  Chicken I believe with vegetables , even cactus, in a delicious lime broth.  The prominent taste of lime made it really unique.

The entree I settled on was a flank steak with rice, vegetables and salad.  I got the steak prepared medium-rare, it was one of the best steaks I’ve had.  It was cooked to perfection, juicy and tender.  I had to force myself to finish it tho because although the portions were small, they were space out to fill you up.  Every part of my entree was great, even down to the lightly dressed salad.  

We opted out of dessert then headed to the night club on the resort.  I don’t know many people who can go out with their mom and be okay with it, but mine is awesome and we’re a lot alike so it’s still fun.  Once again the staff were great, the DJ played all the top hits along with all my favorite Spanish songs, and the shots and cocktails never stopped flowing until closing time.

Not the best picture but after that many drinks, no one can be too glamorous! 😉

The next day, in true paradise fashion, we spent laying next to the beach getting tan and enjoying drinks!

This is the life!  The monitors are always on point, as well as the piña coladas, micheladas, margaritas and every other drink you could possibly want.  

Afterwards mom and I headed over the the spa.  We tried out the different saunas then spent some time in the jacuzzi before going back and checking out some more free, I mean all-inclusive food!  There’s a brick pizza oven where you can pick your toppings and have a personal pizza made and delivered to your table.  Then the fresh sushi bar across from there where you could chose from a good selection of sushi.  Which was my immediate go to because I’m addicted to sushi!  I had three sushi rolls and tried some of mom’s pizza!  Along with several cocktails!  Oops! 

Above: Blue Hawaiian, piña colada with blue curacau.

Above: Tamarindo Margarita

Below: Philadelphia Roll, 86 the cucumber!

All tha was to just give me the energy to shower and get ready for our real dinner of course!  Which just so happened to be one of the Japanese restaurants at the resort.  So lucky for me, more sushi!

Above: Appetizer of mini spring rolls, tempura chicken, a variety of sushi and edamame!

Below: Momomet Roll

Of course I’m a suck for sushi and this made roll four of the day so I was content.  The Japanese restaurant was definitely my favorite of the two restaurants I tried while there.  

After dinner we called it a night.  The next day was a short one, just enough time packing and getting to the airport.  Of course I made time for one last meal by the beach and sucked down as many cocktails as I could before leaving.

Goodbye paradise!  We headed to the airport and had a few hours to kill before hopping on the plane back to America!

The only money I spent the whole trip was on a giant bottle of Cholula, a small bottle of habanero and a giant bottle of Tajin, and a few post cards from the airport.  Money well spent!  

The plane finally arrived and we went back in style, first class!  More free drinks…heyyy!  Mom’s first time in 1st class, which was the perfect way for us to end our mini vacation. My mom is amazing and I’m so thankful she shared the experience of Cancun with me!  No one deserved it more than her.  Love you mama!  I’m so lucky to have her and thankful I have the best career that lets me experience amazing things with amazing people.

Goodbye Cancun!

I don’t know where the skies will take me next.  All I know is I’m blessed.  If you aren’t happy with where you work or what you’re doing, change it!  You never know what kind of amazing opportunity might come your way if you step outside of your comfort zone and seize the moment! <3

– Kelsie

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