Our Fairytale Honeymoon!

I must say that it was quite different waking up the next morning as Wifey instead of Fiancee'! We were thankful for the advice from some friends to wait a day to leave for our honeymoon so that we could sleep in and relax before having to up and rush off. We spent the morning after the wedding lounging around the house and looking at pictures that people were already posting online. We checked in with the bridal party and thanked everyone for everything! Later that morning our parents stopped by to drop off all of our gifts that they'd picked up the night before they went back to the venue to finish cleaning up.While they were gone we packed for the honeymoon. That's right! We packed the day AFTER our wedding! Eventually the family came back by the house for a lunch of wedding day leftovers and saw us off for Orlando!

 Our flight to Cancun left super early Monday morning so we wanted to go ahead and get to Orlando the night before. We opted to go cheap since we'd only be staying there for a few short hours, but let's just say we went TOO cheap! While staying in the hotel we realized that GASP! I left my phone charger at home! This was going to be a long week without my music!

On Monday morning it was up bright and early at 4:30 to head to the park and ride spot and eventually the airport! We really like the Orlando air port and flying with Jet Blue was lovely! Upon arriving in Cancun I was SO thankful that we had been to the same airport the year before with JD's family. It was our first time traveling internationally without "adults" to handle everything, so it was nice to at least be familiar with our surroundings. Our shuttle was waiting and we were whisked off to Paradisus La Perla in Playa Del Carmen!

When we got to the resort we were quickly scurried off to the VIP check in section of the resort and checked in. Our room wasn't ready so we went to eat breakfast at the VIP only restaurant and to explore the resort. We knew when we booked our honeymoon that the resort was only 1 year old and would probably still be working out some kinks, but for the great price that we got we figured it was worth it! Well... I guess you get what you pay for! There was major confusion with our room, the romance package that we booked, and some of the details we had been told we would have waiting. But, it was our honeymoon! We were determined to not let that get in our way!

We spent the first two days just lounging around the resort either on the beach, at the pool, or taking lots of naps! Again, so thankful for the advice from friends to not schedule busy excursions those first days so we could recover from the wedding! The second day we and a full 3 course breakfast served in the room and quickly learned that the reviews were right about this place being known for it's fantastic food! We were in for a treat!

On Wednesday we went out for our first excursion... a chartered fishing trip! We went through this same company the year before when we went to Playa with JD's family so we had high expectations. We shared the boat with another couple who both got incredibly sick (it was really rough that day) and fortunately for us passed up on many fish! I caught several bonitos and grouper and JD snagged a nice yellow fin tuna! That night we ate at another fantastic restaurant (I ate cactus!) and saw the only "show" that the resort offered. It was a Michale Jackson show that was just held in one of the outdoor courtyards. I now know that the next time we go to Playa I definitely want a resort with a theater and shows every night!

On Thursday we went on the excursion we were most excited about... XPLOR! Xplor is a big theme park that has 2 huge zip line courses, amphibious vehicles, and underground rivers that you can float and swim through. You had to wear this atrocious orange helmet the entire time that you were there, but it was still so much fun! The best part was the zip lines, and I even did them without crying! The underground rivers were clearly supposed to be a big deal because of all of the stalactites and stalagmites, but having grown up going to Ruby Falls and the Mt. Rushmore Caves these caves were a little underwhelming. That night upon returning to the resort we went to the swankiest of all the restaurants which had some super world famous chef and 7 courses. We didn't realize it would be a nearly 3 hour dining experience so we were nearly falling asleep by the end! We also realized very quickly how small and "unique" the portions were! Clearly we aren't the "foodie" types!

Friday we went off to go snorkeling! This year I wasn't nearly as panicked and nervous as last year! We got to go out three times during the day so that you could see different lighting and fish at different times. The highlight of the day was definitely seeing the giant puffer fish that our guide found! All in all it was a really nice and relaxing day!


Saturday we headed to Xcaret which was more like an environmental/ecological park. Of course I fell and cut my toe open within minutes of being there and had to be seen by the medical staff. We spent a good part of the day hitting up first aid stands to get free band aids so we wouldn't have to buy some at the resort :) I really enjoyed seeing all of the different plants and animals while we were here! The best part by far was doing our SeaTrek! You wear this big helmet over your head that weighs you down and has an oxygen line pumped in. You get to walk around on the bottom of the ocean and be right there with the fish! Nothing is touching your head or face so you don't feel claustrophobic at all, which is why I usually struggle with scuba/snorkel. I would definitely say that for this poor swimmer and fish lover it was the best part of the entire trip! SO fun! We were so exhausted after that day that we canceld our dinner reservations and just had take out in the room :)

Sunday was our last day at the resort and to help us wind down before returning home we just gave ourselves another lazy day around the resort. With our romance package we had a 30 minute couples massage, and without me knowing it, JD bumped it up to an hour! So nice! That evening we also got to have our private candlelit dinner on the beach with our own personal butler and everything. Once we got back to the room we had champagne and chocolate covered strawberries waiting. It was the perfect way to bring the trip to a close.

Monday morning was the best day we could have left because it was so foggy and cold! We wouldn't have wanted to stick around in that weather! We made our way back to Orlando with no problems and then eventually found ourselves back in our sweet little house in Valdosta. After a few days my parents came down and brought our dogs with them. We had missed our babies so much! We celebrated Thanksgiving and enjoyed my last few days off before it was time to head back to work and the real world!