Tuesday -- Catch a short flight to Houston to connect to our flight to Cancun, both on Continental and on time.  Flew through Mexican Immigration, got our luggage and dodged the tour 'sharks' (caught but said 'no'), get to Customs and got the 'green light', dodge more tour 'sharks' (fell for it again but said 'no') and out to find Funjet representative.   Since no one else around to share a van with, we get a 'private car' (don't envision a Lincoln Town Car - envision a Dodge Stratus) with Gustavo, a good driver (unlike most that drive like a maniac), for the 50 minute ride to Aventura Spa Palace Resort (ASP). Quick check in at the Spa side lobby with a glass of Champagne, golf cart it up to the room (Aventura side, 'Accordian' Building, Room 2323, or the 'Michael Jordan Suite' as I called it - or would that be Room 2345?).  Nice spacious room with big tub and shower, a king bed, and a hooch dispenser attached to the wall.  Then go to our 'Welcome Orientation' which is informative but also a time share sale attempt which we brush off.  Then went to Chaza Travel desk to sign up for our one included tour (Tulum ruins). Dinner time so we hit the buffet at Ventanas which is good with Mexican wine and I liked the Roquefort beef, then look around some more and sit by pool, check out the Aventura side lagoon and walk around beach which is like concrete and has lots of rocks.  Then call kids (AT&T Wireless turned to Telcel GSM) and was very clear.  Go to sleep early after a long travel day.

Wednesday --  Up early to shower and shave (so much for the 'Agua Purificada' sign as I fill the sink to shave with brown water! - I guess it COULD still be pure?!) and head to breakfast buffet in Mundaca for an assortment of breakfast yummies.  Then meet with Funjet rep to schedule return to airport for ride home and he tries to sell us some tours but no sale.  Then out the door for the walk to Puerto Aventuras (PA) to set up snorkeling trip and look around.   Go to Dive Aventuras and no trip 'til 1:00 so we look around PA and watch the Dolphin Discovery.  Back to Dive Aventuras and just the 2 of us go out in the boat with Juan to Xpu-Ha Reef and see some fish with a Barracuda sighting at the end, and then to Caleta Inlet with fish but it's very murky so can't see well or take many pictures.  On the way back to the dive shop I notice a neat trick; when I lean my head forward, water runs out of my nose (I believe this is due to Endoscopic sinus surgery I had in 2000 but didn't happen when I snorkeled in 2001 - oh well!).  Then head to The Cove bar and have some Dos Equis on the swing / barstool.  Head back (literally!) to ASP for snack at Aventura Beach Bar and then to the beach (picked up some little shells - more on this later) but cut short by thunder.  Back to room for hammock time and a shower and a little rest and notice a couple of times one of shells from the beach is in different place than we had placed it - pick it up and some little legs are hanging out so we escort it back to the beach and off to La Hacienda restaurant for dinner. Sauteed Tequila Shrimp and Beef Tenderloin were great. Then go to the Q Bar to watch Spurs game in Espanol (was TNT broadcast, with ESPN Deportes sportscasters, on Sky Network) with some drinks, then to sleep.

Thursday: Up early and head again to Mundaca for the breakfast buffet and then to Aventura lobby to catch tour to Tulum with Chaza Travel.  Stop to get people at Xpu-Ha Palace, bus votes to skip the Lapis jewelry store, then to Tulum ruins.  Skirt past the billion sales people to the restroom where it's 20 pesos to take a leak, though money taker's not real into it.  Then walk down the path to the site with our very interesting and excellent Mayan guide, Andres.  Then get free time to look around; the site is very interesting and the beach is awesome.  Running late so we take the tram back and stop for a refreshment when I notice Modelo regional beers Leon and Montejo in the cooler.  SCORE!!!!!!  Get back back to the tour bus and since there's a 5 minute wait I run and get another Leon (definitely give these a try when in the Yucatan; didn't see hide nor hair of them in '01 but saw a lot this time, including the Airport main terminal).  Got to witness the interesting driving technique on the two lane part of 307 (the main coast road from Cancun to Tulum) where when you pass, you drive down the middle of the road and the cars coming and going get over.  Back at ASP and head to the Spa to set up massages for Friday, look around the Spa side and lunch at El Greco.  To the room to change into our suits and to the beach, then pool where the water felt like 90 - 95 degrees F.  Drops of rain so head back to room, do some hammock time, shower, then head to the Spa side oriental restaurant, Mo Mo No Hana, which was good, grab a beer and head back to room to try out jacuzzi but when we turn jets on some funky brown stuff started floating around so we bailed, went to sleep.

Friday: Sleep in!  I went out to take beach and pool pics before crowded (although I did notice one particular hill, which I called 'Coconut Hill', was already occupied), head to breakfast at Mundaca again since it's close to the room, then go to beach and hang there.  First sign of a little dehydration but the Banana Daiquri at 9:30 a.m. may have helped that.   Took the kayaks out for a spin around the Lagoon, then to the Pool Bar area for a burger.  Then to the pool with no chairs so we dump our stuff and jump in.   Stay there awhile then up to room to shower and over to 'Spa Palapa D' for an 80 minute Therapeutic Massage (''A restoring massage that employs various techniques like acupressure, reflexology and body stretching to achieve a deep therapeutic effect helping to reduce stress, improves circulation and joint mobility.'') for each of us. Looked around the Spa side some more and called Funjet rep to verify our pick-up.   Then head to Mundaca for steak and some 'aciddy' Mexican wine. Then over to Spa lobby to pay bill and then to the Q Bar to watch some of the Spurs game, then back to room to pack and off to sleep.

Saturday: Up early to finish packing and over to Mundaca for quick breakfast, call for the Bellman and golfcart it to the Spa lobby to catch shuttle to airport. 8 people in van and we watch the van in front of us hit a deer just north of Playa del Carmen without slowing down. Get to airport and grab a bite at Burger King and a Victoria beer in the Corona Bar (also had Leon and Montejo). Flight out of Cancun packed and takes off on time but we have to wait for our gate to clear in Houston and our hour between flights shrinks.  We make it through U.S. Immigration and Customs and run (Go O.J., Go!) and barely make our connecting flight. Land on time and home at 6:05 p.m.

Summary: Great trip!  Room was nice, food was excellent, even the weather was typical tropical with warm days, late afternoon cloud build-up and maybe a sprinkle, and a pleasant night.

Toplessness:  Being adults-only, the topless issue is probably more of a factor than most non-adults resorts on the Mayan Riviera.  My casual survey found about 15% of the women (99.9% men) topless down at the lagoon (Aventura side only) while only saw one or two at the pool.  Nearly all were unobtrusive about it and stayed on the loungers.  I only (vaguely) remember 3 that went on a 'Coconut Parade' (including one that went around the lagoon on a kayak and one parked right in a walkway in the middle of the pool).  As a 'prude American', I have to admit it was a little weird then seeing these people in a restaurant ... but no big deal.

Only complaint would be the beach - we knew that ASP has a lagoon instead of a traditional beach.  However, I didn't think it (the northern end of the Aventura side) would be like a hardened bunker and have 1 inch rocks in places.  Will admit the lagoon has it's advantages where you can use it all the time and no red flags, which would be the case and is proven when you look over the breaker wall.  Didn't help seeing the awesome beaches at the Omni Puerto Aventuras and Tulum.  This would be the ONLY reason I would not recommend the resort (we're not the type that stay the same resort twice though, so we won't return).