Andrew and I spent our honeymoon in Mexico, and ever since then we have been looking forward to a reason to go back. This past winter, in a frozen fury, we booked our second Mexico trip and just a few weeks ago we spent the week in our favorite place, Playa del Carmen.

When it comes to our Mexico trip, Andrew and I have a variety of things that we are looking for and we’ve found in our favorite place to visit. This trip is so near and dear to our hearts and such a great moment to refresh, so I’m breaking it all down below so you can plan your own getaway!

How We Book Our Trip
Andrew and I go through Liberty Travel to book our trip, and we specifically work with Rose. Rose is a GODSEND. No matter what type of trip you are planning, Rose is detail oriented and extremely knowledgeable when it comes to travel. If you give her the dates you want to travel and an idea of what you are looking for, she can help match some options up to fit your budget and your vision for what you want in a vacation. If you want to get started planning your trip, click here to email Rose and get the conversation started. She will provide you with all the information you need and then do all the booking for you with no additional fees or costs.

What it Costs
Andrew and I typically spent $2,800 booking our trip for the week which includes airfare, hotel, and all of our meals. Once in Mexico, I would say we spend another $300 on tips and random drinks or meals outside of the resort. Knowing that we aren’t spending all of our savings on this trip makes it super fun and not stressful. If you book through Rose, there are a variety of payment options as well. Andrew and I do a two-payment process where we pay the first half when we book and the second half a few months later. I love being able to split the payments up like this because it’s easier to budget.

Where we Stay
Our favorite hotel that we’ve stayed at twice is Live Aqua in Playa del Carmen. It is right off of 5th Avenue and we love the hustle and bustle of the city environment and the ease of access to leave the hotel and explore on foot. I’ve stayed out at larger resorts, but I hate feeling isolated. The other Live Aqua location in Cancun is much larger and not really our speed. The location in Playa del Carmen is a smaller, boutique hotel that is adults-only.
Because I am a delinquent blogger, I completely forgot to take a picture of our room, but they are so nice, spacious, and airy. Each room has a bright patio and the nicest shower full of luxurious Molton Brown toiletry products.
Something I love about Live Aqua is the layout of the resort. The top level has sushi and tapas as well as tons of super comfy loungers and a pool. The view off the roof is incredible and we love enjoying a bottle of champagne in the evening when there’s a nice breeze. All the rooms are below the upper level and the center of the entire building is open down the center where you overlook the main dining area. There are so many native, tropical plants and even turtles (4 of them!).
I also have to mention that everyone that works at the resort is amazing. A couple of the employees even remembered us from last time that we visited which was so cool. They really take the time to get to know you and remember the drinks and food that you like. It’s such a happy, positive place to be and the friendly staff really contributes to that.

What we Do
This is not the most interesting answer, but this last trip we did nothing but explore the city, lounge, and reset. We both needed the time to decompress, and I’m so glad we decided not to schedule any excursions for this trip.
That being said, we loved going to Xel Ha. Xel Ha is an eco-park that you can easily take a day trip to. You can snorkel, swim with dolphins, explore the park, lounge by the water, and eat at their amazing buffet restaurant. The food is seriously SO good and because it’s a buffet you can try every single thing, which is even better. If you’re an avid snorkeler, this snorkeling won’t feature the most exotic things you’ve ever seen, but it is such an incredible opportunity and on your way down the river you’ll have the opportunity to get out of the water and climb up to overlooks that you can jump off of. There is so much to do at Xel Ha that you’ll be glad you have the entire day and you will sleep SO well that night too.
When you book through Rose, you will likely get some credits that go towards the purchase of an excursion, and she will help you book everything to get the best deal and be sure that you’re all squared away before you take your trip.

Our Favorite Places
Tequila Barrel: A fun sports bar with a super cute aesthetic. The cocktails are good, the menu is fairly extensive, and it’s open to the outside which makes a cool vibe. I love the decor and the neon lighting signs, plus they have a huge mirror in the bathroom that’s perfect for your selfies!
La Cueva Del Chango: This is our favorite spot to have breakfast and the food is so good, so cheap, and so fresh. We love to eat in the outside area under the trees. I highly recommend their fresh juices because they are so delicious and you can’t get anything as good here in the U.S.
There are so many places that we love, but these are two that are definite favorites.

What to Pack
I am the worst packer EVER, I just want to preface what I’m going to say here with that fact. When I pack for this trip, I focus on my bathing suits the most. I spend the majority of our trip in a bikini and a coverup, even when we are walking around the city. I like coverups that are easy to slip on or that pair with a bikini top to look like a full outfit. I also make sure to bring easy slide sandals, like the new Tabbie sandals by Lilly Pulitzer. They’re really easy to slip on to walk around the hotel or go to the restroom and they’re super cute. I actually wound up wearing these for the majority of the trip. I always try to take a hat when I travel, which was easy this year because of the cute woven fedora that Lilly has. I wore it so often to cover up wet hair, messy hair, just everything! Any other clothes I brought made it to Mexico out of sheer luck because I packed that suitcase when I was sick and I did a terrible job!
For toiletries, you really don’t need to take much. I always take tanning moisturizer and extra St. Tropez to keep up my spray tan for the entire trip. Sunblock is obviously a must with all the pool lounging, and this year I took Sun Bum products, which did work really well right up until I ran out.. oops! I also brought a small beach hair spray and dry shampoo. I love being tan and in Mexico. I barely wear makeup, just mascara, and I don’t really do anything to my hair other than let it air dry. So easy!
Other than that, I make sure to have a cute clutch and crossbody bag on hand. The hotel provides a nice beach bag in your room to take things up to the pool, so you can take your own or just use the one provided for you. 

Travel Outfit
The outfit you travel in is so important because you don’t want to be rushing around trying to change or feeling uncomfortable. This past trip I wore one of my go-to travel uniforms: easy breezey palazzo pants, a cami, a button down, a hat, and my cashmere terri wrap. I love having my cashmere to fly because I can snuggle up and be cozy on the plane but then easily shove it in my bag when we land. This is also why I wear a camisole under a button down to fly, layers make it easy to land in Mexico and adapt to the warmer weather without having to crack open your entire suitcase and change.

Shop some of my favorite pieces for the trip right here!

Here are some pics of from our trip which is basically a collection of photos of us lounging. We love our Mexico trip, and I hope that this post is helpful as you consider planning your next trip. As always, feel free to send me a message if you have any other questions! xx