We can all agree that 2020 was tough… so Jason I figured why not kick off 2021 with a trip to Mexico?! To be honest this trip was a long time coming after having 2 canceled trips due to hurricanes & COVID, but we were bound to make this one happen and it was simply amazing.
I had several DM’s throughout our trip asking where we were staying, where some of my outfits were from, etc. so I wanted to put everything in one place so it’s easy to access 🙂
WHAT I WORE
A majority of my outfits were rented from Rent The Runway (JOZYRTR for 40% off your membership) so I don’t have some exact links, but I tried my best to round up as much as possible so you can snag these vacay ready looks!
WHERE WE STAYED
Oleo – For our first part of the trip, we stayed at Oleo. To be completely honest, this property was a huge disappointment from what we were expecting based on the online photos and the on-going list of fantastic reviews. To put it short, we made the best of it and enjoyed being able to drink ocean-side and be in each-others company, but we would not recommend staying at this resort for multiple reasons 🙂
Pros: Close to the airport, Great service, Large rooms, Access to Sister Resort (Atelier Playa Mujeres for $150/day) | Cons: Limited food options, no on-site activities, small pool, overall cleanliness was lacking (rooms, linens, beach, pool), far from main hotel zone
Atelier Playa Mujeres – Upon arriving at Oleo, we were offered a day trip to their sister resort, Atelier Playa Mujeres. Knowing Oleo wasn’t what it was hyped up to be, we figured a day trip off of the resort wouldn’t hurt. To our surprise, their sister resort was INCREDIBLE and nothing like Oleo. For starters, it was a true resort with an amazing pool (2 swim up bars), stunning rooms (swim up options available), a clean beach with hammocks, sun beds and plenty of beach chairs and 15+ restaurant options. Sometimes food can be questionable at all-inclusives, but the food here was delicious! We had tacos for lunch with some of the best guac, seafood for dinner and the tastiest chocolate ice cream to top it all off. I was so impressed by the amount of options each restaurant had as they even offered a vegetarian menu. Long story short, our day spent at Atelier was wonderful and we would absolutely consider coming back to Cancun just to stay here.
Pros: Food & drinks, service, aesthetic (beautiful property & rooms), large pool, several restaurants & bars, on-site activities (beach volleyball, golf course, activity staff), beautiful beach | Cons: Slightly further from airport (50 min) & hotel zone (20 min).
The Sun Palace – After a few espresso martinis and being at the Oleo, we decided to extend our vacation a few days and move over to The Sun Palace (which happened to be right next door to the Oleo). OH MY GOSH you guys… this place was incredible. Upon arrival we were treated exceptionally and the amazing service continued throughout our three days at The Sun Palace. We booked an ocean front room on the top floor which had a private jacuzzi & balcony, cozy robes and slippers, a welcome bottle of wine and premium liquor dispensers that were topped off daily. The resort has 6 restaurants (Steakhouse, Thai, Italian, Mexican/Breakfast Buffet, the pool snack bar & lobby coffee shop) and the food was phenomenal. We never made it to the Thai restaurant, but Jason and I both agreed that our favorite meal was at Fuego (The Steakhouse). Not only was the food delicious, but the resort offered several specialty drinks which were also great. We had so much fun sitting by the pool sipping on refreshing cocktails and snacking on the fresh quac. We definitely treated ourselves here! Because of that…I squeezed in a couple of workouts while we were here too, but truly the fitness center was too good to pass up! They had plenty of machines, free weights and kept the space so clean. We would absolutely stay here again and recommend this place to anyone looking for a romantic place to getaway and indulge!
Pros: Food & drinks, service, on-site activities, well kept beach, amazing pool (swim up bar), fitness center, rooms/amenities (turned down rooms each night), 10 min from airport | Cons: No cons at all, we LOVED it here! Unless you want to be closer to the hotel zone, The Sun Palace is quite far (4 miles).
WHAT WE DID
DAY 1: Travel Day & Check-in at Oleo. Hung out by the pool in the late afternoon & had our first dinner at Oleo’s Mediterranean restaurant, ALMAR.
DAY 2: Day pass to Atelier Playa Mujeres. Spent the day sippin’ drinks in the pool & snacking on all of the delicious food because there wasn’t much edible back at Oleo haha.
DAY 3: Morning walk on the beach followed by coffee and a beach day at Oleo. Discovered mango margaritas and we were hooked!
DAY 4: Kicked off the day with another walk/jog along the beach followed by coffee. Spent another day on the beach at Oleo sippin’ on Mango Margaritas and Espresso Martinis – decided to extend our trip & booked the Sun Palace
DAY 5: Our morning walks & coffee became a routine followed by one more beach day at Oleo. You can never have too much time at the beach!
DAY 6: We figured it was time to take a day off from lounging by the beach and booked a snorkeling excursion with Jungle Tour Adventure Cancun. The excursion was 2 hours long and gave us the chance to cruise through the jungle in our own private boat and snorkel around a coral reef. We loved it! Afterwards we walked to La Isla mall, checked out a few stores, and then meet up with a college friend of mine who happened to be staying at The Royal Sands resort. As a night cap, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner at Taboo. 10/10 recommend this restaurant – it was right on the water (lagoon side) and had outstanding service, delicious food and the most amazing atmosphere.
DAY 7: Checked out of Oleo and into paradise at The Sun Palace. Spent the day lounging by the pool and enjoyed an amazing dinner at Fuego.
DAY 8: Kicked off the morning with a workout in the Sun Palace fitness center and followed up the sweat with a delicious breakfast and another relaxing day at the pool. This evening, we grabbed a pre-dinner drink at the Lobby Bar and dined at the Italian restaurant.
DAY 9: Our final day in paradise! Jump-started the day with another workout followed by a yummy breakfast. Toasted to our wonderful vacation with one last mimosa & bloody mary before heading off to the airport.
Oh boy, writing this post is making me wish I was already back on vacation! These nine days away from reality were absolutely perfect and just what we needed to reset for the New Year. Cancun, we will be back!
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