As a wedding present from Theresa’s Aunt Margie, she gave us a one week trip to an RCI timeshare resort. After months of trying to figure out where to go, we decided on Playa del Carmen, a small city in Mexico to the south of Cancun. Playa is in an area called the Mayan Riviera due to its ancient Mayan roots and its proximity to water, and hence, beaches.

The resort we went to is called Mayan Palace. It is not an all-inclusive resort, which is why we picked it. We like to be able to eat at the local places when we travel and that doesn’t make sense when you’re paying $100 a day for all-inclusive meals. Following is a day-by-day journal of our trip.