Day 4---We still have half a vacation left!

Last night we at at Mediterraneo.  Excellent Cuisine.  First a trip to the appetizer bar, which featured well over 50 assorted hot and cold appetizers and salads. . .Again I chose a vast assortment. . .Procuitto with melon, Marinated Fresh Tuna, Spanish torte (sort of like quiche), etc.  We both had the roasted garlic bisque which was out of this world. . .very mellow, and not pungent like we eat garlic in the US.

I ordered Lamb Chops which were marinated in Thyme, Rosemary, tropical juices, and hint of curry--served with a tropical chutney.  The picture doesn't look like much, but it was out of this world.  It came with a potato tart, similar to the dinner the night before, but more flavorful. . .

Shirley had the Lemon Rosemary Chicken which she said was equally as good:

We sampled an assortment of desserts from the buffet.

Our Waiter, Bejamin was entertaining and catered to our every wish. . .I think he liked Shirley. . .

The trip has been very relaxing so far, we have not ventured out on any excursions yet. . .Perhaps tomorrow we'll check out the artisan markets. . .and perhaps swim with the dolphins.  I've done the zip line thing before, and Shirley is not interested in that.

Shirley is loving all the little details that the staff goes out of their way to provide for us. . .Like champagne in our room, the plate of goodies on our pillow at night, the little animals made out of the towels, the robes and slippers, etc. 

Women fall for the stupidest shit, 'eh?. . .Personally I like the Champagne, Bloody Marys, and Mimosas at every breakfast. . .and the attentive service at the beach and by the pool, wherein they never leave your glass empty!  At breakfast time, we eat the buffet, which like all other all-inclusive resorts offers close to a hundred hot and cold options for every taste, plus anything you wish cooked to order, plus homemade breads, pastries, and croissants. . .Here's what I had this morning:  Arroz con leche (Rice with Milk) and raisins and nuts, a made-to-order Spanish Omelette, Papaya, and watermelon. . .and of course a glass of champagne!

First thing when we wake up in the morning, we have coffee on our Lanai.  This morning Shirley took this picture of me at coffee time. . .

Of course I had to return the favor! 

This is what she looks like in the morning. . .SHE's GONNA KILL ME!

After breakfast we headed to the beach. . .Here's one for the boys:

Tonight we eat at Le Gourmet!  I'm hoping for a culinary extravaganza. 

Life's a Beach. . .Still only Day 3

Right on Schedule at 10:30 am, the rain stopped and out came the sun. . .temp about 86 degrees--a little cooler at the beach.  There's a nice breeze off the Caribbean.  Shirley got a little too much sun by the pool, so I had to go down to the beach by myself (and a pina colada)  while she napped in the air conditioning for a while. . .



Yes, Life's a Beach--Get all you can before you die!

Still pretty white. . .but I have a few more days to tan up!  We're still using SPF-30, we might try going down to SPF-10 tomorrow.

Usually when you travel in the off-season, there is some drawback.  Shirley and I tried to think of one here.  We couldn't.  The weather is grand, no crowds, prices are reasonable, the staff attends to your every wish and whim, no screaming kids (save for a ton of Brits on holiday--very few with children). . . A few honeymooners. . .And of course the affluent Mexican Jet Set. . .Lots of Spaniards, a few Italians (we met a cool couple from Milan yesterday--Antonio and Marianna, neither spoke a word of English. . .We spoke a combination of Spanish and Italian and were able to communicate). . .

The architecture is very Myan. . .all the main buildings have thatched roofs (yes, they leak some when it rains) and the tiled floors can get slippery. . .Here you can see the thatched roofs:

No Crowds!  Notice how many empty beach chairs there are:

Tonight we dine at Mediterraneo (we assume Mediterranean cuisine). . .Update tomorrow.  Raymundo set us up with a couple extra ala carte restaurants this morning. 

The entertainment is very good here. . .Not cheezy like the Riu resorts. . .It's Vegas (or Disney) quality.  Last night, there was a Michael Jackson Impersonator. . .with a full cast. . .Very well done.  If we didn't know Michael was dead, we would have sworn it was him! 
 

Rain This AM, Day 3

Woke up this morning to pouring-ass rain.  Looks like it should clear within an hour or so. 

Last night we went to the lobby bar for a drink before going to "El Pescador" an ala carte seafood restaurant.  I have to make a clarification.  Yesterday I said all the GOOD scotch (like JW Blue label, Chivas, Glenfiddich, etc) comes with an UPCHARGE.  The run of the mill stuff (JW Red Label, J&B, Passport--eew) is included at no extra charge.   Here we are having (yet another) cocktail!

Our Dinner at El Pescador was pretty good. . .Not spectacular.   Appetizers, Relishes and Salad were served buffet style. . .I selected an assortment of ceviches (octopus, calamari, shrimp, scallop, and crab). . .and some other seafood appetizers:

Shirley ordered the "tower of blue crab"  which was fried. . .it was "just Okay". . .

I ordered the special of the day, which was Grouper (lightly fried and very tasty).  It came with two layered potato wedges (potato layered with Parmesan cheese). . .tasty but begged for black pepper. . .which I added.

We also have Pets at this resort. . .This is a protected Jungle after all. . .So what is that funny looking animal??  No, Mr. Tomasi, it's not a Mexican Rat. . .

 It's a Mexican Raccoon. . .Pointed nose like an anteater. . .Ringed tail. . .

And everywhere you walk you see Iguanas. . .They move rather slowly here. . .They must be used to all the people. . .

Although we ARE having a good time, it's not COMPLETE BLISS. . .You really learn a lot about a person when you're with them 24/7. . .the QUIRKS come out. . .Some ADJUSTMENT is required. . .Sometimes you have to bite your tongue. . .which is harder for David to do than Shirley. . .Anyway, we've had a couple of DISAGREEMENTS so far. . .over neatness issues in the bathroom. . .and Shirley just laughs it off.  We have a nice suite, but it only has ONE bathroom. . .Next time, I'm going to ask for separate bathrooms.  Look at my side of the vanity compared to hers:

The fun continues, Day 2, October 24, 2010

We slept soooo well.  How could you not?  We haven't drawn a sober breath since we got here. . . I only have one bitch. . .All the good scotch has an upcharge.  So instead I have to settle for Mojitos, Manhattans, Martinis, and a myriad of other tropical delights. . .I'll be talking to Raymundo about that one. 

After a nice breakfast, we walked the beach. . .Our resort has about 2-3 km of beachfront. . .Impeccably maintained. . .

Here we are at breakfast. . .

 Stopping along the way for a couple of photo opps:

This afternoon, we'll spend our time by the pool sipping on mojitos...Ryan, 3:00 is Chunky Monkey time! (here they call them Myan Monkeys). . .

Tonight we have an ala carte dinner at Pescador. . .Gourmet Seafood. . .Watch for some culinary pictures tomorrow.

The Arrival, Day 1, Saturday October 23, 2010

So we arrived in Cancun about 10:00 Am. . .Anyone who's been here before knows that when you go through customs, you press a button, and you either get a green light, or a red light. . .If you get the green light, you walk through, if you get the red light. . .You stop and get your bags searched.  Shirley got the green light.  I got the RED LIGHT!  Aargh.  Shirley was worried that we would get detained because my suitcase was full of supplements. . .Vitamins, fish oil, creatine, taurine, glutamine. . .They didn't bat an eye. . .We got through.  I whisked shirley past the hundred and fifty timeshare salesmen. . .got on the shuttle and rode for 1.5 hours to our resort. . .VERY WELL WORTH THE DRIVE.  Absolutely beautiful.

Our resort is on the southernmost part of the Riviera Maya.  Tulum.  The name of the resort is Gran Bahia Principe Coba.  There are three resorts on this property and we can use all three.  Coba (the newest) where our villa is located.  Tulum, which is on the beach, and Akumal which is between our resort and the beach.  Our villa is very nice (the quiet part of the resort).  The weeks prior to our vacation, our friends Diane, Pat, and Laura from Canada introduced us to the Guest Services Manager here, Raymundo Valle.  He sees to it that our every wish and desire is granted.  He met us at the reception desk with a welcome cocktail.  He had pre-arranged some ala carte dinners for us, gave us his card and told us to call him anytime we needed anything further.

When we arrived in our room, we were greeted with a nice display of fruit and champagne.

Oh. . .And a bottle of tequila of course.  Plus the minibar is stocked with beer, pop, snacks, water, etc. . .

So then we started to unpack, and of course Shirley always makes fun of my neatness. . .She had to take a picture of my underwear and sock drawer as I was unpacking. . .

Plus a couple of pictures of the view from our balcony:

We quickly got unpacked, got our bearings of the property and headed to lunch. . .Here's a preview pic of the "quiet" part of the beach:

And Shirley enjoying her fist lunch. . .from the trough. . .

Note the Mojitos. . .We never eat without drinking. . .lol.  Looking at this picture, I see there's no food at my place. . .I must have drank my luch. . .I can't remember.  lol

The Departure, Day 1 -- October 23, 2010

Alexander drove us to the airport. . .We had to leave Alexander's apartment at 4:15 am!!  YIKES.  We checked in at the airport and I noticed a sign that said "Upgrade to first class" for $139.00.  Hmm.  4 hr flight.  I did a quick calculation. . .Without the upgrade, we'd have to pay $25 each for two bags.  With the upgrade, we get first class seats, on the plane first, a hot breakfast, all the booze we could drink, two free bag checks. . .I decided that we'd pay the $139 and get something, rather than pay $50 and get nothing. . .Even my father would have approved that one.    After the fact, I found out that Shirley has never flown first class.  Dangerous precedent.  Oh well, now I have two people in the family that won't ever again ride in the cattle car. . .Ryan and Shirley.   Here we are enjoying the flight.  Sun Country Airlines. . .Not a bad little airline. . .Much better than Delta or United. . .