Wishful Decorating Dreaming...

This summer, we were super fortunate to have such amazing parents to watch our kids a few weeks.  Each set of grandparents took two kids at a time, for a week apiece, to enjoy some 2-on-2 time.  It just so happened that two of those trips overlapped.  


After Mike and I realized this, we started daydreaming about possible trips.  Well, we took the plunge, sucked a chunk of cash from the savings, and headed to Mexico!

Having been married for 15 years, and spending 12 of those years as parents... we haven't had many getaways on our own, sans kids.

We only had four nights to squeeze in this trip, so we splurged.  We stayed near Playa del Carmen, at the Iberostar Grand Hotel Paraiso (in Playa Paraiso... "Paradise Beach").  It's an adults-only all-inclusive... something we'd never experienced before and hope to experience again MANY times over.  :)

We were spoiled rotten... even given a free upgrade to an oceanfront suite, with this amazing view every day....

from our own personal deck.

I've never eaten so much or had so many cocktails in one day... Mimosa for breakfast, Mai Tai for lunch, Pina Colada for dinner... why not?

To say the least, it's been tough getting back to reality and stepping on that scale again... yikes!

The main reason we chose the Riviera Maya (region) to other Caribbean islands is the fact that it had some neat history... the Mayans. 

We visited Tulum, which is a Mayan town that was built overlooking the Caribbean Sea on a cliff.  

These building are over 1000 years old, and are simply amazing to look at... so precise and straight.  Some were built to capture the sun/moon in a small window during the equinox.  Pretty neat stuff.

Here are the stairs to get down to the beach at Tulum.

The whole area was beautiful.  Learned a neat fact.  When the explorers met the Mayans and asked who they were, the Mayans couldn't understand.  Their response, "Maya", meant "I don't know."   See, you learn something new everyday.

This is one of my favorite photos of the trip:  It's the edge of the fortress they built around their city.  Where you see those palm trees is a cliff.  Almost straight down to the sea.  The Mayans built a three sided fortress since the cliff was protection enough.  Also, out at sea is the second largest reef in the world.  No one should've been able to come in easily.

Those Mayans knew what they were doing, eh?  Who could resist those views everyday?

While we were there (and I highly highly highly recommend this resort)... I did a little exploring for some cool decorating ideas to bring home.  

Well, whatdoyouknow... a sunburst mirror in the room.  Even Mexico is up on the trends.

LOVED this setting.  My last house used to have one wall in my kitchen painted a pumpkin-orange.  I miss it.  Hmmm.... where can I put orange in the new house?

I say all of our doorways need to look like this.  (That was my welcome-drink, an Abelito... yum.)

A swinging chair... I want one!

Stickers on the toilet paper (that's the Ibero"star" logo).

We need to build one of these out back... y'know, to allow rain-free walking to ... the woods?

And to think, I can't even paint my ceilings white... my back hurts thinking about it.

Okay... I *LOVE* this sink.  It's a piece of curved glass.  The "faucet" is a piece of curved glass where the water comes out a small pipe, trickles down the "faucet glass", is caught by the bottom glass and slides ever so softly into the crevice in the wall (the slit where the glass meets the wall).  Beautiful.

Beautiful vase, but even if I used it as a trash can, I swear my family would have it filled to the brim in a day.  LOL

What an amazing chadelier we saw at another Iberostar resort nearby (since we stayed at the Grand, we had access to the others).  It was only... oh, maybe 10' wide?

If we get a pool, gotta put one of these babies in it... a pool bar.  :)

We've been wanting a rounded table for our breakfast room... hmmm... a little too ornate for me... and a 10' diameter table is probably not going to fit.

LOVE this idea with the circle mirrors.

This gives me an idea of how to mix and match colored tiles for our kitchen backsplash (someday).

More mixing and matching... love the pebbles.

Why doesn't everyone use a Mayan-inspired pitcher for a trashcan?

And one idea I want to really use at home... lumbar support pillows at the dinner table.  These were awesome!  Maybe I'll remember this idea when it's time to get deck furniture... uh, when we get a deck.

Sigh... just gorgeous.  I felt like a princess at this resort.

Adios, Mexico.... we miss you already!