“You're with a winner, so baby you can't lose. I got secrets, can't leave Cancun.” —Nelly, Hot in Here.
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| Relaxing by the pools at the resort! |
Val and I carved out time to spend a week in Cancún, Mexico to celebrate our five years together! Coming off a quick Delta plane ride from Miami (we were already in the area for her medical friends’ wedding), we checked into the Villa de Palma resort for a week of relaxation and cultural immersion. Val’s mom also joined us in our travels, and we were grateful to use her timeshare for the occasion without the added hassle of finding a place to stay.
Our spacious suite included an oceanside view, a balcony hammock, an indoor hot tub, a fully equipped kitchen, and large televisions in both the living room and bedroom. We were fortunate to get daily cleaning and turn-down service from friendly staff. The onsite amenities were splendid as well. We enjoyed multiple dinners in the tiki house, laid on comfortable cabanas during sunrise, soaked in the private access to the resort’s pools, and waded our toes through the sand on the property beach. Since Val was on vacation mode from her second year of medical residency, we splurged on a deep-tissue couples massage, traipsed around in our resort-branded robes, and enjoyed onsite entertainment in its myriad forms.
During our downtime, we all binged on “The Chair,” a 6-episode Netflix drama that reminded me about the bureaucracies of academia. Val indulged in her video games, and I completed more skincare reviews—a hobby I picked up at the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns in the United States. With the resort’s decent internet connection, I also continued my hybrid training in Filipino Martial Arts as an essential component of my pandemic fitness regimen.
From local guides, we’ve learned that Cancún translates to “a nest of snakes” and that a “Mexican minute” can last upward from 15 to 30 minutes. We had several excursions outside of the resort, like exploring Downtown Cancún. The vibes were similar to my recollections of Puerto Vallarta: streets vendors were hustling and grinding for our attention. Whether it was through Priority Pass lounges or local restaurants or the cooking of Val’s mom, my belly was stuffed constantly throughout the trip. Most of what I knew about Cancún had been shaped by pop culture (e.g., Nellyville), so getting to experience it firsthand through interactions with mask-wearing locals was such a refreshing reframe of perception in my first visit to Mexico’s east coast.
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