Mexico. May, 2012

We disappeared to Mexico for a week. The weather was wonderful, the Caribbean Sea was calm, and the kids behaved more or less reasonably. The time flew by. This wasn’t our first visit to this part of Mexico — the Riviera Maya. It is famous for its white sandy beaches, turquoise Caribbean waters, coral reefs, jungles, and eco-parks.

Our resort Grand Palladium Riviera, was probably the largest and most beautiful resort complex we had ever stayed at

The resort consisted of four large complexes, covering a total area of about 700,000 sq metres. You could walk around the entire property, or get around on this little “train.” The resort grounds were beautifully decorated with lakes where you could take a ride on a small boat 

A beautiful lobby, and here we are at the bar. It would be impossible to count how many piña coladas our kids had :) 

The room was spacious, with a jacuzzi right in the middle. A little strange, but since there was also a shower, we could shower without an audience :) 

Since the resort was located right in the middle of the jungle, there were wooden walkways winding through the vegetation, which we used to get from one part of the resort to another.

There was an incredible variety of wildlife all around us. We didn’t even know the names of some of the animals scurrying past us. But the most famous residents of Mexico — the Mexican “dragons,” or simply iguanas — could be spotted everywhere you turned.

The resort also had a little oasis with flamingos

The pools had crystal-clear water, and the kids spent more time in them than in the sea. But the beach was wonderful too 

We mostly ate at the buffets, although we could have made reservations at one of the eight restaurants. With the kids, though, the buffet was much easier.

We were there during Easter, so there were plenty of activities to enjoy, such as decorating Easter eggs. And the girl on the right never did manage to catch the water-filled balloon...