Author: admin

Posted on

Melia Cabo

November 2021

Melia has two properties in Cabo, the ME Hotel right on Medano Beach and the Paradisus Resort in the corridor. Both are very different, ME being more of a party resort on the beach right in the middle of town and Paradisus is much larger, all inclusive and a resort with so many amenities that you don’t need to leave.

Here are some pictures of ME Cabo right on Medano Beach in the center of everything.

The corridor area is between the downtown and the airport. There are so many hotels along the coast, especially all inclusive resorts. The Paradisus is the other Melia brand that is great for families. It’s so different from ME, it’s much larger, all inclusive and has a bunch of restaurants and bars.

Posted on

Sandals Royal Plantation

September 2021

Sandals Royal Plantation is an all suite and all Butler boutique resort in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Set on a cliff, the views from every level down to the beach are gorgeous.

The entrance is so stately and Old World, I love it.

The lobby is just as elegant.

The property is small and beautiful, so easy to navigate. The views are beautiful in all directions looking over the sparkling sea. I love the contrast of the pink umbrellas and blue water.

The Spa and Gym above and then some pictures of the different rooms in the resort.

The game room and some areas to relax and look out over the beautiful grounds.

From the pool perched on the edge of the cliff down through the gardens to the beach, the resort is verdant and lush, a true tropical paradise. There is a casual beachside restaurant and bar right on the sand. In the evenings it is a gourmet restaurant on the water.

The beach is very nice, water sports available and plenty of places to relax with a book too.

The is the perfect resort for honeymooners or those that enjoy a more relaxed experience and boutique atmosphere. Every room having a Butler is another perk and the food and service are excellent. Sandals Royal Plantation is a favorite 💜

Posted on

Sandals Ochi

September 2021

Sandals Ochi has a different vibe than the others, it is more lively and has a younger crowd with great nightlife.

There are two sides to Ochi, this is the beachside that is located on the water. Definitely the side you want to be on if you’re a beach lover.

The open air lobby has great views and beautiful colors. There’s also a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner right off the lobby and the lobby bar. The bar also has a great outdoor terrace with fire pits, comfortable seating and spectacular views.

The beach side is spread out along the beach with a few different areas for swimming and a few different pools.

The pizza at Sandals is really good! Perfect for lunch by the pool. There is also a theater over on this side and they had some great musical performers at night.

The other side across the street is much larger and spread out. You take a quick 5 minute shuttle ride back and forth. The pool here is much larger.

The spa is small but has everything you need for rest and relaxation.

The beach front Club Level room has amazing views and the best location right on the beach.

Posted on

Florida West Coast

Road trip June 2021

Starting in Pensacola we explored a little of the panhandle. With only 8 days to make it to Miami, we wanted to see some of the beauty of the West Coast and the Gulf.

Navarre Beach is a small beach town outside of Pensacola. It’s beautiful and peaceful.

Destin is the next stop. It’s a very popular beach destination and I can see why, beaches are gorgeous! We don’t get thunderstorms where we live-maybe once a year so this was fun!

I think I found my favorite spot on the Emerald Coast 💚 I love this area of 30A, Seaside and Watercolor are beautiful! It feels like I stepped back in time, charming homes with wide front porches, tree shaded lanes, a quaint town center with mom and pop shops, great restaurants and a prime waterfront spot on the Gulf.

Today’s drive was a little longer to get down closer to Tampa. Cedar Key is a quaint Old Florida vacation spot on the Gulf with very few traffic lights and where police drive golf carts. The shops along the narrow Main Street have tin roofs and second floor porches. It is also known for its local clams, which we had to try in a few ways🍴

Our next stop is in Crystal River, along the “Nature Coast”. It is one of the few places where you can swim with manatees. The springs flow at a constant 72 degrees, it is so nice and it is crystal clear! Our hotel is true Southern charm with stately white buildings huge old trees.

A first for us, swimming with manatees! In the winter this area has the largest number of Manatees in the world and is a federally designated sanctuary.

Such a great experience being face to face with these gentle giants. There are three types of manatee, these are West Indian manatee. They are also called sea cows but are most closely related to elephants. They can weigh up to 1200 pounds, have no natural predators…except humans. Sailors mistook manatees for mermaids, they eat 10% of their body weight a day in sea grass as they are herbivores. Surprisingly they have very little body fat. I think they’re adorable!

Three Sisters Springs are a few of the springs that feed the Crystal River and where the manatees come in winter when the Gulf cools off. The springs are a constant 72°F and have crystal clear water. It’s beautiful to swim in and very refreshing!

From Crystal Springs we drove to Sarasota. It’s a beautiful city with a fun downtown area of tall buildings, dining, theater, and culture. There are suburbs with lots of families and gorgeous off shore islands or keys for beach fun.

An overcast late afternoon on Anna Maria Island, an island off the coast of Sarasota. Golf carts, bathing suits, sandy feet and tiki bars.

We love Anna Maria Island, one of the northern keys/islands off the coast of Sarasota. It’s very quaint and has beautiful white sand beaches.

Siesta Key has a charming little town with a trolley and cafes offering grouper sandwiches and all kinds of fresh seafood. The beach is consistently ranked as the best beach in the US with its immense sweep of sugar sand and placid waters. The sand is so white you need sunglasses and it doesn’t get hot in the blaring Florida sun. As you can see, it is also a very popular beach!

Captiva is often associated with its neighboring island of Sanibel to the south but it has a totally different feel – almost like Martha’s Vineyard compared to Nantucket. It’s 2 1/2 miles of shore with a beautiful beach, shells, golf carts and mansions tucked in the tropical foliage.

Next up is Fort Myers, not too far south of Sarasota. Some great local seafood on the water in Fort Myers – whole yellowtail snapper and gulf shrimp 💛

After Fort Myers is Naples. Marco Island is on the Gulf Coast just south of Naples and right next to the Everglades. It is famous for its luxury resorts and beautiful beaches. It’s a great place for some rest and relaxation at the end of our trip!

Headed to Miami to fly home so we now drive East for a 2-3 hour drive. Driving through the Everglades from the West coast to the East coast, we came across this place. I wanted the Blue Crab so much but they didn’t have anymore live fresh crab, so we had fried soft shell crab, fried green tomatoes, gulf shrimp, alligator bites and hush puppies with a gator watching us 🐊

Posted on

Tulum

February 2021

Look who picked me up in Playa del Carmen on their way to Tulum 

Love today…..fish tacos and cold cerveza on a gorgeous beach.

Smoothie stop at the cutest place made from an old VW Bus.

Wandering around Tulum and found this lively spot on the beach. Tulum has so many great places like this and beach bars plus that fabulous blue water.


Pablo Escobar’s Mansion, now named Casa Malca, has been totally transformed from its days as a drug lord’s vacation home to an art-filled boutique hotel. It’s beautiful and so popular with photographers and Narcos fans that you can’t walk in to see it. You wouldn’t easily find it either because there is no signage and it’s hidden pretty well. You have to be a hotel guest or you can have a meal in one of their restaurants or beach club with a pricy food and beverage minimum. Definitely a cool place to stay in Tulum!

Yal Ku Lagoon is a pretty snorkeling spot in Akumal. There’s a small bay and shallow pools sheltered from waves and currents with fresh water pouring in from Cenote rivers. So you can feel the different temperatures of the fresh and salt water as you move through the lagoon.

A Cenote is an underground chamber or cave which has fresh water. It’s a natural sinkhole where the ceiling of a limestone the cave collapsed from water erosion and many are connected by underground river systems. This second one is a cave Cenote, there are so many here in the Yucatán Peninsula and over 7,000 in Mexico! This one was fun but not a lot of headroom and there are catfish in here but we didn’t see any.

This is an open Cenote and was the most fun for the boys. It’s super clear fresh water with many different types of fish and cichlids. They enjoyed jumping in, zip lining and the fish nibbling at them!