After many months of planning and then a full weekend of wedding parties, we know we will need a relaxing week by ourselves. We have been many places together from Europe for the Olympics to white water rafting in our beautiful state of Colorado. What we decided was that we wanted a place where we could roll out of bed onto the beach and also have a few activities thrown in.

What fit that bill was the beautiful, white sandy beaches and warm, blue waters of the Mexican Caribbean. The Shangri-La Caribe is a beach village resort full of Mexican charm. The hotel is on the edge of a magnificent white sandy beach, with crystal clear turquoise waters and a coral reef. Check out the place: www.shangrilacaribe.com.

The hotel is close to the Mayan ruins at Tulum and also to the town of Playa del Carmen. We plan to snorkle, swim, and run on the beach (we need to stay in shape you know...). At night we can go into town and have dinner and see impromtu "fire dancing" shows at the lounge where you sit in swings around the bar--Blakely and I did this years ago and it was fabulous!

The ruins at Tulum are the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya walled city. Most of the structures now visible were built in the Post-Classic Era, between about 1200 and 1450. The city remained occupied through the early years of the Spanish conquest of Yucatán, but was abandoned by the end of the 16th century. Local Maya continued to visit the temples, to burn incense and pray, until the late 20th century, when tourists visiting the site became too numerous for the local inhabitants. We plan to be a few of those tourists to see this great walled city.

Mostly we plan to spend time together enjoying the start of our married life!