Viva La Mexico

Paul Morrone |
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By Paul Morrone, CFP®, CPA/PFS, MSA

In our kid-free days, Jill and I were avid travelers. Those carefree times came to a screeching halt when Kyle came into the picture. Throw COVID, then Ryan, into the mix and, and we’ve been all but confined to the borders of Connecticut for the past four years. In an unexpected move, Jill’s brother announced he would be doing a destination wedding in Mexico in the winter of 2022 which gave us nearly a bulletproof excuse to get away for a few days – sans children. As much as we love them (and missed them while we were gone), our jaunt down to the Caribbean was as much a mental health retreat for Jill and I as it was a celebration of her brother’s marriage. 

The night before we left, both of us were like giddy schoolchildren. You’d think we had never traveled before. We dropped the kids off at my parent’s house after dinner and finished up our last-minute preparations before our 4am wakeup call. After a few pre-vacation celebratory drinks, we passed out and our alarms were going off before we knew it. We made it to the airport (in the pouring rain) just in time for boarding, and we were off!

When you’ve never been somewhere before, there is always the anticipation of how your first impression is going to be of the location, resort, etc. The hour drive from the airport aside, we arrived at our resort in Playa Mujeres and were greeted with welcome cocktails before being checked in and escorted to our room. First impressions count, and they did a great job. From the moment we checked in until the minute we left, the hotel staff delivered a top-notch experience. I dare say it was some of the best service I’ve experienced at any hotel anywhere in the world – hats off to the staff for making our stay memorable. 

Our room was equally impressive, a two-floor suite that had a large lanai, complete with a jacuzzi with a view of the ocean. The top floor was a roof-top deck that had a large daybed, lounge area and a private pool. It was not a bad place to spend some time, and had mother nature been a bit more cooperative, it would have got far more use during our stay. 

But the best part of our trip wasn’t the beautiful location, the great hotel or even the wedding. It was the fact that it was the first time in years that both Jill and I had a chance to disconnect, albeit a brief one, and not be tethered to children’s schedules, work obligations or the chaos of day-to-day life at home. We got to sleep in (although I was still up by 8), read a book and relax on our own terms. It didn’t hurt that the staff waited on you hand-and-foot and made sure to keep your stomach full and your whistle wet for the duration of your stay. 

Oh yea, the wedding was a blast too – how could it not be? It’s hard not to have a good time at big party on the beach in Mexico with family and friends. Kudos to the bride and groom who somehow managed to get 84 people to fly from the states to Mexico to celebrate their nuptials, an impressive feat, COVID notwithstanding.  

As with any trip, it was over too quick. Before we knew it, we were being shuffled back to the airport and back to reality. The silver lining – the kids faces lit up when we walked through the door. The rest is a distant memory. 

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