Last weekend was a three-day weekend here, and we went to Playa del Carmen, as we have every year for the past three years. However, in years past we would stay near 5th Avenue and go to the beach clubs all day. With Isaac we decided instead to go to my hotel in Playa, the Paradisus Playa del Carmen La Esmeralda, where we could stay on the employee rate and enjoy the all-inclusive benefits, plus the hotel is designed for families so it would be easy with a baby.
We arrived at the hotel on Friday night, just in time for a buffet dinner (lobster anyone?) and the evening show, which was a Middle Eastern belly dance theme. Having learned our lesson from our stay at this hotel in September when Ike was three months old, we went to bed early since Isaac gets up at 6:00am no matter what, and getting up at six is a lot easier when you go to bed at 10:00 versus say, 1:00 after hanging out at the hotel bar (although it is tempting).
On Saturday we got up, had breakfast, and stopped by the Kids Club. They didn't accept kids under 12 months, but we were allowed to stay with him and use their toys and playroom. They had a little kids' room for kids 1-4 years (pictured below) which had the entire floor covered in foamy blocks which softens any falls, plus a ton of toys, beanbag chairs, a mini table and chairs, and kids' movies playing.
After a nap, we had lunch and went to the beach, which was narrow at parts but fine. In fact it was good for us because we could stick our feet in the water and not be too far from Isaac, who stayed in his stroller for awhile before we put him in the sand. He wasn't very convinced by the sand - he would stick his hand in it, then pull it out again. It wasn't until he face-planted in it (see picture above) that he started feeling comfortable. That evening we went to the Mexican restaurant, which was delicious and had a very yummy watermelon margarita made table-side (OK, two).
On Sunday we had breakfast then snagged a bali bed, which is a large elevated bed covered with a palapa roof. The waiters come around and bring food and drinks, so it's a pretty deluxe setup. Isaac kept trying to crawl over the edge and pull the leaves off the plants that surrounded the bali bed. Unfortunately the weekend was a little too cold to get in the pool, but we enjoyed just relaxing nearby. That night we ate at the Mediterranean restaurant, and the next day headed back to "reality" in Cancun.
Overall it was a really fun weekend, as always at the Paradisus. Hasta la proxima!