Hot, Hot Heat at Xcaret Mexico!

Hi lovely friends,

We are one day closer to Friday and, for that, I think we deserve to celebrate! I don’t know about where you are, but the weather is pretty warm here in California. Kind of feels like summer already! Speaking of heat, we spent a HOT day at Xcaret Mexico on our honeymoon. And before you start blushing, we’re still talking about weather here. Anyway, the temps were in the 90’s and it was humid as heck – so humid that you work up a sweat just standing in place. After walking around the park’s winding pathways and getting lost a couple times, I was pretty sure we’d found heaven when we saw this…

Hallelujah! I swear my skin sizzled a little when I hit the cool water. Ah, RELAXATION. We snorkeled around a little bit and then swam out to the bridge pictured below, where we discovered you can actually swim alongside dolphins. Pretty cool, right? Xcaret has a dolphin encounter, which is separated from the lagoon by a chain link fence. If you hang out there long enough, a dolphin is sure to swim by on the other side. Spend some time underwater and you can even hear them chatting it up with one another.

After our swim, we took advantage of this gorgeous view by camping out in beach chairs under a palapa.

When we felt sufficiently sunned, we decided to get our grub on at the buffet (which was included in our admission ticket). My favorite part of the meal was a sweet and tasty concoction…which I believe the waiter called a mango tango (wine, pineapple juice and mango juice inside a giant pineapple = amazing). The price of my pineapple drink wasn’t included in the meal, but it was well worth the ten dollars I paid for it. It kept me cool while walking around after lunch – plus who doesn’t like a pineapple with a face?

Then we got suited up with life jackets and snorkel gear to go swimming through caves and mangroves. Xcaret offers guests a locked bag that you check at the beginning of your swim, so don’t worry about having to ditch your valuables to take part in this experience. We recommend waiting to swim until the crowds die down, otherwise might end up getting a flipper in the face (oops!) from a fellow swimmer.

Floatin’ down the river…

Admiring the lush, tropical foliage…

Swimming through the mangroves was truly a unique experience and one of our favorite parts of our visit to Xcaret – not to mention, it helped keep us out of the heat.

Need a massage after all the walking and swimming? Or just want another escape from the hot, hot, heat? No problem – Xcaret has got you covered. The park actually has a full-service spa on site where you can get a massage treatment or cleanse your soul with a Mayan Bath, complete with mud exfoliation and a purifying bath under an exotic waterfall. Or, you can just relax spa-side by this peaceful lagoon of turquoise waters…

Did we mention Xcaret is also part zoo? That’s right – not only can you get luxury spa treatments here, you can also hang with creatures of nature, like this guy who snuck up on me when I wasn’t looking…

Or kick it with the jaguars. These two have the right idea with an afternoon nap under a shady tree…

Or get up close and personal with this colorful rainbow of feathers…

To cap off the day, Xcaret offers a nightly showcase featuring more than 300 artists that take you on a vibrant journey through the history of Mexico and Mayan culture. The performance takes place in an outdoor amphitheater and they recommend you arrive an hour or so before the show to secure a good seat. And, even though it’s somewhat shaded, I will be honest with you and tell you that the giant amphitheater starts to feel a closet being blasted with a space heater on high when you’re waiting for the show to start.

However, not to fear! You can purchase a giant beer from the vendors outside and – here’s the most important part (you will thank me for this later) – they will give you a GIANT bag of ice with it to keep it cool. We ended up pouring the ice and water on ourselves – and, I’m sure we looked pretty ridiculous, but it definitely kept us cool. The vendors outside also sell yummy, handmade tamales, which make a perfect dinner for when the show starts.

And, when the show finally started, we got see this…

Men playing hockey with a ball of fire. Talk about hot, hot heat.

Xcaret was another fun stop on our honeymoon tour of Mexico – hope you enjoyed seeing a brief glimpse of our journey there.

What’s the hottest place you’ve been to so far?

Tell us in the comments below – you know we love to hear from you!

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