Slammers

December 31st – January 7th 2019 – Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico

The Royalton

I remember travelling to Mexico with my family many years ago over the winter break. A chance to be together, be in the sun and ocean, to relax, at least for my parents. I was 14, maybe 15 my sister 18 and my brother 20. The perfect opportunity for them to teach and show their younger brother the rules of the road, the way to have fun. Even though I was the “baby” as I am still referred to, I talked a big talk and let them know I was ready to go. Cue the tequila slammers! Some called them poppers, all I called them was disgusting. Who does this to themselves? I realized in that moment that this is what my brother and sister had been doing in university, maybe daily, but why? Slammers – some horrible concoction of watered down tequila and watered down sprite that was probably watered down with the infamous “do not drink” tap water in Mexico. Viva Mexico! >> 30 years. The Mrs. decided to book a “last minute” trip to an all inclusive resort in…. you guessed it! It was hardly a “last minute” price but what a chance to be with MY family, to be in the sun and ocean, to be together, to relax at least for us. How life is circular always amazes me. We had a phenomenal week and I couldn’t help but to reminisce about Mexico 30 years earlier and how at that time I thought I would never drink tequila again. Hola Don Julio!

Outside of a few minor hiccups (tequila related), like a room change due to a horrible band turned up to 11 every night, and one of the wallet drainers having some stomach issues (not tequila related), all was wonderful except for the biggest hiccup of all, Slammers! This time it was door slammers. I mean, can these hotels please do something about the auto slam door – 6AM, 7AM, 8AM and all points in between. Even more, can PEOPLE do something about the auto slam door, like don’t let it auto slam instead of gently closing it yourself! My god, these heavy steel and wood doors slamming closed, in combination with the tiled cavernous hallways. I know you can hear it right now! Everyone knows it and everyone is guilty of it. All of you – Slammers!

SET UP

2 x queen beds, one for the Mrs. and I and one for the tots. Beautiful, big, clean room with a tub right in the middle of it. For those who care to indulge in the tub outside, we had one on the balcony too. First room facing the band and the inner madness, after 2 nights had the same room facing one of the 7 pools and part of the ocean. Lovely.

MATTRESS

Kingsdown. A mini major. Popular in North America, with some good roots and foundation. They are a brand widely available and I did not realize they had a hospitality division. I actually don’t think they do, but upon closer inspection I notice that these mattresses are made exclusively for the Royalton, which has numerous resorts in Mexico, Jamaica and some other Caribbean islands. Interesting to note that the mattress in the first room was firmer than in the second room and that our mattress in the second room was even softer than the kids mattress in the second room. Maybe a later manufacturing date? Maybe a different mattress altogether. As it turns out, mattress label was the same and manufacturing date was extremely close, which leads me to believe 2 things. One is that the firmer mattress has always had kids or less weight sleeping on it, or that the manufacturing of the mattress itself is inconsistent. No way to tell, of course, but makes you think, or rather, makes me think. The firm mattress was too firm and the softer mattress was really great. About a 12″ overall profile with no pillow top – hooray! on a standard foundation with metal frame. Simple and well executed. Nice quilting to ease some shoulder or hip discomfort, but still uplifting and conforming to one’s body. The Mrs. concurred.

SLEEP

I would say really well. When you are out in the sun all day and in and out of the pool and sea, it’s pretty easy to sleep great. There was an average of 10 hrs per night, 11PM to 8 AM most nights and no real tossing and turning as a result of the mattress.

LINENS AND MORE

A bit of a discrepancy here too with the room change. The first few nights had rougher linens and firmer pillows, again maybe as a result of them being newer or less worked in. The second room was much more cozy and comfortable. I have never heard of the Ruby collection for pillows but Resuinsa for the linens, towels and more is a leader in the hospitality industry. 100% cotton, probably a 300 thread count, straight white linen with a nice light duvet underneath.

OVERALL

The trip, the sun, and the sleep was memorable. We had a blast. The move to the new room really made the rest of the week, although, as soon as we got in there we could hear our neighbor coughing and a baby crying. Luckily that lasted only a short while. A wonderful experience and a wonderful end to 2018 and start to 2019. 👍 ✈ 😎 🥂

GREAT RELATED LINKS

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tequila_Slammer

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chunky-guacamole

https://www.royaltonresorts.com/royalton-riviera-cancun

Had to do this when the laptop failed……. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJvOoSKlPfM