Apr 12, 2016
The Royal Islander, Cancun
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The Royal Islander, Cancun
Cancun - 4th-6th April 2016
Day 1
We arrived in Cancun at about 6AM, small airport so easy customs and security – love that!! Once out we grabbed our cases and found our shuttle. We arrived at our hotel and checked in but sadly our room wasn’t going to be ready until noon.. We were pretty tired, well jet lagged actually. We were running off maybe 4-6 hours sleep over the last 30 or so hours. We went down and got some breakfast and then walked around the hotel checking out the pool and beach! It was raining the day we arrived so we didn’t really want to be outside.. We ended up lounging around in the lobby until our room was ready. Then as soon as we got to our room we showered and went to bed, sadly wasting our first day in Cancun – the joys of jet lag. We woke at dinner, ordered room service and then went back to sleep.
Day 2
We woke up to the most perfect view in the world. We were lucky enough to get the 9th floor with views of our hotel pool and the beach, it was absolutely breathtaking. We popped down to the small shop in our lobby and decided to buy our own breakfast food to save a little money. Once back up at our room we had some breakfast and prepared ourselves for our first day in Cancun.
Amy needed some enclosed shoes for a tour we were doing the next day so we headed down town. The hotel zone in Cancun has a shuttle that runs along the main road and takes you into town and back, it was like $2 each – so cheap and handy. We were heading to a mall that was off the main road so we hopped out once close enough and caught a cab.
Sadly we didn’t look it up earlier and realised when we arrived that the shops didn’t open until 11am, we had an hour to kill so we stopped at Starbucks and browsed other shops as they opened. Once Amy had everything she needed we walked a bit to get to a main road but then I gave in and got a cab which took us back to the hotel zone and cost us about $25 AUD – definitely worth catching the bus to save your mula.
Once back at the hotel we finally got to lap up the pool and swim in the ocean, both were so relaxing and just so beautiful. It was a family orientated hotel, which made for a nice atmosphere. Amy and I had our first alcoholic beverage, which probably didn’t help the jet lag but it tasted to good. While we were sun baking we had some lads come by and hand us a flyer for the famous nightclub in Cancun. We signed up to go that night so decided we would head back to our room for a sleep. Not realising we were still a bit jet lagged, we slept for a couple of hours and literally couldn’t get out of bed so decided on another room service night in and bailed on the club life.
Day 3
We woke feeling a lot better, although we started feeling like maybe it was the height that our room was at (level 9) that was maybe contributing to our headaches and sick feeling (both suffering from motion sickness quite easily). We headed straight down to the lobby and booked a massage before we had to head out on our tour. The massage was incredible and much needed; although our tipping skills were way off and we think we offended the workers. We then just asked for an honest tipping suggestion and they said people usually tipped at least 10 USD so we fixed them up. The tipping is quite confusing… I was told usually 10% but we read on a forum that people tipped hotel staff a bit more depending on their services… But then again some hotels are all inclusive so it may be best to ask when checking in and maybe read up about it if you are thinking of visiting.
It was time for us to go on our tour so we got our transfer and arrived at a small ranch about half hour or so drive from the hotel zone. We were introduced to the horses and given a safety briefing and then saddled up for our horse riding experience. Nervous at first, I didn’t think I could do it without a hand, but once on the horse and a few laps around the yard I felt good to go. We rode through the forest, listening to loud birds and even some spider monkeys! We got to see a cenote, which lead into a cave and also tried some natural chewing gum made from the zap of their local trees. After our ride had finished we got to swim in a cenote. It was so clear and cold! There was even a small turtle in it swimming around. No one else was interested in swimming except Amy and I, you could tell who the Aussies were!!
The tour was only for a couple of hours and we were soon back on our way to the hotel, which suited Amy and I well as we still wanted time down the beach and pool before we left the next day. After our day out we got back to the hotel and were very tired but pushed through, as it was our last night. We went out for dinner, Chinese buffet at the Royal Sands, which wasn’t bad! We then went back to our room to get ready to go out.
We went next door to the Royal Caribbean to wait for our transfer to Coco Bongo. There were a few other younger people waiting which gave us hope that it was going to be a good night, as we were both so tired and weren’t feeling it once again. Once we arrived we got to go in the early line and were promised a table but once we entered it was so packed that we did not get one.
The show started and WOW, it was amazing. It was sort of like cabaret, Las Vegas style show, lip-syncing and reenacting of stars performances. Between performances they still hyped the crowed, which just made it so enjoyable. The drinks were extremely strong. Amy and I only needed a few and we were on our way. We danced and sung along and ended having a great night out. We headed home early enough (2AM) to ensure we had a bit of sleep before we had to fly out the next day.
Accommodation: The Royal Islander
Blvd. Kukulcan, Km. 17, Lote 50, Zona Hotelera, Cancun, QROO, 77500, Mexico
1800-687-236 (Australia Toll Free)
There are four ‘Royal’ hotels and if you chose to stay at one you are entitled to use all their facilities. I would say The Royal Islander was the budget option because we visited another two and they were much nicer. The Royal Islander was still a good hotel and I would recommend it to anyone.
Horse Riding Tour: Rancho Bonanza
KM 45, highway Cancun - Tulum, Riviera Maya, Q. Roo C.P.-77710, Mexico
Night Club: Coco Bongo
We bought our tickets through promoters at our hotel. Although it was nice to get a transfer there we didn’t get one home. We also didn’t get the table as promised. If you are looking to save money or are on a budget I would suggest just buying your ticket through the club, yes you may have to line up a little longer but the show doesn’t start until 10:30pm and you will get in regardless as they try to get everyone in (yes, 1000 people a night!!)
Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica - Sunday 3rd April 2016
We arrived at LAX Airport before our expected time of 7AM, this gave Amy and I a little time to organise our bags to be stored before we headed out for the day. We grabbed a taxi not knowing much about how everything worked and dropped our bags off before heading to Santa Monica.
LA drivers are crazy, there doesn’t seem to be many road rules or maybe people just don’t stick to them?…
We arrived in Santa Monica and it was very foggy. Jumped out of the cab and it was freezing, well for me it was, a chilly 14 degrees Celsius. First impression of Santa Monica: people handing out flyers for tourist, homeless people and a lot of road works, a little messy but that didn’t stop my excitement to check it out.
Amy and I headed straight down to the pier, as any tourist would on their first day in Santa Monica. We walked all the way to the end, checking out the small fair and watching all the people roll in for what looked like a family Sunday. After walking the whole pier we started heading down to the beach, everyone seems to get around via bikes and so many people were exercising – good on them.
We had a plan to sort our phones on the first day so we asked for some directions and started walking to a mall. When we arrived we were surprised, the Promenade is a street full of shops, most I have actually bought things from online – put it on your to do list if you ever head to LA! We browsed for a bit and then walked a few more blocks to a phone shop where we met a nice guy named Derrick who helped set up our phones. Once that was sorted we headed back to the Promenade for food.
Our first meal in America was at a place called Steak and Shake; we ordered what looked like a cheeseburger and fries. Amy was stoked; we were so hungry I think anything would have done the job. Once we had eaten we felt a bit better so we browsed for a bit longer then headed down to the pier again.
Instead of doing laps we decided to sit and people watch and we are glad we did. Santa Monica has exercising equipment set up along the beach, balancing ropes, ropes to climb, gymnastic rings and bars etc. There was a group of people doing acrobatics on a small grassed area and everyone was just joining in and showing off their skills. Amy and I ended up sitting there and watching for over two hours! I just loved how there was no judgment, everyone was so friendly and there were even kids as young as like 6 joining in, it was a great atmosphere. A homeless guy even wanted to show off his skills; Amy and I got a few laughs out of that.
We decided to head to the airport early to get changed, check in and get some dinner before our late flight to Cancun.
LAX storage
8622 Bellanca Avenue Suite G, Los Angeles, CA 90045
310-670-4186