How I gained 6 lbs in playa, a pictorial illustration

[Jimontheriver]

THANKSGIVING DAY

7:20 am flight on AA to Dallas gets in at 9:00, 20 minutes early. We have an 11:40 to Cancun, I have a Fudruckers burger& fries and Donna has a yogurt.


Into Cancun on time at 2:20, but we are in seat B & C in row #337 (it seems like) and when we get to immigrations they are lined up to almost outside to the building with less than half the check stations open. That is, until after about 45 minutes, when we a up to just 2 rows back, then they open up about twice as many and of course let the people in the 4th, 5th, 6th and so on rows go to the newly open check stations. Ahh, Mexico. After about an hour we get thru and of course our luggage is waiting, going around and around. Trying like mad to make it to the 3:45 bus. Green light, out the doors at about 3:35 and to the ADO bus counter. Sorry, the 3:45 bus to Playa is full but we have room on the 4:45 one, grrrr. That would get us into Playa around 6pm, that sucks.


Back to the ATM, at least it still has money. $3000 pesos cost me $233.64. So, we find a guy wanting to go to the Cozumel ferry (his first trip) and share a taxi with him. It cost us $300 each ($900 for the taxi), or about $23.50 US each. This is buying the taxi tickets at the counter inside to the left of the ADO counter. Afterwards I’m thinking, duh, I should have walked outside (with the Cozumel bound fellow) and see if I could have made a better deal with a driver. Does anyone do this??



We are on our way by 3:50 and in Playa not much after 4:30. And, you know, if we had waited for the next bus that would equal how many drinks at Coconuts bar at airport prices? At least 4, maybe 6 because we are now really on vacation. Instead we made it to Zenzi for $20p Sols, probably saved $150p right there. It was well worth the extra money for the taxi. We had the taxi driver drop us all at the bus station so we could show our Cozumel bound new friend where the bus station was for his trip home and point him toward the ferry dock. He was from NY and going to see his sister compete in the Ironman contest on Saturday. We walked the 4 blocks up 5th to the Illusion Boutique Hotel on 8th about ½ a block off the beach. We get checked in and head to our room on the 4th floor. Nice, that’s the floor the roof top pool is on. We booked this back in August and got the room for $75 a night with every 3rd night free, with tax and all it cost $504 for 9 nights. Here are some photos of the hotel. The rooms have very little storage for your clothes, but other than that, very nice.




Our room #402













Small 2 foot deep pool, but a good place to cool off.






Roof top bar (open till 8pm)












We settle in a bit and head off to Zenzi to meet Jimi & Char at 6 for those $20p Sols and some margaritas.

Surprised, no food pictures, they are coming in Thanksgiving day part 2

[Jimontheriver]

Originally Posted by Duck

WTG Jim ! Great to meet you and your lovely wife at the Luna Blue a couple of weeks ago ! THAT was the night Andy and I got Deb toasted on shots of tequilla and she gave me the go ahead on adopting Taco from the Peanut Shelter

Great meeting and visiting with you all.

[Gioia Del Cole]

Keep it coming please. We are snowed in here in Washington DC and anxiously await your next installment. Always look forward to your food pictures. Yum

[culater88]

The big storm is coming to NJ today too, these reports keep me going and wishing I was there now.

[Rissask]

That hotel looks like a little gem. The price you got was great!

Is it noisy at night?

[Jimontheriver]

Originally Posted by Rissask

That hotel looks like a little gem. The price you got was great!

Is it noisy at night?

As far as noise from other places, no, not at all. Are room was on the back side away from 8th street. We did have a room with an ajoining door to the larger room toward the beach. It only had guests a few of the nights during our stay. I they had been loud, I think it would have bothered us. I don't like rooms that have ajoining doors and try to avoid them. During our stay, I would say the the hotel was less than half full. One thing that was bad was the showers hot water, I checked it when we first went to the room and it had lots of pressure and it got VERY hot after a few minutes, almost steaming hot. Now, here is the strange thing. When you turned on the cold water it had only 1/3rd the pressure of the hot side. Now don't ask me how, but if you had the cold water running and opened the hot side more than just a tiny, tiny bit it got way, way to hot and then when you turned the hot back off it took forever for the water to cool back down. So, when you had the water at a good temp. there was not much pressure at all. I'm not a plumber by any means, but I have done a lot on my own homes, and I can still not figure this out. The sink was fine. I'm sure there other rooms are not like this or I would have read about somewhere. We could have changed rooms but did not. One thing I did not like was the fact that you had to use your key to lock the door while in the room and if one of us left and locked the door from the outside the person in the room could not get out. Love the location, great AC, clean and the normal hard bed. They are opening a restaraunt/bar on the ground floor soon. I don't know what it wil do to the place as far as noise.

[lumkim]

Enjoying another of your reports

Kim

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by Jimontheriver

As far as noise from other places, no, not at all. Are room was on the back side away from 8th street. We did have a room with an ajoining door to the larger room toward the beach. It only had guests a few of the nights during our stay. I they had been loud, I think it would have bothered us. I don't like rooms that have ajoining doors and try to avoid them. During our stay, I would say the the hotel was less than half full. One thing that was bad was the showers hot water, I checked it when we first went to the room and it had lots of pressure and it got VERY hot after a few minutes, almost steaming hot. Now, here is the strange thing. When you turned on the cold water it had only 1/3rd the pressure of the hot side. Now don't ask me how, but if you had the cold water running and opened the hot side more than just a tiny, tiny bit it got way, way to hot and then when you turned the hot back off it took forever for the water to cool back down. So, when you had the water at a good temp. there was not much pressure at all. I'm not a plumber by any means, but I have done a lot on my own homes, and I can still not figure this out. The sink was fine. I'm sure there other rooms are not like this or I would have read about somewhere. We could have changed rooms but did not. One thing I did not like was the fact that you had to use your key to lock the door while in the room and if one of us left and locked the door from the outside the person in the room could not get out. Love the location, great AC, clean and the normal hard bed. They are opening a restaraunt/bar on the ground floor soon. I don't know what it wil do to the place as far as noise.

Thanks for such a detailed answer! I am a really light sleeper so noise is always a big concern for me.
We have experienced similar mysteries in regards to Mexico plumbing. Odd!


Now for some photos!!

[Jimontheriver]

THANKSGIVING DAY

Part 2, time to eat

On our way to meet Jimi & Char at Zenzi, Donna has to make a quick stop at one of her favorite shops.


Mineral at 10th just off 5th.
I wait outside and do a little people watching and who do I see walking down 5th



Jimi They are on their way to meet us. We all head off to Zenzi for Donna & my first drink in Playa.



Jimi, Char and Christi enjoying the $20p Sol at Zenzi.


Our next stop the new place, El Bar


Great place, except for no Sol for Donna




Next stop, LUNA BLUE, Jimi, Char & me at the bar


Donna with Char’s kids Christi & Brian


Luna Blues Frankie the cat


Jorge the strong margarita master


We are going to try the Spanish paella place across the street from Luna Blue called Las Cazuelas.


$75p for a large helping of paella with a side and dessert.


The paella was good but lacking much meat. There were a lot of chicken bones, but no meat on them and the clam shells were empty. There was one mussel and 2 shrimp.



Christi & Brian try some of the tapas.



I had an order of the garlic shrimp, the left over sauce made for great bread dipping.


After many drinks and some food I have to stop at one of my favorite after dinner places for a cup of half chocolate and half coconut gelato.

[lumkim]

It's snowing outside. I am cold, and now officially hungy

Kim

[Buggirl]

Love the report (as usual) Jim! Our friends ate at Las Cazuelas when they stayed at the Luna Blue last April- they said it was wonderful and had a ton of seafood. I guess (like so many things in Playa, it seems) they are highly variable!

[Jacko]

We had the Paella at Las Cazuelas and loved it...we also loved the table salad that included manchego cheese and jamon serrano....mmmmmm.....we had the fabada asturiana (white bean soup with ham and sausage) at lunch there another time.......salty but oh so good......keep it coming jimón....

[Jimontheriver]

Originally Posted by james

title cracked me up.

it's always fun when they bury a steak in cream sauce!

"MUDEGA: 8 oz. filet or 12 oz. strip steak, lightly breaded, charbroiled to order, topped with provel cheese and white wine lemon butter sauce with fresh sliced mushrooms. "



It is always sooo good and very rich. The way they lightly bread it with Itl bread crumbs and then charbroil it and even under that sauce the steak has such a great chared crust.

[caramba]

Originally Posted by Jacko

We had the Paella at Las Cazuelas and loved it...we also loved the table salad that included manchego cheese and jamon serrano....mmmmmm.....we had the fabada asturiana (white bean soup with ham and sausage) at lunch there another time.......salty but oh so good......keep it coming jimón....

That's one restaurant I'd wanted to try but we never made it there. I LOVE paella.
Too many restaurants.... too little time.

Enjoying the report so far Jim, but it's making me very hungry!

[Duck]

report so far Jim...Rock on !