Anniversary Adventure Day 1 🏝️✈️
Our day started long before the sun even thought about rising — 4 a.m. wake-up call to hit the road for the New Orleans airport. As expected, Jessica’s car narcolepsy kicked in and she curled up and slept most of the drive, but I managed to wake her up for breakfast. That’s when the first surprise of the trip began.
I handed her an anniversary card, filled with a sweet note and, at the bottom, a little instruction: “over.” On the back was a simple website address — www.peteandjesstravel.com. Jess immediately powered on her phone, typed it in, and her face lit up with shock.
For weeks, she had been convinced we were heading to San Antonio, Texas. But in that moment, she discovered the truth: we weren’t going to Texas at all. We were leaving the country… straight to Cancun, Mexico! Hola Jess
Naturally, the questions followed — “What about my passport? What about the details?” Don’t worry, babe. I had everything planned… well, mostly. My first fail of the day? When she saw her boarding pass and realized my fat fingers typed D instead of E in her middle name. Cue the panic — Jess was convinced Homeland Security was going to lock her in a cell. The actual fix? A quick change at the counter. Crisis averted.
Once through security, we settled at the gate. Jess picked up a beach read, and we indulged in one of our favorite pastimes: people-watching. Aaaaannnnd Spirit Airlines did not disappoint. Let’s just say the entertainment had already started before we ever left the ground. We reminded ourselves a few times that “just because they were on our flight didn’t mean they’d be at our resort”, thank God!
The flight itself was quick and painless, though the seats felt more like metal bleachers than airplane chairs. We discovered a new snack that we’d never had before, and will probably order again on the return flight. Two hours later, we touched down in Cancun. Immigration was comically easy — apparently, no one really cared that we were there. Just a simple “what’s your name and how long are you here?” Ok next!
A quick bathroom break before getting our luggage, where Jess was handed the paper towels after washing her hands. Has the service really already started and we aren’t even at the resort yet? Pete got a little concerned about how long I was in the bathroom for, but I guess that’s partially my fault because of how much I talked about being “taken” and begging him to keep me in his sights.
We navigated through the airport, skillfully dodging taxi vendors, until we found our ride. Waiting for us was our concierge, Jesus (yes, Jesus met us in Mexico 🙌). And let me tell you — He came prepared. We climbed into a brand-new Ford Expedition Platinum Edition, and Jess leaned over and said, “Sorry boo, but this is the new standard.” I mean, how can we go back to a regular little taxi after being greeted by that? Heated seats, cold water and a push start? 😉
Arriving at the resort was pure magic. The gates opened to paradise. And the smell… oh the yummy smell of the lobby! It took me back to our Honeymoon at The Ritz. Staff greeted us at the car, whisked away our bags, and handed us champagne and chilled towels. Our bellhop escorted us through check-in, gave us the full resort tour (though it felt like a bit of information overload), and reassured us that “it’s all in the app.” My word they push the app hard. All Jess could see while he talked was the guy in “The Proposal” singing, “relax, don’t do it…”
We passed the time with tacos and nachos on the beach until our room was ready. At 2:30, we finally got our key — and the door had a sign celebrating our anniversary. The room? Absolutely stunning. Two jetted tubs (one inside, one on the balcony) and an ocean view that made us stop and just breathe it in. The light switches owned us a bit… our room lit up like strobe lights in the club while we tried to figure out what was what.
We changed into swimsuits, hit the pool and hot tub, and met some hilarious new friends from Houston. Later, we cleaned up for dinner and took in a Mexican cultural show — complete with a mariachi band and a journey through Mexico’s history. The only downside? The mosquitoes decided I was their buffet. By the time we got back, Jess looked at me and said, “your back looks like a connect-the-dots page from all your bites.”
Exhausted and happy, we crashed into the most comfortable bed and slept a glorious 10 hours straight.
Day one: surprises, laughter, adventure, and tacos. Couldn’t ask for a better start. 🌊🌮
