... knew I was gone, but Lydia and I just returned from 8 days in Cancun Mexico ... landed last Monday in a MONSOON !!! ... well, maybe not quite, but that tropical storm dumped a LOT of water while we were on the way to our resort ... next couple of days had on/off rain but then it was just overcast through Friday ... Saturday and Sunday were quite sunny ... temps all week were in low to mid 80s(F), but it was really humid ...there was a stage show with a different theme each night, featuring singing, dancing, live band ...
It is an all - inclusive resort ... food ranged from ok to very good - mostly just 'good' ... drinks were just ok unless you went to the poolside bar yourself ...
We went 'off campus' to the town of 'Playa Del Carmen' which is just shops and restaurants/bars for tourists ... I was able to pick up a few good cigars ...
We also did an excursion to XCARET which is a sort of theme park - don't think Disney or anything like that - which has snorkeling, raft rides, a beach, etc. and a show about the Mexican folklore that was worth the price of admission in itself ...
Here is the resort we stayed at:
http://www.paraisolindoresort.com/

I saw some reviews just before we left for the trip that were not very favorable, but I don't know what those people were looking for ... the staff was great and personable, the place was spotless, shows good ...
BUT, it is good to be home ...

Now to read some posts and see if I really missed anything ...

Tony, Carol and I went to http://www.riu.com/en/Paises/mexico/cancun/hotel-riu-palace-las-americas/hotel_fotos.jsp about 7 years ago - it was fantastic, and the price, including air fare direct, charter jet, was about $1,250 for both of us. As you stated, the food was good, didn't have a bad meal, but nothing outstanding came to mind. The shows were great, most nights, but I had the most fun sailing the ocean in their 13-foot Hobie Cat catamarans. I had a couple friends on the boat with me, they were a bit scared being 3 miles out in the ocean, but for me it was a blast - even when big hammerhead shark was trailing the boat for a couple hundred yards.

We had a great week there, but to be honest, I have more fun sailing around Chesapeake Bay and visiting the shoreside marinas and restaurants here. If you and Lydia get the time when you're here in July, I would love to take you both sailing on my boat.

Glad you had a good trip, and I'm really looking forward to seeing you and Lydia again in July.

Gary