Twenty five years ago, my mom and I went to Disney World and Universal for a week. We had the MOST amazing time. We stayed off property and hit all the parks! It was a wonderful time.

Since then, all the parks have expanded, but, more importantly, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in Orlando. Now, I am not a Harry Potter fan, however, Mom REALLY is… and this summer she turned 70, so what better way to celebrate than to go to a theme park, right? But who wants to do that in the middle of summer? In the middle of the week in February is the way to do it if you don’t want to be standing in lines for hours.

So, I got together with my amazing sister-in-law, Andrea, who has a side gig as a travel agent. She got us all set up a Loewe’s Royal Pacific. That was DEFINITELY the way to go. It’s considered a premium park, so you get early admission to the parks and also unlimited express passes which CAN be very expensive depending on the day, and they cut wait time in half for most rides. (The only two it ISN’T offered on are Velocicoaster and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures.) It’s also super nice to be able to use a room key as a credit card everywhere, and everything is charged to that.

We flew American direct out of Austin, and after an early morning glitch (the airlines SAID the flight was canceled, it was not), all was easy peasy.

We got to Orlando around 1, our room was already available for checkin, so we dropped baggage, changed and took off for the parks. Our hotel was on the water taxi route, so we headed down there, but the taxi was leaving just as we got there and wouldn’t be back for another 20 minutes.

Mom was absolutely NOT having the wait… so we took off on the 7 minute walk to the park. I was VERY nervous about the walking this trip. I had PLANNED to start walking every day leading up to it, but I hadn’t. I had also PLANNED to go get good walking shoes, and I hadn’t done that either. Since Mom works out hardcore and daily (she’s done MULTIPLE IronMan Triathlons and is an All World Athlete), I was concerned about keeping up, but I held my own, even with walking 10 or 11 miles a day. I was sore, but I was fine…

I was also VERY worried about thrill rides. I had heard that as people get older they get more prone to motion sickness, and I was also worried I wouldn’t like the rides anymore. Finally, I’m a big ol’ fatty, and I had heard that Universal, in general, is not particularly plus sized friendly on the rides, and PARTICULARLY unfriendly on Harry Potter rides. ALL of those fears turned out to be unfounded. I fit them all (eventually) and LOVED them all the whole time.

Day One (Sunday afternoon)

We strolled through City Walk and settled on going to Universal Studios first. Once there, we decided to try out the first ride, We did Jimmy Fallon Race Through New York. It was a perfect first “ride.” It’s a less jerky motion simulator… and it reminded me right away that this was fun! The weather was PERFECT… Mid 60s and cloudy… The park was crowded, but not horribly so. From there, it was time to check out Harry Potter.

Harry Potter is actually at both parks, and it’s in the back of each. I think if people have never been before that the BEST way is to go to Studios first. It is SO striking to enter through Diagon Alley. I had been warned that it’s easy to pass it if you don’t know where it is, and it certainly would have been. I saw the King’s Cross station, and we seemed to be in London, but no Harry Potter to be seen… only a nondescript brick wall that had an entry to “something.” That “something” was the wizarding world and Diagon alley.

Mom didn’t expect to, but as soon as she walked in, she started to cry… That’s the REAL Harry Potter fan for you. There, we decided to do our first “big” ride. They have tester seats out front, so I tried it out… and lo and behold, got the green light with little trouble at all! So, we took our fanny packs off and stored them in the lockers. (I found I LOVED having a fanny pack. I even loved wearing leggings. I’ve never worn either before, but it was such a great way to store everything.) The queue at Escape from Gringotts is amazing. You enter the bank and go through the vaults. It has something to do with the Weasley family and riding a dragon… who knows? But anyway, it’s part motion simulator part thrill ride. That seems to be “the thing.” It was gorgeous and a lot of fun! You can see a POV here.

From there, we went to the Leaky Cauldron and had some Toad in a Hole and Butter Beer… Not my favorite thing, BUT when in Harry Potter world… Poor Mom got a brain freeze that turned into a whole body freeze! I was afraid we were going to lose her there for a minute! (lol). Then, we went to Olivanders and watched the wand experience before Mom went into the store and asked a Team Member to select a wand for her. After a personality test, he went with the Vine for her.

We found Mom to be quite the talented wizard! She could make ALL of the things occur with her interactive wand. From there, after a trip through the very creepy Knockturn Alley, we boarded the Hogwart’s Express to go over to the Islands of Adventure.

The train is great because it actually moves but also has the immersive experience of traveling through London, then the forest, before reaching Hogsemeade. There is a video showing “outside” in addition to being able to hear the other passengers in the “hallway” while surviving the dementors and chocolate frogs. The video changes depending on which direction you’re taking the train, which is quite fun! The Express pass was GREAT for this because the wait was generally around half an hour without the pass, but only about 10 minutes with…

When you exit the train on the other side, there you are, smack dab in the middle of Hogsmeade, and there, we decided to do our first real roller coaster of the trip: Hagrid’s Magical Creatures. You can see a ride through here. I did the motorcycle, mom did the side car. Sadly, Hagrid is known for breaking down, and it did SEVERAL times while we waited in line for 2 1/2 hours. BUT there was a DELIGHTFUL group of teenagers playing heads up in front of us… and the queue is lovely, so we were entertained…

By the time we rode, it was dark outside, and was a fantastic view of the park at night! The park, however, was close to closing, so we were making our way back to the boat to return to the hotel. Mom had to stop for the restroom, but I caught the tail end of the castle lights at Hogwarts. (I feel bad about it! She was looking for me in the bathroom, but I hadn’t gone there. I could sort of see the show, so I got closer. She missed all of it looking for me. You can see that here, too.) They were good… but not “Disney show good,” in my opinion.

So, we took the boat back to the hotel and went to dinner at the Island’s dining room. The service was great… the food… meh. Actually, the first thing we ordered was AWFUL… lol. It was supposed to be an Asian chopped salad… It was more like bad coleslaw with some chicken slapped on it… But we reordered and all was well.

Back to the room… with showers.. and AWESOME fudge that we picked up on the way out…and VERY comfortable beds, and getting ready for the next day. We knew that Tuesday was supposed to rain, so we planned to get the most out of…

DAY TWO: Monday

We woke up all revved up and ready to go… We took off down the path and had to wait a little bit to get through the metal detectors and make it to City Walk. We had early access, so we got to the park an hour before it OFFICIALLY opened. I set off EVERY metal detector on the trip… not sure why. We did run into a snag a few times with our fingerprints as well. I understand that they have to fingerprint you to make sure that it’s YOU using your park pass, Things would have been better if I had shoved my ID in my lanyard, too. If I go back, I’m going to sandwich a credit card and my ID between the park pass and the express pass/room key in case I have any other glitches.

Since we had decided that we like the thrill rides, we went with the biggest and baddest of all to begin: Velocicoaster!! Since this one doesn’t have an express pass, it’s great to get to it first thing in the morning.

Oh my GOODNESS this was soooooooooooooooo fun!!!! You accelerate to 70 miles an hour in 2.4 seconds… TWICE. You hang upside down over the water… The DROP is nearly 90 degrees. It is AMAZING. Even watching the POV right here I feel my heart rate pick up and my breath taken away all over again!

I like the way that they handle the lockers for this ride. There are none on the outside. You drop your items when you are just about to get on the ride, and you pick them up on the other side when you get off. The lockers everywhere at Universal are great. The free ones are very small, but big enough for two small fanny packs and a wand. You scan anything with a bar code, and it chooses a locker for you. When you come back, you scan the same barcode, and it opens the locker. Usually, you can keep your cell phone with you, but for Velocicoaster, you have to go through a metal detector because of the magnets. FANTASTIC ride.

From here, we walked over to Hogsmeade, although not quite as spectacular and overwhelming of an entrance as Diagon, it is still so beautiful!

We were going to go ride the Hippogriff first (a kid’s roller coaster), but the wait was long, so we walked right across to Forbidden Journey. I did not make the test seat in this one. The ride has a weird setup where four people are in these little coffin like stalls and facing forward. I couldn’t get my arms in a place where I could pull it down over my shoulders, so I didn’t take the ride the first day. Still, the queue was the BEST one of any we had seen. Just Mom rode on the first day, but don’t feel sad for me. I went back and tried again on our second full day, and I did just fine. I just didn’t pull my elbows in so tight. It was a FUN ride. From there we did the Hippogriff, a fun kid’s roller coaster, then had breakfast at Three Broomsticks. It was a HUGE breakfast on a TINY chair lol. The chairs are literally about 18 inches off the floor. You have to really practice your squats not to just collapse when you sit down.

We left Harry Potter for awhile at that point and went to do another roller coaster. When I saw that the test seat for Hulk would work for me, even though it was over the shoulder, I was THRILLED!!! I rode modified, but I probably would have fit regular. While not as smooth or fast as Velocicoaster, this one was a LITERAL blast, too! Plus, I LOVE to go upside down!!!

From there we did Spiderman and Kong, both of those are the combination motion simulator/motion rides. Lots of fun and not as intense as the other rides. We walked back over to Hogsmeade and considered doing Hagrid’s again, but the ride was delayed and the line very long, so back to Diagon Alley we went.

But today was the time for the “other” rides… I was super sad that The Mummy was closed, but it’s a great reason to go back!!! Here, I’m starting to forget the order of things, BUT I know we did the last of the big roller coasters, Rip Ride Rocket. This one is fun because you get to choose your own music… which I forgot to do! I did ride modified on this, but I didn’t check if the regular seat worked.

We grabbed a burger and fries at Mel’s diner before watching the Universal parade. Then we went over to the Horror MakeUp show, which was really more about the history of Horror movies, and was a lot of fun.

Also here, we walked through Springfield and did the Simpson’s simulator. (You are in a “car” with other people Very little ACTUAL motion on this one, but it’s still fun.) We did the oldie but the goodie of ET, We also did Transformers, which is a simulator plus motion… that made me angry because it beat me up for no good reason. Ha! We stopped to listen to the Beat Boys while making our way to the rides. We also watched the Bourne Stunt Spectacular which was a really cool combination of live actors doing stunts and super high definition movie.

Then, we walked out the front and back over to Islands of Adventure because we had a dinner reservation at Mythos. I don’t know if we were just really hungry, but the food was WONDERFUL. We had a great waiter (Steven from England), and spanikopita dip, calamari, Mom had salmon and I had a gnocchi Bolognese. The atmosphere of the restaurant was very cool as well! From there, it was time to buy more fudge (the M and M fudge was CRAZY good), and some Christmas ornaments before making our way back to the hotel.

DAY THREE: TUESDAY

The weather had said it was going to rain all day, but I KNOW I have better luck than that… and indeed I did! It was cloudy but NOT rainy as we made our way to the park before it opened. We were even earlier on Tuesday than we had been on Monday, and we beelined back for the Velocicoaster because it had been such a great way to start our Monday. It was incredible again! From there, it was back to Harry Potter for playing around with the wand, and I wanted to try out the Forbidden Journey test seat again since I fit everything else in the park. This time, it worked.

We had “finished” all the rides at Islands of Adventure the day before, and the weather was starting to look a little ominous, so we decided to go over to Universal Studios to do the last few rides we hadn’t done there. Onto the Hogwarts Express we went. We stopped to have breakfast of a lovely leek scone and some warm Butter Beer based on the recommendation from the shrunken head at the Knight bus. After using the wand for a bit in Diagon, we went to the Men in Black which we had done 25 years ago. It’s part ride, part video game, and ALL fun!! (I did kick mom’s BUTT this time!) Then, we went to Despicable Me… the story was cute, but the ride, like the Transformers, made me mad because it beat me up for no reason… but at least the story was better. Then, the promised rain started to happen. so we ducked into the Animal Actors show. We remembered that we had seen it 25 years ago, and it was still wonderful now.

From there, it was back to Diagon, and we decided to do Gringott’s again because neither of us remembered it well. (I think we were too hyped up for the first day!); then, we took the train back to Hogsmeade. (We decided we liked the movie better from London to Hogwarts). The rain was coming down pretty hard by this point, BUT we saw the line for Hagrid’s was only 20 minutes long, so we went to do that ride again! It was fun in the rain, but WOW did it feel like it was pelting you in the face! Since it was raining, we decided to go grab lunch at Three Broomsticks and had a tasty split pea soup. We also bought the blanket Mom had wanted and some souvenirs for the nephews at Finch’s Emporium

As we walked back towards the exit of the Islands across the bridge, Mom saw a family with several kids and donated her well enjoyed interactive wand.

We considered doing Velocicoaster one more time… but decided against being pelted with rain… and just did Kong one more time because it was so pretty.

It was only about 3 in the afternoon, but we were wet and had done all the rides and seen all the shows. Mom REALLY wanted to come back that night and see the lights at Hogwarts. I REALLY did not. But we both decided to go back to the room for showers and some coffee. We stopped on the way at Toothsome chocolate emporium, and I got some BEAUTIFUL macarons to bring home.

Once showered and coffeed, I acquiesced and said that I would return to the park because Mom REALLY wanted to see the lights at the castle. We took the boat to the park for the first time… once there, however, we realized that Islands of Adventure was closing early and there would be no lights. I had canceled our dinner reservation for that night because we thought we would be at the lights… and there was no longer a reservation available.

We decided as long as we were there, we might as well walk over to Universal Studios again to say goodbye to Diagon Alley. The only ride we hadn’t done, yet, was Fast and Furious because I’d heard it was terrible. My expectations were VERY low… so I thought it was fun… ESPECIALLY the bus chase part at the very end. Besides, who doesn’t like to look at Vin Diesel and the Rock?

It was still raining, and it actually made for a quite BEAUTIFUL night in Diagon alley… the streets were all wet and the stores were all lit up. It was so pretty. We had seen the dragon blow fire a few times before, but she wasn’t in the mood that night. People had been standing there for thirty minutes, cameras in hand… Just waiting!

Universal does “Mardi Gras” from February-April. We didn’t really participate in any of the food offerings available, but, since we didn’t get to see the lights at Hogwarts, we stayed for closing at Universal Studios to grab a FANTASTIC brisket crepe at Central Parke Crepes and watch the parade before going back to the room and calling it a wrap on Mother/Daughter trip 2022.

We walked until we thought our feet might fall off, ate until we were stuffed, rode rides that took our breath away, laughed until our cheeks hurt… and had an AMAZING time overall!!!

Life is never about the THINGS, it’s about the experiences. And this was one AMAZING experience!

This was our fifth trip to Excellence. We’ve also been to Hyatt Zilara, Valentin Imperial, El Dorado Maroma, and Live Aqua. We will continue to try out different places, but this one is our favorite. I have full day by day reviews of years 2, 3, and 4 that I’m happy to share… but this is an “all-in-one” of year five. (I also have a one based just on travel tips for this trip… but this is just about the time at the resort.)

I’ve realized that I become a creature of habit at resorts. Generally, I start the day on the beach, SOMETIMES do breakfast… SOMETIMES do lunch… Then, I move to the pool, and always do dinner and after dinner entertainment…

I always book Excellence Club Pool View. Usually, the pool view has a little bit of an ocean view, and I spend so little time in the room it doesn’t matter…BUT I do LOVE the club beach, the club pools, and Magna. I wouldn’t go if I couldn’t get Excellence Club for my days. I spend almost all my time during the day in the club only areas. All rooms are the same, but you can get a swim up or plunge pool (on the same floor or a rooftop). The only DIFFERENT rooms are the honeymoon suite and imperial suite. There are only two of those each, and they’re VERY hard to book. I have one reserved for 2023.

Anyway, the room is large and has GREAT storage, toiletries, and most things that you could need. There are full bottles of alcohol and a well stocked mini fridge that gets replenished every day. I didn’t think to take pictures of everything in the room, but there are a WEALTH of YouTube videos that include it all!

This time we had room 8170. I like building 8 best. It’s closest to the beach. This one happens to be 8B (overlooking the club pool). I like 8A best (overlooking the Grill) just because I think the view is better, but this one is great, too… Doesn’t matter to me as long as the beach is close.

Mornings

I do set my alarm every day, even on vacation. The thing is, I’ve never actually heard it go off! I’m always too excited and wake up. BUT I set it for about 15 minutes before sunrise so that I can get down to the beach and get a bali bed. I do LOVE them, and yes… they go early. There are only about 8 of them. They’re on the back row of the Excellence club beach, and they’re first come, first served.

I pack my bag the night before with Picaridin lotion, Sunscreen, my insulated tumbler, my Pepto (just in case), my Kindle paperwhite, my phone, a battery recharger, a couple of $5s and about ten $1s. I leave out the bathing suit, sunglasses, coverup, and flip flops that I’m going to wear so that I can sneak away while my husband is still in bed. I wind around the hallway, past the building 8 club pool, and I take the little rock path out past the concierge onto the beach. I like the third bed over. (Close access to the bathroom and a great view!) I’m down there at 6:30 in November, and I’m RARELY the first person… BUT there are usually beds available until about 7 or so… and loungers available all day. I definitely saw concierges clearing things off the unoccupied beds, particularly when people asked for one. I get myself a glass of chlorophyll water, accept the snacks when the concierge starts making his way around, and I spend the entire morning reading.

Generally, my husband will come join me with a concoction and some pastries from aroma. Some mornings that’s all we have for breakfast. Some I go to lobster house either with him or on my own. I love room service breakfast, but I don’t want to be up in the room when things are so gorgeous on the beach.

The last morning of your last full day is often a little different. That morning sometimes on the EC beach they give you some “going away” art. This is not a promise… it’s only if you’re often at the same place for a long time. Then, sometimes around noon, they bring you a coconut monkey with a special goodbye drink. They actually brought ours to our room (after I locked my husband out on the balcony… OOOOPS!!! Be careful! Sometimes the door latches without you meaning to do it! He had to flag down a concierge to let him back in.)

On our VERY last morning, we usually get up and pack the room; then, head off to Magna for breakfast and one or two last drinks before the transfer comes to pick us up. The Excellence Club app is excellent, and you can find the menus for all of the restaurants there. They don’t currently have physical menus at the restaurants.

In the afternoons, we usually move on. Sometimes, we go to the club pool and spend time there, sometimes there’s a great live band playing at the main pool, sometimes we do our hydrotherapy or do one of the activities on the app. sometimes we paint ourselves a souvenir at the cart. Sometimes we get some coconut water from the Revive bar.

We don’t always have lunch… but there are so many options if we do. Sometimes, we just order food to our bali bed, sometimes we have snacks in our room while we’re getting ready for dinner. (I love to climb in the big bathtub and read a book for awhile.) If we haven’t eaten breakfast we may do a sit down meal outside at The Grill or inside at Toscana. We did that much more this time than the last few times! Probably why I gained 10 pounds in five days! lol. The pizza came out a little underdone, but we just sent it back no problem

At least once during the trip we like to do one of the tastings at the Havana Bar in the afternoon. It’s over by building 7. It’s now a great place for a nightcap, too. We did Mixology with Alberto this time, but we’ve also done the tequila tasting and the mojito class. They’re only $25 extra and a very fun way to spend an hour. They often fill up quickly since only six people can be in each class, but they’re a lot of fun!

Then, we love the elegance at night of EPM. The way people dress DOES add to it. We like the dress code, and we like that it’s enforced. We usually start the night with a cocktail at the martini bar with Cesar, or in the Magna club lounge, or at Havana.

After our cocktails we generally go to one restaurant first for an appetizer and then a second for dinner. (We do this more than not). On this trip, it was as follows: night one, sushi at Spice followed by The Grill…

night two, Basmati;

night three, charcuterie at Flavor Market followed by Chez Isabelle;

night four, lobster tail at Lobster House followed by Magna.

I always INTEND to take pictures! Some nights I do better than others! :-). After dinner, we usually go to aroma to grab dessert and then sit out at Prelude for awhile for whatever live band is playing on the terrace. This time, we really loved the Elite band and the Crooners.

Then, we usually go roam for awhile. Either we check out what’s happening at the show or spend some time at the sports bar, or we go down to the X lounge on the beach to watch the lights from Isla Mujeres and listen to the entertainment at Finest.

Then, by about 9:30 or 10:00 we’re ready for bed. I love to go back to the dark quiet of the room for room service, some petit fours and maybe a nightcap or two before starting all over the next day…

We have now come close to spending a month at Excellence when we put all five trips together. I still want to try other places, and I think a day could come when I’m “finished” with Excellence. We’re not at that point, yet… See you next November EPM! Thanks for another fantastic trip!

The first time I went to EPM in 2017, I had researched EVERY SINGLE THING about the resort. I spent hours on Trip Advisor and every fan page and knew exactly what to expect. Still, it exceeded my expectations.

I had been to Hyatt Zilara, Live Aqua, and Grand Park Royal Cancun Caribe before Excellence. I really liked all of them. I have been to El Dorado Maroma and Valentin Imperial after… I like those, too… But every time I go back to Excellence I realize that, for me, it checks all of the boxes.

In the past, I’ve done a complete day by day… I did them for trips 2, 3, and 4… This time, since so much of my time there repeats… I’m going to do one blog for the TRAVEL part and the second blog for the trip itself…

Travel in the Time of COVID: Preparation and Printing

I bring damp rid, a champagne stopper, a small, soft sided cooler (the fridges are a little warm), Amazon fire stick, a power strip, all of my prescription bottles, and I get a Zofran prescription from my PCP just in case…I usually one bring one “daytime” outfit, and I rarely wear it. I’m generally in a bathing suit all day. Other than that, I bring all of the “normal” stuff.

I bring a pocket folder with me, and I print all the things I could need. I noticed in the airport for our departure the MOST time was taken up by people trying to scan through their phones to find the things they needed. I just had mine in order in my folder to take out for the people to scan. It was so much quicker and easier and didn’t hold anyone up (especially me.)

Entering Mexico:
I didn’t end up needing all of the following things, but I did print all of them just in case… *The links are active for things where I had to go to websites*

• 1. Hotel confirmation and payment confirmation
• 2. Transfer confirmation (I used Kalido even though Seasons was included with my hotel only confirmation. I’m comfortable with them, and they were wonderful as usual. Seasons is good, too.)
• 3. Geoblue medical insurance. I have really good trip insurance with my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, but I also like to have some extra “just in case.” It is VERY reasonable and provides a million dollars of coverage. I actually get it for about 10 days beyond our actual trip. I’ve never had to use it, but I like having it there.
• 4. Tourism card. You can print this up to 30 days before your trip. Everyone in the group needs one.
• 5. All of my confirmations (spa appointment, mixology, wine cellar reserve room)
• 6. Vaccination cards
• 7. Boarding passes
• 8. Visitax payment confirmation. This was instituted in April 2021 and is just Quintana Roo. It had not really been enforced until recently. Now, they stand at the bottom of the escalator and check to see if you have it, and if you don’t, ask you to scan a QR code and pay at the airport. The wifi is terrible. You can pay this for all of the people in your group. It’s only $11 per person and can be paid in advance. DON’T go to a scam site. Make sure you’re in the official spot. I think you can do it up to 6 months in advance. You could PROBABLY skirt the people at the bottom of the stairs, but it was very clear they were trying to get to everyone. This is NOT the same as the tax that is on your airline tickets. You can read about it here.
• 9. The Vuelo Segura health declaration. They will not look at this when you enter Cancun, but some airlines will tell you that you have to do it and will check. (It’s not worth arguing with them, but the website itself says that you don’t need it to enter Cancun.) You can only do it 12 hours before you land. It will give you a QR code. You MUST fill it out before you depart from Cancun. You can fill it out on the same website both times and get a new QR code when you leave. (You’ll see a lot of people struggling at the security line to get wifi and fill it out. They won’t let you through without it. They will pass out tiny pieces of paper where you can fill it out if the wifi isn’t working.
• 10. Scanned copy of my passport (just in case…)

Getting to Mexico hasn’t really changed at all except that you wear a mask. None of the terminals need a customs form as they had in the past… You still need to fill out the tourism card. Yes, they MIGHT have copies for you to fill out on the airplane, but the last four times I’ve been on a flight, they have run out, and that leaves people standing against the windows, fumbling for their pens and passports. It’s just so much easier to have it printed.

When you go through immigration, when you come down the stairs, don’t stay in the lines right in front of you, If you go to the far ends on the left or the right, those lines are generally shorter if you have a choice. (We were through in under five minutes at 12 PM on a Friday.)

Picking up checked luggage is taking a little longer than usual. It took 20 minutes for our luggage to come off the plane. Mexico, like everywhere else, is short staffed right now. Still, I prefer to check a bag. I want to have my “weird” things with me (damp rid, power strip, TONS of sunscreen, etc.) It’s worth it to me to wait.

The airport was CRAZY. It was a madhouse going through and finding the transfers, but since I use the same people all of the time, I knew were they would be and was able to push through the crowd to get to them. Don’t talk to anyone until you get outside. If you talk to people in the car rental center they may try to scam you. (They’re not dangerous, BUT you may get stuck in a time share presentation.) Once you’re outside, you can ask others where your transfer is. They’ll tell you.

You will NEED the following to EXIT Mexico:

You can print everything from the business office on the lobby level. You can ask the concierge to do it, but I did it myself. If you go to the stairs that lead up to the club lounge, there are a few computers at the base of the stairs and a free printer. The keyboard is a little different, but hopefully you can get the hang of it.

I download the pdf’s of everything into a Google drive file and make them available offline. That way, when I went to the computers to print, everything was in one spot and easy to get to.

1. The other half of your tourism card (The immigration agents will rip it in half and stamp it when you enter. Be sure the stamp is clear. I’ve had to go to the “naughty line” before upon returning when it wasn’t. If you have to replace it, they charge you right there in pesos. This is VERY unlikely. Still, I check every time. You need to give it to the airlines when you leave. Our plane was actually held for a few minutes upon departure because they were missing two of them.)

2. Your negative COVID results. You don’t currently need a vaccination record, but I brought mine just in case. Many airlines have a portal where you can scan these in. I have PDF’s of them in my Google drive, so I uploaded those from there…No one at the airport asked to actually see our vaccination records or our COVID results since they were already uploaded, but I had them available if they had. The people at the lines around us were having to try to pull up emails in their phones and it was taking awhile. The resort pays for necessary COVID tests for US guests. You schedule with your concierge. They are SUPER easy. It took less than ten minutes. The longest part was walking over to building one. Wear a mask, bring your passport, check in on the ground floor. Go up to the first floor. Get your nose swabbed. Done.

3. The Vuelo Segura health declaration. There are QR codes all over the airport to do this, but you can do it at the resort before you leave. It will give you an “approved” page with a QR code. I just printed the page at the business center so that I didn’t have to mess with my phone at the airport. Once person can do them for all members of your group, but each person will need one.

4. Most airlines also have a health attestation. I think American’s is in Verifly, United is in their “Travel Ready” center.

5. Visitax payment confirmation. I was asked for it on November 9. They were standing at the bottom of the escalators. I’m sure I could have avoided them if I wanted to, but I’m not against paying it.

Final Travel Tips:

I am a big fan of the lounges. We flew business class on United this time, so we had access to their lounges. It’s just a nice place to go to the restroom, grab a drink, and wait away from the crazy hustle and bustle. I also have “Priority Pass” with my credit card, so that gets us some lounge access as well.

Coming into Cancun, I try to sit on the right side of the plane… It seems like I get the best views of the water that way.

When we’re leaving, we go with the transfer time that the transfer company suggests. Yes, you do get to the airport very early – usually. But people are having a lot of trouble with all of the paperwork currently needed/suggested, so it’s just easier not to fret.

We also let one of those blue shirted porters outside handle our luggage and walk us through the process. They are “free.” (We do usually tip them about $2 per bag), but they always go to the fastest people, the shortest lines, and they can make sure that you have all of your documents in order.

There is PLENTY of shopping available at the airport. The souvenirs there are the same as you’d see if you went into town or over to Isla Mujeres. It may be easier to wait to shop until you’re there.

While in the airport, we pay for the Mera Business lounge There is one in terminal 3 and one in terminal 4. The lounges are $29 per person BUT they include a pretty good menu and alcohol if you want it. If you’re likely to eat a meal at the airport the cost is about the same, we feel it’s worth it for the private, quiet space, good wifi, and relaxing atmosphere.

When re-entering the country, I have Global Entry. My credit card paid for it as a benefit. It also includes TSA precheck, which is great for any other traveling. It’s nice to bypass all of those lines in the US. If you DON’T have that, some cities include Mobile Passport which ALSO can make the immigration process much faster. You have to do that one just a few hours before you land.

I am aware that I am an over-the-top planner. Still, I hope some of this is helpful for anyone who is new to the Mexico experience or nervous about traveling during the times of COVID. If you have other questions, I’m happy to help.

I make no bones about it, my FAVORITE place in Mexico is Excellence Playa Mujeres. It’s not like I’ve been EVERYWHERE or am even well traveled, but I do like the Riviera Maya…and I do love EPM. That said, I always hope for a different view once a year or so…

I’ve also been to Hyatt Zilara, Live Aqua, Valentin Imperial, and Gran Caribe Real. They were all good for different reasons.

This time around it was El Dorado Maroma.

Originally, I had planned to go to El Dorado Royale, but the more I heard about the size and how spread out it was, the more I got cold feet. Maroma was excellent for a three night trip. This review will include a lot of comparisons to other resorts, sometimes making it seem like I’m being unfavorable to EDM. I’m not. I liked it a lot. There are just certain things that I like better at other places.

This was my second trip to Mexico in the time of COVID. It had a few more hoops to go through than the first… but still worth it. I drove to Houston the night before so that my sister from another mister and I could fly out together the next morning. I got a great direct flight on United First Class. The lounge at IAH was relatively crowded, but still nicer than having to wait in the airport itself.


We landed in Cancun about noon and were at the resort around one, thanks to Kalido for being on time and whisking us off to paradise.

The resort does not have one of those grand entryways as one of the larger, newer resorts… no magnificent entry to sweep you in, but it was lovely. Drinks were still offered as we were waiting, and checkin was smooth. The room assigned to us was not quite ready yet. Initially, I was slightly disappointed to find our swim up was in building 12. Through my research, I had learned that was away from most of the the heart of the resort, but a swim up is a swim up, right? (Eventually, I changed my tune on that. I LOVED the room we were in for the most part…)

Since our room wasn’t quite ready we went of to lunch at Papitos… recently reopened, recently remodeled. We had to wait a bit for a seat because we wanted to sit outside where we could see the water, but it was no problem at all. The FOOD at Maroma is amazing. Really, truly the best I’ve had at any all inclusive anywhere I think. (Live Aqua was pretty good, too… I’d need to have them side by side). Lunch was just a snack to begin…and who doesn’t like a snack with a view?

The water is ALMOST that perfect turquoise of the hotel zone, and it’s crystal clear. It is VERY shallow for a long way out, however… and the barriers put there to prevent erosion do take away slightly from the overall beauty of the beach. Maroma is also home to the only overwater rooms in Rivera Maya as of right now.

Then it was time for our room… I was NOT prepared… Oh my goodness! It was HUGE! It was a swimout in building 12 with two living rooms, three flat screen TV’s, a full kitchen, two full bathrooms, including one with an outdoor shower… It was MASSIVE… (Room 1207). I didn’t take pictures of the room until we were leaving, so it’s a little bit messy, but I do have a video of the whole thing, too. (I don’t pay for the upgrade on WordPress for videos, but I’d be happy to share…) It even had something of an ocean view.

We unpacked and enjoyed a little bit of the afternoon in the swim up before heading out for Mexican fiesta night. Being at building 12 IS a little secluded, so no one came by to offer drinks while we were in the pool. I made my way over to Bar 24. It’s kind of odd that there are no bars anywhere except as swim ups in the two pools, so if you want to get a drink but aren’t in the pool, you kind of just have to hover there and wait for one. Getting water is a little difficult, too. They only have glass bottles of water, and until we made it clear that we drank A LOT of water, they were really stingy with them. There were only about four bottles in the room, and they were only 16 oz each. It was about 4 o’clock in the evening by this time, and I also couldn’t find any clean beach towels anywhere. All of the boxes were empty. Again, this was different than EPM had been in the past. Still, I eventually found someone who would bring the towels to us, so that was fantastic.

I started taking my Yeti to the bar and filling it with water and bringing the drink in a plastic cup back to the room. If I went again, I’d bring two Yetis. we ordered a room service snack while getting ready. It came hot and fresh! Sadly, however, the only liquor in the room is beer. Anything else, you have to be a member or pay for. They won’t deliver mimosas or anything like that.

It also is a little odd that there’s no place to really grab a snack during the day. You can order room service to your room or go to a restaurant… that’s it. You don’t always want to get out of the pool, dry off, sit down and do a whole meal, so that was a bigger drawback to me than I expected.

As a whole, the place is not nearly as dressy as the other resorts I’ve been to. That’s either good or bad depending on how you look at it! Still, we did put on dresses… and off we went to fiesta night.

There were a few vendors set up around the main pool, and then you climb the stairs to the Caribbean Grill. They had some Mayan dancers and a big buffet. It was really hot in the room, and I was a little surprised that the buffet was set up in the midst of COVID. You had to wear masks while getting food. The food was fantastic. EDM is a very small resort, and I have attended the BIG Mexican fiesta night at Excellence Playa Mujeres before. Although there weren’t nearly as many selections at EDM, and the entertainment wasn’t quite the same spectacle, the flavors and the authenticity of the food was just as good.

Now, normally, I’d spend time describing each day and everything that we did in detail… but with only two full days there… with each being a repeat of the last, there isn’t a whole lot of reason for more than one blog…. so I’m mixing it all in one… Plus, EDM is definitely not a big night life place. I knew this going in, and that was fine with me. They only do live music a few times a week and there is nothing like a martini bar or anything to go to to hang out. It’s definitely about good ol’ R and R.

We went back to the room and had a few minor maintenance problems, the light in the closet wouldn’t turn off. (They never really could fix that), and the AC wasn’t working, but that was fixed within about two hours, so not bad. After such a long day, we were ready for an early night.

I’m a beach lover in the mornings, and I like to get up for sunrise, so I was down on the beach by about 6:30 both of the full days that we were there. The beach is nice. There were a few reserved beds… but most were still open at 6:30. I did notice that beach service didn’t start until quite late, so if you don’t have water down there with you, it can be hard to come by unless you go to a restaurant or something like that. Again, they don’t bring you water in bottles, just in small plastic cups. I think it’s all about preserving the environment. The beach is expansive but somewhat barren. Still, it’s lovely. People say the seaweed is “bad.” I say it exists, but they do work to clean it up all day. Unlike the larger resorts that use tractors, this was just guys with wheelbarrows and shovels.

Since we were there for such a short time, we needed to get our COVID test that morning. We hadn’t been scheduled a time, but instead were told to show up at 9 AM, and didn’t get any instructions. Some of the people there had their passports, and we realized we would need those. Several were irate because they hadn’t gotten an email (which we hadn’t gotten either), and there were a few that weren’t on the list. The people who did the COVID test aren’t associated with the resort and many didn’t speak English very well (nor should they, they are in Mexico). Still, the communication difficulties made for a few uneasy moments. Ultimately, we got swabs in our nose and made our way to breakfast at Lima Limon.

I had been told to try the stuffed French toast and it didn’t disappoint. Servers came around with plates of pastries. I had a sparkling wine with just a touch of cranberry and all was right with the world. We went back and spent time splashing around in the VERY SHALLOW water. (Really, we walked a LONG way out, and it never got more than thigh deep. We went past about two rows of barriers), but it was an absolutely glorious day.

After beach time, we went back to the room for pool time and yet again ordered some room service. The chicken burrito and the quinoa salad were my favorites. Again, there was no service at the pool for drinks. Still, it kept me from getting too tipsy to enjoy dinner. I just finished what was left of the drink I picked up at the main pool bar on the way back…

Next, it was off to dinner a Mio’s for Italian. We got to watch some coati playing along the route… The Mexican and Japanese restaurants were both closed for remodeling while we were there, but for three nights, how many choices do you really need?

As far as dinner goes, the burrata and the risotto were definitely the standouts to me. The melon ravioli was also great. The house wines were just a merlot and a cabernet. I could tell the merlot I was being served was oxidized. I could have ordered a different bottle. Instead, I was a trooper. I kept drinking it until it was all gone (about a half a bottle), so that they would open another for me and I could see if I could tell if I was right. Ha! I was. The second bottle was much better…

Again, the resort was surprisingly casual to me. The dress code is similar to other resorts, but it is not enforced at all. It is not unusual to see men and women in board shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops at dinner. If that’s the kind of vibe you like with excellent food, this is the place for you.

So, it was early to bed and early to rise… If you’re starting to think this is just about food, you’d be right. It was solely a rest and relaxation quick three nights… Awoke the next morning for chilaquilles at Papitos before hanging out in the main pool for awhile. The swimups that I THOUGHT I wanted were right beside the main pool. There would be more socializing and action here, but the people at the pool said the the swimup “lazy river” wasn’t particularly usable because it had A LOT of bird poop in it. Good to know! Our pool was sparkling clean.

For lunch that afternoon we had booked the 2 for 1 special at Palafitos. SO WORTH IT! It’s just a little hike up the beach to the area of the over water bungalows. $50 was definitely worth it for the duck tacos alone! The appetizers, salads, and meal were all outstanding! And the views were phenomenal.

Back to our pool for the last bit of pool time.. We wandered by and found the famous “I Love El Dorado” sign in front of the spa and then spent a few more hours of peace and relaxation. When we got back to the room, our safe wasn’t working, just another weird glitch in the weekend, but they came by to fix it almost immediately. On our last afternoon there, I made sure that people knew we would be there, and a waiter from Lima Limon kept coming by to give us drink service, so that was great! We brought some floats, and it was so relaxing! I read almost an entire book!

Our final night we had a reservation at Lima Limon for Peruvian food, which neither of us have ever had. We were excited to try something new… but then when we looked at the menu, we realized it was entirely seafood. I WANT to love seafood… but just really don’t unless it’s cold. Heather likes seafood but not fish, and there was A LOT of fish on the menu, so we decided to spend out final night dining outside at Papitos again, and now enjoying sushi night. I’m glad we did! It was exceptional! The miso soup, the appetizers, all were terrific, and it was lovely to watch the sunset on the beach on the last night.

After dinner, we channeled our inner party animals (ha) and made it over to Rick’s bar on the 4th floor of the spa. It was pretty empty in there, but we still enjoyed a drink with Enrique and a look at the view. A band was going on at 9 o’clock, but we were tired and full… and the bar was pretty empty. Still, I’m glad we checked it out! It looks like it could be a really fun place!

Back in the room we reminisced on what a great time we had and started talking about our next trip! We double checked to make sure we had all of our forms together for the flight the next day and called it a night.

We really just enjoyed the room the next morning. We ordered room service breakfast one more time… (and they told us, an hour later, that we hadn’t ordered. It was a weird argument. Um… yes, we did… We called you, on the phone…) The breakfast was wonderful and so was the trip.



I truly, genuinely liked EDM a lot. It was small, quiet, laid back. It doesn’t have the level of pampering, service, or luxury that I get at Excellence, but it was friendly and sweet. I would definitely recommend it to other people, and I’m glad I had the chance to enjoy it with one of my dearest friends!

I think about how amazing this resort is and how it can work for so many types of travelers.

I went with three other couples this time:

Couple #1: Loves to spend a full week, and they spend virtually all of their time together. They love to find their spot for the week and stay there. They rarely go to the meals or the events. They stay at their swim up and mostly order room service or maybe go to the buffet. Mostly, they socialize with other couples who are also around their spot.

Couple #2: Very laid back, enjoy the dinners, but also greatly enjoy their strolls on the beach and time alone with their view and their rooftop… a few cocktails and mostly just down time.

Couple #3: (these are my parents). She wants to do EVERYTHING. She will take all the bike rides, go to all the meals, do all the painting, attend every class, go to every show, miss nothing. He will wander for hours and explore. He will take afternoon naps and enjoy excellent meals. They meet up after she is done doing EVERYTHING with everyone.

Couple #4: (this is us). I could spend all day every day on the beach, not even getting in the water, just enjoying reading and watching. I could probably stay for a week and be happy with just doing that and going to dinner. He loves a good massage, some good dinner, and some down time but never more than four or five days. We like to do things both apart and together.

So… since this is my blog, it is mostly couple 4… but really, just me. So the next morning starts on the beach. Manuel is there almost as soon as I am. (I was a little late. I didn’t get there until 7:10). He told me he had seen my posts on Facebook the day before. I do post a lot, for sure, but I also think it’s important that these people be recognized for all the hard work they do. I blog when I get home for my memories, but I also do reviews on TripAdvisor and Google for them. They are amazing, and they deserve all the recognition they can get.

I read for a few hours, and eventually texted my husband to see if he wanted to meet for breakfast at the Lobster House. It was our last day there, and I wanted that view for breakfast. All of our days had been lovely, but this was the most beautiful day, yet. It was just a breeze and only a few clouds. I started in with the drinks a little too early… which would catch up with me later. (I should know better, I have more than 30 years experience…) But it was the last day…

I ordered the chilaquiles for breakfast. Forgetting that they come with an egg, I ordered two. The two eggs were lost in translation, so they came with three. Ooops! Well, I was on my third cranberry and sparkling wine, and it was barely 10 o’clock, so I should probably put a base down anyway. I also had yogurt, and my husband and I shared the peanut butter pancakes.

After that, we went back to the beach for several hours. The sun was blazing! This was the first day that the wind died down enough to bring back the curtains for the beds. Then, despite my trying to hide from it, he came to find me… the dreaded monkey.

This is my 4th trip to Excellence, but my first monkey… I love the resort and the little extras, but I never expect to get them. He was tasty, sweet, and filled with some kind of mango concoction. I realized that I had been there for long enough that I was getting hot and buzzy and should make my way to some cool water.

Building 8 pool was PERFECT. The water was just the right kind of cold, refreshing when you get in, but easy to get used to in just moments. We watched the iguanas fighting for territory…. and then came the SECOND monkey! This time, from Marlon. This one was filled with pina colada. Getting rid of my buzz by being in the pool was being offset by the drinks that kept on coming!

We had our complimentary hydrotherapy scheduled for that afternoon, so I was hoping that would put a little pep back in my step. We bid a fond farewell to the pool and went to do the circuit.

I LOVE the hydrotherapy. It’s slightly different every time. This time, I started with a sugar scrub in the tropical shower with different temperatures and pressures. Then, we went to the sauna. After the sauna, was the warm and cold plunge pool, followed by the steam room; then, the Mexican shower (which is just dumping a bucket of cold water over your head.) After, we went through all the different jets before the head massage.

In the past, this had included a shoulder massage. I’m not sure if it’s because of COVID, but now, the therapist just held a towel and used it to manipulate my head an neck in a pulling and turning way. It felt so good!

Still, after drinking all day, I felt “off” after the hydrotherapy. Too many toxins released? I’m not sure.

Oh, and coming back from the spa, I stopped to take pictures of that lovely little area of cabanas. If you’re looking for a truly quiet place, they’re open to anyone. I’m sure if people know you’re back there, the service would be quite good.

Then, it was time to prepare for the last big dinner: Magna.

My parents had planned an anniversary dinner and asked for us to join them.

I was nearly chilly coming back from the spa! I managed to put on makeup and curl my hair without becoming a complete sweaty mess! (Pro tip: Turn the shower head on to cold and the rainshower on to warm in the shower. I love the different temperatures and washing my hair in the cold water!)

Magna dinner is truly spectacular, but OH MY is that food ever rich. We ordered another nice bottle of Mexican wine (Ricardo), and I had the foie gras, cauliflower soup, and surf and turf. It was just butter, butter and more butter.

As a whole, I had felt better on this trip than I had on any of the others. I didn’t get my usual travel tummy… until the last night. My body finally said, “ARE YOU CRAZY! What are you DOING to me?” and called it quits. I wanted to make the acrobat show, but that just wasn’t happening.

So, at 830 on the last night, I crawled into bed. During the night I drank more than 6 bottles of water. I was dehydrated, full of booze, and more butter than a person should eat in a week. I grand finaled WAY too hard.

I knew the bellhop was coming at noon, so we had a very SLOW last morning. Just a little yogurt for breakfast before the walk of shame to the sad couches. Still, Kalido wasn’t coming until 1:30. I knew we wouldn’t get home until after 10 PM, so decided to brave Toscana, figuring I could have a light lunch. On Monday, Toscana was only doing table service a la carte. I ordered a Caprese salad and a prosciutto pizza, expecting it to be the size of the pool pizzas. It was not… but it may have been the best pizza I’ve had there! Definitely could only do a few bites, but it was a few WONDERFUL bites.

I need to email Kalido to find out who our driver was because he was the best we ever had. He took us on a slightly different route to the airport, we drove along the ocean side, and he showed us landmarks along the way.

I always use a porter at the airport. It’s just so much quicker and easier for them as they scan passports, and put on luggage tags. I’m always fumbling for things. He made it so simple and made sure I had everything I needed to go through security. He checked to make sure I had filled out the correct health form, and took us to the quickest row. It is always worth a few dollars to me.

Speaking of worth a few dollars, I have a Chase Sapphire credit card. It has one of the higher annual fees, but it also comes with more benefits than most other cards. One of those benefits is access to several international lounges, including the one in Cancun. It’s a nice haven when you’re at the airport so very early. Since both my husband and I are cardholders, we were able to get both of my parents into the lounge.

Again, nothing worth mentioning about the flights home. (Those are the best kind), and my slow return to reality.

This has been a HELLACIOUS year for everyone. I have been a high school teacher for 27 years, and this year has left me broken on several occasions. I needed this break more than I can even express.

My friends, parents, husband, and I did not enter into this decision lightly, but we were all so glad for our few days of “normal” in the middle of dystopia. I regret none of it. Even today, as I reflect on the last four days. I’m still bone tired. My body is still yelling at me and saying “What did you DO to me?” And I’m so glad I did.

Today started with me looking at that black Friday code again, and thinking… Hmmm… maybe FIVE times is the right number. After all, I STILL haven’t made it to the acrobats show…

It was literally the day I’d been waiting for all year!

My husband would later accuse me of sounding like a moose when I came back the room the night before. Maybe that last sambuca from Cesar was one drink too many! Ha! When I returned the previous night, my husband was already asleep. I packed my bag for the day so that I could get up and hit the beach before the sun rose. I thought I’d been quiet! Guess not!!!

I knew my husband had a 9 AM spa appointment. I had a 7 AM sunrise appointment. 7:02 to be specific…. so I was out the door at about 6:40. When I got down there, I saw my mom already perched on one of the beds closest to the water.

As the resort was starting to open, I saw the employees all over the beach, literally picking up pieces of sea grass with their fingers and dropping them into trash bags. Grounds keepers were wiping down the leaves of the foliage. I’m not kidding about any of this. The place is THAT immaculate.

I was glad to see there was some cloud cover. That always makes for the most spectacular sunrises.

Really, you have to be there to get the intensity of the colors, but it truly is glorious.

The wind was still whipping around, but I like it that way! It never got too hot. In fact, the whole day was a series of four-minute rain showers followed by bright, spectacular sun. I watched from my bali bed for hours as Manuel was the concierge and Rubi brought me one wonderful drink after another. I read and catnapped. My husband texted me he was done with his massage and told me he was going to paint an ornament at the cart by building 8. I asked him to meet for lunch when he was done. At noon, I saw that two bali beds were still open, and I told Manuel I was leaving for an hour

Generally, I don’t do this. I feel bad about leaving the bed for even a minute if someone else wants a chance, but since so many had been open the day before and were still open that day, I thought it would be okay. As soon as we sat down at The Grill it started to rain, so we moved in, and our friends joined us. Moments later my parents showed up and joined us as well.

• 

• 

• 

Hungry, I went for a quinoa salad and a burger! Again, the magical Carolina Paz showed up almost as soon as we were seated and asked about dinner that night. I told her that I wanted to try Toscana, but just the duck ravioli, and that my parents planned to go to Basmati after that, and my friends, my husband and I planned to go to the Grill. She asked if she could make us a reservation. We were happy to have her do that.

I returned to the bali bed for just a bit before deciding that I like the idea of some pool time. I told Manuel I’d see him in the morning. We walked through the little path to the building 8 pool, where I met a few other addicts and the incomparable Marlon, the concierge.

So, you know those days when you’ve been drinking for a bit? I decided I needed food, yet again. (Yes, this is AFTER my burger at lunch), and I really wanted a bath and room service. I left my husband behind to go up to the room for awhile. I simply couldn’t decide! I had heard so much about the room service hotdog. I knew I liked the cheese fingers. My friend had told me about the carbonara pizza. I mean, what’s a woman to do? I had to order all of it. I only had a little of each, I promise, but WOW that’s a lot of food for one day, and I hadn’t even gotten to dinner!

I thought it was all pretty typical room service fare. Not excellent, but not bad either. I opened up the window to see the gorgeous view outside and hopped in the tub with my cheese sticks! Talk about gluttony…

Still, it was time to get ready to… well, to go eat… If you haven’t done the duck ravioli at Toscana, truly you’re missing out. We had a glass of the house Sauvignon Blanc and the buttery, cheesy, tasty goodness of the ravioli, The duck is ground, which wasn’t my favorite, but the sauce and the pasta were extraordinary!

Carolina had called right before we left for dinner to mention that The Grill was closed so we changed our plans to the lobster house. We had a little wait there, so I took the time to enjoy the beauty of the resort at night. It really is phenomenal.

We ordered the same sauvignon blanc we had at Toscana, but for whatever reason, something was off about it at the Lobster House. We even asked the waiter to open a second bottle. Again, it was off. It smelled and tasted as if maybe it had gotten too warm? Not the waiter’s fault, and that kind of thing happens everywhere. It certainly didn’t put a damper on our night. We switched to sparkling wine, and I had perhaps the best lobster I’ve ever had there. I did the garlic sauce on the steamed tail and it was very tender. I also enjoyed the mashed potatoes, but I was so full it was nearly painful! Far too many treats for one day!

From there, we decided on the burlesque show. Again, I greatly enjoyed it! I particularly liked the roller skaters and the scene from the musical Chicago. I’m often too worn out by the end of the day to make the shows, but I love the two I made it to this year.

That night when we got back to the room, we had a few drinks on the balcony, and my husband suggested I go ahead and pack my bag the night before.

He knew quite well that I had a date with the EC beach early the next morning for our last full day, and I didn’t intend to miss it!