Viva La Mexico!

Ahh, Mexico. You already feel so very, very far away.

When I was pregnant, Jason learned about the concept of a “push present”—a term which, for the record, kind of makes me nauseous. Ever the gentleman, he asked me what I would like for my… present… and I really couldn’t think of anything I needed, except a good, old-fashioned beach vacation. We got married in Mexico in March of 2015, and planned on going back for our one-year anniversary—a total no go at 4ish months pregnant. Thanks, Zika. So between our unrealized anniversary trip, and our last attempt at a beach vacation ending in a trip to the ER for severe food poisoning, we were more than ready to go. Plus, travel kind of makes Jason and I feel like… Jason and I. I love being Hudson’s mom, but after 3.5 months of non-stop baby care, a break to just be “us” again sounded pretty nice.

I returned to work last week and when I said hello to our CEO, he asked, “did you really go to Mexico and leave your kid?” Um, affirmed. And if I’m being honest, it was actually easier than I thought. (Mom of the year!)

I read on a forum before we totally committed to going that the 3-4 month range is actually a great time to take a trip, because after that separation anxiety rears its head. Picturing Hudson sobbing as I left was enough for me to book the hotel immediately versus delaying the trip until he’s older. Plus, I knew he’d be getting a “vacation” of his own at his grandparents’ place.

This is not to say I was not without some major anxiety about leaving him! In the weeks leading up to the trip, I tried multiple times to convince J to shorten the trip and told Hudson every day how much I’d miss him. Thankfully, Jason held strong on making it a real getaway for us, and Hudson told me to relax and remember that he’d be there when I got back. 😃

When we got in the car to go to the airport, I decided that it was OK (and impossible not to) miss him, but to do anything other than appreciate every second of our vacation would be the biggest disservice I could do myself, my husband, and Hudson. And so we were off with not a single tear, and two mimosas on the plane.

We stayed at the same resort where we got married, called the El Dorado Royale in Riviera Maya. It’s actually our third visit to the resort because we stayed there to check it out before dragging 80+ friends and family down there, and it’s probably my favorite place on earth (after Chicago, of course!)

J pulled out all the stops for my… present… and we stayed in the most beautiful casita with our own swim-up infinity pool. Heaven. We swam all day, read uninterrupted, took walks along the ocean, and played cards. Surprisingly, I didn’t do as much sleeping as I thought I would and was up by 7 every day and the siestas were few and far between.

Part of the reason we love this resort is because the food is awesome—they even grow most of their own produce on site in a massive greenhouse. (Not that I’ve been able to see said greenhouse—Jason’s response when I asked him if he wanted to take a tour: “Seriously?”) All of the food was great, but my favorites were the monster lobster tails served at the beach dinner on our last night, and literally every single course they served at the Culinary Dinner experience on Saturday night. Each dish was paired with a new wine presented by a sommelier, and it was out of this world. Watching the chef demonstrate how each dish was prepared and listening to the sommelier teach us about each wine was definitely our kind of dinner and a show, and a major highlight of the trip.

We also made sure to catch “Dorado Idol”— the resort’s karaoke. It’s our third time seeing it, mostly because the host is awesome and we drink every time he enthusiastically says “excelente!”, but also because every time I’m blown away by the surprising talent in the audience. There were not one, but TWO very unassuming looking middle-aged Canadian dudes that sang ballads rivaling Josh Groban. Only slightly exaggerating. Never judge a book!

We went into Playa del Carmen on Sunday and walked along 5th Avenue, then headed to the beach for lunch and some drinks. I love the relaxing vibe of the resort, but we had a ton of fun talking to locals at a beach bar in Playa and trying new Mexican beers. And, I actually goaded Jason into doing a tequila shot… hola, vacation Laura! Our cab driver back to the resort was awesome, and when Jason told him about the cervezas we’d enjoyed, he pulled off into a little supermarket for us to pick up “roadies.” He then proceeded to play a selection of music from the band Chicago for us the whole ride back. Amazing. You really can’t put a price on experiences like that. Next time we go back, we definitely plan to spend more time in Playa.

J’s parents thoughtfully struck the perfect balance of sending us lots of great photos, videos, and updates about Hudson without totally overwhelming us with details that would detract from us being in the moment. And while we were obviously having a ton of fun, we kept saying how different it was to be excited for a vacation to end so we could get home to our little buddy… no last-day blues in sight. We returned home reenergized and ready to head into the crazy holiday season head-on, and for lots of snuggles with our little guy. We both agree it was one of our best trips ever—maybe the best?

Perhaps next time we return, it’ll be with Hudson in tow. Until then, we’ve got great memories and slight tans just in time for our holiday photo. Salud!