El Camaleon...

While staying at the Fairmont Mayakoba The Señor and I spent a couple of half-days enjoying the Fairmont's golf course, the El Camaleon. The course was designed by Greg Norman and is home to Mexico's only PGA event. If the idea of attending this year's tournament appeals to you (I know it does me) mark your calendar for February 23rd through 26th. I wish I could say I would see you there but, unfortunately, it won't be happening this year!

The course is spectacular and was designed similar to the Mayakoba in that Norman took full advantage of the indigenous landscape by incorporating the land's limestone canals, jungle, mangroves, cenotes and; of course, beautiful oceanfront.

I should go ahead and admit in the spirit of honesty that I am not a golfer. I would love to be a golfer but I simply am not. If you ever saw me swing a golf a club you would understand why. I am however a golf-cart driver. I enjoy driving the cart. So, The Señor golfs, I drive and we in turn spend quality time together on the golf course.

A word about El Camaleon's golf carts. They are top of the line and equipped with GPS. This feature is extremely handy for the golfer as not only does said golfer receive yardage and hazard information from the system it also records each players score and will email score to said golfer should he wish to receive it. Yes, that is all fabulous if you are a golfer. However, what if you are merely a golf cart driver? Well, maybe not quiet so handy. Along with providing yardage information the GPS system tracks the location of the cart at all times. Should the cart perhaps travel in to an area the course hoo-ha's believe a cart should perhaps not travel then the #*#* cart shuts down and forces the driver to back out of said area. To add insult to injury the cart beeps incessantly much like a garbage truck until it is once again moving in the forward direction. I will just go ahead and tell you, this driver did not find that feature to be the least bit charming.

Here are a few shots of the course. If you're wondering why there aren't more it could possibly have something to do with that incessant beeping and the effect repetitive sound has on my nervous system.

The Clubhouse...

The Senor, preparing to conquer the game...

Not sure what I was shooting here - perhaps the pretty green grass!

He must have been asking for my expert caddying advice!

An empty cenote on the course...

And a second shot...

Oh, and I have got to tell you about this guy! He lives in some rocks on the side of the fairway. Just hangs out in the rocks over there and enjoys the sunshine. You have probably heard said that animals don't use the bathroom where they have to sleep. Well, let's just say that this guy was working on proving the point. Yes, he sauntered over on to that beautiful grass from his sunbathing area and we'll just say "used it" and sauntered back. I guess I have a sick sense of humor because I found this to be quiet amusing!

This shot is from a green that overlooks the ocean. The structure is one of the resort restaurants.

Serious concentration...

If only you could see those lovely water birds I was admiring...

A better shot of the restaurant from the green. Look closely and you can see a sliver of ocean to the left.

That's our very own casita in the background! Well, at least it was while we were guests of the resort!

And again...

Service at El Camaleon was top-notch from the moment we stepped on to the property until their representative delivered us back to the beautiful Mayakoba entrance. The El Camaleon staff were friendly, professional and attentive. I liked the check-in folks, I liked the pro-shop staff, I liked the service cart girls. I even liked the attendant who came and showed me the way when I took that one wrong turn that landed me in what their main hoo-ha's apparently considered to be a "non-cart" area. My favorite staff member of all though was the cart boy who upon my returning the cart handed me my very own ice-cold, cucumber-scented hand towel. After all, all I did was drive the cart!

The Señor Turns 50 Continued...

Okay, so where were we when last left off? Ahh, yes. The Señor and I were hopping into a Tulum cab and heading to the Fairmont Mayacoba. Well, first of all let me say that the cabs of Tulum have much to be desired. Riding in a Tulum cab is much like riding in a tuna can - and a generic tuna can at that! I was very relieved when after an hour of swerving and swaying we pulled up safely and without incident to the beautiful gated entrance of the Fairmont Mayacoba. The cab driver briefly spoke with the security guard who verified The Señor and the Mrs were scheduled for arrival, the gates opened and we were suddenly driving through roads of lush and perfectly manicured jungle. The driver of our tuna can pulled in to the lobby entrance and I bailed out as if I were arriving at a life boat! We were immediately welcomed by a handsome gentleman who greeted us by name, offered us each a scented, ice cold hand towel and a fruity welcome drink from a silver tray. Oh my, it were as if we had just landed on fantasy island!

The lobby of the resort is breathtakingly beautiful. It is completely open air and is decorated in calming neutral colors and beautiful, exotic floral arrangements. We checked in and immediately settled in to the big comfy chairs for a cocktail. I was so excited when I realized the resort was also fully decked out in her Christmas attire - there were beautiful Christmas trees placed throughout the resort with this being the grandest of them all.

This tree was the view from the lovely verandah where The Señor and I enjoyed refreshing beverages such as Mojitos, the occasional Corona and even a champagne cocktail. Very chi-chi indeed!

We stayed in a Deluxe Casita. It was situated right on one of the relaxing lagoons that run through the property. We were able to sit on the patio and enjoy the beautiful fish and birds who live in the wildlife paradise that is the property.

Here are a few shots of the room. You will notice that the bathroom comes first because 1) I adore a good bathroom and 2) I loved this particular bathroom!

Notice the glass wall and the window behind the tub and shower? They look out to an absolutely fabulous enclosed atrium area. Garden lights are strategically placed in the atrium and make it an absolutely wonderful addition to the room. I don't think I let a day go by that I didn't take advantage of a soak in that tub. We also slept with the atrium lights on which gave the feeling of being outside all night long.

Here is the view to our room from the yummy bathroom! I wish I had taken pictures of the closet area. There was a hallway between in the bedroom and bathroom with large closets on each side. Yes, his and hers closets come in handy when vacationing. Ha!!!!!!

The room also had a lovely desk area in case you might need to do a little work (not!) or possibly have a Words With Friends addiction!

The patio was fabulous and looked right out to one of the golf greens. The fish swam right up to the water's edge when you stood at the rail. Apparently they were accustomed to being fed even though the resort does ask that you not feed them in order to maintain the eco-systems of the resort.

Speaking of eco-systems - there are actually five within the property - mangroves, tropical forest, lagoons, water canals and coastal dunes. The resort offers tours of the property on water taxis such as this one.

The tour takes about an hour and is a great way to see the entire property and a few of its residents (take a look!)...

Yes, not only is the resort home to beautiful water birds, fish and turtles - it is also home to the crocodile. And he, along with all the other wildlife who reside on the property live in a protected area. No alligator shoes in the future of those guys!

One thing I haven't mentioned is that the resort is huge! So huge in fact that they offer transportation via golf cart shuttles 24 hours a day. This is one of the cute little huts designated as a drop off/pick up station on the property. Of course, being Christmas, each hut had its very own Christmas tree!

Another lovely addition to the lobby bar is that all food and beverages are delivered on, you guessed it, their own silver tray! Yes, this was a first for The Señor and I and we found it quiet comical knowing where we came from and all!

The property has several pools but we didn't really spend much time at them as the weather wasn't really conducive to pool time and we spent two days on the property golf course, The El Camaleon. The El Camaleon is gorgeous and I will share some pictures of it with you the next time we get together.

These pool pictures don't do the main pool area justice as it is actually huge. There are several pool areas linked together with small water-ways. There are also lots of lounge chair areas. Some are under private pergola areas and some are out in the open. Fabulous pool area really!

The resort is home to several restaurants. The La Laguna Grill and Bar offers a wonderful breakfast buffet each morning; as well as, lunch and dinner.

We had dinner one night at Las Brisas (the properties AAA Four Diamond Restaurant) and one night at El Puerto Restaurant (their steak and seafood restaurant). We enjoyed both meals although we agreed they didn't fall in to the Hartwood or Posada Margherita categories of "something to write home about"!

Of course, we had to go in to Playa del Carmen one afternoon and visit our old "home away from home"! For this journey we requested a cab from the lovely folks at the Fairmont and from that request we found a true treasure - Alberto. Alberto might just be the greatest cab driver ever. No joke! Not only is his cab a brand-new SUV but he speaks very good English and is Johnny-on-the-spot when you call him for transportation! He dropped us off in Playa and we asked him if we could call him directly for pick up when we were ready to return to the resort. He said of course and asked how long we thought it would be because he was on his way to the gym to work out and wanted to make sure he would be available when we called. Okay, I found that funny! When we called several hours later to arrange pick-up he answered the phone by greeting The Señor by name. I found that funny too! Anyway, our rides with Alberto were calm, comfortable, clean and did not include one scary tuna-can moment. As it turns out Alberto is now our official Playa del Carmen cab driver. He delivered us safely to the airport on going-home day, we have his card and plan to contact him in the future for all our Playa del Carmen cab needs.

Here's a couple of obligatory Playa pics just to prove we were there. For those of you familiar with Playa, yes that is the Carboncita's chips and salsa platter and it was just a yummy as ever.




Stay tuned dear readers...tomorrow we golf!

The Señor Turns 50...

The Señor turned 50 in early December so he and I hopped on a plane and took off in search of a few days of Caribbean paradise.
We found it in beautiful Tulum Mexico.

As you can see Tulum is a beach lovers dream with its smooth, pure white sand and dreamy palm trees.
We spent three nights at a cool little spot called Cabanas Tulum. Our room was on the second floor right on the beach. As you can see from the pictures the room was cool and the balcony was even cooler!

They have a fun little restaurant and beach club called El Bistro at Ziggy Beach. The restaurant has some great offerings and the Tuna Nachos are something I dream of! They even offer a class (on the beach I might add) on how to make a Coco-Loco and two types of ceviche. A mid-day snack of Coco-Loco and ceviche is always a welcome idea in my book.
Tulum has some amazing culinary offerings. The two we chose for this trip were Hartwood and Posada Margherita. Both are locally owned and what The Señor and I term "something to write home about"!

Hartwood is the creation of a Eric Werner and Mya Henry. You can check out their story in Bon Appetit magazine. The skinny of the story is this - NYC chef and his girlfriend vacation in Tulum. They, like most visitors to Tulum, decide they should live there. They, unlike most, go home, develop a business plan and six months later are official citizens of Tulum. Shortly thereafter they purchase a plot of land in the jungle, build an incredible outdoor kitchen and open one of the most magical restaurants I have had the pleasure of experiencing. When in Tulum, visit Harwood!

Posada Margherita is actually an Italian owned beach resort who just happens to boast an incredible Italian restaurant. Their pasta and bread are hand made daily and are, quiet frankly, off the charts good. Tulum is home to a large Italian population and Italian was being spoken by most of the patrons at the surrounding tables on the night we were there. The Señor says a dinner at Posada Margherita is worth the plane fare back and I agree.

We spent three lovely, laid-back days in Tulum. We read, we slept, we ate, we drank. It was truly a beach lovers paradise. The fourth day we hopped in a cab and headed north to the Fairmont Mayakoba to what turned out to be some super upscale pampering. Do tell you say. Of course, I will! Stay tuned!

Reflecting on 2011 and looking to 2012...

Well, here we are folks. It's the morning of New Years Eve 2011. Another year passed. The year 2012 is less than twelve hours from making its grand entry.

It was a year filled with joys, sorrows and celebrations. There was work time, travel time, home time and family time. There were some good times and a few not-so-good times.

There was life. And, it was all good.

As I write these words I reflect back on a post I made on a similar New Years Eve morning a couple of years ago. I feel the same today as I did then - Full Of Possibility. And blessed beyond measure.

This year; however, I am going to deviate a bit from my "no resolution" lifestyle and make what I choose to call a few "deals" with myself.

No, I will not call them resolutions.

I have never known of a resolution that was kept and; therefore, refuse to term these "deals" as such. Tomato/Tomato - Potato/Potato!

So here goes.

In the year 2012 I will attempt to...

1) Live a healthier lifestyle - a lifestyle that includes more exercise and fewer plates of fat-laden food.

2) Spend more time doing for others and less time doing for myself.

3) Remember that I don't have a soul - I am a soul. Nourish my soul through prayer, meditation, reading and writing.

4) Not neglect "toes" for weeks/months at a time (see 3)!

There you have it. In writing. My "deal" list for 2012.

Now, here's my "will do" list for 2012:

I will:

Live, Laugh and Love. A LOT.

I will cherish The Señor, my family and the life God has given me each and every day.

I wish the same for each of you.

Happy New Year and may God bless you and yours.