After an early-morning gym session (leaf: overturned) and quick steam, I headed to a meeting with the resort execs to find out more about the Park Royal Grand. What I learned: while you can totally stay in the resort as a “regular” guest (about $100-$150 per person per night all-inclusive; the best rates are available on Expedia), the hotel is part of a larger vacation club called Royal Holiday, which works based on a points system. It’s sort of like a time share, but more experiential: rather than committing to a single location, you purchase points that can be used at nearly 200 spots worldwide (even in metro areas, which is unusual, and pretty great if you like to switch up your vacations – somewhere hot and tropical one year, somewhere museum-y and cosmopolitan the next).
One quick change into shorts and flip-flops later, we all headed to Xcaret – an absolute must-see if you ever make it down to these parts. We floated down an underground river, checked out the zoo and the aquarium, saw quail chicks being born (!!!), climbed ruins, and partook in some local delicacies (new obsession: arroz con leche; if anyone has a particularly excellent recipe, please send it my way!).
More shots from the trip:
Clockwise from top left: A quiet moment watching the sun set behind some palm trees; me, Jeanne, Molly, Tenille, Kristen & Amanda at the pool bar (note lounging beds in background!); the lagoon at Xcaret; Tenille, Amanda & Julio with welcome drinks at the Park Royal Grand; the aquarium at Xcaret; Kristen and me eatin’ some Italian. (Click thumbnails to view larger images.)
Park Royal Grand Welcome Drink:
In a champagne glass, combine 1 1/2 oz gin and lemonade to fill. Top with a splash of grenadine and serve with a lemon curl.
