These days it’s hard to take more than a couple of days off work because we only create more work for ourselves! With a day or two away from emails they pile up, but it’s important to take time to disconnect, so if you must check your emails while away, limit this only to emails from certain people that didn’t know you’d be away, and for a time limit. 15 minutes should be enough to browse, forward on requests and respond briefly to star-clients with your morning coffee.
Make sure that you start your vacation with a massage to work out all the tension knots built up from the months of hard work, and to help you sleep well on a bed you’re not used to. Not that this should be hard if you choose a resort like Beloved Hotels, a resort only for adults, meaning you also won’t be woken up in the night by little feet stamping down the corridors. Beloved is based in Playa Mujeres, which is basically the ultimate Mexican Caribbean luxury destination, because there’s so much to do to keep you from thinking about work.
If you want to snorkel or deep-dive to a protected coral reef, you can start off from a cruising yacht, or simply stay on-board the whole time and enjoy a tour along uninterrupted views of turquoise water. Fishermen and women marvel at the amount of private expeditions available in Playa Mujeres and you can either fish for the evening’s dinner or for sport.
This area of Quintana Roo is also sprinkled with Maya ruins, so you can get completely absorbed in the beauty of structures that formed the country that still stands today, before popping over to Valladolid or to Merida to see the beautiful architecture that was established during the colonial period.
Exploring is more exciting than relaxing however: a good book by the pool is probably just the ticket for at least a couple of days while you’re away. If you struggle to stay still or to keep your mind off work, try an early-morning Yoga class on the beach, there are even expat groups to join so you don’t just have to follow instructions by eye!
The best thing to do while staying at a luxury resort is to plan things you think would be relaxing, to help you switch off, and then flow from one to another seeing how many you can enjoy without rushing your time. Choose an isolated hotel if possible so your nights are quiet and none of those that use vacations to party will bother you in the early hours. In an ideal world you’d also turn off your phone but that’s nigh-on impossible in today’s world! If nothing else, refrain from packing the laptop. Bringing a computer with you will tempt you to use it so it’s better to just leave it on your desk at the office.
Do your best to enjoy that holiday you worked so hard to afford, and disconnect to return truly refreshed and rested.
