Our Second Visit With The Grands
The first time our grandchildren came to visit was when Levi was only 6 months old. He just turned two and what a difference that made in our visit. He was the perfect age to begin to enjoy paradise. This visit, our son and his wife brought their Nanny, Kayla, who also made things much more flexible and fun.
Mike and I went and looked at houses so we could help them decide the best place to call home for their week. They chose Carlos’ lovely home on the golf course, Gran Villa Orquidea. They opted to rent just the huge, 4-bedroom house - there is also 2-bedroom casita available if you need more room. The house comes fully equipped and has solar panels, which means you don’t have to worry about running the AC or pool heater. Yes, in paradise sometimes a pool heater is a nice addition. The pool is perfect because it has a large shallow-end, jacuzzi and even larger deep-end. The backyard is on the first fairway, so you really have total privacy, and the street-side is gated. The artwork throughout the house is absolutely stunning! We all would highly recommend this home and hope to be able to use it again for future visits. Carlos is also one of the nicest people you will meet.
We were able to ride to the airport with the transport van, so we were right at the door as everyone came through – the two “Bigs” (7 and 9) ran as fast as they could and jumped in our arms, which started our visit off perfectly. We arrived back to the house in time to fix dinner and settle in for the evening. It was a long travel day, so everyone was ready for an early night.
The next morning, our plan was to relax and lay low, but when everyone got up, we decided to head to the Marina for a tour, and the kids fell in love with the dolphins and manatees. While we do not in any way endorse dolphins and other marine animals being in captivity, just like our dog, Manito, they are here and you can’t help but love them. After spending hours around the dolphin lagoon, we decided our best bet for lunch was The Pub, where everyone could find something to eat and the kids could still watch the dolphins. After lunch we headed back to the house to enjoy the afternoon in the pool.
For dinner that night we chose Café Ole. There was no music but the kids loved the vibe, food selections and proximity to shops and the marina. Though everyone was full after dinner, who can say no to Jesse’s Gelato?
On our second full day we got up early and headed to Acento for pastries then off to Xcaret. We have had an annual pass to Xcaret for as long as we have had our residency. We love this place. There is literally something for everyone. We avoided the crowds and headed first to the Aquarium. Our grandkids are being home-schooled and this was an awesome opportunity to learn about the local marine life. The aquarium also has an interactive area where you can learn about the types of sea turtles that hatch, nest or live their juvenile lives here. Outside the aquarium, in large pools, are turtles of all sizes. Xcaret is a rehabilitation facility for many indigenous animals.
Next stop was to watch the Voladores. The danza de los Voladores is an ancient Mesoamerican ceremony that has 4 “flying men” climb a 30-meter pole, and with a rope around their waists, hurl themselves off and twirl all the way to the ground while a 5th man dances and plays a flute and small drum, still at the top of the pole. Mesmerizing every time!
Xcaret has a fairly new Mundo de Ninos (children’s world) which is a small, protected water park in a very natural environment, perfect for our Bigs while the rest of us hung with the toddler in the smaller pools below.
With many food options, we decided to go with the Mexican Buffet for lunch. If your timing is right (ours was not) you can watch the horse show while you eat. As far as buffets go, I think this is one of the best, especially if you want to try a nice variety of Mexican Cuisine.
After lunch, we headed to the replica of a Maya Village. The village, along with the ancient ruins throughout the park, also made for great educational moments. Plus, it was a great way to walk off our lunch. Exhausted, we headed home to enjoy more pool time. I can guarantee that won’t be their last visit to Xcaret. Lisa, our daughter-in-law, had been many years ago, when it first opened, and was amazed at how much it had changed.
The next morning Matt and Lisa treated themselves at Alegria Spa at the Catalonia Hotel, just down the street from the house. The spa offers a 2-hour hydrotherapy session, which includes: sauna, steam room, plunge pool, spray showers and a huge, full hydrotherapy pool with every imaginable water massage, from jacuzzi water beds to waterfalls and more. The spa also has a wide variety of treatments. They followed up their spa time with some time alone at the beach club. We, along with the Nanny, enjoyed lots of pool and game time with the grands.
That evening was our Anniversary and the Bigs and Matt and Lisa joined us for a delicious meal at El Divot. This is one of our favorite spots for celebrating a special occasions. The atmosphere is magical at night, like being in a tree house, and the food is consistently wonderful.
On Sunday-funday we all piled in our boat and headed to the cove. We are so fortunate to live where we have so much to do right at our backdoor. The cove is great for this age group. Beautiful clear water, rocks for the older kids to explore and search for fossils. We had a great time and added a short tour of our canals.
We relaxed at home after boating and the rest of them headed to O Sole Mio for lunch, followed by siesta time, pool time, games and grilling in the backyard.
On Monday we left Levi, our youngest, back with Kayla to have a quiet day while we were off with the older two to explore Tulum. The morning was hot but the kids did great, learning more about the Maya culture and history. And nothing can beat the views from the Tulum castle up and down the coast. I always wonder what the first Spaniards must have felt and thought when they saw this magnificent city, painted red and blue, sitting up on the cliff, above some of the most gorgeous coastline.
We followed up our tour with a relaxing lunch at Jungle Fish, a great spot with a pool and small beach, perfect for more exploration. The kids came back to our house and chillaxed with their ipads and got to meet Manito. Lisa, Matt, Kayla and Levi headed to the Beach Club for some fun. Dinner that night was at Dulce Vida.
Tuesday was their last full day and we had arranged for a private art class for Lyla and Miles. Andrea came and helped them outline and paint their own Mayan Zodiac wall hangings, which they signed and got to take home as souvenirs. Levi had his first private swim lesson with Gigi! I taught both the older kids to swim before we moved to Mexico and was excited to work with Levi. Being the youngest, fearless and having watched his brother and sister – he took to the water like a merman. Lisa and Matt took advantage of the kids being entertained and headed back to the spa for another round of hydrotherapy and massage.
For lunch we returned to The Pub because the kids wanted more of their amazing chicken fingers and to see the dolphins one last time. Sadly, we headed back to the house to enjoy the pool. Levi showed off his new swimming skills and we grilled our last meal for this visit.
Goodbyes are always so hard but we know after the amazing time everyone had that they will be back again soon! The great ending to this story is the text we got from Matt saying they all were talking and thought this was the best vacation ever – he loved the time to chill, Lisa loved the combination of exploring and spa and Kayla and kids loved it ALL!
I used to tease Lyla when she was very small and say, “Pontius patience, please.” In fact, that was one of the first sentences she learned to say to me. Now I think we will change that to “Pontius Paradise, Please!!!”