NuSophisticate Travels: Cancun and Riviera Maya in Mexico

1.    Pool at the Ritz-Carlton, Cancun

2.    BCBG dress I wore for our wedding rehearsal dinner and, now, for our one year anniversary dinner

3.    Beautiful chandeliers lining the main floor of the Ritz-Carlton, Cancun

4.    Big hat + my sheer Zara dress worn as a cover-up. There's really no need to buy a cover-up. Instead, find a crochet blouse or sheer dress and make it work.

5.    Poolside at the JW Marriott Cancun

6.    The reappearance of my big hat. This hat is humongous but does a great job of protecting heads and shoulders from the sun.

7.    I drank enough coconut water to snag a 'Vita Coco' ad. A waiter at the hotel clued me in on adding tahini powder to the flesh of the coconut! This was too delicious for words.

8.    Me having way too much fun at Tulum. I bought this yellow polka-dot bikini from Target. They always have the cutest bikinis in their clearance section. No worries if you can’t find a matching set, mix-and-matched pieces are just as cute.

9.    Cervezas (beers) and ceviche are super cheap and super good in Mexico.

10.  My “most interesting man in the world” holding a 'Dos Equis' bottle. These beers are a product of Mexico and are ridiculously cheap there.

11.  We were Mexico balling. The conversion rate was 13 pesos for every U.S. dollar when we visited.

12.  Beautiful vintage door knobs at the Ritz-Carlton Cancun.

  I absolutely love to travel and vacation. Since this is one of the biggest vacation days stateside, I thought I'd share some pictures from my trip to Mexico. For those of you who visited me a couple of weeks back, you know that  my husband and I spent our first wedding anniversary in Mexico. Here’s what our trip entailed. We flew into the Cancun, Mexico airport where we were greeted by a private car from our hotel. Arranging for transportation with our hotel was just an easier route to go, especially because we weren’familiar with the area. 

   We decided to stay at the Ritz-Carlton in Cancun for our first couple of nights. The hotel is perfect for those who are into vintage décor. If you are more of a modern type of gal, JW Marriott or Le Blanc will be more up your alley. Though we stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, we ate at the JW Marriott. The Gustino Italian Grill was amazing!

   After lounging poolside for a couple of days, we rented a car and drove up the coast(Riviera Maya). I would suggest making car rental reservations through your hotel. We rented with Alamo and had a positive experience. Our car was a newer model and in immaculate condition. I would also suggest specifying that you want a car with AC because some of the cars do not have it.

   The drive up the coast was super easy. The streets are well–paved, and the signage in Mexico is among the best I’ve seen. There wasn’t a minute where we were unsure about where we were going. We made a couple stops to swim in cenotes (deep natural pits/sinkholes), and see the ruins at Tulum. We stayed in the Riviera Maya area for a couple of days. Here’s where we really got to relax. There's not much here but beautiful beaches and good food.

   On our way back to Cancun, we made a stop at Playa del Carmen. We spent some time souvenir shopping on their “Fifth Avenue”, and being beach bums. This was by far the liveliest area that we visited. The vibe was definitely a bit younger and wilder, and I probably would not have wanted to actually stay in this area. The few hours spent lounging was more than enough!

   After this detour, we returned to Cancun and caught a flight back home. Our flight time was less than two hours so we were back to reality in no time. All in all it was an amazing trip! The food at the resorts were awesome, the people were friendly, and the beaches were gorgeous. Also, we never felt unsafe during our trip. Just take the necessary precautions you'd take in any foreign country and all should be fine.

Wishing you guys an amazing Fourth of July! You can't tell but I'm serenading all of you with  "Firework" by Katy Perry as I type. Have fun loves!

Love

Jillian