Isla Mujeres 2015 ~~ Day 20

Day 20

Up before the sun again…..Vince even gets up!  It’s for a special reason though….Vince picks up Frank from downstairs and they both hoof it to the ferry to surprise Dan and Steph with a sendoff at the ferry. 

I enjoy the sunrise while the boys are gone….

When I see the ferry leave, I wave from the balcony, sure they will see me.  Well, the joke is on us!  When Vince and Frank get back they inform me that Dan and Steph must have left on an earlier ferry as they were not there.  Well darn!  As it turns out, yes they did tell us the wrong ferry on purpose.  I guess some of us just like to cry in private when it’s adios time.  Until next year amigos!

I’m feeling tired so I go back to bed and don’t wake up until 915!  What!!  Half the day is gone!  We have some quick showers and tidy up…Fatima, cleaner extraordinaire is set to arrive any moment.  We normally disappear while she makes the casa spotless, but today we ask if it’s okay if we just sit on the balcony, out of her way.  No problema.  And soon, everything is shiny and new again…gracias Fatima!

We get comfy on our loungers for the rest of the toasty afternoon….

Okay a little haha here….seems that everyone is having a good day!  ;)

630 finds us on our way to meet the remaining gang at Morgan’s for happy hour margaritas and guacamole.  So yummy!

After many laughs, it’s time to wander to Abuelos for dinner.  More margaritas!

Abuelos has become one of our favourite places….nice quiet spot off Hidalgo….and the food and service are excellent.

And oh yes, those margaritas!

I ordered the parmesan fish, without the tomato sauce….delish!

Vince has the whole snapper and it is also perfect.   We love their rice too…nice change from the usual white rice that most places serve.

And what better way to finish off a great dinner than with some amazing flan!

Wandering home, we take a moment to enjoy the newly painted municipal building….

Uhoh….time to get this fellow home!  

Isla Mujeres 2015 ~~ Day 17

Isla Mujeres 2015 ~~ Day 17

Ohhhh…it looks like it’s going to be another gorgeous day!

I wish these beautiful moments would last longer….the scenery changes every second….

Since Vince is still asleep, it’s a good time to do some laundry.  I know there are numerous lavanderias in centro, but it’s so easy to do at home and hang out on the balcony where it dries in no time.  Plus most of our things just don’t survive Isla hot driers.  Vince goes off to get us some fresh juices from Mercedes at the market.

Chores done, we’re off to the balcony to sizzle and snore….

Wonder if they caught anything…

When the water is this calm I just want to go out there and snorkel…I think I need some water shoes to get past the rocks though…

We’re headed to Dan and Stephanie’s place in centro.   Wine in hand we climb to their rooftop to enjoy the view of centro…

…and of the sunset….

We have dinner reservations at Abuelo’s at 7…looking forward to it!  Margaritas are ordered!...sorry about my shadow in this photo!

Vince and Dan have whole fried snapper….

Steph and I have parmesan grouper…

Everything is so delicious…the fish is perfect and I love the rice.   One of our favourite places to eat…

For dessert we head to the zocalo for what else, churros!  There’s a line up and it takes a little while to get our batch ready.  So worth the wait!  We had to ward off a few line jumpers!

We can count on Steph to keep our churros safe!

Great evening with great friends…gracias amigos!

Isla Mujeres 2015 ~~ Day 2

Isla Mujeres 2015 ~~ Day 2

“Time to Wiggle the Toes in the Sand!”

The new time change is not working for me.  I’m wide-awake at 5:30, ready to head to the balcony for my first sunrise of 2015.  But, the skies are still pitch black.  I should go back to sleep but that’s not going to happen!  Finally at 6:20 I can’t wait any longer.  I tiptoe out to the Isladise main floor balcony to enjoy the show.   The sky is just beginning to colour and I sit back, relax and just breathe in the fresh morning air….

At 7:20 the sun finally greets me.  An hour later than usual…not a fan.   I feel like the day is already half over!  But let’s enjoy the moment…even Vince joins me….for 1 of the 3 that I think he got up for!

I spend the next hour or so unpacking a bit and getting our space organized until we move upstairs when Jason goes home on Saturday.   Jason is in strumming mode until we leave for brekkies and the beach. 

A moment to enjoy the view before we head off….

We decide on Alexia y Geovanny at the loncheria for breakfast.   It’s not overly busy but it is s-l-o-w.  We actually asked if they lost our order after 30 minutes.  I know, I know, it’s Mexico, but my toes are itching for sand.  It is definitely a bargain breakfast…2 omelets and 1 sandia….$95MXP plus tip.

Tummies happy and wallet still full, we take the last few steps to Playa Norte, settling in ‘Jason’s spot’, just north of Buho’s.  It’s a nice quiet spot that Jason has been enjoying for the past few days.  We would settle here many times over the next month.

The next few hours pass with reading and snoozing.  It’s funny to see Jason reading a ‘brush up on your French book’ while in Mexico, but he’s planning ahead for his summer Europe holiday.  It isn’t overly hot, but very comfortable and a bit breezy.  A perfect way to get acclimated.  Jason and I jump the waves and the water temp is very refreshing….that means it was actually a bit chilly!

We decide to head home around 3 so we don’t overdo the sol on the first day.  Noses lead us to Abuelos for a snack.  The new upstairs area is complete and there is a nice breeze.  One delicious order of pollo salbutes, guacamole, 1 cerveza, 1 water = $160MXP plus tip.  It was all very good….and great service too.  We found this place last year and it is even better than we remembered…

Back home again, it’s the perfect time to grab a drink and plop the tired toes in the pool…ahhhh.  Sit back and enjoy our first gorgeous sunset…..also an hour later than usual at 6:30.

Just after 8 we are on our way to one of our favourite restaurants….Olivia, Tastes of the Mediterranean.   Olivia, A Taste of the Mediterranean

We’re warmly greeted and quickly settled at our table.  We’re so excited to share Olivia with Jason.  He’s heard us talk about this place for years and now he finally gets to taste what we’ve been saying.  We start with tzatziki and warm parmesan bread…..Jason is already impressed!….

He orders a shawarma wrap….

I have my usual….beef kebabs and roasted potatoes…

And one of Vince’s favourites…chicken in olives….

Everyone is very happy…

We somehow make room for cherry ice cream….perfect dessert!

With 2 glasses of vino tinto….$720MXP plus tip.  Worth every centavo!  Jason is really happy and already asking to go again before he leaves!  One of the best things about Olivia is consistency.  We've been going here since they opened and the food is just as good now as it was then. They do not have any 'off' nights….it is always good!  The setting is very cozy and romantic in the garden and the service is always very personal and friendly.   A huge thank you to Lior and Yaron, their amazing chef Cesar, and all of the staff, Bryan, Diana, Charlotte, Humberto and more, that makes this such a special place!  ¡Gracias!