Travel // Viva la Mexico!

As an end of exams treat, Me, My boyfriend John and my housemates decided to book a holiday once we had all finished our summer exams; 3 out of the 6 of us going were in final year of Uni, so not only was this celebrating the end of exams, but also the end of Uni life and one of the last times we will all be together for a while. So of course we had to go out with a bang and go to Cancun, the party capital of Mexico!

It was a fortnight of sunbathing, sightseeing, cocktails and partying! Mexico really is beautiful so we not only wanted to experience the nightlife, but also the culture that Mexico has to offer.

We stayed at the Gran Caribe Real Hotel, it was in a perfect location right on the sandy white beach, only 30 minutes away from the Airport (which after a 10 hour flight is such a relief!), plus it was only a 15 minute walk away from the shopping centre one way and the strip of bars and clubs the other way. Even though our room was the most basic available, it was more than big enough for me and John! The bed probably could have fit 3-4 people comfortably, you could stretch your arm out and not reach the other. The view was incredible, our balcony overlooked the lagoon which is where the sun set and it was absolutely breathtaking. The beach was a stone's throw away; it was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen, pure white sand and the bluest ocean I had ever seen, it was absolutely gorgeous, if a little wavy!

Now you may have expected it to be constant sunshine, but we went at the start of the rainy season, and for about 4 days it was constant thunderstorms and rain! It was around the time of Hurricane Barbara which hit the west coast of Mexico, so this could have been a factor. When the weather is good, it's glorious sunshine and 30 degree heat, but when it's bad, it's bad!

One of the first excursions we booked was onto the Captain Hook dinner cruise (thankfully when the weather was a little better!). Basically it was pretty much what it says on the tin, you were ushered either onto Captain Jack Sparrow's ship or Captain Hook's (us being on Jack Sparrow's) and were entertained by the Pirates with a variety of games and stories. You constantly had a drink in your hand and were then treated to a lobster and steak buffet dinner. After dinner, it changed into a party ship and was pretty awesome to dance the night away. At the end, the two ships met up side by side and was a mix of fireworks, sword fighting and stealing treasure, it was just like being in 'The Pirates of the Caribbean'!. We all had a great time, we were on the front row so it was pretty overwhelming at first, but we soon got used to it.

We also took the chance to see one of the seven wonders of the world - Chichen Itza. First of all we were taken to a nearby cenote, which is a natural open water pool, which was simply stunning, there was greenery and vines intertwining around the edge of the cenote, the water itself cool and refreshing filled with catfish that would swim around you, it really was a natural beauty. After our swim we were then taken on a tour of the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, it was really interesting to learn the history of the Mayans and experience one of the wonders of the world; even though it was unbearably humid and we didn't go on a sunny day in particular!

Of course we had to experience some of the nightlife that Cancun has to offer! On our first week, we decided to go on a Bar crawl which ended in the legendary Coco Bongo's! if you ever find yourself in Cancun, I seriously suggest that you go, you will never see anything like it! It is probably one of the biggest nightclubs I have ever been in, throughout the night you are treated to different performances from acrobatic displays to tribute acts honouring Bey

once, Lady Gaga, Queen, LMFAO and more! As well as fireworks, streamers and huge balloon been released throughout the night, it really is interactive! I have never seen anything like it, it is literally crazy! throughout the night, they also choose girls to come and dance on the stage above the dance floor and near the end I was selected! it was so much fun, I really wish they had somewhere like Coco Bongo's in England!

(sorry about the picture quality, it was a night out after all!)

On our last night (risky I know), we went to Senor Frogs' famous glow party. Throughout the night there were stage games and at midnight the biggest paint fight starts and you are literally covered head to toe in neon paint, don't wear anything nice to this event! Senor frogs also hosts a water slide that runs through the bar and drops you from a height into the lagoon! Me and 2 of my housemates decided it was a good idea to do this fully clothed, luckily we did it near the end of the night so we could go back to the hotel afterwards!

The rest of the holiday as you can imagine was full of sunbathing by the pool and beach, plenty of cocktails and shopping, (unfortunately) doing shots of tequila and exploring Cancun as well as Isla Mujeres; a nearby island that is a tranquil Caribbean paradise!

It was the perfect end to exam season and just relax for two weeks in paradise before we go back to our parents for summer and back to our jobs, I only wish we could go back!