Like most of you, we have not been able to live our normal life of….doing anything we want whenever we want to. We miss vacationing, going out to eat, going to the hair salons, nail salons…oh my goodness do my feet need a good pedicure…it’s been so long! Ah! If you’re anything like me, you kinda want to get a little break from the lock down we are all in….but the question is, can we during this pandemic?
The answer is YES!!! I mean of course if the country has blocked tourists entering, then no but if not, you can do it!
We went for it and this is how it went….
First, I know there will be some people that will be upset about people taking trips right now and some may say good for you! But, this is our life and we took the chance to go enjoy a little much needed R&R. I’m going to show you how I planned for this trip, how it went and how safe traveling internationally really is, even during a global pandemic, covid!
Quick note: all social distancing guidelines and sanitizing took place…like crazy…everything! We followed all the social distancing guidelines of wearing a mask in public, sanitizing my hotel room like crazy, washing our hands like crazy (for at least 20 seconds, or more!) all of that and then some, for my safety and the people around me.
So where did we travel internationally to?! CANCUN!!!!
Cancun, Mexico is one of the places where you don’t need to take a Covid test to prove you don’t have the virus and its one of the places that opened travel back up in late June. They have taken all the precautions to incorporate the cleaning standards during Covid to the hotels there and to make the stay enjoyable for travelers needing a break from being in lock down for forever! Read more about the Global Hotel Cleaning Standards here. I would review your hotel of choices sanitation criteria before you go!
In looking for hotels, I searched high and low on all travel sites to see what hotel we were going to stay at. I will add, we have a timeshare in Cancun and could go there easily and would, if we were taking our kids with us, but because their passports expired and the passport agencies are not fully open and expediting, they’re sitting this one out. In case you’re wondering about passports, here is information regarding passport operations in Response to Covid.
First, I searched all different sites to see what were the best all inclusive resorts in Cancun. Here are some of the sites I found really useful in finding our resort: Tripadvisor, Jetsetter, and Oyster.
On each of these sites, the Hyatt Ziva Cancun was on there lists and blew me away from all the great reviews, pictures and just made me want to be there asap! So we booked that resort and couldn’t wait to get there to experience everything the reviewers said. My next post is all about our stay!
Oh one really important thing I learned through finding our resort, is book your resort choice through the resort itself, not through a travel site!!! Why?
I originally booked through Expedia because they have been my go to for years. But this time around, I found out that you can get a better deal through the hotel then through Expedia or any travel site,even combining the air and hotel. I may be late in the game for doing this but I’m glad I finally learned this because I could have and can save more money this way. Because I didn’t originally book through the resort, I ended up paying over $100 more for a resort view room, if I booked through the hotel, I could of had an ocean front room for the same price. I mean an ocean front room is always nice to wake up too and look out to, right?!
I did try to do the “Price Match Guarantee” Expedia offers, but that did not work out for me. I had to submit the form 3 different times and then got them everything they asked for, calling multiple times before we left on our trip , just for them to sit on it and the resort upped their price and then they said they couldn’t process the price match after the reservation has been completed and didn’t provide enough information. Really a waste of time, but it definitely made me realize to just book through the hotel so I’m guaranteed the lower price and a better room.
Has this happened to you before?
Your thoughts create your life, you are in control! 