Sayulita – Day 4

We spent a very lazy morning enjoying our beautiful deck before finally mustering up enough energy to walk over to Playa Los Muertos, a nearby beach.  Along the way we spotted this sign:

Which was similar sentiment to a sign I had seen at Sayulita beach the day before:

Playa Los Muesrtos is much smaller and quieter that Sayulita so I really enjoyed it.  We pitched our umbrella and settled in for a couple hours of laying out, reading, wading.   It seemed hotter today and I definitely picked up a little red today despite my best efforts to only get some tan.  A & M arrived later on, but by then EC and Mar had both finished their books so we were ready to head out.

Mar & I walked into town to get our daily posicle fix while EC headed home.   Since I hadn’t had any lunch I finally tried the Cajeta dipped in chocolate which was yummy – I love carmel.   We bought EC a frozen banana and walked home to clean up before our fiesta.

Our housekeepers were already cooking up a storm and it smelled great – tonight they made ceviche, grilled fish, pork ribs, guac, salsa and flan:

It was a breeezier night on teh deck, but a great way to spend our final night – good food, good friends, good times…

Popsicle count of the day:  1 (cajeta with chocolate)

Sayulita – Day 3

Mar’s friend Amanda planned an adventure for us to check out the big market a few towns away today – it only happens weekly but supposedly included artisans from across the region, and as far as Oaxaca.  After a quick breakfast at home, we met the rest of trh group at their house, then walked down to the main square to negotiate a taxi (which Amanda successfully haggled down to about $10/person – nice work!)  It was about a 45 minute drive with 8 of us plus a small child smooshed into a big surbanban, but it was fun to drive out a bit and see the towns along the way.

Arriving in La Pineta, our driver dropped us next to the ”Comida China” restaurant, so that was an easy landmark to remember.  We then spent the next two hours wandering the streets, checking out the wares.  There weren’t as many artisans as I had hoped, though I did buy a small elephant toy from a mother who was working on other such toys as she sold them, with her daughter perched nearby.  Mar got some pottery.  But many of the stalls at the far end streets were everyday items like dishes, beauty products, flip flops, remote controls, toys, lime squeezers, etc.   EC and I shared some baked goods and also scoped out a popsicle shop for everyone to enjoy once we reconvened.  While the shopping wasn’t as amazing as I had hoped, it was nice to sit in the shade on the steps of the church in the central square watching folks go by…

Back in Sayulita, Mar, EC & I continued our shopping ways since we had really checked out our own town that much yet.  There are some cute shops here mixed in between the delicous fish taco stands (of which we tried a new for lunch – one where EC had seen the cops eating so it must be good right?).   We of course ended our spree across town with a popsicle before trekking back up the hill.

Once home, the other girls headed in for siesta time while I relaxed on the upper deck.  Once EC was up though, the two of us walked down to the beach for some evening sun.  The waves were big today, so lots of folks were out surfing.  this beach is much busier that the one we were at yesterday with lots of surfers, Stand-up paddle boarders, boats going in and out, body surfers, boogey boarders.  Mar had stayed at home for this beach session, and her only request was “come back before dinner” – so after awhile we stopped quickly by the store in town the up the hill to cook up our leftovers together.

But first, we had a surprise visit from A & M who had finally found some churros in town – the rest of the group had been on a mad search for churros and none had been spotted yet until today.  They were warm, and crunchy, delicious enjoyed on our lower patio which had yet to use.

Once A & M left we skyped briefly with the Aussie, then enjoyed a quiet evening at with our leftovers feast, a few magazines, and the relaxation of our deck.

Popsicle count for the day:  2 (coconut and passionfruit)

PS:  After dinner, we did have a repeat viewing of one of my favorite SNL sketches I had shared with the girls on our first trip to Mexico a couple years ago and we’ve been replaying live pretty much every day since being here.  I received it as homework from a spanish teacher and it’s pretty awesome – check it out here:  La Policia Mexicana

Sayulita – Day 2

Lazy morning on the patio, reading magazines, staring at the view, Mar cooking up breakfast burritos – pretty nice life.  Eventually we got ourselves dressed and out the door to hit the beach.  Along the way though, we ran into  A & Z who were heading to the next town over, so we jumped into a cab with them for impromptu adventure.  First though, we had to rehydrate with a popsicle  – today I tried watermelon, very refreshing (though this is a pic of EC’s Lime).

This “town”, San Pacho, had an even better, quieter beach than ours so it was great.  The three of us laid out near the waters edge while A&Z wandered the streets.  Once we needed lunch, we conveniently ran back into them, and they led us to a nice gallery and then a yummy fish taco joint.  Bellies full, we shared a cab back home to Sayulita.

Our house is up on top of a big hill so there are about 125 stairs to get down to the beach.  With extra time on my hands I decided to get in a little work out and trudged up and down them five times – it wasn’t easy since they curve and have varying states of level, width and height.  Made it a good challenge.  Back at the top after the last set I chugged some water then cleaned up because we were hosting a dinner party that evening!

Mar has a bunch of friends down here at the same time, so we commissioned our house staff to cook a feast for everyone.  Mar brought up extra tables and chairs from the lower patio so the upper deck was transformed into our own little taverna.  Our cooks totally delivered:  chicken enchiladas, chicken mole, guacamole, salsa, beans, rice, chile rellenos and flan.   total per person was about $16, with lots of leftovers – amazing!   (We hired them to come back Friday night too)

It’s just so nice to hang out on the upper deck chatting with friends, listening to the waves, looking at the stars, laughing at the geckos, blasting the greek pop hits from the ipod dock….

Popsicle count for the day:  1 (Watermelon)

Sayulita?

yes, Sayulita – I have unexpectedly found myself in Sayulita, Mexico for 4 days with Mar & Eleni thanks to my pretty awesome hubby.  Mar & Eleni already had this trip planned and with changes in my schedule I was able to buy a reasonable ticket last minute (yay Alaska miles!) and crash their journey halfway through.

For those of you that don’t know, Sayulita is a small coastal about 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta.  I arranged a taxi through our house rental and after an hour delay for air transit due to fog at SFO, finally landed in the sunshine around 5:00pm.  Once I reached the house, I was greeted by this:

pretty great way to kick off 4 days of relaxation.  we wandered into town that night for fish taco dinner and popsicles, then stopped by the house where Mar’s friends are staying nearby.  It’s totally surreal to be here, but I’m excited…

Popsicle count for the day:  1 (lime)

Cancun – Day 3

Same schedule today:  breakfast, pool, beach, lunch.  Of course things got altered slightly as we had to check-out at one point and then eventually had to check-in at the Paradisus.  BK & I left to the Paradisus after lunch to go play in their pool which was fun.  They have nice tiled lounge chairs built into the pool.

The main event started at 4:30pm down on the beach.  It was beautiful setting and funny to see all the random onlookers that peered over to watch the ceremony along with us.  Afterwards a nice beach reception was set-up (including white leather couches and cube tables that lit up from within).  As the sun set and photos were completed, we all moved up to the terrace for dinner and dancing.  It was a great night for Courtney & Grace.

Cancun – Day 2

Once again we grabbed breakfast then spent the morning at our secluded pool spot, followed by lunch and time at the beach.  This time we checked out a couple kayaks and cruised along the coast line down to Paradisus and up past the other end of Excellence.  Afterwards we walked up the beach to check-out the Paradisus since we’d be moving in there the following day.  It was much different mood since they allow kids and families – much more busy and hectic.  They also only have one giant pool rather than several winding pools, so everyone is congregated in the same area.   I imagined it would be a fin place to stay for the night, but I’m definitely glad we got sent over to the Excellence for the bulk of our stay.

After walking we went back to our room to shower and change for the reception that night, as well as to hopefully catch the first part of the Huskies/Cal game on TV.  We only got to see a chunk of the first half but BK kept tabs through the night as we celebrated next door.  Court & Grace had arranged a cocktail reception on the pool terrace which was lovely – it was nice to catch up with his family and meet some of their NYC friends.  Eventually Mar, Charlie & Janet arrived from their flight so it was good to catch up with them too.  Dinner was next, before we wrapped up the evening back at the Excellence.

Cancun – Day 1

In the morning we grabbed breakfast from the buffet then joined and organized bike tour at 9:30am.  It was just us and another couple and though we had no idea what to expect or where we were headed I was excited.  It turned out we took the back roads into the nearby town of Puerto Morelos.  It was totally flat and easy despite several speed bumps and pot holes along the way.  The speed bumps were especially interesting – most of them were just one big ship rope laid across the road.  I thought the first rope was fluke, but then I realized it had an actual function as we encountered more and more of them.  The town was cute, one main square and a pier.  We stopped in town for 20-30 minutes to wander about but sadly we had not brought any cash or anything since we didn’t know about the stop.  I was very hot sweaty upon our return and looked forward to a dip in the pool.

They had forecast a chance of rains but it turned out to be a pretty nice day.  We found a secluded corner of a quiet pool to hang out in for the morning, featuring a shaded daybed and a hammock that swung over the pool.  Then after a quick lunch we spent the afternoon on the beach before heading to our evening spa appointment.

They have a great Spa at the Excellence; we booked one of their special promotions, the couples Vitality Ritual, i.e. a 50 minute massage and 50 minute facial.  But they had told us to come early to sauna and soak.  What we didn’t realize is that this early arrival was actually a well-orchestrated pre-spa treatment.  First they had us shower and wet sauna for a few minutes.  Next we jumped into a big jetted tub with several different stations we rotated through to jet our shoulders, backs, bellies, feets.  Next we walked over a small course of smooth rocks, before dipping into a cold plunge tub.  I thought it was pretty neat to have it so thought out.  Upstairs we each fell asleep during our massages and came out of our facials very shiny.  To cap it all off, they took us outside to lounge chairs for champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.

For dinner we had planned to try the French restaurant but there was a 90-minute wait.  Instead we joined the Friday night fiesta that had been set-up in the main square area of the resort.  We were sat with a table full of Canadians who were fun to talk to and the food was pretty good.  I also enjoyed the roaming mariachi bands.

LAX-CUN

Up early for our 8:00am flight to Cancun.  The good news was that first class had room so we got upgraded!  The flight wasn’t too bad and I finally got to watch The Blind Side.  Landing in Cancun we scored as we arrived in Immigration just as a new line opened up.  Of course that time advantage was negated when it took our bags awhile to arrive and then I got the red light in Customs.  But eventually we got everything we needed, found a shuttle and settled into our hotel, the Excellence resort.  The wedding  was actually taking place next door at another resort, Paradisus, but they had overbooked somehow.  We and a bunch of others attendees were the lucky few who got bumped over to the Excellence, which turned out to be much nicer and Adults-only.  Our room was big, overlooking one of the pools.  BK immediately cranked on the AC as we unpacked and changed to hit the pool.

One of the pools had a very slow lazy river aspect with blue floaties you could glide around on.  It was not nearly as fun as the lazy rivers in Vegas or Sydney, but it was nice to splash in for bit after spending the day on the plane.  It was cloudy and windy though, with a threat of rain coming the next day, so after a lap we headed in to change for dinner.

There were several restaurants to choose from but we decided lobster sounded good – it’s all inclusive, so you have to take advantage right?  We shared three appetizers to start:  seafood bisque and seafood cocktail which were both pretty god, and a seafood cake that was pretty bready, not much seafood.  I got my lobster grilled with grilled vegetables and it was yummy.  For dessert we shared a key lime tart but sadly it had little flavor.

Zihuatanejo – Day 7

We spent the day out on the roof, enjoying our last few moments in Zihua.  A big cruise ship rolled in around 9:00am, so we got to watch it get aligned in the bay and then send it’s tenders back & forth to shore.  It was a beautiful morning and I loved our last two meals under the arbor.  Once packed up we left our pretty little condo in the afternoon and taxied to the airport.

The Zihua airport was quite an experience – prior to check-in, every bag had to be hand searched.  Then we went through X-ray screening.  AND then, all carry-ons had to be hand searched and each person patted down before getting on teh plane.  Craziness!

Sadly I did not get upgraded on this leg, but at least I had the exit row which provided some extra room.  Once at LAX I parted ways with the girls, picked up my rental car, and settled into the Crowne Plaza for the night, awaiting BK’s arrival in teh morning.

Zihuatanejo – Day 6

Our last full day in Zihua   I spent the morning doing laundry – amazing how quick things dry outside in a hot dry climate! 

After some leftover pescadillos for lunch I strolled down to the beach and walked to the far end before turning around to then hang out with Mar & Shanti for awhile.  Once we were all sufficiently super hot we headed up the hill towards our pool for a cool dip, running into Eleni on the way.  Our pool is super refreshing.

For dinner we hoped to go to one of teh highly recommended restaurants nearby, Kau-Kan, but unfortunately it was closed.  Instead we ended up at Il Mare which was high on atmosphere but mediterranean cuisine.  It was yummy but not the Mexican feast I was expecting to end the trip on.  They did put on some Greek music in honor if Eleni & Katina though, and EC even got up to dance with manager, Fernando.  Afterwards we walked to a new bar nearby, Espuma (which means foam en espanol)  It was beautiful – very high-end feel and ambience – a fun way to end Saturday night.