Fortunate Femme

On the first full day, I woke up super early (like 5am) God knows why…But I got to sit out and watch the sunrise from our deck. It was incredible.  The dark night sky slowly pushed out by layers of pink, with the moon still bright and high in the sky.

This was our 1st full day and we enjoyed a super yummy buffet breakfast at Azul, outside facing the ocean. This is the 3rd Mexican resort I’ve been to, and they all have amazing fresh squeezed fruit juices like papaya, passion fruit, and watermelon juice. I enjoyed tortilla chips and guacamole too, because why not? Scrambled eggs with prosciutto and melon…we ate well.

By the way, the service is fantastic. They even offer to carry your plates for you. The first time, I was kind of surprised and I said “No, gracias” and he seemed surprised like, “why wouldn’t you want me to do that?” Later, at dinner outside, one man helped me bring my meal to the table and found me silverware (we opted to sit in the lounge area, rather than the tables set up).

Then we headed to the beach, grabbed a cabana, got some drinks and went kayaking. This was our upper body and core workout for the day.

Next, we headed back to our room for room service on our deck before heading to the spa…

Before the massage, they walk you through a “hydrotherapy journey.” This consisted of a rainshower that cycled through warm water and then side-sprays of cooler water, which made me laugh. It felt like something my brothers would do to me to antagonize me, you know, like flushing the toilet and turning the water cold. Not that they actually ever did this, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

Then they take you to a sauna and provide cucumbers for your eyes and a towel with ice chunks on it. I don’t think I am meant to wear cucumbers on my eyes. They kept slipping off. I feel this activity is best left for people with flat eye socket areas.

After this, there was the steam room with eucalyptus oil. Then they take you to another steam room with your own little square of clay to put on your face and body then wash off along with conditioner for your hair.

And finally, the hydrotherapy pool where you walk through hot water, then cold water, then hang out under some jets to massage your muscles.

The massage itself was called the Bacal massage here’s the description:

Bacal is the Mayan word for cob; corn was considered a sacred plant in the Mayan culture. Embark on a cultural journey and experience a unique treatment, beginning with a soothing honey exfoliation to detoxify your skin followed by an essential oil massage in which pressure is applied with corn cobs for a unique sensation of well-being.

I’m not sure how authentic this ancient Mayan ritual really is and it kind of seemed like a waste of time, although the exfoliated corn aspect was quite nice. They did a ritual with the 4 elements, having me breathe in some incense and breathe out to signify air… I’d rather just get to the massage and focus on my back.

 

I was so relaxed I almost fell asleep. Afterward, they walk you back to change and bring you tea and snacks and you get to hang out as long as you like by the hydrotherapy pool, facing a jungle like atmosphere. Very relaxing and serene.

Again, the service is impeccable. The spa is in a separate area called Zen, so you have to take a shuttle to get there. There never seems to be a wait and they bring a step stool and hold your hand to help you in the shuttle.

For dinner, we enjoyed a special outdoor buffet and a “Mexican show” with the stereotypical mariachi style, and dancers with twirly dresses, and a guy swinging a lasso. Not sure how Mexican that really is, but it was cute and they included kids from the kids club in the show.

We returned to our room to balloons and a piece of cake with a birthday card for Emily’s birthday celebration from our concierge, Otto (super sweet and helpful guy, even if I am still wondering where my glass of milk is for my oreo cookies).

Oh, I didn’t mention the snack bar and drinks included in our fridge…Ferrero Rocher (those chocolate hazlenut balls), snickers, twix, chips, etc.-an assortment of yummy snacks that I really shouldn’t be having but come on, who are we kidding?

Tomorrow is a chill day at the beach (Part 3)… see also Part 1, Part 4, and Part 5.