Healthy Adventures in... Playa del Carmen

By Crabby McSlacker

So we're back from our trip to Mexico, and to cut to the chase: we had an awesome time!

The "Mayan Coast" is kind of a weird place to spend Thanksgiving though, isn't it? Sun and sand and snorkeling and being far away from family is not exactly the Normal Rockwell version of the holiday.

This is Crabby not even THINKING about stuffing a freakin' turkey.

But we were celebrating our 25th anniversary! We figured this gave us special dispensation to bail on the usual holiday traditions.  (Our 20th anniversary was spent at Beth-Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston due to complications ensuing from my hysterectomy recovery. This sounded a little more fun.)

Anyway, if you are a normal person, when you travel you just say a cheerful "F--ck it" to the whole healthy lifestyle thing and just have a good time.

But I am NOT a normal person. Plus, we travel a fair amount. So I try to be mindful about food and exercise in a way that keeps me from going totally off the rails, but without becoming so obsessed that I drive everyone around me crazy.

So, what's cool about vacationing in Playa del Carmen? And can you do it in a healthy way?

Red Mountain Resort Review

For some people, the perfect vacation is all about pure relaxation and indulgence.  But many of us weirdo fitness types want more than that.

We dream of a vacation that includes healthy food options, new or challenging physical activities to try, a casual, tranquil atmosphere, and perhaps most importantly, scenic outdoor spaces to explore.

Yet perhaps some of us are old or spoiled or cranky and maybe we don't freakin' want to go camping any longer in order to explore the great outdoors?

At least not the kind of camping where you sleep on the hard ground (which inevitably slopes unevenly so you end up in a heap at one end of the tent). I'm middle aged. If I need to pee in the middle of the night, I do not want to have to find my way in the freezing cold by flashlight to some creepy smelly campground restroom that is probably infested with spiders and covered in flesh-eating bacteria and surrounded by hungry bears.

Nah, some of us prefer to have our scenic beauty accompanied by massages and maid service and meals prepared by someone other than ourselves.

So, if you're looking for an active healthy vacation, is Red Mountain Resort in Ivins, Utah, the place to find it? We vacationed there for four days as 2014 brought to a close. Red Mountain is often cited as one of the more budget-friendly resort options. (Not that it fits into every budget of course). Being self-indulgent enough to be captivated by the "resort" idea, but also being cheapskates, we were curious what we'd find there.

Note: I was not comped in any way for this review, damn it, so I have absolutely no incentive whatsoever to be diplomatic about what was wonderful and what was not.