We struck out for the road after breakfast to catch one of the numerous busses that ply the hotel area. There is a 20 km stretch of sandy beach on the Caribbean and a lagoon to the east. First, we walked a few kilometers along the sidewalks to see the other hotels along our section, near a bridge and inlet. We waited for a bus at one of the stops.
We passed the traditional hotel zone are right near the point and continued onward to exit at the huge outdoor mall called the La Isla Cancun Shopping Village. Although the complex with canals and a meandering walkway was open, many of the shops remained closed on Christmas day. We didn't really go there to buy anything so a half-hour of exercise on a nice, bright morning seemed sufficient.
We returned to our resort by crossing the road and taking another bus back. We didn't stop yet in the main hotel zone but kept that as an activity for tomorrow. It seemed like an unusual Christmas wearing swimming attire. Although we have often been in warm places at the end of the year, I can't recall ever being directly on a beach.
Of course, alcoholic drinks were included for free during this stay. So as well as my initial beers and dark rum on the rocks, I had a fair number of mojitos. The green colour and mint looked especially festive, I thought.
Our closest experience to an all-inclusive resort has probably been our many cruise ship adventures. I've got to say, I can easily succumb to people willing to constantly look after me. The Christmas music and festivities put on by the Occidental Costa Cancun were more than entertaining. The added bonus of free internet and drinks may have helped this surpass some of our history of Holland-America voyages. Being pampered this way could well become a more frequent type of vacation for us.