The Travelers:

 

My husband Jay, of 25 years this June, and I were excited to bring our 3 adult children on this affordable week long holiday. Our usual travel companions, Jay’s sister, Carol, her husband Pete, and their oldest and youngest sons, with youngest son’s girlfriend, were as excited as we were to experience our first All-Inclusive vacation together. In recent years, we have traveled the world on Royal Caribbean Cruises thanks to our oldest nephew, Peter, who began his career as a cast member back in 2005. While cruising is a blast, this was going to be a totally relaxing trip, with nothing but beach, beverages and buffets on our menu.  Missing from our crowd was my niece and her new husband, at home with their new addition, a 5 month old Viszla named Elly. Our kids, oldest daughter, a recent college grad with a BS in nursing and seeking gainful employment, and boy/girl twins, both between their sophomore and junior years of college but not quite 21, were pretty stoked about the Platinum privileges we had. None of the kids are big drinkers, but it was really nice that the two youngest were able to get a margarita on the beach without a hassle. I’m not gonna lie, it was a relief not to have to worry about what they were up to. We already knew. Besides, they were all so exhausted from the sun & sea every day, that they were in bed right after dinner almost every night, just like we were.

This is a group of cousins like no other I have known. More like best friends, and the best of roommates. Always together, throughout their lives, even though many miles separate our families. As they have grown into adults, (the oldest 26, and the youngest now my 20 year old twins), they are like “peas & carrots”. Quite a blend of character and personality. Always making each other laugh, pounding each other in wrestle matches (both girls & guys – very competitive) and being there for each other. The same is true of my friendship with my husband’s sister, Carol, (although we don’t wrestle). A girlfriend and confidant whose love and support has been invaluable to me for all these many years of child rearing and marriage. Carol’s husband Pete, is one of those easy to be with, funny guys, who has a song for every possible situation. A guy who is a great friend to Jay, great with the kids, tough but fun, and my kids adore him. There is no shortage of laughter among this comfortable crowd. Many weeks of annual vacations and long weekends in various beach houses, ski chalets, large & small cities and towns, not to mention all the usual family functions like holidays, birthdays and anniversaries,  have made this more of a clan than most families.  Each of us had 3 little ones back in the 80′s, and we had similar interests and values, (not to mention that my young twins were not always on everyone’s guest list) , but no one minded the noise, messes and smells. It made for a forgiving relationship, for which I am eternally grateful. The kids, being so closely sandwiched in age, made it a snap for us to hang together, and this trip was no exception.

 July 31, 2009, Arrive at Grand Sunset Princess Resort & Spa:

 

We arrived in Cancun, Mexico without a hitch. We’ve traveled Internationally many times before with this crowd. The kids know what to do, passports, security, how to pack, etc. We have it down. Our over-sized van picked up the 10 of us on schedule, and the ride from the airport was a brief 35 minutes into Playa Del Carmen. We appreciated that our driver gave us the low down on our resort so we knew what to expect, with some good tips and pointers. The resort was breath taking. Sculpture, lush landscape, marble, granite, locally made tile, expansive open air lobby, and the evidence of Mexican craftsmanship was every where. July & August are low season, so an affordable upgrade from our deluxe suites to Platinum was a no-brainer.  We are beach lovers, and the many swimming pools, while beautiful, are not the way we roll. The Platinum suites were as close to the beach as we could get. A short walk, with jacuzzi’s on each balcony to retreat to from the extreme mid-day heat on the sand. We had four rooms in a row. The 2 center rooms with an adjoining door, were perfect for the 3 girls and 3 boys. A huge dorm like room with 2 bathrooms, 4 double beds and 2 sofas. Tequila on the dresser. Sodas, water and cervasa in the frig. Unlimited room service. HEAVEN for a twenty-something!

 August 2, 2009, 12:30 pm, Ocean Side:

 

On day 3 of our vacation there in beautiful Playa Del Carmen, we were all in agreement, this was the perfect place to bring our families for a completely relaxing vacation in the hot sun of the Mexican Riviera. The resort was enormous, so much bigger than we had imagined, even though all the reviews warned us about long walks to the beach. The grounds were lush and immaculately maintained by an army of ground’s crew. The amenities extremely agreeable as well. Rooms were modern and well appointed, with many delightful upgrades with our Platinum status. We enjoyed an exclusive entrance into our area of the resort, private lap pool, private towel &  bar service and exclusive seating on the beach, free 1/2 hour massage, jacuzzi tubs on every balcony, top-shelf bar with morning coffee, and snacks all day and night, did I mention unlimited room service?, access to every theme restaurant on the property, and a private concierge waiting to assist us with reservations or needs of any kind. The food was plentiful, buffets for breakfast and lunch close by and very enjoyable, and theme dining was hit and miss, but over all, fun with great variety. We didn’t come for a “Food & Wine” experience, so our expectations were appropriate. One special restaurant, The Thai Beach Club, was not on the inclusive list, so naturally, we were curious to discover why, but more on that later. We also enjoyed a complimentary trolley from our Platinum suites location to the resort lobby, gym, spa and restaurants, which came in handy when the oppressive heat of the day, or evening storms made walking a challenge. It was a romantic, and picturesque 15 minute walk to the front entrance of the property, and we did enjoy it on cloudy mornings and star lit evenings. Our Platinum benefits were appreciated by every member of our party.

August 2, 2009, 10:30pm, Platinum Concierge Lounge:

 

 On our way back to our rooms following an interesting adventure in Swiss Fondue a la Mexican style, Carol and I stopped by our Platinum Concierge to book our dinner reservations for the next few evenings. It was Sunday night, and we wanted to give the Thai Beach club a try, but decided to do go on our own, just the parents, and cut the kids loose for one night. The kids chose to try the Mexican restaurant for their Monday night meal, so we booked them into the Mexican, and a table for 4 at 8 pm by the water, for us. All the tables at the Thai Beach club are by the water, as the open air restaurant is on the sand. We chatted with the concierge, who appreciated our patience and amused us with stories of “how best to treat your concierge”. At 10:45, his relief for the night hours arrived and joined our conversation. The two men were in good moods, and told us of stories about a ghostly white apparition several guests had reported witnessing there in our building. I love a good ghost story, so I asked a few questions. William assured us not to worry, the “spirit” had only been seen in the corridor and stair case near rooms 4011 and 4012. “But I’m in a room near those!”, I cried, “tell me more.” William, not wanting to alarm us, said that the misty cloud was believed to be a kindly Mayan woman who played tricks with showers and lights on occasion. OK, was the flashing reading light over my bed, and the shower that turned on and off during the night their Mayan woman, instead of faulty plumbing and electricity as I had believed? Walking to our rooms, I told my sister-in-law that we had had some strange things happening in our room already, but truely hoped they were not the work of a ghost. I did go around the corner of my room and down the hall to take a few pictures in hope of capturing a visiting spirit. No such luck. Secretly, I was relieved………….

August 3, 2009, 8:00 pm, Thai Beach Club:

 

We arrived for dinner, and had the place to our selves. Guess not too many guests wanted to pay for a meal they did not have to, but we were looking for a memorable evening, and that’s just what we got. The restaurant was magical. All indirectly light, with thatched huts separated by wooden walkways, each with it’s own lighting, ceiling fans, and just a few tables. Our table was nearest to the ocean, a gentle breeze blowing, with palm trees wrapped in twinkly Christmas lights dotting the sand. Private lounges with closed black umbrellas, and queen sized beds under thatched huts were scattered intentionally on the private beach near by, for use during the day, but at a hefty price. Our wait staff was delighted to be at our service. The wine steward seemed truly excited to be able to offer us his advise and expertise in pairing the right libation to accompany our meal. The Thai, in Thai Beach Club was more like Chinese, but it was generous, tasty, and served with care and ambiance. We were happy.

August 3, 2009, 10:30 pm, On the Bridge of the Thai Beach Club:

 

As we departed the beautiful beach-side restaurant, we crossed over the wide, wooden bridge, juxt opposed over a dried up swampy ravine, near thick vegetation which protects the beach during the rainy season. Oil-burning torches and footlights gave soft lighting to the bridge. As we reached the end, I turned to take a photograph of the restaurant, hoping there was enough light to make out it’s glowing thatched huts. I took 2 zoomed in photos, but was not pleased with what I saw in the digital view finder, so I went for a full wide angle of the walkway and restaurant. By this time, Jay, Pete and Carol had made their way off of the bridge and were heading to the entrance of our section of the hotel, just a few steps away. As I clicked my Sony, and checked to see if the shot was worth keeping, I instantly saw something I had not seen with my eyes, the wispy but well defined apparition of a person, seeming to be coming up to me, or crossing the width of the bridge. I was unable to speak, but quickly began to walk backward off the bridge and tried to call out to my companions, all though only small sounds came from my mouth. As I approached them, I shouted “Look at this, look at this. What is that? Do you see that?” They started to laugh at me, until they looked at my camera. “Wow”, was all anyone could say. Carol and I both crept back to the bridge, and the guys walked behind us to confirm that there was nothing on the bridge, no smoke from the torches, no mist, no fog, no swarm of mosquitoes, NOTHING!!! We both took more pictures, a time elapse of about 3 minutes, but nothing but the landscape was visible. It didn’t look like a Mayan woman to us, but more like one of the costumed Mayan Warriors that entertained in the plaza at night or like the characters from Mel Gibson’s “Apocalypto”, or history channel documentaries. I was spooked. No joke. What had we seen, and what was doing? What did it want?

August 5, 4:35 am, Awakened from a Deep Sleep:

 

On day 6 of our vacation, we are still unsatisfied that our repeated trips back to the bridge revealed no new photographs of our Mayan Warrior, but by now, the kids were completely rattled by the many disturbances in their rooms. I was awakened in the wee hours of morning to screaming and thumping against the wall shared by our headboards. I called over to the guy’s room to see what the problem was. The kids were all in one bed together, having been awakened by the guy’s shower suddenly bursting to life, then shutting off, followed by the girl’s indoor jacuzzi jets blasting, no water in the tub! By this time, I was more interested in sleep, and asked them to calm down. It was then that my husband informed me that when he had returned to bed during the night after using  the bathroom, the bathroom light had turned itself on, and then off again. Were our rooms being visited by a ghost, or was there a logical explanation for these disturbances?

I never found William again to show him my photo. We never complained to any  staff members, not wanting to get anyone in trouble for frightening us. Never the less, we continue to be convinced that the Platinum building of the Grand Sunset Princess Resort & Spa, does have a resident ethereal guest, one who may not appreciate the presence of travelers in his territory…