Cancun During Covid - 2021 (Jan 30) - Day 1

It has been a long day that started at 2 am on this Saturday after about 2 hours of sleep.  We headed for the airport at 3:10 am.  Todd & Lesley Irwin have joined us on this trip and they arrived at the house by 3 am.  We rode to the airport together.  

It was clear weather and we saw lots of critters out - mostly deer.  We parked and made the kiosk in the airport at 4:30 - and had to stand in line.  It was actually quite busy at the airport this morning.

We checked in and cleared Security without issues.  The first leg of our trip was to Charlotte, NC.  The flight was full.  We had a layover of about 90 minutes so we grabbed a quick breakfast.  Me?  I got a nap on that leg.

We boarded the jet to Cancun and the airplane was maybe 70% full, so we all spread out.  Each couple had our own private row of three seats.  Again, I caught some Z's on this flight too.  My wife will claim she didn't sleep, but she's a Big Liar.

We landed and cleared everything in the airport without issue.  Cancun's airport was not crowded.  We touched down at 11:50 am.  By 12:30, we were loading up in our private shuttle to the hotel.  We arrived and checked in - and thankfully the room was ready - no waiting.

We changed to shorts and walked to the pool restaurant for lunch at 2 pm.  It is 80 degrees here.  Awesome.  Sandy did call home to let the 'rents know we had arrived safely.

After lunch we took a walk around the hotel to learn the lay of the land.  Right now, the beach appears to hold more rocks and seaweed than what we are used to on the island of Cancun.  But hey, who's gonna complain about that?

Me?  I took yet another nap in the hammock hut after a Cap't and Coke.  And now, our plan is to hit the main restaurant for a Mexican dinner and show.  And then I am sure we are going to bed early.

Our room is on the ground floor.  We can walk out right to the pool.  The hotel is surrounded by a "lazy river" system that is for aesthetics and not swimming.  However, it does add to the ambiance of having the waves of the ocean and the running water all around you.  And, the buildings are only 4-stories tall, so as to not detract from the natural beauty surrounding the area.  Thus, the sun stays "up" longer as it does not get blocked by the buildings.

There are not a lot of people around here.  We are guessing that it is maybe 30% capacity, but it's also change-over day, so that may get modified as the week progresses.

Also, the island of Cozumel is 30 miles due E of us here in Playa del Carmen.  We can actually see across the ocean and pick out the buildings on the island.  They appear to be floating on the ocean.

Following are some pictures from today.

At the airport - 5 am - waiting to board plane.

This is the sunrise on Saturday, Jan 30, 2021 from 36,000 ft.

Yes, we were in the airplane.

We have arrived.  This is out on our patio.

This is the view out our door.  You are looking E to the ocean in the far background.

You can see the 'lazy river' and one of the three pools on this side of the grounds.

This is the hammock hut - or better - one of four huts like these around the property.

I found it wise to test them out.

The "point" of the beach next to the main hotel restaurant.

Yes - it's very rocky - but we saw a jellyfish, a stingray, and a pelican out there.

Lesley and Sandy on the beach - kinda breezy

Me and Todd are sitting at the Lobby bar and I am having a Cap't & Coke.

I sent this picture to my children.  They were happy for me!

Will keep you posted on further antics.  You can expect the same most every day.