We traveled out of the country during COVID 19! After much consideration, we decided to take a trip to Cancun, Mexico in August 2020. We had traveled to Cancun many times before but this was the first time during the pandemic. Traveling outside of the United States is limited during the pandemic and one of the only relaxing destinations that we could travel to outside of the country was Mexico. I booked directly through Southwest Vacations and was able to get a deal in the presidential suite for 4 nights at a cost of only $1900 total for 3 people. This included air (nonstop flight), hotel (all inclusive), and roundtrip transportation from the airport. What a great deal!

Upon arrival at the airport in Cancun, we were cleared to proceed and walked outside to meet our private driver that had been reserved to provide roundtrip transportation to and from the airport. Beware of timeshare reps because in the airport there are several reps there that will try to get you to stop and talk so that they can sell you something. We knew better and kept walking outside to meet our driver. Our driver made sure that our luggage was loaded and we were on our way!

We stayed at the Park Royal Cancun. This resort offers a kids’ play/pool area, adult pool area, several restaurants, a spa, beautiful beach scenery, and much more. The location is in the Cancun hotel zone so it’s easy to get around in the event you want to navigate outside of the hotel. Before you check-in to the hotel, your temperature is checked and your hands, the bottom of your shoes, and your luggage are sanitized. Once that’s done you are greeted with welcome drinks. You are also greeted with timeshare sellers. Simply tell them that you are not interested (if you are not interested) and keep it moving. We arrived a little early and our room was not ready so we went and enjoyed lunch at one of the restaurants. Our son is a picky eater and didn’t want anything on the menu but there was plenty on there to eat.

Once we were able to go to our room I was amazed by our view from the balcony. The jacuzzi was huge! Our son treated it like a swimming pool. The room overall was ok. Very spacious but the hotel is older so we missed some of the modern features offered by other hotels. We only selected this hotel because of the deal on the presidential suite. The hotel was very clean.

This hotel is all-inclusive which means that your drinks and food are included. Hotels that offer all-inclusive typically have buffet-style restaurants as one of the restaurant options. With COVID going on, guests do not self-serve anymore. Instead, your food is served to you. You still go up and select what you want but the server gets the food for you. If you want to do excursions, the hotel’s concierge can assist you with booking those excursions or you can prebook with other companies on your own. We did not book any excursions because this was a relaxation trip.

Once we figured out how to navigate throughout the hotel by using the bar scan to get a map of the hotel, it was a breeze to find everything. There is a convenience store located on the hotel grounds in the event you may need to buy anything. We purchased some toys for our son to make the stay more enjoyable for him. There is also a ruin on the property located near the kid’s pool area. It was nice to have this ancient artifact on the grounds of the hotel. In the evening there was live entertainment and light shows for your enjoyment.

Wearing a mask is required at this hotel. The only exceptions are if you are eating and drinking, at the pool, or at the beach. Other hotels in Cancun do not require their guest to wear masks. I do not recommend these hotels. Social distancing is also practiced at this hotel. There is a limit on the number of people that can be on the elevator and there are placements on the floor to show the distance you need to be from others at the hotel.

During our stay, we relaxed to the fullest. We spent hours at the beach and enjoyed drinks and food while relaxing on the beach. We also enjoyed the kid’s pool area. Our son really loved the slides and fun water play at the kid’s pool. There is also food and beverage service there as well making it even more relaxing. An option to get a massage on the beach for a low price was available. Also available were Jet-skiing, parasailing, and much more. Those options were available right on the beach without having to leave the area. There is also free water activities that were included in our package.

Tipping is important. Before any trip, we always break our money down for tipping. It makes it a lot easier to reward those that have given you exceptional service.

When it was time to return, our transportation was waiting for us without delay. Once we arrived at the airport there was someone there to assist with our luggage making that transition seamless. Once inside the airport, we connected to WiFi and completed the COVID form that is required before boarding the plane.