We first started talking about another family vacation in Christmas of 2023. Our mom felt that we were overdue for another trip, but I thought of how challenging it would be to coordinate as all of our work and life schedules were so different from each other now as adults.
The last couple of trips had been our parents with just one or two siblings and their families. This time, we wanted to plan a trip where the entire family including our parents, the four siblings, spouses, and grandkids could all come. I had also invited my in-laws on this trip and this turned out to be the most perfect turn of events for the little secret my husband and I had been keeping.
Somehow, the stars aligned and all of us were able to find a time in early October to make the trip to Xcaret Hotel Mexico. My sister and her husband had already previously stayed at Xcaret Arte and La Casa de la Playa and recommended the Xcaret Hotels. It made sense to book a trip at their family-friendly resort for 5 days and 4 nights of relaxation and adventure.
I can’t even remember the last time we took photos together as a family, but one of the things my mom had asked me to schedule was a family photo session. While Xcaret does offer photography services, I found the options limited for what we wanted. I hopped online and with just a quick Google search I came across Jorge’s website and his portfolio. I knew immediately that he was going to be the one that would be able to best capture our family in a way that would leave us remembering this trip fondly for the rest of our lives.
I can’t commend Jorge enough for his communication and guidance. Once I had settled on selecting him as our photographer, I messaged him on an early Tuesday evening about a month before our trip to ask him about availability and received a reply immediately with a date and time within our trip dates.
I went ahead with reserving our date and he followed up with logistical details that proved to be extremely helpful in getting our entire family over to Playacar Beach on the day of and even continued to answer many of my other questions leading up to the trip.
Our family session was not scheduled until day 2 of the trip, so the first day was a travel day for most of our family. We were all flying in just a day or two after Hurricane Milton had come through the northern part of Cancun, but thankfully Playa Del Carmen was largely untouched and our flights were never canceled as we were flying into Cancun Airport.
This was yet another sign, that the trip was meant to be and the news my husband and I had been waiting to share for almost 7 months would finally happen - we were pregnant! This is important to note as even Jorge did not know.
As I was already so far along, we broke the news to our parents immediately upon seeing them, and as expected, many tears of happiness were shed. I had also planned a gender reveal for our family and the concierge at the resort was extremely helpful in facilitating the receipt of the cake that I had ordered from Shoe Box Bakery Shop.
We had dinner the first night at La Cantina Los Faroles. The food was delicious and the staff was incredibly attentive, funny, and friendly. As the meal came to an end, we had the cake brought as dessert. Everyone made their guesses and we cut the cake to reveal that it was going to be a boy!
The next day, most of the family enjoyed a full day of adventure at Xplor Park which offers the highest zip lines in the Riviera Maya, amphibious vehicles, underground rafts, and more, before heading back to the resort to get ready for our photo shoot.
I was quite impressed by Jorge’s ability to coordinate such a large group of people and get not only all of the shots I had requested but also the ones I hadn’t thought of! Upon arrival at the meeting location, he introduced himself and walked with us to the beach where he quickly got set up. He also took a minute to learn everyone’s name so that he could direct us.
He is a detail-oriented photographer with a clear understanding of light and shadows. He was able to bring out a side of everyone positive and light-hearted, making it such a treat to work with him and more importantly a fun, comfortable experience for our family.
Once we moved to the portion of the shoot where it was couples and everyone’s own family, our turn came up. As Jorge was taking couples photos of us, he asked my husband to pick me up, but I revealed to Jorge that I was pregnant. He was so accommodating and offered alternative poses that would be more comfortable for me.
As the sun started to go down, Jorge surprised my husband and me with some additional maternity shots of just the two of us to end the entire session. His thoughtfulness to everyone’s needs and adjustment to our session to capture this special moment in our own lives was truly something else.
This was one of the best activities we did as a family and I highly recommend booking photo sessions such as this with Jorge if you’re ever in Playa del Carmen. The memories we made that day will never be forgotten and we are grateful that we will have these beautiful photos to look back on when we’re thinking of the memories and moments from this trip.
-Lisa and family
Location: Playacar Public Beach.
