It's been over a month since our return from Stampin' Up!®'s 2024 Incentive Trip to Playa Del Carmen/Cancun, and the amazing Hotel Xcaret Mexico. Even though we lived it, I can't believe it actually happened. What an amazing adventure!!! Let's start by sharing the Xcaret website's simple description of the hotel at which we stayed for five amazing nights.
"All-Fun Inclusive" are definitely the best, most descriptive words for our trip. Not only did Stampin' Up! treat us incredibly well (as always), but all resort and park employees were kind, patient, and always willing to help. Want to hear more about this amazing trip? You're going to see it here in pictures...
Day 1: We were ready to get outta dodge...and so was Tim! 😂 Tim Titus is the best, and we've always gotta get a selfie!
We arrived on the coach bus filled with demonstrators and their guest, and with all the other busses bringing "us" to the hotel, it was evident that Stampin' Up! was moving in! The entry to the hotel was stunning.
We were taken into a room just for Stampin' Up!'s demonstrators and guests could check in, and we were met with ice cream. It was hot out, so it was a nice treat. After receiving our keys (a bracelet we wore all week that also served as our photo bracelets for the week), we got to "shop" for our gifts from Stampin' Up! The gifts were native Mexican wares, and it was such a great touch!
We were met on our first shopping stop by none other than Stampin' Up! Co-founder Shelli Gardner. She was gracious to visit and take pics with whomever wanted it.
We shopped then found our room...which, I might add, took some time because of the sheer size of the hotel. But when we entered the room and saw its view, too, wow...
One of the weirdest things about the room is how there was an invisible shade from the toilet to the bedroom. Not even sure why anyone would open that, but it intrigued me. 🤣
We were hungry so went to one of the all-inclusive buffets and ended up having a lovely dinner with Australian demonstrator Linda Dahlke and her husband. My only regret is that we did not take any pics with them!
After lunch, it was time to explore the hotel grounds. So beautiful...at night, too!
We ended the day with a knock at the door...Shelli and Sara Douglass, Stampin' Up! CEO, sent us a cheese plate as a special welcome. Loved the card with it, too! I had started eating before I realized I hadn't taken a pic. Oops!
Day 2 started with a Stampin' Up! General Session, and although some might think that sort of thing is boring, we demonstrators really enjoy it...especially the product sneak peek shared by Shelli and Sara. Terry is always a good sport and comes along to this, as do many other guests and spouses.
Next up: the adventures began! With the Xcaret Park entrances being included in our All-Fun Inclusive stay, we were deteremined to take advantage. We squeezed in a few hours at Xplor, where we zip-lined, rode an ATV vehicle through some beautiful trails, and paddled through some beautiful caves. Even the "front desk" and souvenir shops were in the caves, which was pretty cool. We had an amazing time all week with Terri Gaines and her brother, Mike, and Betty Weisbrich and her daughter-in-law, Liz.
Xplor has an evening option called Xplor Fuego (Fire), but Terry and I were honored to be asked to go to dinner with Stampin' Up! Leadership Team member, Cori Hancock and her husband and with one other demonstrator and her husband. We hurried back to the hotel to shower and get ready for a fabulous 2 hour dinner that really felt surreal and amazing.
Day 3: Xel-ha and dinner with a friend
We had made reservations at Xel-ha park with Terri and Mike for Day 3, and we picked up another demonstrator friend along the way. It was a more laid-back day, but so beautiful and extremely enjoyable. There weren't as many pics of us doing all the things at this one, but we stayed busy all day.
After our day at sunny Xel-ha, we came back to have dinner with my friend, Amy Richel (yep, you read right!) and her daughter, Greta. (Btw, Terry ate some super weird food on this whole trip. 😂)
Day 4: Xavage and Xplor Fuego
We had tickets to Xavage on Day 4, and next to the zip lining on Day 2, it was my favorite. Check out the adventures! I skipped the ropes course first thing in the morning, and Terry said it was sooo hard! But after that, you couldn't have stopped me for a second. I was a gamer and did it all.
I was tired after this fun day, but the gang convinced me that we had to go to Xplor Fuego. It's a completely different experience at night, they said, and in the end I figured if I was going to make the most of the trip, I needed to do this. It was go time.
The first ride was incredible! It combines 4 different types of waterslides to create an unbelievable experience. Liz and I went together, and, of course, since I'm heavier than she is, I was going backwards the whole ride. Yikes!
It was such a fun night, and everything was lit up with torches and cool lighting.
The All-Fun Inclusive vacation was even included at the parks we went to, so we could keep eating and drinking while having all this fun. It was great to have the fuel when we needed it. But man, were the days at those parks exhausting. But totally worth it!
Day 5: Hang out by the pool day, and Stampin' Up!'s farewell party.
Although it was hang-out day, we did have a couple of adventures. The hotel has a water slide into a river, and the life jackets were all smalls. Ha!
