Cancun, Mexico: My Quick Birthday Getaway

A quick Memorial Day weekend getaway to Cancun to celebrate my birthday. I wanted something easy: fly in, stay at an all-inclusive resort, eat good food, relax and enjoy myself.

Getting there: American Airlines

I flew American Airlines from Boston to Cancun on a nonstop flight.

American Airlines has never been one of my favorite airlines, and unfortunately this trip didn't change my mind. I had an unpleasant interaction with a male agent on my way to Cancun that I found unprofessional. It wasn't exactly the way I wanted to start a birthday vacation.

I usually try to avoid flying American, and after this experience I don't plan to use them for my vacations going forward.

Where I stayed: Planet Hollywood Cancun

I booked an all-inclusive package at Planet Hollywood Cancun through CheapCaribbean.

I've used CheapCaribbean several times, and I've had no complaints with them.

For this trip I booked a STAR Class Junior Suite Swim Out, and the swim-up room was one of the best decisions I made.

I was actually nervous about traveling to Mexico alone. I had heard so many stories about tourists being drugged, robbed or getting into unsafe situations that I decided before arriving that I wasn't leaving the resort.

Thankfully, Planet Hollywood had more than enough to keep me busy for my short stay.

My first night

The arrival immediately felt like a vacation.

When I entered the resort I was welcomed with a drink, and the staff clapped as new guests walked through the doors. My butler escorted me to my room and even went to Gusto Italian Trattoria to pick up the pizza I wanted.

I ordered a Margherita pizza with extra cheese, and it was really good.

Once my butler returned with my pizza, I changed into my one-piece bathing suit, went straight outside to my swim-up pool, and sat there eating pizza and enjoying the complimentary drink waiting in my room.

At that point, I knew I had made the right decision booking the swim-up suite.

Eating my way through Planet Hollywood

One of my goals was to try as many of the restaurants as possible. Planet Hollywood has several à la carte restaurants, so there was plenty to choose from.

• Gusto Italian Trattoria

  The resort's Italian restaurant. I had already tried their Margherita pizza on my first night and later ate at the restaurant. The food was good.

• Guy's! Burger Joint

  I stopped here for lunch and had a burger and fries. Simple, casual and good. The resort describes it as Guy Fieri's burger spot serving burgers with house-made sauces and seasoned fries.

• La Cocina Mexican Cuisine

  The last restaurant I tried. By this point I had been eating all day and was FULL, so I kept it light and ordered the tostadas from the appetizer menu. They were good.

But my favorite meal of the entire trip was…

Sunset Strip Steakhouse

This was easily the food highlight of my trip.

I ordered the petit filet and finished dinner with crème brûlée. Amazing.

But the food isn't the only reason I remember this dinner.

I met someone during the trip who I randomly started talking to. I don't usually meet many people while traveling where a random conversation turns into an actual connection, but this one did.

He helped arrange for the restaurant staff to sing Happy Birthday to me during dinner.

I was so happy.

It was such a simple, unexpected moment, but it's one of the things I remember most about Cancun. Sometimes the people you randomly meet while traveling become part of the story of the trip.

Fuel: The fruit tarts I still think about

Not every memorable food moment in Cancun was a full meal.

I stopped at Fuel at Planet Hollywood for a quick snack and tried the fruit tarts. They were SO good.

It seems like such a small thing compared to all the restaurant meals I had during the trip, but those fruit tarts stuck with me. I still randomly think about them sometimes — and honestly, that's probably one of the best compliments I can give food from a vacation.

If I went back to Planet Hollywood Cancun, I'm definitely stopping at Fuel for those fruit tarts again.

Spa day

Of course, I couldn't have a birthday getaway without fitting in some relaxation.

I visited the resort spa for a massage and also enjoyed one hour of complimentary hydrotherapy.

Between the spa, the restaurants, my swim-up pool and simply relaxing around the resort, I genuinely didn't feel like I was missing anything by staying on the property.

My last night & a new travel tradition

After restaurant hopping all day, I was tired. I went back to my room, took a nice shower, got comfortable and watched The Hangover before going to sleep.

It's funny how certain movies become connected to a specific memory. Now, whenever I watch The Hangover, I immediately think about my Cancun trip.

Before falling asleep, I opened the resort's user-friendly app and scheduled an American breakfast through room service for 8:00 a.m. the next morning.

And that turned into one of my favorite moments of the trip.

Breakfast by my swim-up pool

My breakfast arrived right on time at 8:00 a.m., and the service was amazing.

I took my breakfast outside and sat beside my swim-up pool, listening to the birds chirping and enjoying my final morning in Cancun.

I ordered the American breakfast with eggs, crispy bacon, potatoes and fresh fruit. I'm not the biggest pork eater, but when I'm ordering breakfast, I'm choosing pork bacon — and the bacon was perfectly crispy.

The entire breakfast was amazing.

There was something about sitting outside by the pool, eating a really good breakfast with the birds chirping around me, knowing it was my last morning there. It was peaceful and the perfect ending to my birthday getaway.

My takeaway

Cancun surprised me.

I arrived nervous about being there alone and purposely planned a vacation where I wouldn't need to leave the resort. For a short solo birthday trip, that worked perfectly for me.

Planet Hollywood Cancun gave me exactly what I wanted: a swim-up room, plenty of restaurants, good food, spa time, drinks, great staff and enough to do that I never felt bored.

And unexpectedly, I came home with a new travel memory involving someone I met completely by chance.

Sometimes you don't need a packed itinerary. Sometimes the trip is simply about eating, relaxing, celebrating yourself and enjoying wherever the weekend takes you.

Would I return to Planet Hollywood Cancun?

Yes.

Would I book another all-inclusive solo trip to Mexico?

Yes — and next time, I'd probably be a little more adventurous about exploring outside the resort.

Would I fly American Airlines for the vacation?

I'd choose another airline.

Photos from the trip