Bonus Post--Dinner at the Oasis,

On our last night, Marisol asked us if we would like to dine at the new Sian Ka'an resort located on property across the highway, and provide her with our review following dinner. . .of course we jumped at the chance!

Gee Toto, We’re Not in Kansas Anymore!

As our driver brought us over the bridge, along the softly-lighted winding brick road, something felt different.  It was quiet and serene, compared to the “fiesta feeling” you get 24/7 on the other side of the Highway.  As we approached the Sian Ka’an Resort, we were surprised by the sharp contrast in architecture, compared to the other three older resorts at the same location.  The Coba, Akumal, and Tulum resorts all feature traditional Mayan-inspired architecture—thatched roofs, marble and travertine tile, and Spanish Villas with arches and columns.   In contrast, the Sian Ka’an resort features an ultra-modern and monochromatic style of architecture, which one would more expect to see on the cover of Architectural Digest rather than in the Rivera Maya.  The buildings are awash with bright ice-white fluorescent lighting, enhancing the ultra-modern feel of the resort.  Although very nice, we couldn’t help but wonder how our fellow American travelers might embrace this “little Santa Barbara” oasis in the middle of the Mayan Riviera. 

The Oasis is no exception.  With three exterior walls of glass and brushed aluminum, beige polished travertine floors, limestone accents, and ice-white fluorescent lighting, it’s a sharp contrast to the expected.

The Menu

The menu features 6 different starters, none of which include red meat.  All are either seafood or vegetarian.  There are two soups from which to choose (either an asparagus cream with ham chips, or a traditional seafood soup scented with Pernod.   Entrees include 3 fish and seafood selections, as well as 4 from the meat and poultry section.

Starters

For my starter, I chose the Red tuna Carpaccio “Oasis” which is accented with a tomato coulis, olive oil and a very mellow soy sauce.  Shirley ordered the Marinated salmon with fine herbs.  Both were raw seafood starters and very tasty.  The portions, however seemed far larger than necessary, especially the Tuna Carpaccio in the first photograph below.  Neither of us finished the entire course.  The presentation, especially on the salmon was very nice.

Soup

Shirley chose the Asparagus Cream with ham chips, beautifully presented in a wide-rimmed serving bowl.  She loved it.  I chose the traditional seafood soup with pernod.  The seafood soup was a very close variation on San Francisco Cioppino.  It featured 4 types of sea and/or shellfish in a tomato base that was flavored with a hint of pernod.   I found myself wishing for a piece of crusty sour dough to dunk in the flavorful broth.  The portion was far too large.

Entrées

The entrée choice was a tough one for me—I had to choose between the Magret duck and the Surf and Turf (which featured Shrimp with a filet of lamb).  Because I had already ordered lamb once during the week, I chose the duck.  Shirley chose the Seafood Platter which featured mussels, prawns, scallops, and shrimp with garlic butter.  The Magret duck entrée was black pepper-crusted and featured a coffee sauce.  The boneless duck breast was sliced on the bias and fanned over a generous portion of sweet potato puree.  Portions were plentiful, but just right.

Dessert

Our waiter gave us the option of two or three baked desserts, plus three different helados (Ice cream).  I chose the layered chocolate cake with raspberries and strawberries.  Shirley chose the strawberry ice cream. . .Beautiful presentations on both.  The chocolate cake featured a silky butter cream filling which was excellent. 

Service

We were attended to by two waiters and the service was impeccable.  Both gentlemen had an excellent command of both English and Spanish (and likely other languages as well), and offered us very prompt and refined service.  Never once did we want for anything.  This is indicative not only of this restaurant, but every Al a Carte restaurant at which we dined during the week.

Nearing the End of our Vacation!

Thursday night we dined at Mikado, which is a Japanese Steakhouse. . .an upscale Benihana.  We were seated an an exhibition table, between two French Canadian couples neither of whom spoke a word of English or Spanish.  They talked across us to each other during the entire dinner.  I wish I could blame someone else for this seating issue, but we chose our own seats and lady luck was not on our side.  Still the dinner and cooking show was awesome. . .Here we are enjoying:

If you plan to travel to the Riviera Maya and stay at the Gran Bahia Principe Coba.  This is the most important piece of information you will need. . .You will need to find one of these two people--Raymundo Valle or Marisol Martinez--THEY MADE OUR VACATION!  They made sure that our every wish and desire was granted. . .and then some that we didn't even expect.  The Gold Standard by which we assess quality at resorts and restuarants--"The DISNEY Standard", was surpassed by the work of these two people:

Here we are with Raymundo Valle.  He took care of most of the work leading up to our arrival, making sure that our accommodations were top notch, and that we received all the amenities of the resort's most valued guests.  He made al a carte restaurant reservations for us in advance, met us upon arrival with a welcome drink, and made himself available throughout our stay in the event there was anything we needed.

Here we are with Marisol.  She went way out of her way to make things special throughout our stay as well.  .Pulling strings for us, when we changed our minds at the last minute to eat in a certain restaurant, having special things sent to our room, and THEN. . .Arranging for us to have dinner at the OASIS restaurant on our last night. . .

I have contact information for both of these people, and should you wish to stay at the Gran Bahia Principe Coba, I will forward it to you.

We didn't post anything on Friday, because we spent the entire day at the beach and did not want to waste even one minute of our last day in paradise. . .Here's Shirley at the beach. . .Relaxing. . .

Here I am feeding a school of Angel fish.  . .If you take a crust of bread and wade out into the Caribbean, soon you'll have schools of hundreds of brightly-colored fishes all around you. . .Angel Fish, Perch, Bass, etc.  begging and eating right out of your hands. . .

Vivimos la Vida Dulce!. . .We're Living the sweet life

We had WIFI problems at the hotel yesterday, so I didn't get a chance to post anything. . .Today, I'll make up for it!!

Tuesday afternoon we decided (okay, I decided) that we should head into Playa del Carmen so that Shirley can have the experience of "Regatear" (Haggling) with the aggressive merchants. . .One guy had the audacity to say to me "Don't be so CHEAP!"  In plain English!  Shirley bought a couple of trinkets. . .I didn't buy anything.

We rode on the Collectivo.  We walked a short distance to the main road (pretty much an expressway).  There we stood on the side of the road, and soon a minivan came racing toward us with lights flashing  and horn beeping (asking us if we want a ride). . .We waved and he stopped just past us like he was picking up a hitchhiker, and then "backed up" on the expressway.  Still we got on, and I'm sure Shirley was worried about her safety at first.  But it was a very nice air conditioned mini van, and a safe ride to Playa del Carmen.  GREAT American music enroute to Playa.  If you come here, definitely use the Collectivo. . .It's reasonable ($3 per person each way to Playa del Carmen and back) which is about a 30 minute drive.  A taxi is over $30 one way.  Look for this symbol on minivans (the public transportation here):

Here's a picture of Shirley and me in downtown Playa del Carmen:

Our Dinner at Le Gourmet was SOOO Freaking Fantastic, we had to go back to the same restaurant last night for more.  I told you all about Raymundo Valle, who sets us up with our every wish. . .After our dinner at Le Gourmet, we met an associate of Raymundo. . .Marisol Martinez.  REMEMBER THESE TWO NAMES IF YOU EVER WANT TO COME TO THIS RESORT (we'll take some pictures with them before we leave).  They will make sure that your vacation is all that you dream.  Marisol pulled a couple of strings and got us a second reservation at Le Gourmet right away.

At Le Gourmet. . .From the minute you walk in the door, the staff is attentive. . .As soon as you are seated, a cocktail (Kir Royale) arrives along with a warm wash cloth.

Here are some culinary pictures of our dinner there on Tuesday and Wednesday:

My appetizer of Terrine de Fois Gras. . .MUY Delicioso! And Shirley's "Garden Salade". . .(To each his or her own)

We had our choice of two soups. . .A shellfish bisque (Fantastic) or Creme of Almond Soup (Heavenly).  I ate the Shellfish bisque the first night and Creme de Almond the second night. . .We will definitely have to make this. The next picture is my entree of marinated salmon with a satiny buerre blanc and a combination of red and black caviar. . .Comida de Los Reyes (Food of the Kings). . .Shirley had grilled shrimp

Then the desserts. . .We each ordered a different cold souffle.  I had asked the staff if they could prepare sometihing tableside. . .They refused us (It was a busy night and I didn't see the Maitre D who usually does the flambees). . .The desserts look much better than they taste, as is consistent with our experience at almost all "all inclusive" resorts:

The second night, I chose an appetizer of roasted sea scallops with asparagus (Shirley ate that same salad she had the night before):

. . .Followed by Filet Mignon Rossini Style (with Fois Gras) and sauce bordelaise and three grilled shrimp:

Shirley ordered a chicken dish. . .Stuffed with mushrooms, pine nuts, and I can't remember what else:

We passed on dessert the second night. . .Instead, we had Bailey's on the Rocks!

The Guest Services Staff here (Raymundo and Marisol) never cease to impress us with little "Extras", always doing something more (like getting us reservations, even last minute; having the housekeeping staff do things to our suite. . .etc). . .Last night after we got back from dinner, here's what we found (along with another bottle of tequila):

 

(Those are chocolate kisses with almonds on the tails of the swans. . .lol)

The sweet life continues. . .My favorite thing to do during the day is to grab a lawn chair, pull it into the water, order up a tropical drink. . .like a bahama mama, pina colada, mojito, etc. . .Then just lie there basking in the sun. . .The waves wash up over you, keeping you slightly cool. . .The bottomless insulated mug keeps you cool on the inside. . .and you don't even have to get up to use the bathroom.  I stayed there WAY TOO LONG yesterday, and today I have a red stomach and chest to show for it.  More sunscreen today!!