Christine Bonnivier Photography: Playa del Carmen, Mexico 2012 {Personal} Springfield, MO Photographer

Soon after our trip to Florida last year we started considering Mexico for our next beach vaca. Our good friends Andrew and Kiley were on board, so we started planning :-) Levi's co-worker owns a timeshare at the all inclusive Sandos Beach Resort and Spa, so we quickly jumped on the opportunity to 'rent' the week from them. We flew out of St.Louis at 7 am and landed in Cancun at 1 pm. After going through customs we headed 45 minutes south to Playa del Carmen, MX. Sandos is nestled inside a beautiful & private gated community. We were very excited :-) Our rooms were lovely and we had three balconies overlooking the Caribbean. It was a stunning view and the breeze was awesome. We had lots of beach time and there was so much to do. The staff was fun and really hilarious actually. When they weren't trying to sell you tickets to the Coco Bongo club (or as the rest of the world calls it, 'Dicso' haha!) they were keeping everyone busy with beach and poolside music, aerobics and volleyball. They would announce everything in English and Spanish and at the end they would add a "ooha ooha". It was funny :-) As if 7 restaurants and 3 buffets weren't enough, they grilled out on the beach and by the pool. They first day we had fresh ceviche, gauc, salsa and coconut drinks right on the beach. AH-mazing. The day we spent at the adult pool they had a live band and prepared Mexican Rice, chicken and veggies for lunch. YUM! We were in heaven. :-) The entertainment at night was also incredible...Salsa Band, Drum lines, dance party, it was all fun. I loved seeing Cozumel all lit up at night in the horizon. Most everyday we worked out in the morning. The guys would run on the beach or go to the gym and Kiley and I rode bikes through the gated community. We saw locals cutting down coconuts one day and lots of wildlife. (We attempted tennis one morning but I won't even go there...I have a new appreciation for tennis players. It's NOT easy!!) One of the highlights of the week was meeting people from all over the world. We were always making new friends :) Europeans, South Americans...everyone was a good time. We definitely have a new perspective on things. Most people we talked with had almost perfect English. We were very impressed and of course, fortunate. Oh and we really enjoyed chatting with the folks we met from Holland. I think we have to visit there sometime :-) Kiley and I also enjoyed all the plants! It was so refreshing and invigorating to be around such lush gorgeousness (after being in this crazy drought). Toward the end of our stay a Tropical storm (Hurricane Ernesto) rolled in and was at it's worst in the middle of the night. So we missed most of it :-) The staff was very organized and made sure everyone was still having fun, was well fed and that the grounds were clean. The last morning there Levi and I walked on the beach and assessed the damage. By the afternoon I was sunbathing and swimming. It was wacky :-) Now it's full swing back into things! This week we have tons of meetings and shoots and this weekend we will be at the Metropolitan Bridal Expo! I'm so thankful we were able to experience Mexico and relax. :-)