Entry #17





Week of December 11th to 21st

Sunday December 11th
Sunny day--roof top pool at Condo Las Palmas, Calle 26 between La Quinta & Avenida 10.

Monday December 12th o Thursday December 15th
Beach Days-El Tukan or Mamitas Beach Club


Friday December 16th to Monday December 19th

When we woke up it was raining, and had been raining all night. There were deep puddles at the corner of Avenida 10 and calle 26. Today we were leaving for three nights at Posada Margherita http://www.posadamargherita.com/ on the Tulum beach --about 5 km south of the ruins. With any luck, the weather would be different in Tulum. It was about 60 miles away.

We took the 11 am bus from the bus station on 5th & Juarez. The cost for two was 40 pesos! About half way there the sun was breaking through the clouds and we were feeling optimistic about the weather. In Tulum we took a taxi to the hotel which was located on a more isolated stretch of the Boca Paile road.

When Gordon was researching hotels in the area, he had narrowed it down to two: Piedra Escondida and Posada Margherita. Piedra Escondida was one hotel amid a cluster of bars, stores and about ten other small hotels. The beach there was narrower and perhaps rockier. He chose Posada Margherita because the beach was stunning and it was in a quieter location. In addition, it was an eco-resort, with solar-generated electricity for lighting and hot water. If we wanted to go to another restaurant like Zamas' or Piedra Escondida's we could walk there. They were only about 10 minutes away.

Our room at Posada Margherita was on the upper level and it had a large balcony. There was a king size bed in the main room with large French doors to the balcony. There was a twin bed in an alcove with a large window and I used it at night as a reading corner. There were two hanging light fixtures in the room but no outlets. If we needed to recharge anything it could be done at the office. The room was decorated with original art by a local painter and some other African or Polynesian pieces. At night the grounds were illuminated by large candles--some three feet tall. While we were at dinner, one of the owners lit the candles in our room. It was romantic and relaxing. Everyone there spoke in low voices or whispers. No one smoked.
The music was provided by An iPod connected to a Bose speaker system, and the selection was eclectic, international and always interesting.
The hotel was owned by four Italians who designed and built it about 18 months ago. They were the hosts as well as the chefs. With their Mayan cooks, they were in the kitchen at 6am preparing the day's fresh pastas and foccacia. Fish and shellfish were delivered by fishermen during the morning.
The lunch and dinner menu was simple: fresh pasta, two or three kinds, prepared with any combination of olive oil & garlic, vegetables or seafood; there was fish grilled or steamed in salt water; there was grilled shrimp and lobster. Every meal was preceded by a wooded tray of appetizers: 2 each of the 4 different kinds of foccacia, a couple slices of hard cheese, a small bowl of spicy black olives and another of pistachios. Three white wines and three reds were available, as well as traditional and national mixed drinks and several brands of beer. Dessert was either "chocolate sausage" with vanilla ice cream or lemon or raspberry tart. The coffee was excellent.

We had sun and generally clear skies every day in Tulum, the last day being the calmest and clearest. The sea was smooth and the waves small. Swimming was easy and we would often be the only ones in the water as far as the eye could see in either direction. One could really relax in a place like this--a world away from the commercialism and frantic crush of Playa del Carmen.

We ate well and were served with subtle attention. Every day around noon, one of the staff, as a courtesy, served us a fresh fruit smoothie or a tray of sliced fruit to enjoy under the palapa. Every aspect of the hotel was agreeable and met our expectations. If only we could afford to stay there for more than three days at low season rates! The day we left, their rates more than doubled for the Christmas-New Year high season.

Monday December 19th and Tuesday December 20th
When we arrived back in Playa del Carmen it was raining heavily off and on. We read, went food shopping, checked email and drank coffee in cafes. Dinner Monday was at Babes2 and on Tuesday I prepared at home fresh shrimp in garlic. I finished another book--Chronicles: part 1 by Bob Dylan. In Tulum I had finished Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs. I am averaging more about 2 books a week---one important measure of a good vacation.

Wednesday December 21
The weather has unexpectedly cleared. It was supposed to be another rainy day but the sun is out and it is only a little cloudy. We will skip the beach today and get the sun up on the roof at the pool. Then it is over to the Internet cafe to download pictures to my Yahoo albums and update this blog.