Sunday

Wow!  3 -4 days have gone by...as they say, time flies when you are having fun!  Sunday I just kicked back.  It took at least a day to destress sufficiently to start enjoying things.  The resort is incredibly beautiful.  At the same time, it's much more insular than to my tastes.  They don't make it easy to get away.  But, I have my plans, but finally, on Sunday, I decided to relax and accept what the resort had to offer - a safe, secure, beautiful place in an incredible location.  I'll be going in to Playa del Carmen tomorrow.

Weather was still recovering from Tropical Storm Matthew.  Although the storm passed much to the south, the spinoff weather made for a cloudy sky and churned up water.  We had a massive rain storm later in the day.  After a great buffet breakfast at the resort restaurant, I decided to pick the best of what the resort had to offer, and selected the cheap $59 Swedish massage which entitled me to use of the gym and sauna and steam rooms.  With the wind, clouds and choppy sea, snorkeling in the ocean was not very inviting.  After a nice workout, though dripping with sweat even in the air conditioning, I headed to the spa where I changed into a robe and was ushered downstairs to the sauna and steam.

What an incredible place!  Truly the most first class spa I have been to.  The steam room was scented, and there was an amazing jacuzzi.  The sauna had little towels placed for each person to sit on.  On to the massage, which was truly one of the best I have had.  I lingered afterwards, doing an hour of hydrotherapy, then drinking tea in the lounge with my feet up.

By the end, I had spent half the day working out and enjoying the spa.  I went down to the beach at sunset and spent half an hour relaxing, watching the waves and wind.  A quick swim in the amazingly tiled, huge pool, and on to dinner in the palapa restaurant.