I just returned from a "fam" trip to the Riviera Maya area near Cancun, Mexico. I often say that site visits are the best part of my job, but I lie. A fam (familiarization) trip is even better than that because I don't need to worry about meeting with a bunch of hotels and other vendors to set up an event. It is simply intended as a means of familiarizing meeting planners with various destinations. I have to be extremely careful about which of these I attend, so I go on them only rarely. An added bonus on this trip was that the sponsor also set up some roundtable discussions and presentations that were very helpful. And they would like to set up a direct sales meeting planners association, so it's exciting to be in on that from the beginning.
We stayed at the Grand Velas, a five-star all-inclusive resort. And when I say all-inclusive, it truly was just that. There was very little that you could want that wasn't included in the rate, with the notable exception of the spa. However, our hosts were kind enough to include a massage, which also came with a "hydrotherapy" session. This was an 80 minute circuit of several different therapies, including sauna, herbal steam, a clay room, an ice room, experience showers, and this huge pool with numerous areas including bubble beds and jacuzzis (as well as an ice plunge pool, though I didn't venture that far). Oh, and the massage was the best one I've ever had!
This is a not-great shot of the main hydrotherapy pool, before they told me I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the spa (I guess people aren't all that happy about strangers taking pictures of them in their suits, although as you can see, I didn't actually get one with anyone in it).
This is the balcony of my suite (all rooms are suites), which included its own little soaking pool.
The suite was a little over 1,100 square feet, which is more than the main floor of my house! Here's the bathroom portion, which could be closed off with sliding doors. The door on the right is a walk-in closet.
Also, the food was absolutely fantastic, each dish beautifully presented whether it was dinner, the buffet place or room service - all were a piece of art.
We kept pretty busy with meetings for the first couple of days, but we did get an outing to the Xplor park. More on that - with pictures - later.
