Sun and Sand

Salud! Kevin and I headed off for a mid winter escape with our friends, T and R, to Mexico. We had discovered an amazing deal on Living Social back in September and had to jump on it. The trip was a 4 day catamaran sailing adventure off the coast of Mexico, leaving from Cancun. We would finish the trip up with 2 days at a wonderful resort, where R and I had vacationed several years ago. So, we made all the arrangements for the boys and as always it was a team effort--many thanks to Grammom, Poppy, Pop, Noni, LaLa and our neighbor M. Knowing the boys are in such great hands and having a great time themselves makes it easy on us to sneak away and enjoy time together.

We arrived in Cancun on Wednesday afternoon and easily found our driver. We headed straight to the marina. There truly is nothing like that island, sun, sand smell, especially in the middle of winter. The sun on my face made me instantly relax.

While they were prepping our boat, we had lunch and some island drinks as we looked out over the blue/green water.

Finally it was time to board, shoes off, no shoes for 4 days-gotta love it! The boat was beautiful. Our captain Meya and chef Jetsa welcomed us on board with a wonderful tropical drink. We put our stuff in our cabins, which were small but cute, our windows looked out at water level and we had a little window which was basically looking underwater.

The bathroom was interesting, it was my first experience with a "marine" toilet and frankly even after 4 days I didn't quite get the hang of the pumping. Also it was interesting to use the shower head which by day was your sink spout. But really who needed to look that pretty when you would spend all your time in a bathing suit with the wind blowing in your hair?

We set sail in late afternoon, enjoying the gorgeous views of the water and watching as Cancun disappeared out of sight.

Kevin enjoyed his island drink as we left the marina.

It was very cool to watch the sails go up and to feel us catch the wind!

Just can't get enough of that gorgeous water and pictures just do not do it justice!

We sailed to Contoy island. Jetsa whipped us up a snack as we had some cocktails, relaxed and toasted the start of adventure.

We anchored off of Contoy Island and watched an amazing sunset. Thankfully we still had good cell service, wo we got to talk to the boys who told us about their fun night with Jakey and how they were planning their next sleepover. They were back at our house with Grammom and Poppy finishing homework and getting ready for bed. It was so good to hear their happy chatter.

As the sun finally set, we had a wonderful dinner of pasta with shrimp in a light vodka type sauce along with a salad. It was wonderful. We had a couple more drinks and then turned in early, it had been a long travel day.
It was definitely a little hard for me to fall asleep the first night, the boat rocked gently and finally I was able to doze off.

We woke the next morning to gorgeous sun streaming through the windows. So amazing to peek through your window and see that gorgeous water.

After a yummy breakfast of fresh fruit and bagels, we set off again. This time we did a little fishing. After the guys told the captain they were into fishing, he was right on it. He loved to fish too. So while we sailed in what seemed like circles while they trolled for fish, R and I sat in the sun and relaxed. I so wanted to read my book, but I quickly learned that just like trying to read in a car, trying to read in a moving boat did not work for me. So I enjoyed my iPod and laid out on the trampoline and soaked up the sun.
Fishing wasn't very successful sadly, so no catch of the day for dinner. T managed to reel in some long skinny fish, I think they called it a needle fish.

We ended up anchoring off of Boca Inglesias, which is a small fishing island, only accessible by boat. You could see little houses and boats scattered along shore, but most of the island looked wooded.

We boarded the dingy, which I was unsure about, especially since it appeared you had to sit on the sides. I opted for the front seat on the floor.

Meya then took us through this amazing channel in the mangroves. It was so wild, it felt like we were in the amazon or somplace you would see on the Discovery channel. We saw lots of fish, stingrays, little crabs climbing on the trees and lots of birds. It was nature overload!

The channel opened up into what looked like a gigantic lake and we headed for one of the shores.

We beached the boat and then started a short hike to see the ruins of a 16th century spanish colonial church. According to our hosts in 1523 Francisco Montejo Jr. led an expedition ashore and was attacked by the local Maya.

Captain Meya had us spray with lots of bug spray and he wasn't kidding, we were definitely attacked on the hike. All I kept thinking is this better be good, because I hate buggy nature!
When we had first planned this trip we told the manager we didn't want to do the hike, we were all about being lazy and laying in the sun. But Meya talked us into it by telling us it was a short hike and we could wear our flip flops.

I am so glad we listened to him. It was sooo cool!! Just so amazing to explore something that old.

Kevin and T were discussing the craftsmanship and how strong all this was to still be standing especially in an area that sees some many tropical storms and hurricanes.
There were several different sections to the church compound. Meya told us that deer like to hang out here, he described them like the Key Deer we see in the Florida keys. We didn't see any that day. But we did get to see my favorite species...

Bats! We know how much Kevin and I love bats! NOT! There were a whole lot of them hanging in a couple of the buildings. It was pretty freaky! So glad we didn't wake them up!

After exploring a little bit we walked back to the dingy and then headed back through the mangroves to our boat. It was a great experience and I am so glad we went.

Back on the boat we had a fabulous lunch of fresh fish and veggies and salad. Jetsa is one amazing cook!!

The guys then went for a swim and Meya went snorkeling in hopes of finding us lobsters for dinner. How cool is that, that he would catch them snorkeling!! We were hoping he hit the jackpot!

Instead he comes back with this. Ewwwww, but he was insistant that is makes a fabulous ceviche. There is no way I was trying this, neither was R. Jetsa didn't look to keen on having to cook these things either!
I think she saw the looks on our faces, so she made two kids of ceviche, one with the octopus and one with shrimp. The shrimp ceviche was soo good. Kevin was brave and tried the octopus, though I am not sure it will be something he orders again!

Meya told us that the forecast called for winds that evening, so we could anchor here but it may not be pleasant sleeping or we could do a 3 hr sail to Isla Mujeres where there was a protected lagoon/marina. We opted for that!

The sail back was rough though. We were playing cards and T and I definitely wound up a bit sea sick. For me it was trying to read with the bouncing boat. The winds really picked up and it was chilly. Two cans of coke and my stomach finally settled.

We finally arrived and anchored and it was perfect. You could barely feel any wind back there. We had another amazing dinner of chicken with some fabulous glaze. Jetsa then had baked us from scratch a scrumptous chocolate cake with some fresh whipped cream. This was in honor of both of our anniversaries. T and R 20 years, Kevin and I 14 years. That was really sweet of her. Her and Meya toasted us and sat with us for a drink.

Sleeping was so peaceful that night, I dont think the boat moved at all! We awoke to a gorgeous peaceful morning. After breakfast, we sailed over to the other side of Isla Mujeres and docked. We got out to explore the town for a little bit. The beach was gorgeous.

The town was really cute, it reminded me alot of Playa del Carmen, but less flashy. Great little shops and we looked for a place to eat later that night, as we were scheduled to eat onshore. We did a little shopping, got the kids some presents and then headed over to the beach. Kevin hopped right in the water.

He floated around and I sat in the sun and enjoyed the gorgeous view (of the water, not Kevin-just kidding honey!)

We then got back on board and you could see off beyond Cancun that the skies were darkening. We were hoping it would stay over that way as we were headed out to snorkel Of course when we got to the snorkeling spot, it started to rain. But really, did that matter we would be wet anyway!

The snorkeling was so much fun. I LOVE snorkeling, I could have stayed out there for hours. There were these yellow fish who seemed so friendly, they would swim in a group all around. I just hovered still and they seemed to swim around me in a circle. I touched a couple of them. It was so wild.
I just love being under the water like a fish, exploring the coral and looking for little creatures hiding. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip.

After snorkeling and another great lunch, we did some more fishing, for barracuda this time. Kevin and T were supposed to be the ones fishing, but they seemed to lose attention and I noticed the line getting hit often. Kevin jumped up a couple times and caught some barracuda. The rod and reel were pretty heavy, so I was a bit hesitant.

A fish hit the line and Meya jumped down and hooked it for me. I got to reel it in. It was hard, though I am not sure if it was the fish fighting or that the large rod and reel were awkard for me. But I got the barracuda in and I have the bruise on my stomach as a war wound.

Kevin caught a few more and unlike in the Keys when we have fished for barracuda in the past, there is no catch and release here. They like to eat them. Again..no thanks on that one. Meya kept saying good ceviche, good ceviche. Seriously, no thanks.
We headed back to the marina. The rain was coming in. We watched a bunch of people board sunset party boats. It was hysterical, some really great people watching. This is how we spent our cocktail hour, people watching and eating the best guacamole made by Jetsa. Despite the rain we were having a great time!

Since it was raining hard, Meya told us we could just eat on the boat tonight, which was good because none of us wanted to walk around the island in the rain. So Jetsa made a huge meal of steak and shrimp. The shrimp was unbelievable. She also made us the yummiest margaritas. We sat inside playing cards, listening to music and stuffing ourselves on the best food!

We woke to another gorgeous morning, the rain had passed on. The sun was out in full force. We enjoyed our last breakfast on the boat and then began the sail back to Cancun. The water was crystal blue. We stopped to watch the dolphins training which was really neat. I know Alek would have loved that.

The sail back to Cancun was perfect.
It was sad that our sail time was coming to an end, but I was looking forward to a real shower at the resort! We soaked up the last minutes on the boat relaxing in the sun. Then we docked, packed up and said our good byes. Meya and Jetsa were the best, we had so much fun. I would highly recommend Cancun Luxury Sailing Advenutures. They do a great job all around, it was an amazing experience and one I hope we can do again somewhere down the road!

After we said our good byes, we headed to our resort for 2 days of pure relaxation. We finally got over to Hotel Marina El Cid Spa and Beach Resort.

This is where R and I came a few years back on a long girls weekend. It was definitely more crowded this time, I think everyone has caught onto this gem! When we were checking in, we were offered an upgrade for $100/night for a oceanfront 2 bedroom suite. We decided to take it and wow was it worth it!
It was huge! our balcony took up half of one side of the building. Each bedroom had its own balcony section and then the living area did as well and there was a hot tub on the deck too!

This was the view from our suite! R and I headed down to the spa to book our appointments for that night and then next night and then headed back to the beach to relax with the guys. I had a cold mojito in my hand, toes in the sand and finally was able to read my book-life was good!

We soaked up the sun and then headed to the spa for our massages. At this spa, you go an hour early. You go through this whole process: first you sit in the sauna. While in there they bring cool clothes with a cucumber scent for your eyes. After that you either take the cold shower or cold plunge in this little pool. Then it is off to the steam room where again you get this cool cloth. After that, back to the cold shower and then into the hot tub. They bring you cucumber water as you relax in the hot tub. After that you walk on this stone pathway with a cool spray for your feet. Then you are wrapped in a cozy robe and you relax in a lounge chair. Again a cool cloth is placed over your eyes and next thing you know you are getting a neck and head massage. It is FABULOUS! and this is all before you even go in for your massage.
I was seriously relaxed, I felt like jello. God I love that place!

Afterwards we went back to the room to wash up. My first real shower in days was perfect. I was so relaxed. We talked to the boys who were now at our house with Pop and Noni. Alek was bummed after losing his basketball game, but being spoiled was helping things. The boys also welcomed two new members to our household-Sonic and Gilbert, the betta fish. Gotta love grandparents for buying something like that! So hopefully the boys will keep up their enthusiasm and take good care of these fish!

After that we headed out to dinner to the nicer restaurant of the resort, kind of a fusion place, seafood, spanish flare.
Our dinner that night was really good. We had another fun evening!

This is our suite, the top floor, that middle section and the two on either side-how cool is that?

After breakfast we plopped ourselves on the beach and pretty much stayed there all day. I flew through my book, making up for lost time. Kevin and I then hung out at pool bar for awhile, enjoying the drinks and the people watching.

After lunch, Kevin, R and I took a walk over to the marina as we were feeling pretty full. Those buffets will kill you!

After our walk we plopped back on the beach and watch the fun unfold. The activities people had a bunch of people doing some beach olympics. It was hysterical to watch. Drunk people trying to be coordinated!

Pretty soon it was time for R and I to head back to the spa for another round of pampering. I felt so lucky and so relaxed. I think I dozed off during my massage.

After we recovered from our pampering we headed out for our last dinner of our vacation. We headed over to the marina restaurant by the water. When R and I were here last it was all open air, though now it was enclosed. We still had another great meal and toasted this fabulous trip!

The next morning, I woke early and thankfully was able to sit on the balcony and watch a gorgeous sunrise. Kevin came out to join me. It was a nice quiet moment of peace before a hectic day of travel.

We checked out and said our good byes to El Cid. We totally plan on bringing the kids back here, they would absolutely love it!

We arrived at Cancun airport and breezed through security. This gave us time to shop, love this airport for that, and Kevin and I had a light lunch and one more drink at Margaritaville-had to get a little Buffett in on my island trip!

Flight home was smooth and we got back to our house quickly. The boys were at our neighbors, it was awesome to see them and hug them. We missed them so much!!

Of course they wanted to know what we brought them back.

They ran upstairs and told us they had presents for us. So they come down with a pillow and a new alarm clock. Frankly I thought Pop and Noni left them here, but they said no they bought them for us. We met Gilbert and Sonic and settled in for the night.

I was informed by Pop that Alek had seen this pillow on TV and had to have it, so of course they bought it for him as well as an alarm clock for his room.

They asked if they could go to Target to buy each other presents and when Pop asked whose money they were going to use, Maks said, Well yours Pop.

So off to Target they went and we seem to have new legos and video games and DS covers. Are these kids spoiled or what?

Later that night, as we were talking about their new things, Alek said, well we spent all of Pop's retirement money and Maks says, yea, you gotta work for 41 years to have retirement money.

Too funny!!

It was an amazing trip, we had so much fun together and it was so relaxing, but it was great to be home and hugging my little men again!!

Back to reality.......