November 2021

11/5/2021

Greetings Friends,

This week I said, "I think that'll happen after the first of the year" and I immediately realized that 2021 is moving towards its end quickly! The big ash tree in front of our house has dropped all its leaves and the air has a noticeable chill to it.

In October we spent almost all of our free time with family and friends. My parents visited at the beginning of the month and we did lots of fall activities together. We got to visit Chicago one weekend and see my cousin run the Chicago Marathon which we all loved.

There were two trips to Michigan, unfortunately for less than ideal reasons. Our family lost both of Sandy's grandmothers within a month of each other. We were able to celebrate their life, and although sad, we were grateful for our time together with the wonderful women that they were.

Even with sad events, there were still celebrations last month. Sarah turned five! It is true - the days are long, but the years are short.

Halloween remains a favorite holiday in our house. This year Sarah was a princess and Peter was a duck (Sarah's costume from two years ago). We went to more houses than ever before, with both kids going non-stop for two hours. I foresee some long trick-or-treating nights in our future.

For this month's resort, I want to feature one that I visited in September, Nickelodeon Riviera Maya. This luxury family-friendly resort knocked my socks off when I visited. I was extremely skeptical going in. I thought it was going to be over the top with kids kitsch. I was wrong.

Nickelodeon Riviera Maya was the perfect blend of nostalgia with current cultural references. Remember the Snick "Orange Couch", or Legends of the Hidden Temple?! Pair that with Paw Patrol, Dora the Explorer, and Sponge Bob Square Pants. There is something for everyone here.

The resort is brand new, just opening in 2021. The suites all felt big and fresh. For those of you that have five people in your family, we all know how hard it is to find resorts that can accommodate five in a room. Not only is that an option here, but there are two bathrooms to help make things easier. All the rooms face the beautiful ocean. And a bonus feature is that all the rooms are swim-up. This means that even if you aren't on the ground floor, there is a pool right outside of your room to swim in.

We toured a number of the restaurants, and they looked very appealing. There was even a selection of craft beer, which doesn't always happen at all-inclusive resorts!

Perhaps one of the biggest attractions was the Aqua Nick waterpark. This waterpark was on par with any major waterpark I've been to. Slides, lazy rivers, wave pools, and adventure areas were all there. But, unlike other theme parks where you need to pay for overpriced food or drinks, it is all included here.

There is a major change for travelers happening in the coming weeks. Currently, all travelers coming back into the USA must have a Covid test within three days of departure. For unvaccinated passengers, this is changing to one day on November 8. I will make sure this is all spelled out on travel documents that are sent before your vacation. The resorts have all this information and will be able to plan accordingly. More information can be found here.

Many of you are looking at trips for spring break and Summer 2022. I'm already seeing some flights selling out. It's not too early to begin to explore what options are out there. As always, if you have questions about anything travel-related, I'm here to help.

Have a great weekend,

Brian

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