The last time I traveled somewhere international was Europe back in 2019 and it feels like so long ago; those 3 years flew by fast! When Robert said we were going to Mexico, I was hype. The last time I’d “been” to the country was back in 2012 on a cruise to visit Cozumel. Obviously with cruises, you’re there for a short period of time so there wasn’t much I saw. But this time, yes! I was excited to see more of the country and what it had to offered.

A weekend getaway to Mexico was something I really needed! We flew out of Orlando International and the fact the flight to Cancun was less than 2 hours was mind-boggling. As soon as we got through customs and whatnot, it was on and poppin’. The first thing we did was get some nourishment in our bodies so we weren’t running on fumes.

Once we ate, we took the 45-minute drive from Cancun down to our hotel in Playa del Carmen. It was a long stretch of road lined with hella resorts. The crazy thing about seeing the resorts is drivers can only see the entrances of them so I can only imagine what they look like behind the gates. We pull up to our hotel, check in, and relax from the day. Fortunately for us, we were staying in the touristy part of the city so everything around us catered to tourists.

The next morning we hit the ground running. We walked over to Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue) for breakfast. Quinta Avenida is a cute area with an array of shops and restaurants full of people and dogs walking around casually. We stopped at Que Huevos for a bite before starting our excursion down to Tulum to visit the ruins. I had flank steak and eggs with fruit and a guava ginger agua fresca. The restaurant itself is small but they got us our orders out pretty quickly. I’ve said this ad nauseam but eating at local restaurants is so much more fun than eating at chains. It’s a opportunity to see what’s poppin in a destination plus usually see where the locals eat.

Robert drove (while I dozed off for a sec) down to see the Mayan ruins at the Tulum Archaeological Site. I was super excited because these are literally things you see only on Travel Channel! We pulled up and one of the guides (I guess she was a guide) was trying her hardest to get us to get a tour package. She kept going down on prices but we settled on just parking and walking up to the ruins; the mile-long walk wasn’t bad at all and pretty scenic actually. The ruins were such a cool thing to see; all these ancient structures each held some sort of significance to the Mayan tribe from what I read on the place markers. I could imagine

It was just crazy being there with the wild animals that are definitely used to seeing humans all the time and the old structures. We walked around the entire ruin historical site and looked over the cliff to the bluest, clearest, most beautiful water ever. No lie, if I had a bathing suit on, I’d make it a point to go out to the water to swim. We were so tired when we got back to our hotel, the only thing possible to do is take a cat nap.

Cancun was more chill. The drive back from Playa del Carmen was so fast; those 45 minutes flew by. It’s such a difference with the way Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Cancun. PDR and Tulum were real tropical-, paradise-esque vibes whereas Cancun is the complete opposite. Our AirBnB was a cute apartment in a neighborhood clearly for tourists. It was fun walking around and seeing all the hustle and bustle of the city. Naturally, the first thing we did was eat. Unfortunately for us, it rained the rest of the day so we couldn’t really explore the city too much *sad face*.

All in all, my first time in Mexico was a blast. My dream for my next weekend getaway to Mexico is to visit the city Cuajinicuilapa, known for its large number of Afro-Mexicans. It would be awesome to see how the African, indigenous, and Spanish cultures merged together to create such a small and unique culture.

What are some other things to do on a weekend getaway to Mexico?