Y’all know i’m a country gal from New Hampshire…but what you may not know is that I hate the cold. Yes, I grew up in a hockey rink and actually grew up skiing, but I had very bad frostbite in high school from an Outback program in the White Mountains.
So, living in New England, I need a winter escape to the tropics at least once… or I won’t survive! (OK Dramatic…but it’s fairly accurate)
I love country music and this past summer I was unable to see Luke Bryan when he played at Fenway Park. I decided to look up his tour schedule and noticed he had a four day festival in the Riviera Maya for 4 days. Hmmm…. well this sounded amazing. I brought the idea up as a feeler…hoping someone would be down. That was the case after all.
In order to attend, you needed to stay at one of the participating All-Inclusive resorts, buying tickets was not an option. The other really cool thing about the event is that it is built with a payment plan. If you are afraid the event is too pricey, this breaks down the cost per month. If you plan well in advance your total is broken down into even smaller amounts.
The trip , minus the flight, is all covered in the cost. Four Nights and Days of Concerts, all the drinks and food you can imagine, transportation to and from the venues and airports, as well as activities at the hotel. To put in perspective, our cost was $2500 total. That’s a breakdown of $1250 per person, for 4 nights in a hotel, transportation, unlimited food and drinks, and of course 4 days and nights of concerts. We purchased the trip in September, so it was broken down per month up until the trip. Now imagine, the same cost but buying in May or June…your monthly breakdown is completely reasonable and worth every penny. Come on! It’s Mexico in January…I would want to be in the sun regardless, Luke is just a huge bonus!
The concert is taken place at the Barcelo Maya in Cancun. If you stay at this resort you are also able to attend the daily pool parties with artists such as: Dustin Lynch, Luke Combs, Jake Owen, Lauren Alaina, and even guest appearance by the man himself… Luke Bryan.
The entire event is very well mapped out. There’s food stations at the venue with amazing options including the most delicious churros I've ever had. There’s taco stands, nacho bars, shredded pork belly burritos…and even locally brewed beer specifically for Crash-My-Playa.
The only downside to purchasing the trip in September, was that the Barcelo Maya was sold out. Our hotel was beautiful and located in Tulum. We stayed at the Dreams Tulum, great location on the beach, beautiful pools, and the service was great. Because we stayed here opposed to Barcelo Maya, we were not able to attend the pool parties during the day. In the future, if this is a trip that I repeat, I will keep my eye on the release date and purchase a room at the hotel the concert is held at.
That being said, staying at the Dreams Tulum also had it’s upside. The hotel was located 25 minutes away from the venue, so it was more private and a tad more upscale. There wasn’t a spring break vibe at our hotel, which was also nice. We were able to enjoy the pool and beach during the day then enjoy the nightlife of the concerts every evening. I.E. we were able to escape the madness during the day.
Our hotel had fun activities as well during the day. There was the daily water aerobics and on Friday we had a huge foam party with balloons and music. The hotel went above and beyond to entertain and keep us all content.
There was an activity every day by the pool. Foam parties, exercise, a fashion show and a grill open most of the hours. Potentially the most important, there is a swim up pool bar open all day.
Music was also provided via DJ which makes everything a bit more fun.
Yoga was encouraged beachside every morning.
With a day of relaxing poolside and beachside, it helped prepare for the fun filled evenings ahead. Every night there were three artists beginning at 6pm, so we were able to watch the sunset by the beach venue.
Every night there was something slightly different about the performances and venues. During the concert, there was no need to even leave your viewing location, because there were waiters walking around to provide you with any of your drinking needs. Since the concert venue is located right on the beach, in between sets, fans enjoyed food and beverages right by the water.
**Luke Bryan close up on the final night. It was amazing, Dustin Lynch joined him on stage as well as Lauren Alaina and Thomas Rhett. This was every country fans dream.
Now… do I try and go next year…. decisions….decisions
Until Next Time, Safe Travels… XOXO