Footsteps

 

 Maybe... Mexico? (The Royal Playa Del Carmen) [2:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Several Mexican resorts are offering a “flu-free guarantee” in hopes of stemming national tourism losses that could total 4 billion in 2009.  Travel to more than twenty resorts booked by June 30  for this calendar year is eligible for the offer of three free vacations should a traveler become ill with a verified case of swine flu.

The Royal Playa Del Carmen is among the properties offering this incentive to hesitant vacationers with additional deep discounts and promotions listed on the resort website.  Having recently enjoyed the endless amenities of this luxury resort last December, I can attest to the excellent values of the current vacation offers -regardless of the money back (in the form of future travel) guarantee.

The Royal’s palatial suites, most of which are ocean-view or oceanfront, include enormous in-room jacuzzis and terraces overlooking the Caribbean Sea.  Rose petals, artistic towel “swans” and daily aroma therapy embellished our already delightful room, but the prize was most definitely the view of ever-blue water framed by rippling sheers.

All-inclusive resorts are the norm in Mexico’s resort areas; the quality of included fare can range from mediocre on up to exceptional.  We found the extensive beverage and restaurant service at the Royal Playa Del Carmen to be consistently very good to excellent.  We especially enjoyed our breezy lunches at Pelicanos on the beach and the fusian fare at Asianos.  The fresh fruit, Mexican cuisine and outstanding made-to-order omelets at Spice gave it our top vote for breakfast.  A well-equipped spa/fitness facility, watersports and a long beach -perfect for running and walking- made keeping up our exercise routines easy, and Playa Del Carmen was but a wander away -roughly a one block walk from the resort property.

A billowing breeze, crescent of shoreline and clear blue sea are the only true essentials for a perfect beach day.  Add in a few unexpected delights such as frozen sugared grapes proffered on a passing tray and canopied beach beds -and one begins to understand the quiet joys of an adults-only resort.

Note the inviting plank swings dangling in front of a beach side bar and know that the child lives on in many of these adults…

More on Playa Del Carmen

More on MEXICO 

Tags: Lodging, Mexico, Playa del Carmen, Snorkeling/Swimming, Running/Fitness, Seascapes, Over the Border (and Through the Woods...), Reviews, Outdoor Adventures by Heather
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 Magic in the Marietas [3:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

…As our sailboat neared the Marietas Islands, schools of jellyfish amended the captain’s chosen snorkeling spots twice.  Just as well.  While I wouldn’t trade memories of an accidental swim through tiny diaphanous sea jellies a few years ago, I remember with equal clarity their lingering stings along my upper lip!

My solitary week in Nuevo Vallarta had etched some bold new strokes into who I knew myself to be. I had flown through jungle canopy on zip lines, negotiated city buses and explored Puerto Vallarta on foot. I had kayaked in the Pacific Ocean and run miles along the golden crescent shore of Banderas Bay.  Talking to strangers had yielded vibrant vignettes of lives far removed from my own, and lively music had set rhythms in my heart that made hope dance in directions my feet longed to follow. ~And, here I now floated near rocky protrusions called the Marietas Islands.

Other-worldly.  Agave and other similarly scrubby brush covered craggy rock masses punctuated by arches and overlooks.  The cliffs seemed a breathing being beneath the constant motion of landing and launching sea birds.  Most had specially coated feathers for ocean plunges.  Frigates, not so biologically equipped, added drama by thieving fresh fish from the mouths of successful divers.  As we slowly made our way around the largest island to a final snorkeling spot, I finally spotted my first blue footed booby bird.  With actual blue feet, these stumpy little birds are found only in the Galapagos and Marietas Islands.  I was thrilled to then note several more perched on large boulders that were most likely the tips of outer islands.

The Marietas Islands, popularized by Jacques Cousteau and now protected as a national park area, is volcanic in origin and surrounded by coral. We dropped anchor near a steep beach nestled amongst its cliffs, and a dinghy took us in range of the coral and marine life. Our guide kindly allowed me to remove my life vest and free dive down to where I could see my favorite fish up close.  The water was clearer than I had expected; I followed one fish after another until it was time to relax on the postage stamp of a beach.  A few of us explored the unspoiled island in our bare feet, ducking under arches to find still more caves and overhangs, wandering a splendid twisting geological maze.

I didn’t want to leave.  I wondered how long it would take  -climbing the rocks, feeling sand and sea swirl between my toes and watching fluttering sea birds- before the passage of time would matter again.  As the boat slowly backed from the islands, starkly lovely with their embellishments of swirled caves and arches, I cradled the moment.  I breathed in every sensory bit of it and wondered how it could all be so perfect when there was no one to “nudge” or share it with.  It was revelation to me that a tree could fall within its forest and that my ear alone could be enough to hear and mark its sound. And, it was pure freedom to know that bliss could wrap its arms around me, just me.  It didn’t have to be a group hug.

~And do you know what?  As the music played on our sail back, that group from Appleton, Wisconsin grabbed onto the cables on the side of the boat and danced.  And it wasn’t long until someone grabbed my hand, placed it firmly on a cable, and I was dancing too…

MORE:  “Weaving’Wonderful’ on the Bay of Banderas”

“Beyond the Bay (The Marietas Islands)”

“A ‘Photo Hike’ through Puerto Vallarta (Part One)”

“ A ‘Favorite Day’ in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco (Part Two)”

Tags: Snorkeling/Swimming, Mexico, The Marietas Islands, Nuevo Vallarta, Over the Border (and Through the Woods...), Seascapes, Table for One, Heart-to-Heart, Outdoor Adventures by Heather
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