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| Welcome to Akumal Beach Resort; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
After I unlocked Mayan civilization – “Majestic Mexico Venture; a Journey Back Through Time,” it was time to rest. The “Snack Bar” next to the pool looked like a good place to start. One of the main perks about staying in an all inclusive resort was that most of the bars opened pretty early – the one next to the pool was around 7am. Jess and I decided to take a break from sightseeing and indulge our senses into the Akumal Beach Resort – “Eagerly Awaiting the Majestic Mexico Venture; Coastal Road Trip.” The smell of saltwater seeping from the pool tickled my nose, along with the sight of the good-looking tall blonde-haired bartender; both created a rather large smile on my face. The sound of the ocean crashing against the rocks only a few steps from the “Snack Bar” enlightened me why I was there.
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| Walkway to the Pool; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
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| Life Guard Post Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
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| Reflection on the Water; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
Not to mention, the touch of the cool multicolored glass on my fingertips and the taste of strawberries soothed my sun-burnt lips. I had stumbled into heaven – a place where romance never died and the world seemed to stop for a brief moment. As I scanned the atmosphere around me, I could not help to notice the palm trees that lined into the sand and the sun, which harmoniously graced us with her presence. The bartender explained to us that a pool/dance exercise class was about to begin. Since Jess and I wanted nothing more than to relax, we chose to stay afloat in the water and not partake in the ritualistic practice.
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| Design on Bottom of Pool; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
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| Beautiful Flower Surrounding Pool; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
Senior citizens and children much younger than Jess and I enthusiastically jumped out of the water to meet the younger female instructor. All of these people must have done this before, because as soon as the Caribbean music played the choreography was brilliant. Simultaneously they all started shaking their hips and bottom areas – the moves were really good and the music was well-suited for the tropical location. After an hour of dancing and singing along the grand finale approached – everyone at once dove into the saltwater pool. As Jess and I floated on our backs massive amounts of waves splashed onto our red faces – this definitely felt refreshingly cool on our hot scorched skin.
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| Frontal View of Pool Area; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
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| Tribal Design on Wall; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
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| Side View of Pool Area; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
Our invigorating pool day was a huge success, minus the bits of red splotches on our faces. The end was quickly approaching, but I still had one full day left. That night we had decided to make the most of the Mexican city nightlife – we ventured a few minutes down the road to one of the hottest beach nightclubs in Playa del Carmen. The environment in the club was sensational and the scenery was nothing short of disappointment. There were 3 separate parts of the club – the black lit room in the side of the club, the bar area, and the dance floor in the sand. The black lit room comprised of women trapeze artists performing several different tricks on a pole and around the ceiling. Within this room there were loads of people with bright glasses. The lighting was awesome – there is something about black lights, which have the ability to turn an ordinary room “pop” into something magical. The room came to life – it resembled the animated Las Vegas show, “Cirque du Soleil.” The kind of place where creativity and inventiveness created the core, where one stepped into their dreams.
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| Signs in the Akumal Beach Resort; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
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| PADI Diving Sign; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
On the other hand, the bar area held dozens of wooden stools with a large open sand pit in the middle. Located in the middle of the bar were 6 bartenders, 3 females and 3 males – majority of the nationalities were Spanish and American. My favorite part was the dance floor in the sand, with the DJ in the corner and the two tier floor – it was definitely the hottest spot in the entire nightclub. The music was cleverly selected and most of the popular dance hits were from American and Spanish artists. There was also a multi-colored lightning system that turned the dance floor into a Christmas tree. The black light, sand, and beach-themed atmosphere was a terrific trifecta for one of the hottest dance clubs in Playa del Carmen. As we danced into the night the full moon rose above our heads and the ocean violently crashed in the rocks behind us. An unforgettable night hands down, now it was onto my last full day in Mexico. I was guaranteed that it was not going to be anything short of ordinary. When you are in a world of beauty and tranquility, could there be anything dreamier?
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| Sea Turtle at Front Desk; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |
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| Front Entrance to Check-in; Akumal, Mexico 06.2008 |