Day 1 - August 28th & Day 2 - August 29th

DAY1
Arrival
The lobby is beautiful and check in was very smooth. Our room was ready (sorry Aunt Char)!

Our Room
Mandy was so excited that we got a swim-up suite. That's just what she wanted. See, Mandy? You are lucky! We also had a large sitting area and a Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom with beautiful copper tile.

Swim-Up Pool
First thing Mandy wanted to do was to check out the swim-up pool. It was very quiet and private. We checked out the swim-up bar too.

Dinner
There was a Mexican Fiesta, but Mandy didn't think she liked the options and she, like my Aunt Char, is anti-social. She said she doesn't like to sit with strangers.

We went to the Japanese restaurant, which was very nice. Portions were a bit small though.

The couple we met from California when we arrived were there. They told us to stop following them! Damn stalkers! LOL

We ended up checking out the Mexican Fiesta anyhow because we wanted some dessert. We totally got busted by the couple from California, but they were doing the same thing! We got a little more than dessert....the kabobs were delicious. The churros with caramel or chocolate sauce were so good.

We sat with the couple from California and a Podiatrist and his wife, who were from Arlington Heights, IL. It's such a small world! He told me that he could definitely do the bunion surgery on my feet and said that I need to have it done. I'm still in denial.

Mayan Show
We went to the evening show with the couple from California. Mandy didn't really like the sacrifices (deer or human?).

DAY 2
Breakfast
The buffet is our breakfast option and they made some great omelettes. They also have a crepe station with Nutella. Yum! The juice choices are plentiful and some are very unique (like spinach or beets!). I like the Apple, Banana, Strawberry, & OJ combo.

Collectivo
Mandy couldn't believe that you catch the public bus by standing anywhere on the highway. It was fast though. Coming back, we couldn't find a bus going South, so we got a taxi. He was very nice and took us all the way in to the resort.

Crococun Zoo
The zoo was interesting. Mandy held a crocodile, snake, and a pink bearded dragon that felt like a basketball. I don't do reptiles! A Parrot named Anna kissed us though. I liked the hairless dog, but we couldn't pet it. We fed the monkeys and Mexican raccoons. We also got to go in and feed and pet the deer. Our guide was very nice and is learning to be a Vet. He wants to specialize in snakes because he got bit by a poisonous coral snake that someone put in the wrong tank and he almost died.

Lunch
We enjoyed lunch by the beach restaurant. They have a bruschetta bar, which Mandy liked.

Beach
Afterwards, we checked out the beach. There were beautiful, large houses between the Valentin Imperial Maya and the El Dorado Royale. Mandy stepped on a twig on the way back and her foot started bleeding.

Pool Bar
Mandy needed a drink after that incident. She never went to a pool bar before. She enjoyed her Frozen Amaretto Stone Sour. We floated around a bit before deciding to go back to the pool outside our room (since we didn't see our new friends anywhere).

Pool
We were walking the pool for our only exercise when we met another Travel Agent from Liberty Travel in New Jersey. We chatted for a little bit, then moved on.

We floated on our rafts and I asked our neighbor (a.k.a. Cabana Boy) to hand me my book. I think Mandy was a bit embarrassed. It's hard to leave the pool.

Pre-Dinner
Mandy & I went to the Sports bar. We were the only ones there. We played Connect Four, Darts that wouldn't stick, and Pool. Our bartender had a grill (as Mandy calls it) which means that she had gold teeth. Mandy wants to get those when she gets back home. They are a status symbol for the Mayans. Brian, save up your money!

We bought the photos that we took earlier with the resident Spider monkey.

Italian Restauarant
This was our favorite so far. Bread with olive oil and vinegar to start. The room was very pretty and the menu had so many options. We decided that if we didn't like something from that point on, that we would go there afterwards.

We didn't like the desserts, however, so we went to the Steak House by the beach. Mandy was in search of chocolate. I actually ordered off of the menu for the Seafood restaurantant and had the Key Lime Pie. Mandy had Brownie a la mode.

Tortuga Release
At 8:00 p.m., they had a turtle release (no pics as they would make the turtles run the wrong way). They were so tiny and we all stood in a line and released them into the sand at the same time and hoped they'd run into the ocean. It was so dark, it was hard to see. We had to name them too....Mandy named hers ChyBri and I named mine Ben. Ben was a little slow to go into the ocea. I guess that he was afraid of the Barracudas who were waiting for their dinner.

Amigos in Playa Del Carmen
Annemarie picked us up at 9:30 p.m. to go to Playa. Her driving made us want to throw up. Stop and go, stop and go.

We met Jorge and his new girlfriend from Portugal/Africa and her brother and his girlfriend who just arrived there. (She worked at the Gran Bahia Principe Coba too.)

We sat on 5th Avenue and had some Coca Cola Lights. The big drinkers that we are! Mandy was surprised by the area and said it was like Bourbon Street. It was fun to visit and catch up with Annemarie and Jorge again.

Jorge took his girlfriend's family back to the Blue Bay then came back to meet some more friends.

Annemarie drove us back to the resort and I think her driving was even worse on the way back. I thought Mandy was going to lose i and blow chunks.

Midnight Buffet
We stopped at the Midnight buffet because I wanted some tea. We grabbed a piece of pizza and I got my tea to go because it was freezing in the buffet. They are so accommodating at the Valentin.

Room Service
We were joking about ordering room service, but we didn't.