Part 3 ~ Now you don't have to spend thousands of dollars on a Cancun vacation because I'm giving it to you right here!

I've got ALOT of pictures to show you in this post, so you might as well order a drink, sit back and relax and just BE HAPPY because that's really all they want for you at this Spa resort. LeBlanc is the name of it, did I mention that?? The entire week we were there we didn't notice one staff member who was quick with anyone or unprofessional in any way. One time at the buffet I asked a woman employee what a dish was. She didn't speak English, but she immediately turned to the manager who came and answered my question. Another time, the maid was in our room when we went there to get changed after an excursion and I tried to make small talk with her. I don't think she understood a thing I said but politely smiled and just kept working. And we were in THEIR country afterall, so it wasn't her fault in any way.

Is it just a woman thing or are men interested in what bathrooms look like too?? Hubby didn't mention the inside but he was quite impressed with the entrance to the lobby bathroom. A thin sheer curtain hangs in between two picture screens. One photo morphs into the next one. On the left side they are all of women, on the right side of men. It was very interesting.

The bathrooms weren't lavish or anything but they were clean! And I noticed in a couple that a diffuser was releasing the most wonderful scent. I'd go with lemon verbena if I had to guess. There was never any paper on the floor or trash or hairs or nasty anything. The doors to all the bathrooms, even the one in our room, was a light green glass. You couldn't see thru it but it just added to the Spa feel.

Time for dinner!!! There are a few choices. We ate in the Asian restaurant a couple of times. If you are one to want just a quick bite, it might be better to order room service because at the restaurants you'll want to enjoy your time there. They are in no hurry at all and you shouldn't be either. If you started with an appetizer and ended with dessert you were probably there a good while. But no worries.........

The food is really worth waiting for.

Breakfast was always buffet for us although there was an ala carte restaurant somewhere we never made it to. It was so enjoyable to see how they cared for the guests, even buffet style. If a couple people served themselves and a tray got to about half full a staff member was right there filling it up. New spoons were placed on the white plates in front of each dish and the food was all marked.

At the restaurants, because there are many courses available, each portion is a fair size. It's not so small that you are starving for the next item but not so big that you can't finish.

Well okay, by the time you finish the dessert you are hurting a little bit. And that's when a nice walk around the resort feels even better. With camera in hand we went exploring. The hotel was decorated for Christmas but very minimally. A white tree in the lobby with white lights and a few statues. Clear vases with silver balls. Silver shimmery beads hanging on glass doors. White poinsettias. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas it was still nice. No red Santas, no holiday music.

Infact, the music there for the most part was that soft and tinkly spa music. You know, that quiet hypnotic stuff. In the evening, there might be someone playing the piano or a violin or cello. And in one of the restaurants a saxophonist did some nice serenades a couple of times. But you will never have to dig thru your purse to find dollars for a wandering mariachi band. The only time we saw one of those was at the airport in Mexico.

As the sun would go down you'de know the evening would be just as nice as the rest of the day had been.

The pool areas are real pretty at night too. The palm trees around the hotel are wrapped in white lights.

On the lagoon side is a gazebo.

We sat there a few times and just enjoyed the breeze. A type of world fusion music is played there and by the pool.

Because our dinners were long and relaxing we didn't really spend too much time looking for things to do at night. There were some activities in various places. Of course if you were so inclined you could take the bus down the hotel zone and be dropped off at one of the clubs. Senor Frogs is popular. We weren't there for any of that. Spring break passed us by a long time ago so about all we felt like doing at night was one show by the hotel pool.

Singing, dancing and FIRE. It was quite good. Hard to get pictures of all the action and twirling flames but I did my best.

Time to go back inside. This entrance was on the Moon pool side. No swimming at night is allowed but someone said they call it that because during the day it's shady for a time so if you don't want the full sun it was a nice alternative.

As with many hotels, turn down service is available. We got an additional treat. Each night a

goody like this was waiting for us.

After a good sleep in a big comfy bed the sunrises are delightful to get up early for.

Wouldn't you want to see this as many mornings as possible????

The weather for the week was gorgeous. It was cloudy a couple times but no rain. So we never had to try and figure out another option. We looked down at the beach and couldn't wait to get there. And let me just say.....

I'm not a beach person. LOL Seriously.

We have shore towns up and down the Jersey coast and we've been there for day trips and short vacations on years when money is too tight to really get away and I've never much enjoyed the time on the beach all that much. This place gave me a very different experience.

It's a very cared for place. At sunrise, while you're sleepily shuffling in a white bathrobe over to the french balcony to watch the day begin, a staff of people have already been up and have traveled from wherever they live in Mexico to make sure your day goes as well as it can. The beach was raked each morning.

I wonder if this gentleman is available for Fall leaf cleanup in New Jersey. Sheesh, our yard at home is so pathetic sometimes. But each morning in Cancun the little area of beach near our resort was free from seaweed or any little bit of trash that was left behind the day before. The entire time we were there we only saw one small piece of plastic on the beach. Amazing.

And around each palm tree the circle of grass was kept manicured.

Towels were always available. If not on a chair because another guest had gotten there first and then wandered off, a towel area by the pool had more. With an attendant to make sure they were rolled up, of course.

Whenever we'd come back into the main part of the hotel, to eat or to go up to our room, someone was always nearby with a greeting. A concierge was always manning the desk to help you if necessary or just to say HOLA!

Did I mention the hotel was minimally decorated? Just a few interesting wall hangings here and there.

There was a minimal amount of work being done while we were there. A couple elevators were being fixed. A few patches needing paint. This is what hubby does for a living. Infact, for some time now he's been a foreman at a swank new highrise that was recently built in Philadelphia. The owners of the units are probably now starting to move in so his time there is slowly coming to an end. Here, he works like they do there. So it was nice for him to sit back and watch someone else taking care of things.

Eh, enough with watching that workers technique, he needed to chill out in the hot tub.

The hot tub terrace overlooking that beautiful water.

While on the beach you weren't constantly hassled. Sure, occasionally someone was selling something. You could book a parasailing session if that was your thing.

And if you lost your sunglasses in the surf, as many people do, you might need another pair. Martin was happy to help you pick one out. Martin was happy to help you with a few other purchases you might like to make as well..... but we'll just be quiet about all that. Martin was just happy. If you were friendly he'd visit with you for awhile. If you wanted to be left alone he went along his way as did the other beach sellers. They weren't rude. Some didn't even stop, they just glanced your way and if you shook your head no they didn't bother approaching too close.

So because you know I'm not one to stay at the beach ALL day there were other things we had to check out there. We played checkers once. We played fooze ball a couple times. Not as easy as you think. We both had hurty biceps for a few days.

If so inclined, you could take a short Spanish lesson by the pool. And why shouldn't you learn a few words here and there. The staff there is trying hard to learn English for you. Antonio was so sweet. On his way to a lesson he stopped to say hello because we'd chatted with him on the beach the day before and he remembered us.

Gosh you get hungry after a little socializing.........

The tiramisu was INCREDIBLE.

As was the view from the pool terrace. We ate lunch there once, sat to fill out some postcards, and had drinks another time.

And you know that wherever you are in the hotel you will run into other guests who are taking the magic all in too. Guests that you start talking to and immediately like. K and E were just that kind of couple. Turns out we were both from New Jersey. Small world. Ah, but they were moving south not too long after returning home so the emails we have been sending back and forth will have to be enough.

So we sort of miss them but they know that we all shared similar feelings during the week and if we ever see them again we'll always have that in common. We talked of how wonderful the place was.

The views were so neat. The hotel near these rocks was damaged by a hurricane a few years ago and not rebuilt. So while that might not have been a pretty sight.... turn around and enjoy the pelicans who seem to be okay with calling that part of the beach home.

Even the lagoon side of the hotel, while not pretty like other places, still offered a nice enough view.

You knew a sunrise or a sunset was coming again soon.

And if you were watching a sunset then you knew it was soon time to head off to a restaurant. Maybe choose a glass of wine? One night in the Asian restaurant I ordered a glass of champagne but asked for whichever of what they carried was the sweeter brand. The next night at the Italian restaurant I ordered a glass of Riesling. Normally that is a sweet white wine. The wine steward came to see me and said theirs is not so sweet but he had something else available if I would be okay with waiting a little bit for it to chill. Uh, I think we're going to be here for a couple of courses, so go get that bottle and some ice for me.

They rarely gave you just one glass though. An ice bucket with the wine bottle in it was common for the two restaurants we liked alot. As was the waiters pleasant mood.

And did I mention how good the food was???? Not only was it good, it was presently very nicely.

One morning we ordered room service because we were going on an excursion and didn't have time to sit for too long in the restaurant. The service was quick and good.

While waiting for our transportation to arrive for a day trip we'd booked we sat here. The lobby is lit really nicely at night and during the day it's clean and bright.

We only took 2 excursions and did one day of shopping while there. On this day the weather was great, the driver was nice and funny, and it was neat to be flying quickly down the road looking out of the cracked window of his tour van. Hubby had the seat in the back and said it felt like we were all over the road. But it wasn't so bad up front. The tour itself was VERY LONG and involved things I'd never do again. I'm not so in shape for repelling on a rope down into a dark cave of cool water. The cenotes looked like alot of fun in the brochure but the one we chose was actually physically hard to get down into. There was quite a bit of hiking around limestone rocks in the woods and the zipline thru the jungle was nice but knowing the lake had crocodiles in it didn't interest us so much.

One thing hubby really wanted to do was climb the Mayan pyramid ruins at Coba. I stayed firmly on the ground and took pictures. I'd reached my limit that day for sure.

I think you do get the feeling while there that you are in a very ancient area. It was interesting to see the crumbled ruins and other old sites.

So at the end of a long excursion day you really, really, really can't wait to get back to the hotel.

Because even though the Mayans fixed you a nice lunch near their village, they didn't prepare any desserts like this.......

And the ceremony they performed in the woods with smoke and chanted prayers was interesting, but nothing compared to the ceremony you could have back at the resort. This is the altar and the view should you choose to get married at the resort or renew your vows. We didn't book that service but watched someone elses from a distance one day.

And while you were watching something, something else was watching you. Iguanas were around, but they weren't friendly. Scared is more like it. As soon as I tiptoed over to get this shot the poor thing got all nervous and jumped down into the grass. It's best to use the zoom for shots like this.

And also for shots like this. We were sitting at the pool and looked up to find our room. The maid was there while we were out. And yes, she had a squeegie and was freaking cleaning the glass on our french balcony. I TOLD you they were good!!

So while it was certainly nice to see how far they actually go to make your stay nice.....

this is the view that keeps grabbing you.

Or is it one like this?? Yup, hubs likes this one. He enjoyed watching the pelicans going up and down the beach looking for fish food.

So..... if you aren't bored yet.....

stop back one more time and hear about the actual SPA part of the spa vacation. You were wondering if they actually had one, right?? OH MY did they ever. I became a very pampered Princess while away. ;)