The trip down there was a bit challenging since we had to wake up super early in the morning and had a connecting flight. But thankfully, the Hjelmgrens were on the plane with us, which was enough to make it seem fun for the kids.
Nevertheless, we were pretty relieved to arrive and be greeted by some cocktails and warm weather!
We made it, woot!
The resort we stayed in was a massive, all-inclusive complex, with more things to do and see than we could ever squeeze into five days.
Showing off the towel art on our bed.
One of the biggest attractions was, of course, the swimming. There were many pools to choose from, of various sizes and with various enticing features. Our favorite was the Italian Village pool, which had water tables and a swim-up bar where the kids could order their favorite kiddie cocktails, including Jungle Juice, Pink Boots, and Chocolate Monkeys with a cherry on top!
We loved the swim-up bar!
A lot.
Making a splash.
Watch out for sharks, Papa!
The cool table.
What could be more perfect than pizza in the pool?
Bliss.
Tired but happy.
If the pool felt too tame, we could head over to the water park, which had slides, a lazy river, a cave to explore, another swim-up bar, mac-and-cheese and ice cream trucks, and cotton candy on-demand!
The "pirate ship" in the middle of the park was perfect for littles.
And then there were the "big kid" slides.
Wrangling the rafts.
Being lazy.
Sugar on a stick!
Of course, there was also a beautiful seven-mile beach with white sand and sparkling, turquoise-blue water. But it was extremely windy so the waves were a little intense (all of our snorkeling and boat excursions were cancelled because the water was too choppy). At first, the kids wanted to go into the water and jump over the waves. They even swam out to the trampolines that the hotel had set up. But one particularly big wave knocked the wind out of Aaron and Jill, flipping them over and filling their hair and suits with sand. After that (and a few tears), they preferred to build sand castles safely on the shore.
Ocean trampoline.
Safe on the sand.
Daddy's girl.
Daddy's other girl.
Trying to build an award-winning sand castle.
But Nate and Uncle David put everyone else to shame.
Sun, sand, and sibs.
Sunset selfie.
Family beach picture at sunset.
Late night sand stroll.
When we didn't feel like swimming, there were plenty of other things to do. There was a kiddie train that stopped at various points in the resort throughout the day. There were tennis courts, a croquet lawn, life-size chess sets, a playground, an X-box game center, board games to check out, a rec center with air hockey and ping pong, and when all else failed, cartoons on TV. It was pretty much impossible to be bored.
Choo choo! All aboard!
The cute car.
Gamers.
Check-mate!
Can I get another Chocolate Monkey, please?
Her first croquet lesson.
Early morning cuddles and cartoons.
One of the biggest perks was something called "Camp Sesame." It was basically a day camp where the kids got to do fun activities like nature walks, tea parties, and music classes. Best of all, various Sesame Street characters would stop by throughout the day to join in the fun. While Aaron preferred to stay with us or with his cousins, Danny and Jill were excited to hang out with Elmo, Big Bird, and the rest of the Sesame Street gang. So Chris and I dropped them off a couple of times and got to have a little time to ourselves for walks on the beach and some beach volleyball!
The Sesame Street characters also treated us to a huge parade one evening. It is apparently one of the must-see events so we made sure we had a front row seat.
Ready for the parade to start.
It did not disappoint.
When we got hungry, there were multiple restaurants to choose from offering a variety of different cuisines, including an Italian bistro, a Tex-Mex restaurant, a French cafe, a Hibachi grill, a jerk chicken shack, a 50s-style diner, a pool-side pizza place, various buffets and food trucks...the list goes on and on. We tried to test out as many as we could!
Pancakes and jellies for breakfast.
Waiting for fried mac-and-cheese balls from the food truck.
Watching the hibachi show.
Danny was the only one who tried (and liked!) the Miso soup.
Ready to try some tacos!
Ready to try some tacos!
Cousin bonding during mealtime.
Lots of good conversations were had.
And the food was good too!
And the food was good too!
There was no shortage of yummy drinks. Another Chocolate Monkey please!
Sometimes dinner was relaxing...
Sometimes dinner was relaxing...
...sometimes not.
Sometimes it was complete disaster.
Sometimes it was complete disaster.
But after-dinner ice cream does wonders.
Yummm.
Yummm.
Party of 13.
Even if you took away all of the amazing scenery, food, and attractions, it still would have been a fun week because we got to spend it with family. That was, after all, the whole point of going in the first place.
Selfie with my loves.
Happy D.
Spunky J.
Sister shot.
Sweet girls.
Just hanging out.
Me and my little chocolate monkey.
Hamming it up by the hot tub.
Worn out from all the fun.
Nice, Aaron.
The complete crew.
And just like that, our week in paradise was over. The trip home would have been depressing, but luckily we were on the same plane as the cousins so that made it feel like just another adventure.
Watching movies in the airport.
Tired babies in the cab ride home.
When the snow falls in April (and it did, three times), it's nice to know that somewhere out there the sun is still shining, the water is still sparkling, and the Chocolate Monkeys still come with a cherry on top!
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