Team Jilly Takes on Mexico!

Hi loves!! As promised, today is our MEXICO recap, I’m so excited to share this with you but I’m even MORE excited to let you know that we also have something else up our sleeves … next week we will be releasing our very first TRAVEL VLOG!!! While we were in Mexico all of us took turns filming little inside glimpses into our trip so we could compile them and take YOU along on our journey! Stay tuned!! Okay, back to today’s recap …

While we were away in Mexico we had a lot of questions coming through as to WHY we were there considering we were just in Hawaii as a team (if you missed our Hawaii recap, check it out here)! So, let me fill you in on why we took off to Mexico for a week! As most of you know, during our home renovation we also gave our pool a little facelift with the help of the amazing team at Latham Pool Products!! They were so kind and so helpful and made the whole process a breeze for us. Fast forward a few months and Matt Cripps from Latham Pool Products reached out to me to ask if I would be willing to share our story of our pool renovation along with providing some insight on the importance of social media and online presence during the 2018 AquaPoints conference in Mexico!! Basically, this is a huge conference that’s held every year for the pool industry and each year they host it somewhere tropical, last year they were in Jamaica and this year it was MEXICO!! So, when Matt asked if I would be willing to do this, I was honoured and so excited and I asked if I could bring the team with me and they generously extended the offer to the whole team (including Justin and Shay’s boyfriend, Cam!!) so we JUMPED on the opportunity and got right down to work creating some amazing takeaways for the companies that were going to be attending the conference and gathering all of the information I wanted to share with everyone!!

Before we dig into this recap … let’s take a quick peek at the items I packed for this trip!!

Shoes

Clothing

Swimsuits

Beauty Necessities

Dress | Watch | Tassel Shoes | Justin’s Shoes | Justin’s Shirt

UNICO Resort

We found out that the conference was going to be held at UNICO Resort in Riviera Maya and we couldn’t even believe our eyes … this place is only about a year old and it looked STUNNING from the looks of their website. Welp. This resort definitely didn’t disappoint in real life either!! Most of you probably followed along with our Insta stories while we were there so you probably already know what the UNICO Resort looked like but in case you missed it, HOLY CRAP!! This resort was sooooo nice (and no, this post isn’t sponsored LOL!!), it was by far the nicest all-inclusive resort I’ve been to in Mexico!! Generally, I find most resorts are quite dated but this one was so trendy! It had beautiful decor, stunning tile throughout and so many cute details! Not only were we blown away with the look of the resort but the service was amazing the whole time we were there as well!! If you ever get the chance to check this resort out I would definitely recommend it but it is a bit on the pricey side!!

Earrings | Sun Hat (Similar) | Clutch | Peplum Swimsuit | Watch

AquaPoints Conference

The day before our presentation we had a quick run through, met some amazing people and had great conversations which made me super excited to get up on that stage and share our knowledge with everyone there!! I tried to convince the girls to sit up on stage with me and answer some Q&A but they wanted nothing to do with that and opted for holding down the front row instead … LOL!!!! Next time, I’ll get them up there with me!! The presentation went really well and I feel as though I was able to deliver some really valuable info to everyone in attendance!! It’s always so gratifying when you see people whip out their notepads and start jotting down notes when you’re speaking, that generally means you’ve just offered up a good tidbit of info … either that, or I had a booger in my nose and they were passing notes about it. LOL!!

Sweater | Shorts | Sandals

Spa Day

You all know just how much I loooove spending time at the spa, I love going early before my treatment (I usually end up going for a massage, a body wrap, or a facial!) and just lounging around in my robe and going for a steam. I’ll usually bring face masks and hair masks with me and either put them on before or after my treatment. The day after the conference the girls and I all went for massages and we got to the spa early to do exactly what I love to do … lounge. Well, as soon as we got there we had a mini guided tour of the spa and she got us to sit in the infared sauana for a bit, she brought us chilled cucumbers for our eyes and a cold towel for our head, we sat in here for a few minutes and then we were transferred over to a cold shower where two of us went in at a time and this freezing cold water would BLAST out of these fauctes at you unexpectadaily, Mindy and I were the first two to go in and didn’t know what to expect and we both SCREAMED at the top of our lungs as we were hit with the first blast of cold water and then screamed again as the second blast hit our stomachs, I started laughing so hard I think I peed a little and then it was Shay and Mackenzie’s turn as we hit the hot tub to warm up!! LOL!!

Once the girls were out of the freezing cold water and we all had the chance to warm up in the hot tub we each took a plunge in the cold bath which works WONDERS if you’re feeling tired!!! I couldn’t get enough of it and went for a few dips before we took off to our massages!! Our massages were about an hour each and they were amazing, we all felt so relaxed and sleepy after so we took some time to lounge by the spa pool outside, with our face masks on! After that we took off to our rooms to clean up, eat lunch and meet Justin and Cam in Playa!!

Ruffle Swimsuit

Crusin’ 5th Ave in Playa

Justin and Cam played a round of golf while us girls were at the spa so once we were all finished up we cabbed into Play to meet the guys on 5th Ave, to cruise the streets, do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat! If you haven’t explored 5th Ave in Playa yet, you should check it out as it’s filled with restaurants and shopping and it’s sooo close to the ocean!! It’s definitely a bit more commercialized so if you’re looking for a less touristy and traditional spot then I would recommend going to Tulum!! Anyway, while we were in Playa we popped in and out of a few shops and found a cute little place to eat dinner, a mariachi band played us a couple of tunes while we dined over spicy margaritas and veggie soft tacos … this was also the night where I ate the SPICIEST SALSA of my entire life and literally thought for a second that I was going to die. I mean, I KNEW I would be fine but my mouth thought otherwise.

Earrings | Dress | Swimsuit | Sunglasses | Watch

Taking Over Tulum

The next day after our trip to Playa we rented a minivan and Captain Justin drove us into Tulum which was about 15 mins from our resort. The girls and I took off shopping while Justin and Cam explored on their own. We came across some cute little shops but it seemed that every shop carried the same items so we decided to have a quick lunch as my stomach was still flip-flopping from my extreme spicy salsa fiasco the night before and luckily we stumbled upon the CUTEST little restaurant EVER!! It’s called Estancia, it had mix-matched chairs and tables, pink walls and the most adorable decor!! I ordered plain pasta and a margarita … surely either the carbs or the tequila would make my stomach feel better!! ? After a quick bite we took off to hunt down a little beachside resort called Coco Tulum which I had been eyeing up for what seemed like YEARS!! I always saw photos of people in these white swings oceanside with yummy cocktails and I just HAD to check this spot out as it looked so gorgeous in the photos!! The spot was pretty damn cute and totally picturesque and it had a bit of a “Miami Vibe” to it. We stayed for a cocktail and of course, snapped a few photos on the swings which turned our sooo cute then we decided to make our way to Be Tulum for dinner … this was a WHOLE other crazy experience!!

Be Tulum was another resort I had seen many other bloggers travel to and it also looked crazy beautiful so it was at the top of our list to check out. When we first walked in there was this cozy, dark, incense-filled restaurant which wasn’t oceanfront so we made the trek to the second restaurant on the other side of the resort, it felt like we were walking through a jungle to get there, so much greenery around us and a little stone and sand path … once we got to the second restaurant it was like we had entered another world!! There were lights strung from palm tree to palm tree, the tables were low to the ground and you sat on pillows to eat … and the VIEW … OMG THE VIEW!!! It was seriously BREATHTAKING!!! The girls and I quickly ordered our meals and we ran down to the water to snag some photos before the sunset hit. It honestly felt like we were in a movie … there were beautiful people everywhere and the setting was unbelievable.

Dress | Swimsuit | Clutch (Similar) | Round Crossbody Bag

Chillin Out

The last couple of days we spent literally hanging out at the pool at our resort, we did a few emails and chatted a bit about work and our goals for the upcoming year but for the most part these last couple of days were filled with poolside bubbly, tan lines, and of course, salsa and guac!! One of my favourite parts of visiting Mexico is actually just how EASY it is to eat vegetarian there, so many veggies and beans, it’s amazing!!! We also made sure to take advantage of the beautiful scenery and sneak in some photo shoots before the sun went down and one early morning shoot as the sun was rising!!

I have to admit, it was pretty amazing to be able to escape to Mexico for a week with the team but it definitely feels good to be back home as I feel like we are all eager to get 2018 fired up and we have soooo many new ideas running around in our minds for not only the blog but for new fun things like a potential Jilly Box that we are toying with!!! So, with that being said, it’s time to store away our bathing suits for a bit and bust our butts for a bit!!

photo credit

Swimsuit | Sunglasses

Stay tuned for our upcoming Mexico VLOG!!! You won’t want to miss this baby!!!

xo

Jilly