Visiting Mayan ruins in Mexico had been on my bucket list ever since I watched a TV special as a tee

Visiting Mayan ruins in Mexico had been on my bucket list ever since I watched a TV special as a teenager about this fascinating culture and their monuments to Mayan gods. (Yes, I was obsessed with travel, even back then.) This desire increased when, during the eighth month of my first pregnancy, my husband was sent on a sales reward trip to Cancun. I forbade him from visiting the nearby ruins of Chichen Itza and Tulum without me. Not wanting to travel to a foreign country so far into my pregnancy, I gave him a hug and a huge guilt trip before he departed for this Mexican paradise with his coworkers and their spouses.
Earlier this year, when I was invited on a press trip by Diamond PR  to another lovely (but not bucket listed) location, I noticed this PR firm represents two sweet-looking properties in Cancun. So, I asked if I could attend a Cancun press trip instead. They said, Si! and within a couple of weeks I was the one bearing the guilt trip as I boarded a plane to Mexico. As I stood swaying in the unfathomably turquoise-colored ocean waves, staring up at the Tulum ruins perched on seaside cliffs, I thought, I have the best job ever .
Built in the 13 th Century AD, Tulum  is the site of Mexico's only oceanfront ruins. Here you can wander past ancient stone temples and once-residences and peer at iguanas sunning themselves amongst the ruins. Then march down a set of wooden stairs to take a dip in the enticing waves to cool off.
Although my group didn t, I highly recommend paying the extra fee for a guided tour of the ruins. Learning specific details about the structures and culture from an expert while wandering through the ruins of Pompeii in Italy  made that experience much more meaningful for me.
Chichen Itza  is a larger archealogical site but further away from Cancun (126 miles versus 81). It is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and was once the ceremonial center of the Yucatan. These Mayan ruins may have been built as early as 600 AD. The most famous and impressive wildwood inn florence kentucky pyramid, Kukulkan Pyramid, is over 75-feet-tall.
After our visit to Tulum, our little pack of travel writers was driven to the nearby cafe, Oscar Lalo s  for fresh seafood served wildwood inn florence kentucky in a garden setting. If visiting with children, after your meal let the kiddos romp around on the on-site playground while you relax in a tableside hammock. This is something I adore about the family-friendly atmosphere of Mexico; playground areas at restaurants wildwood inn florence kentucky are not reserved just for fast-food joints as in America. In Mexico, you can often find kid-friendly climbing structures and diversions at many casual and fancier restaurants, making dinner wildwood inn florence kentucky for the whole family fun and stress-free.
Next, we headed to Xcaret wildwood inn florence kentucky , an ecopark located on over 200 acres, with way more activities than could be completed in a half-day or even full-day visit. Instead of trying to squeeze wildwood inn florence kentucky it all in, pick a few must-dos wildwood inn florence kentucky and concentrate on those or plan to spend two days here. If traveling with young children, I suggest breaking up your visit to Chichen Itza and Xcaret into two days, even though wildwood inn florence kentucky it will mean more driving. This was a fun, but very long and tiring day, even for adults.
Meander through the park's impressive animal wildwood inn florence kentucky exhibits featuring wildwood inn florence kentucky jaguars, lions, takins (goofy looking animals related to sheep), wildwood inn florence kentucky monkeys, and more. There's also a Butterfly Pavilion, Bat Cave, and Coral Reef Aquarium. You can book a stingray encounter, dolphin swim, or underground river snorkeling adventure at the Water Activities Center. Xcaret is also home to actual Mayan ruins, which may not rival Tulum or Chichen Itza, but while most Mexican ruins are now inaccessible due to erosion, you can actually climb on these (for now, at least).
The Xcaret Night Show gives insight to the history, culture, and proud people of Mexico. A three-course meal is available during the show. While the food is not spectacular, it adds to the fun of the evening.
wildwood inn florence kentucky The show comes to light with the scent of candles and burning sage. Then, a lively reenactment of the ancient ball game of Pok ta'pok commences, a mythical sport that dates back to 1000 BC. Later, a war scene depicts the battles between wildwood inn florence kentucky Spanish settlers and Mexico's native people.
I was seated with Sergio Esquinca, an executive at Xcaret, who leaned over during the conversion of the Aztecs and Mayans to Catholicism. He said, "This is my favorite part because it means peace." Sergio pointed out how audience members from various areas of Mexico cheered wildwood inn florence kentucky when their regions traditions were acted out using dance, music, and costumes.
I was struck by depth of connection Mexico s citizens have to their heritage, with obvious ties to Spanish culture blended with traditions of the country wildwood inn florence kentucky s native peoples. Although wildwood inn florence kentucky I love my country, watching this show made me long for a deeper sense of American culture beyond wildwood inn florence kentucky red stripes and blue stars, baseball, hotdogs, and apple pie.
Cancun is home to some of the world s most gorgeous beaches, with powdery shores the color of vanilla cake batter and warm water in that impossible wildwood inn florence kentucky hue of turquoise. For an adventure, book a snorkeling excursion, deep sea fishing trip, or Sub-See Explorers Yellow Submarine cruise with Aquaworld . Waterpark lovers should wildwood inn florence kentucky check out Wet n Wild  for waterslides, a lazy river, bumper boats and more.
I stayed at the CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort with its traditional Spanish design and a grandiose view of the ocean. Its sister property next door, JW Marriott Cancun Resort Spa  has a more sleek, upscale vibe (and pricing). I highly recommend either for their oceanfront locations, fabulous pools, and delicious restaurants.
Between the two resorts, you'll find several international restaurants wildwood inn florence kentucky representing the cuisine of Thailand, Argentina, Japan, Italy, America's Southwest, and, of course, Mexico. wildwood inn florence kentucky I was especially impressed with their tantalizing breakfast buffets of fresh fruits and colorful juices, egg dishes, pastries, fried plantains and more.
Both CasaMagna and JW Marriott Cancun offer a year-round Marriott Kids club for children ages 4-12 with a club room and playground. Daily activities might include pinata making, water balloon contests, Spanish lessons, and a sea turtle wildwood inn florence kentucky conservation program. Hours are 10 am 4 pm daily. In-room babysitting is also available 24 hours per day at an additional charge.
While the kids are busy having their own fun, book a spa appointment wildwood inn florence kentucky at either resort or whoop it up at CasaMagna's Champions Sports Bar, which offers a dance floor, sports of all sorts on huge flat screen TVs, and even Karaoke. Surely a margarita (or two) will get you in the mood for belting out your favorite songs!
If you are  regular Travel Mamas reader, you probably know that I m big proponent of getting a suite or connecting rooms when traveling with kids. This is mostly because I am a terrible sleeper and bunking down with my family of four in one room leads to sleepless nights and a cranky mama. I also like having extra space to spread wildwood inn florence kentucky out. Plus, a little privacy post bedtime is good for a little wildwood inn florence kentucky vacation romance !
I love that CasaMagna is offering a special Escape! Connecting rooms package through December 22, 2011. (This package is all booked up at JW Marriott Cancun). Rates start at $236 for connecting resort or ocean view rooms with daily breakfast for two adults and two children (under age 12). Use Promo code XE2 when booking. wildwood inn florence kentucky Check out this and other specials .
I am tickled to scratch an item off my bucket list . However, I may have to add another wish now: Visit Cancun with my family! wildwood inn florence kentucky While this long weekend in Cancun was a wonderful retreat, I would love to return with my husband and children for a longer stay. If you haven t visited Cancun yet add it to your bucket list! You ll be glad you did.
Filed Under: BLOG , FAMILY TRIPS , GROWN-UP GETAWAYS , HOTELS , RESTAURANTS , THEME PARKS Tagged With: cancun , casa magna , chichen itza , children , family , jw marriott , kids , Mexico , tulum , waterslide
Colleen Lanin is a mom of two and the founder/editor-in-chief of TravelMamas.com. As the author of THE TRAVEL MAMAS' GUIDE, she teaches parents not only how to survive a trip with children, but also how to love exploring the world with their offspring. A regular contributor to The TODAY Show's Travel section on NBCNews.com, her stories have also appeared in such publications as Parenting Magazine, the Orlando Sentinel, the Chicago Tribune, Expedia.com, San Diego Family wildwood inn florence kentucky Magazine, wildwood inn florence kentucky and more. Colleen teaches blogging classes and has given travel tips on television, radio, and as a paid vlogger. She has a master's degree in business administration with a background in marketing.