Travel & Lifestyle | Day 3 of our #HelloExperience

By now you must be wanting to visit Mexico with us! Check out Day 1 & Day 2 of our #HelloExperience to see what I mean and catch up as I tell you all about a busy day 3. For those of you who have been following @Fashionights & @DoTheDaniel on social media, you’ll have gotten a behind the scenes look at our #HelloExperience with Booking Hello and Catalonia Hotels & Resorts.  With Royal Tulum Beach & Spa Resort as home base for the week, day 3 started out a little rougher than I would have liked. But, when in Mexico!… 

As you’ll remember I told you about the tri-weekly Beach / Pool party that the Catalonia Royal Tulum throws. Julio & I clearly enjoyed ourselves amid the starlight because neither of us remember getting back to our hotel room. I’ll save you the details of the rest of my night and morning and say that I spent a significant part of it in the bathroom regretting my indulgences. Bright and early came the morning and we were off to visit the sister hotel, Catalonia Riviera Maya. I had to hold up the transfer and the group because I thought drinking strong coffee and advil would mix on a hangover stomach. They did not.

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Off we went to the beautiful family friendly resort to tour it’s facilities as the largest of the three Catalonia properties in the area. You know what cures the worst hangover ever? A bike ride among the grounds in the Caribbean sun. With bike rentals available to all guests, you can explore the Puerto Aventuras grounds. I must have sweat it all out and then some because I felt a hundred times better after our excursion seeing the grounds. We got to see the marina with manatees, dolphins and sea lions! Something for the whole family, this is the resort I would want to bring Amanda & Lyric to for sure!

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The grounds themselves are substantially larger than the Adult Only Royal Tulum and for good reason. With many delicious restaurants and the beautiful beaches, it’s energy is one that is a true escape in the Caribbean sun for you and the family.

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What blew my mind towards the end of our tour and time at the resort was the sheer size of their Alegria Spa. Almost 4,000 square meters, it feels as though the hacienda atmosphere goes on forever!

With unique experiences and something new to enjoy with the ones you love, Catalonia Riviera Maya is a fantastic destination I would highly recommend.

We said goodbye to our friends at this family friendly oasis and were off!

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Of course, a huge thank you to Lacoste for our beautiful high tops that offered the comfort and support we needed throughout the day. Wearing head to toe Bench Canada, I was feeling sporty and ready to take on any adventure that the Booking Hello team had planned for us!

Back to our hotel room for a quick wardrobe change and a dip in the pool. The exciting addition to our day was a trip into Playa del Carmen with our new friends. I mentioned this in Day 2, but I strongly encourage you to travel outside of your resort when you visit the area. For those of you worried about traveling into Mexico, I can assure you that it’s perfectly safe in the area if you educate yourself and use the tools available to you. Booking Hello & Catalonia Royal Tulum are there to help you book these excursions and visits, including organizing taxis for you if you need assistance.

Into the city we went at dusk and I immediately fell in love with the energy and culture. Playa del Carmen is in fact quite tourist heavy so I wouldn’t necessarily call it “the real Mexico” but it is a nice change of pace from the relaxing resort life.

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We were lucky enough to catch an Aztec traditional dance on the beach and enjoyed probably my favourite Mexican meal I have ever had at Mercado de Nuestra Señora del Carmen. I’m not kidding. This food was mind blowing and so flavourful. Normally I would have styled a beautiful food shot for you, but it was just too delicious to not devour. You’ll just have to “Like” their facebook page and visit yourself!

My favourite kind of Mexican food is that where you put it in the middle of the table, eat with your hands and share with amazing people. We laughed, we drank drinks the size of my head (as you’ll notice, there is a theme developing here) and we ate to our hearts content. And it was SO affordable! You simply have to go when you visit Playa del Carmen!

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We decided to take the night to another location and arrived at Hotel Cacao. This newly launched hotel took my breath away with its ambiance and decor. I simply HAD to share the photo above because to me it embodies the elegance and feeling of the hotel. Hip, young and full of life, we sipped margaritas on the rooftop facing the sea. You can even see Cozumel from their rooftop patio on a clear night.

“The 60 spacious guest rooms and suites are appointed with every contemporary amenity. Located on famous 5th Avenue, in the heart of Playa del Carmen’s bustling scene of restaurants, clubs and boutiques, Hotel Cacao is creating a vibrant, bespoke lifestyle where travelers are immersed in a provocative resort scene.”

It was purely magical and I will be back to visit the hotel and its amenities while staying at a Catalonia resort the next time, hopefully, with the DoTheDaniel.com family.

As the night came to a close, we caught a taxi back to the resort and my head hit the pillow smiling from the experience Booking Hello can create for you. It was a day of sun, smiling and so much love for Mexico and the Riviera Maya.

All week long, Julio & I will be sharing our travel adventures with you. Make sure to follow Julio on Twitter & Instagram and click “follow” on @DoTheDaniel for both! For insights from international media also attending this week, follow the #HelloExperience hashtag on all social media networks.

If you’re in the market for vacation packages that are both affordable and amazing, Booking Hello has got you covered.

Hello from Hello on Vimeo.

“HELLO offer its members unique services and prices in the market, gives access to an online platform with special discount rates in over 80,000 hotels, car rentals, helicopters, airplanes , yachts, theme parks and cruise companies to travel around the world”

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So how do you sign up to have this experience for yourself? It’s pretty simple!

Click here to see the benefits of joining HELLO & make sure to join today. You’ll see all week long via our experiences what you yourself can enjoy via the services they offer to their customers.

Remember to follow Julio & his FASHIONIGHTS.com experiences!

To get inspired from your own travel adventures, follow @BookingHello on Twitter & @Booking_Hello on Instagram today. For behind the scenes from the entire Catalonia Hotels & Resorts family of destinations follow @CataloniaHotels on Twitter & @CataloniaHotels_Caribbean on Instagram.  Make sure to use the #HelloExperience hashtag to join in on the social media conversation with us all!

For more behind the scenes of this and other amazing brands we are working with around the world, follow along with the #DoTheDaniel Instagram account. We’d love to have you be a part of our exciting day to day!

Photos: Booking HelloCatalonia Hotels & Resorts, TripAdvisor, Daniel Desforges & Julio Reyes

Bon Voyage!

Daniel Desforges

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