November 13

Some of us were more than

ready for a cocktail after

a long day of travelling!

We were glad to finally be here...

and the resort is beautiful!

Our first dining experience was

at The Veranda Restaurant

in our own resort.

It included a

special dessert in celebration of

Audrey's 92nd Birthday!

What started with one server

trying to get the cake ready

soon became two servers because we were dining out on the terrace and there was a beautiful breeze blowing all the time. However, the breeze didn't exactly equate to successful candle lighting.

And then there were THREE servers trying to block the breeze to keep the candles lit.

Audrey eventually joined them

under cover to blow out the candles.

They would never have gotten that cheesecake to the table with the candles lit! We'd still be waiting!

November 14

Our all-inclusive package included dining privileges at the sister resorts and we tried each of them

during the week.

We dined at El Conquistador at the Royal Islander the second night,

an exquisite French restaurant.

The highlight of the evening was Cherries Jubilee and some

wonderful after dinner drinks!

November 15

We spent lazy days enjoying the beach and pools, as well as the other bars and restaurants within the resort. The resort was truly amazing! The weather often looked menacing, but it only rained a couple of times and mostly at night.

The water was amazing, the most beautiful blues you can imagine! It was not as pleasant for swimming as it might have been because the waves were quite large...

but Dick and Gail gave it a good try several different days!

NOVEMBER 17

We watched them build several tiki huts one afternoon. It was quite amusing when the roof came

walking down the beach on about 8 legs!

The flowers around the resort were gorgeous. Even the nights were beautiful.

And obviously, the resort has a sense of humor!

So many fun and interesting daily happenings, including water aerobics every morning, photos on the beach...

...to private parties on the outdoor decks.

We enjoyed our dinner at Captain's Cove Steak & Seafood Grill. And unfortunately, this is as close to a group shot as we got!

NOVEMBER 18

We saw Christmas start making it's appearance at the Royal Sands while we were there.

It's too bad we didn't get to see it all lit up when they were done. It was going to be beautiful.

We had dinner at our own resort because it was Prime Rib night...and everyone knows we love Prime Rib!

NOVEMBER 19

Our last full day to enjoy our wonderful trip to Cancun. It was hard to say goodbye to these gorgeous waters.

For our send-off dinner, we ate at a superb Mexican restaurant called Hacienda Sisal, right on the grounds of our own resort. We probably all gained 10 pounds while we were away...but it was worth every bite!