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What I Wore & More in Mexico

We traveled to Cancun, Mexico for our summer vacation this year, which we saved for the tail end of our daughter’s summer break. In all of our years of traveling to Cancun, we’ve never before visited in August and I didn’t realize August is Cancun’s downtime; in fact, I didn’t realize Cancun had a downtime because it’s always a good idea, as far as I’m concerned! The beauty of this was that we didn’t have to play any games to save pool or beach chairs because it wasn’t crowded. It was also easy to get into restaurants and had a more relaxed feel. It was definitely hot but we all agreed that it wasn’t as hot as it was at home, although I feel like it’s hot everywhere right now.

Before I share what I wore, I will fess up to overpacking. I typically like to carry on my bag when I can, but I wanted more options for this trip and there were the unknowns that really weren’t unknowns but I made them such in my head. For example, I should pack a couple of workout outfits in case I wake up early and want to go to the gym or walk on the beach, neither of which happened one single time. I did wake up early almost every day because I am apparently incapable of sleeping in anymore, and although I was awake I didn’t get out of bed. I also felt the need to pack a couple of daytime outfits in the event that we did anything other than sit on the beach, which also did not happen. We actually made plans for a daytime excursion to Isla Mujeres but the weather was iffy so we nixed that idea.

What I Wore

Travel Day

A few musts for me when it comes to what I wear when traveling by plane: it needs to be comfortable, my legs can’t be bare and it needs to accommodate my ever-fashionable compression socks. Those second and third points obviously go hand-in-hand. My ankles swell badly on planes which is something I had the unfortunate experience of when wearing Birkenstocks on a flight one time. It was not pretty, or comfortable, and ever since then I almost always rock compression socks on flights. As such, I wear some sort of comfy joggers or leggings to accommodate the socks. I got these awesome lyocell/cotton-blend joggers at Target right before we left for our trip. They’re very lightweight and perfect for summertime travel. I paired them with a Pistola black muscle tee I’ve had for years, comfy sneakers and a fanny pack for easy access to passports. This was also my outfit for our return flight home.

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Beach Looks

I packed some of my favorite swimsuits from Summersalt and La Blanca and layered with cover-ups from Target and Old Navy. If you’re looking for solid coverage in a swimsuit, I can’t recommend these two brands highly enough. They’re almost all I buy anymore. This packable sun hat from Target is one of those things I picked up on a whim but it travels remarkably well. I smooshed it in my checked bag on our flight back home and it’s still in good shape. Instead of using one of my cute straw beach bags this time around, I pulled out my Longchamp Le Pliage tote and quickly remembered why I love it for travel. You can fold it flat and put it in the outer pocket of your luggage so it doesn’t take up much space at all. Plus, its nylon construction is much easier to wipe off after beach days. Whether you’re going to the beach or need to have an extra “just in case” bag for possible souvenirs, this classic tote is a good one to have in your collection. I refuse to spend a lot on sunglasses because I’m entirely too rough on them, yet I still get questions about these two pairs that I have on regular rotation. The casual matte black style of these Knockarounds appealed to me and I grabbed them on a whim when standing in the checkout line; I’d never heard of the brand but they’re solid sunnies. And I really like the angular styling of these oversized retro aviator sunglasses from Target.

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Evening Looks

My style is typically pretty classic and neutral, but when I saw this adorable jumpsuit from Old Navy I knew it was a must for a beach trip! I loved the colors and the print, and I already knew I’d be wearing it with my SUGARFIX earrings I’ve been loving this season. The jumpsuit is really versatile in that you can play around with layers as well as footwear.

This was my favorite outfit of the trip (and my favorite photo bomber). I’ve talked about these linen-blend shorts from Old Navy before and have gotten a lot of wear out of them this summer. For Mexico, I wore them with the cheetah top I got from Adelante boutique in San Antonio. They don’t have an online shop and I wasn’t able to find anything with a short-sleeve similar online (the brand is ee:some). Considering we’re setting records for consecutive 100+ degree days here in Austin, I know I’ll be getting more wear out of these in days to come.

This jacquard swing dress is another versatile piece from Old Navy. I’ve styled it in the past with yellow clog sandals and green earrings, and for Mexico I opted for my SUGARFIX earrings and a cute little green straw bag from H&M.

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Honorable Mentions

I wore the same exact thing to breakfast every morning, my beloved Lou & Grey Signaturesoft Scoop Neck Romper. It’s such a soft, comfortable, easy piece to throw on and go!

One other honorable mention that wasn’t something I wore but the real MVP in my suitcase, this roomy toiletry bag. I ordered one for me and one for my daughter earlier this spring and I love it. It easily fits all of my skin care and make-up, including full-size products. The way it’s designed, you’re still able to zip the bag after cramming it full of your necessities which is typically an issue for me with other toiletry bags.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa which is where we stayed the previous two times we visited Cancun. It’s in the Hotel Zone so it’s a quick shuttle from the airport and convenient if you want to leave the property and walk to a local restaurant, although there’s a good variety of cuisines at the restaurants in the hotel. It’s not an all-inclusive property which I prefer, but there are several restaurants, a lobby bar, a speakeasy and a cafe on the premises. The pool is big and there are a decent number of seats at the beach, and both have food and drink service.

On previous trips to Cancun, we stayed at Paradisus La Perla which is now an adults-only, all-inclusive resort (not the case when we stayed there many years ago), Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach and Ritz-Carlton which is now Kempinski Hotel Cancun. We’ve returned to JW Marriott because it’s familiar; we know what we’re getting and it fits what we want and need on this type of vacation. Although we’ve done a day trip here and there, we typically go to Cancun to park ourselves at a resort and really relax and the JW Marriott is perfect for that.

Where We Ate

Like I said, there are several restaurants at the JW and we ate at nearly all of them this time around, including Beachwalk (American), Gustino’s (Italian), Sasi Thai (Thai), 750 PIZZERIA (deli) and Bravio (Spanish). All solid, all kid-friendly.

We ventured off-property a couple of nights for dinner at Fred’s which is just across the street from JW Marriott and Hacienda Sisal which is a mile or so down the road. We’ve been to Fred’s multiple times before. They have delicious seafood options, including several lobster dishes and lobster thermidor, and creative cocktails. It’s the first time I’ve ever had a martini with a serrano pepper garnish!

Hacienda Sisal is at The Royal Sands Resort and they serve traditional Mexican food, plus they have a live Mexican quartet and Mariachi during the week. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to experience that as we were there on the weekend, but the food and drinks were fantastic.

What We Did

Our three full and two-half days in Cancun looked pretty much the same: breakfast, beach, pool, rest, dinner - in that order! However, we were a wee bit more adventurous this time around and my daughter and I went parasailing with Parasail Center. There are loads of parasailing companies all over the beach, and we just happened upon this one since it was closest to our hotel beachfront. I can’t speak to any differentiators across all of the companies but I will say we felt safe and had a great experience with Parasail Center. My daughter was a little trepidatious initially, but she’s ready to go back and do it again!