It would be nice to be rich

I know that's a shallow statement, I really do. However, after living the high life for a week, I decided it would be pretty great to live the high life all the time -- but then I wouldn't appreciate it and blah, blah, blah.

The point: my sister and her team at work did really great last year and won an all-expenses paid trip for two to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. And who did Summer the Great take? Moi! (I suppose I should say "me" in Espanol, but I don't know what it is.) We had an incredible week and I loved staying at a Five Star resort and being pampered. I was in awe the entire week long. See why...

Summer and me on the beach. In the background you can see our towel porter men who set up our beach chairs and towels for us, brought us coconut water, and brought us food beachside!

One of the nights we had a fancy dinner with Summer and the rest of her team and their guests. My hair was pretty crazy the entire week, so forgive that, but do take note of the awesome sunburn I got on my neck. And isn't Summer so pretty?

We visited Tulum, ruins of a Mayan city. These Mayans had it right -- setting up their city on some of the most beautiful water this world has to offer.

Mayan temple in the background.


This is the open-air lobby of the hotel. The hotel blended the Oriental and Latin styles and it was gorgeous!

From the lobby we rode golf carts everywhere, since the property is about a mile long. Summer and I preferred to walk, but it was pretty fun being carted around sometimes.

Ahhhh. This is a picture at the spa. I have never felt so relaxed in my entire life. Summer and I both got full body salt scrubs, a back massage, and a facial. People walked around in robes and hung out by the pool and ate incredible food at the spa restaurant (which is what we were doing in this particular setting).


This is in our room -- the living room. Notice the fresh fruit. It was heavenly!

This is the walk in shower that led out into the plunge pool - an oversize bath that you could take outside.
This is our "backyard." Each room had its own private backyard that was concealed from any other rooms. Ours looked out over a little pond and we saw lots of butterflies there.

Conclusion: going to five star resort was awesome. I am not, however, unaware at what a waste of money this would have been had it been my own. I don't plan to do this often (in fact, Matt told me as I was leaving that I better enjoy it now because I would never do it again), but it was so wonderful to be so carefree! Let's hear for traveling for free (and doing it with a great sister, of course)!