Sweetie and I had some free nights to use courtesy of the Ritz-Carlton, so we hunted around for what would strike a balance between a sort of exotic, beachy weekend, but not too far away and not too stressful. Aruba and San Juan made the short list, but ultimately we settled on Cancún. I think we made a good decision. It was only a three hour flight down from Chicago, and about a 70 degree difference in temperature. The worst part was getting through customs, which took about 45 minutes, though it felt a lot longer. Not all of the rat mazes are quite the same, so look for one that's a little narrower to speed your time through immigration. That being said, our bag was waiting for us at the baggage claim, so you usually end up waiting somewhere.
Coming out of the airport was a little crazy and felt a little scammy. Not a good start. For one, the hotel zone is about 20 minutes away and everyone needs a ride. Cabs aren't allowed to do pickups and it's just shuttle buses. While we tried to figure out what we needed to do, we heard all kinds of rates. After a minute we stepped away from the crowd to do a little quick internet research and realized this was what we had to do, so the next guy that approached us, we just said yes. I was more interested in getting on the beach than haggling over a few pesos.
So we paid our fee, bought a round trip ticket and were on our way to our hotel in a little less than ten more minutes. Cordially greeted and offered a welcome drink which was nice. Of course we want it with tequila! Puttered around the room for a bit with the doors to the balcony open taking in the sound of the waves and the "pretty water" while dealing with a few administrative things that had popped up during the flight down.
Had dinner that night at a sushi buffet in the lobby bar which was quite good, along with a couple of beers and then more or less let that be our first night there.
The next morning when we awoke, we decided to hit the breakfast buffet - are we seeing a trend yet - to sample some Western and Mexican specialties, as well as the make-your-own mimosas and Kir Royales. That was maybe not the best way to start the day. All of the food was quite good.
Back to the room and changed into some beach clothes and endeavored to spend the day on the sand. One point kind of rubbed me the wrong, which was cabana reservations. I had no idea this needed to be done and just as we'd situated ourselves in one, someone came along to ask us about our place there and we realized we needed to leave. No one ever took over that cabana.
Lesson learned: at beachy places reserve a cabana when you make your reservation.
But we did just fine in some chairs close to the water. Got too much sun and with the mimosa head start, launched into some cervezas on the water that turned into margaritas on the water.
Only after it was becoming apparent that we should get out of the sun did we and we headed up to the beach bar for some ceviches and more margaritas. It was about 3 at this point, so we headed back to the room for a bit of a siesta and to get ready for a 6:30 dinner reservation.
Dinner that night was something I did find that I should book in advance - dinner in the culinary center with three other couples and time with the chef. This was pretty cool. The chef, along with two assistance presented us with a five course meal and talked about the ingredients and prep all along the way while putting much of it together at the same time. It was a pretty cool experience. Good wine pairings and it was nice to meet some other people.
After that, it was back down to the lobby bar for a little live music and a night-cap or two. Pretty nice for a day away.
Coming out of the airport was a little crazy and felt a little scammy. Not a good start. For one, the hotel zone is about 20 minutes away and everyone needs a ride. Cabs aren't allowed to do pickups and it's just shuttle buses. While we tried to figure out what we needed to do, we heard all kinds of rates. After a minute we stepped away from the crowd to do a little quick internet research and realized this was what we had to do, so the next guy that approached us, we just said yes. I was more interested in getting on the beach than haggling over a few pesos.
So we paid our fee, bought a round trip ticket and were on our way to our hotel in a little less than ten more minutes. Cordially greeted and offered a welcome drink which was nice. Of course we want it with tequila! Puttered around the room for a bit with the doors to the balcony open taking in the sound of the waves and the "pretty water" while dealing with a few administrative things that had popped up during the flight down.
The next morning when we awoke, we decided to hit the breakfast buffet - are we seeing a trend yet - to sample some Western and Mexican specialties, as well as the make-your-own mimosas and Kir Royales. That was maybe not the best way to start the day. All of the food was quite good.
Back to the room and changed into some beach clothes and endeavored to spend the day on the sand. One point kind of rubbed me the wrong, which was cabana reservations. I had no idea this needed to be done and just as we'd situated ourselves in one, someone came along to ask us about our place there and we realized we needed to leave. No one ever took over that cabana.
Lesson learned: at beachy places reserve a cabana when you make your reservation.
But we did just fine in some chairs close to the water. Got too much sun and with the mimosa head start, launched into some cervezas on the water that turned into margaritas on the water.
Only after it was becoming apparent that we should get out of the sun did we and we headed up to the beach bar for some ceviches and more margaritas. It was about 3 at this point, so we headed back to the room for a bit of a siesta and to get ready for a 6:30 dinner reservation.
Dinner that night was something I did find that I should book in advance - dinner in the culinary center with three other couples and time with the chef. This was pretty cool. The chef, along with two assistance presented us with a five course meal and talked about the ingredients and prep all along the way while putting much of it together at the same time. It was a pretty cool experience. Good wine pairings and it was nice to meet some other people.
After that, it was back down to the lobby bar for a little live music and a night-cap or two. Pretty nice for a day away.
Did I mention we got too much sun on Saturday? So yeah. Spent a little less time on the beach just cause it was nice, but then spent some more time in the room with the doors open listening to the waves. That was nice too. Plus Sweetie had a wee hangover. Poor Sweetie.
That night we had reservations at a French/Mexican place in Cancún itself called Du Mexique. Boy was this place good! Greeted by one of the sweetest proprietresses ever, she made us feel like we were dining in her home just about. Sweetie had a souffle and short ribs, I think we a chocolate cake to finish. I had escargot with crevettes in the most amazing sauce. I kept lapping it up with the bread they served along side it. Yum! All paired with an excellent Spanish wine. This was a most memorable way to spend Valentine's Day.
Funny thing, too. There were six other people in the tiny dining room while we were there and they all had Chicago connections as well. We all got a good laugh out of that.
Back to reality now. Doing laundry and planing dinner. Kale soup tonight. Stay tuned for the next post!
That night we had reservations at a French/Mexican place in Cancún itself called Du Mexique. Boy was this place good! Greeted by one of the sweetest proprietresses ever, she made us feel like we were dining in her home just about. Sweetie had a souffle and short ribs, I think we a chocolate cake to finish. I had escargot with crevettes in the most amazing sauce. I kept lapping it up with the bread they served along side it. Yum! All paired with an excellent Spanish wine. This was a most memorable way to spend Valentine's Day.
Back to reality now. Doing laundry and planing dinner. Kale soup tonight. Stay tuned for the next post!
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