dianaschnuth

What’s the cure (or at least a palliative) for the early onset of winter blues?

Why, booking a summer vacation, of course!

(originally uploaded by wine me up on Flickr)

For a combination of beach and adventure, we’re planning a late-April trip to the Riviera Maya in Mexico. Six beautiful nights at an all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen, just south of Cancún.

Those who have been following our vacation adventures may recall that we had toyed with the thought of going to Cancún last year. We opted for a second trip to Japan, instead — and that certainly turned out for the best, since the H1N1 swine flu epidemic hit Mexico at the EXACT time we would have been heading there for fun in the sun.

Plus, there was the fact that, whenever we told anyone we were planning to go to Cancún, their first response was, “Oh, you like to party?”

Actually, no. But thanks for the heads-up.

Playa del Carmen is a small fishing town that’s blossomed into a tourism alternative to Cancún. The community has apparently made a concerted effort to keep the town small and quaint, as opposed to the touristy insanity just a few miles north.

Also, the resort we’ve booked is an adults-only establishment (the family-friendly resort is just across the street). No spring-breakers allowed. It sounds like, if we want a party vibe, we could easily get our party on in one of the bars; if not, we could chillax either in the hammock on the balcony or in the suite’s double jacuzzi.

(I have to credit Tn Pham, a complete stranger, for influencing our decision on where to stay. I’d been looking at the sister resort, not realizing that it was intended for families. When I Googled the hotel name, I came across Tn’s travelogue and realized that the adults-only resort was the way to go. Just check out his pictures!)

We’re not very good at being beach bums, though — we only managed a short afternoon sunning and swimming in Waikiki before we grew bored with the beach. We have plans to do plenty of other activities: touring the Mayan ruins, snorkeling, ziplining, parasailing, and checking out the town of Playa del Carmen. Our hotel is within easy walking distance of the shopping district, and I’m sure we’ll come up with a list of restaurants and shops to check out (on top of our all-inclusive dining options).

We just have to make it through four months of winter. Just four more months! When the last snow falls in Ohio, we’ll be booking it to sunnier skies.