Heavier than expected snow blanketed the North Country last week and temps hovered in the low teens. So, Jill’s and my plans to be in Mexico made us seem pretty darn prescient. We flew out of Montreal, direct to Cancun on Air Canada, and now I understand all the snark that gets directed at the airline. Our southbound flight was five hours, during which the cabin crew alternated between nonchalant avoidance of passengers and outright hostility. So when we touched down in Cancun late at night, we were impatient to get to our hotel and put the flight behind us.

Royal Haciendas, about 45 minutes from Cancun, was home for the week, and I have nothing but good things to say about it. Jill wanted a week of making no decisions, so we went the all-inclusive route and said yes to everything that was put in front of us. And we discovered that six days of endless food and drinks is enough. Maybe more than enough.

This was a do-nothing vacation and we succeeded. Other than a day trip into Playa del Carmen, which I have a lot of complicated feelings about, we stayed at the resort, swam in the pools and ocean, and relaxed.

Royal Haciendas is a lovely resort that’s well maintained, and the staff were all gracious and helpful. All inclusive resorts can get a bad rap about the quality of the food, and we experienced a little of this when we ate dinner at Palapa del Sol and were disappointed. On the flip side, breakfasts there were very good. And, Kinokó and Los Murales were wonderful — my tuna steak at the latter place was one of the best I’ve ever had. Same for the Sol y Luna Grill, which was our typical pick for lunch.

About the town of Playa del Carmen: We were dropped off on 5th Avenue, which is the popular shopping street, with a warning to watch out for scammers. We walked the length of the avenue, explored some side streets, said no to everyone who offered us free tequila, and called it a day. I’d love to see other parts of Playa del Carmen, but the built-to-entertain-tourists district wasn’t our thing.

Final travel notes: Cancun’s airport is a model of efficiency. Sean Duffy should pay attention, learn something, and stop yapping about make-believe solutions to making flying better. And Air Canada made up for the lousy trip south. The northbound cabin crew was attentive and wonderful, and made the 4-1/2 our trip go by quickly.

Will we go back? Definitely, and we’re already plotting our return, probably during peak snow in Plattsburgh.