A Tropical Getaway

This past weekend, the bf and I celebrated his
birthday in sunny Mexico.
Playa del Carmen to be exact.

















This trip far exceeded any hopes that we had for it.
The hotel was amazing-thatched roofs, hammocks
on the patio, no tv/phone/internet.
Delicious breakfast every morning, and a private beach.



















































Outside the hotel was amazing too- it's not very often that I
actually embrace being a tourist. But we did indulge in souvenir
shopping, and you'll be seeing my embroidered shirt once the
weather warms up.

A general highlight of our travel is food and Mexico did not disappoint,
It may be one of the few cuisines that I just do not get tired of.
We really had a full spectrum of experiences- from a local hole in the wall
to fine dining.

-Tostadas with Victoria beer. It's extremely hard to find
Victoria in the States so that was something we sought out
when we arrived.

















Fried oysters with choice of black truffle mousse or lime and salt.
Bet you can guess what I went for...
(this was part of our 6 course tasting menu at Ambar
in the Mandarin Oriental- I can't even get into how
incredible that meal was. It has taken a place in my top 10
meals of all time)

















On the flip side, this was our lunch after our massages
on Sunday. A tiny hole in the wall where locals were eating.
$17 got us 2 beers, a huge bowl of guacamole, 2 bowls of soup,
the medium size shrimp ceviche (can you imagine how big the large is!?)
and a chicken burrito. So.Good.


































Needless to say, we already want to go back.
There really is nothing like sunshine and the ocean
to wash away the winter blues.
Next year I hope that we can stay for a month!