TRAVEL TALES

Young Chang

“All-inclusive” was the key phrase during a trip taken in early June

by Xandra Laskowski, husband Joe and four other couples.

Unlimited food and drinks at the Moon Palace Sunrise resort in Cancun,

Mexico, for one all-inclusive price. Days and nights of swimming, scuba

diving and partying at the Mexican discos in an all-inclusive

entertainment package.

And most importantly, an all-inclusive circle of 10 friends.

Laskowski, her friend of 30 years Mechele Thayer, her co-worker

Loriann Lippy, their significant others and two other couples vacationed

in Cancun for no other reason than to take a trip as friends and breathe

in the salty, ocean air.

“It’s just one of those things you kind of do once in a while,” said

Loriann Lippy, a Costa Mesa resident. “It’s different than going

separately.”

They estimate they each drank about seven cocktails a day each --

which they had everywhere from the pool deck to the dinner table. Popular

favorites were the pina coladas, watermelon liqueurs, various mixed

concoctions and a native treat called the Voodoo Shot.

“But I had a rule,” said Laskowski of Newport Coast. “I’d have a

drink, and then a big glass of water, a drink and then a big glass of

water. If you didn’t follow that rule, you weren’t coherent that night.”

Laskowski said everyone spent most the day in swimsuits. The nights

were spent at the disco.

The couples also toured such historic sights as the Tulum Ruins in the

Mayan Riviera. They went diving at cenotes -- underground caverns and

caves in the Cancun landscape -- and explored stalactites and

stalagmites. In the evenings, they had dinner parties under the stars.

“My favorite part was being all together,” said Lippy, who works at

Ingram Micro, a computer peripheral distributor, with Laskowski. “My

husband said the most enjoyable part for him was not having to settle a

check among 10 adults.”

* Have you, or someone you know, gone on an interesting vacation

recently? Tell us your adventures. Drop us a line to Travel Tales, 330 W.

Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; e-mail young.chang@latimes.com; or fax to

(949) 646-4170.