Cumulonimbus
"That ain't a storm, Mate. This is a storm."
This photograph was captured with an iPhone and an Airbus A321.
CUN Arrival Ritual
There's nothing like stepping out of an air-conditioned airport in the tropics into a humid wall of heat. It hits you at once that you're not in Kansas anymore and that you've just begun an adventure.
Cancún International helps you get the trip started on the right foot by installing a bar ten feet from the exit to the airport. Yes, I know you can buy cheaper beer from just about anybody else, including the guy with the metal cart, the shuttle driver or the unofficial taxi driver but if you want a beer within 30 seconds of stepping foot outside in Cancún, the outdoor airport bar is the way to go. And it's our arrival tradition.
Pool Daze
One of the best things about El Dorado Casitas Royale is that even though it is undeniably a mega resort, each of the pods of casitas have their own pool and beach area, making the experience far more intimate.
If you want to play pool volleyball with 200 of your closest — and loudest — friends, you can always wander down to the main pools but if you just want some quiet time with a few friends at a swim-up bar, there's a stool with your name on it just down the stairs from your room.
This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.
Morning Swim
Happy Friday! Time for a swim!
This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.
Pylons
This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone at El Dorado Royale in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Only Statues Stand Still
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
VIDEO: Poolside at El Dorado Royale
El Dorado Royale is a magnificent resort on Mexico's Riviera Maya, near Playa del Carmen. We spent a short week relaxing by the Caribbean and poolside with friends who were visiting for the wedding of two of our good friends. It's just as beautiful as it looks!
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Cameras used to film this video:
DJI Mavic Pro
GoPro Hero
Sony a6300
Go full screen and click the image above to zoom in and explore the panorama.
El Dorado Royale
When you are down there, wandering through El Dorado Royale, you know it's a massive place but I never really understood the sheer scale of the project until seeing it from above.
This photograph was captured by turning the camera on my DJI Mavic Pro sideways, so it was in portrait mode, and then taking a dozen vertical photographs and later stitching them together back home. If you zoom in, you can see each pod of casitas in the middle, the family resort on the far right and the original resort on the far left.
Fun fact: nearly all of Bob and Christa Mason's wedding guests are somewhere in this photograph, getting ready for the ceremony.
Deep Discussion
This is Andrea and Lori, catching up after a few months, at the Mason wedding at El Dorado Royale in Playa del Carmen, Yucatan, Mexico.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
Mr. and Mrs. Mason
We spent the last week with great friends celebrating the marriage of Bob and Christa. This photo was captured just as the official started the sentence, "And now it is an honor for me to pronounce you husband and wife." I love the look she's giving him.
Christa and Bob, we're so happy for you and honored that you chose to share your special day with us! Thank you!