4.26.2026

Isabelle turns 21!  We were able to all get together to celebrate in Bloomington.  We went out to Da Vinci…(a favorite) and had a message cookie at her house with a birthday song.  On Tuesday, she had a fun night out on the town with her friends

 

Easter weekend

 

Xcaret Spring Break

We flew in to Cancun and then took a transfer to Playa del Carmel and then to our amazing resort, Xcaret.  This was unbelievably beautiful place, located in the Rivera Maya.  It is huge complex, featuring over 50 natural and cultural attractions in parks.  

There were many hammocks throughout the resort and the parks and even on our deck that we enjoyed relaxing in.

One of the many pools and waterways at Hotel Xcaret.

The hotel grounds were incredible, lush, flowers everywhere, lizards and monkeys in the trees.  

Pictures of the hotel grounds…the staff were attentive, friendly, and so helpful.

They would leave treats in our hotel room every afternoon….these are chocolates.

Juliette’s friend, Marissa joined us on our adventure!

This is the beach. The waves were pretty intense with a red flag warning.

There were many coves throughout the resort.  It was easy to get lost!

Our first official day, we went to Xplor which was quite an adventure.  There are 14 zip lines that took you above and through the park, rafting and a water slide.  We began with a walk through the stalactites rivers and cavern on an underground expedition.  We had to wear a helmet the entire time which was good because I kept hitting my head! 

The food was so good, tacos every day for me and ice cream every meal for these two!

This was a teen only “nightclub”.  The girls had a great time meeting other kids from around the world and going out every night.

Our second day was the Chichen Itza tour.

Chichen Itza is a pre-Colombian Mayan city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Yucatán Peninsula.  It is designated as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.  

Scenes on the way…every day life.

The Temple of Kukulcan 

El Castillo

This is a 79 foot strep pyramid that served as a physical representation of the Mayan calendar.  It has exactly 91 steps on each of its four sides and adding the top platform totals 365 steps.  The setting sun casts shadows on the staircase resembling a serpent on the pyramid during the spring and autumn equinox.  

The Great Ball Court.  It measures 545 ft by 230 ft.  It was used to play a Mesoamerican rubber ball game.

The name translates to 

“At the mouth of the well of the Itza”. The Sacred Cenote is a natural sinkhole where the Maya performed offerings and rituals.  This metropolis flourished between the 9th and 12th centuries. 

We visited the city of Valladolid. We had lunch and browsed the streets for a bit before getting back on the bus.  We explored la Iglesia de San Servacio.

The next stop of the day was this Cénote San Lorenzo Oxman.  There are thousands of these cénotes in the Yucatán.  They are freshwater and the result of earth that has collapsed that exposes underground rivers that flow throughout the region. They are connected by these underground tunnels.  They were often sacred to the Mayans.

Winding stairs took us down to a rocky cave. There was a diving platform and a swinging rope to plunge into the blue water.  The hanging roots of the trees skim the water.

Juliette is a thrill seeker and did the rope multiple times swinging high above the water before letting go with a usual scream!

After we got back to Hotel Xcaret, we enjoyed a new restaurant.  The food is outstanding and often has cultural themes. This one had a candy station!

Day 3…I think we are getting the hang of this eco-tourism park system, and now realizing we are running out of time to see everything we want to see.  I know the sisters would love this place and so we hope to come back one day!

This park is called, “Xel-Ha”.  It is located on the Caribbean coast in an inlet and is a natural water park where you can snorkel, see amazing colorful fish, tube your way though a lazy river that starts at a mangrove forest.

We did a snuba activity called the Sea Trek exhibition.  We donned a helmet like an astronaut and with a guide and holding a rail, explored the bottom of the ocean floor.  Since the waters were a bit rough, we did this in the inlet.  It was so interesting.

We did another experience that afternoon.  This one was a manatee interaction.  It was amazing seeing these mammals up close.  We were able to snorkel with them, feed them a few treats and learn about them and their habitat. 

The West Indian manatees are the smaller cousins compared to their Florida cousins, and are found in the Caribbean and coast of Brazil.

That night we had a nice dinner out.  It was like a Brazilian steakhouse with skewered meat you can eat.  We even had grilled iguana.  It was sticky and chewy and definitely not our favorite. 

The next morning, Jamie and I explored and had breakfast outside in a cove. 

We decided to take the kayaks available.

We decided to have a pool day at the resort instead of going to another park but the weather certainly didn’t want to cooperate and we had rain storms throughout the day.

The morning before we left, I was delighted to see monkeys swinging from the branches right in front of our room!