Hello beautiful people and welcome back to my blog! Ya’ll love is definitely in the air! This beautiful couple is back from paradise! Today we are sitting down with another newlywed couple, the one and only, Natalie & Sam Bowling! Today we are hearing their trip report from their very recent honeymoon! Tulum, Mexico is where they experienced their adventure. In Tulum, you will find history such as the ancient Mayan Ruins! You’ll also find luscious jungles and beautiful beaches! Today we will be reviewing one resort in particular, the amazing all inclusive resort at Catalonia Royal Tulum. This is a beach and jungle front resort! Now lets jump into the trip report and hear their experience!
Q: Hey y’all! Thank you for completing this Q & A honeymoon edition with me! Which airport did you fly into and how long was your flight?
A: We flew into Cancun! I think 3 hours from Dallas to Cancun? Not bad at all.
Q: Wow! I bet those 3 hours flew by! How did you travel to and from the resort from the airport?
A: Amstar picked us up from the airport and took us to the resort! They were very friendly.
Q: Oh, I’m glad to hear that! I’ve used them a couple of times with other clients as well and they seem to be very friendly and helpful! How long did the transfer take?
A: It took about an hour.
Q: Would you use them again?
A: Yes! They were very kind.
Q: I’m glad to hear that they’ve been consistent! Okay, so y’all made it to the resort. You had sent me an amazing video of your room! Now let’s talk pros and cons of the room?
A: I would have liked a bath tub but the walk in shower was HUGE and I loved it. The bed and pillows were also super comfortable. The best thing though was probably the cleaning service. I have never in my life felt so clean and taken care of. They polished every detail each day!
Q: Sounds like luxury at its finest! I’m so glad they paid attention to every little detail!! I can appreciate that as well! What did you think of the resort?
A: It was great! Definitely a smaller resort, but we loved that. The staff was consistent and very friendly, all of the people seemed like they loved their job and we met so many guests that had been going there years and years in a row. It was easy to make return friends since there were so many familiar faces by the end of it.
Q: Oh! I love that! What a personal touch on your trip! Who doesn’t want to make travel buddies?! How special!? Let’s get into the food! How was the dining?
A: Dining was good! There were 5 special restaurants for dinner,a snack restaurant open all day by the pool, and then the buffet, which was open for lunch and breakfast. The only restaurant we didn’t like was the grill, which we thought was funny because it was basically an American restaurant and nobody seemed to take much pride in the food they were cooking/serving, haha. With that said, the Mexican restaurant is insane and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to recreate the tacos they served us.
Ha! That is hilarious! Now I need to come over and taste your interpretation of their tacos! They look delicious!
Q: What were your favorite things about staying at the resort?
A: The food and freedom to relax! I loved living in the moment, free of distractions, while getting to be with my wonderful husband.
Q: That is so sweet! Good company and good food is all you need! What activities did you do while staying at the resort?
A: There were always several things going on at the resort so we played beach volleyball, Sam won a football competition (O-H), and we even kayaked on the beach with free kayaks offered by the resort. This all inclusive had a juice bar right on the beach for healthy fresh juice, which was perfect for us.
Q: Any tours or excursions?
A: The excursion company we went with was “Cancun Adventures” and they were awesome! We left the resort for multiple excursions. We swam in a Cenote, scuba dived with sea turtles, saw Chichén Itzá, and went on a Taco Tour! We felt safe the whole time and had the perfect balance of adventure and relaxation. All of our travel guides were so fun and knowledgeable. The company does a buy two, get one free deal, so we were able to do all three excursions for $600 bucks for the two of us. It felt like a good value! Each excursion was around 6 hours and fed us a whole meal (the taco tour fed us about four meals though haha).
Natalie, sign me up! What a deal!? I’m so glad y’all got this great bundle. It sounds like y’all had an amazing adventure as well! I’m so happy for you two! These are memories that you will have for the rest of your life. ❤️
Q: How were the beaches?
A: Beaches were great! Some days it had a BUNCH of seaweed, which was a problem all around Cancun, Cozumel, and Tulum at the time we went. Some kind of storm 🤷🏻♀️
Q: Eek, glad y’all were safe with the storms going on! What were the highlights of your trip?
A: These were my first days waking up next to my bestie, awesome husband and I will cherish them forever! The resort and activities were amazing, but the person you are with is what makes it the best!
Q: Natalie! You are so sweet! You are melting my heart!!! This is such a true statement. How was the weather this time of year?
A: Perfect. Probably 80 degrees each day and it rained maybe 15 minutes one day? We felt very blessed.
Q: Blessed indeed! That sounds like a true paradise! Any future suggestions?
A: If we wanted to stay at a bigger resort, we would have gone to Barcelo. A lot of people we met from different excursions came from there and they had way more activities (bowling alley, casino, etc.) due to the large scale of their resort. Our resort was just what we wanted, but we may go back and switch it up!
Q: I’m glad this was the perfect resort for your special honeymoon! Call me when you want to revisit and we will make it happen! Did you eat anywhere off site that you recommend?
A: The taco tour with Cancun Adventures was AWESOME but I couldn’t tell you the names of any of the restaurants. However, in the one excursion, you learn how to make salsa, eat 10 different tacos between 3 different restaurants, walk all around 5th Avenue Playa del Carmen, and learn all about the history and main ingredients in traditional Mexican food. It was so cool.
Q: Would you stay here again?
A: Maybe! I wouldn’t be opposed to it because I loved it. But I also like doing new things so it would be a while until I go back!
Q: I totally understand! I am so glad you loved it!! Any additional information you’d like to share to help future travelers?
A: I know Mexico can be scary right now and your mom may send you an article of something crazy happening on the beach, but just be smart with your travel. We personally never left the resort on our own. When we left, it was on an excursion with a bunch of other people and experienced tour guides. There was not a second I felt unsafe. I will say, I love going off on my own and exploring so I wish I felt comfortable to do that, but I was so relaxed and had so much fun doing the other things that I didn’t feel like it was necessary for this trip. I have no regrets! ☺️ We thank Leslie Jenkins BIG time for guiding us through my indecisiveness to help us find the perfect honeymoon spot. I couldn’t recommend her enough!
You are so kind. Happy to help lady!! Thank you so much for choosing and trusting me to book your honeymoon! I was so honored and so touched that you reached out. It meant so much to me. Thank you!!!
This concludes this blog. I hope that this interview was insightful, which is always my goal. If you are looking for your next family vacation or maybe a romantic getaway, maybe a cruise is for you! If you would like quotes or are looking to book, give me a shout. I’d love to work for you! Until next time, see you real soon!✨
Fantastical Vacations By Leslie Jenkins 