Going Home Today

No post last night…… the night just got away from me.  Yesterday was a rainy day.  It rained for most of the day however there was a short period of time in the late afternoon that the rain stopped and I did get in the pool for a short time before the wind kicked back up and the rain started again.

We did have a great dinner though.  We had beef that must have come from Missouri it was so tender and delicious.  It was a great way to end our stay here.  After dinner we started packing up for the trip home.

It rained  all last night so today everything was wet.  It looks like it might turn out to be a nice day today…..figures…..hahaha.   We are finishing up packing and sit on the deck and soak up the last of the warm air before we depart.   Then hopefully when we lay our heads down to sleep, it will be in our own bed..   

Did Someone Say Rain

 Before I get into the rainy happening of today, I need to share something that I keep forgetting.  It never ceases to amaze me how when we go on vacation and people ask where we are from, very few actually know where Idaho is.  Even US citizens.  And I don’t think in the past there has been someone else from Idaho.  With that said……..A year ago Art and I bought shirts that say I ❤️ Boy See.  They are great shirts.  Art brought his on this trip to wear.   The first time he wore it, a lady asked him if he was from Boise and he said yes.  She told him her son played football for BSU.  He wore it again and a lady asked if he was from Idaho.  She said she was from Utah. Then he wore is again and a lady asked if he was from Idaho he said yes then she asked if he was from Boise and he said yes..  She said she grew up in Idaho and her family was from Boise and she was now in Missouri.  We were finishing up eating and she came up and to us and I asked what her family name was.  She told me and I totally knew the name but for the life of me couldn’t  think of why.  Later it came to me.  My kids/grandkids are friends and go to church with that family.  Anyway, she asked Art if she could take a picture of his shirt which he agreed she could.  After she walked away Art looked at me and said “that’s a first” and I said “someone from Idaho? “ He replied “No… someone wanting to take a picture of my shirt” HAHAHA 

Today was windy and rainy.  So much so, we stayed in most of the day.  I was able to get in the pool for about 15 minutes this morning but the wind kicked up really hard and I barely made it out of the pool before it started raining really hard.  And the rain stayed most of the day. Later this afternoon there was a little break in the weather so we got in the pool but it was to windy and chilly to stay in very long and the break in the weather was short.  Our butler braved the weather and came by for about 30 minutes and visited. The rain has stopped for now but it is supposed to start up again soon.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings. 

Will the Rain Please Go Away

 The rain must really like us.  It rained most of the night last night and this morning.  Have a feeling it will rain again tonight.  Rain Please Go Away!

We decided for breakfast we would try the buffet. For as bad as dinner was last night, breakfast was equally as good.  We had a delicious breakfast. The food was really good and they had a nice variety of things.  Art said his breakfast was a 5 out of 5 stars.  Lunch was hit and miss. I wanted some sushi but not a full order.  I asked the waiter if I could have a half order and he told me no.  He said the cook gets jealous if the whole amount doesn’t go out.  So I thought don’t want the cook jealous so I will eat what I can and forget the rest.  Art and I were to shared a burger and it was good. I asked if they had Perrier to drink and he said no but they had sparkling water so I asked for that with a lime.  The sparkling water was Perrier.  But I didn’t ever get the lime.  Art ordered a pina colada.  After he took a first sip of his drink,  he yelled out loudly “WOWZA” everyone turned out look to see if he was ok.  I started laughing and asked if it was a strong drink, which he indicated it was.  He must of enjoyed it as he drank the whole thing.  The waiter delivered our food and said he would return with some soy sauce for the sushi…… we never saw him again.  The sushi was pretty dry.   Dinner was delicious.   I had a yummy salad that had shrimp and battered veg (avocado tempura).  I couldn’t resist the battered veg.

After breakfast we headed back to the room to get in the pool but the maid was cleaning the room so we went to one of the main pools. It was pretty empty so we had our pick of places.  As soon as the  maid was done, we headed back to our room.  We were ready to get in the pool and it started raining.  Fortunately, it only rained for about 30 minutes.  It was nice to get in the pool.  We spent the rest of the day either in the pool or sitting on our deck watching football games.  We just love having a deck to enjoy.

We got in the elevator and laughed at the floors listed.  The floors are 1, 0, -1 instead of ground, 1st , 2nd. 

                                                                    Our pool

                                                                Elevator buttons

My battered veg salad

Off on a New Adventure

Wowza!! We had a crazy thunderstorm all last night. And with it came the rain.  It rained really hard.  It was still raining when we got up.

Because it was raining we decided to do the buffet for breakfast since it is indoors.  The hostesses at the buffet are so sweet and they always remembered us.  They said it was because we were so kind to them.  We always inquired about them.  Anyway, we were almost done eating and Frida (one of the hostesses) came up and with a frown she said you didn’t tell us this was your last day and handed us a goodbye from the restaurant card. She said they were so sad to see us go and hoped we would come back.  I really think they meant it.  

Thankfully, it stopped raining around 10 so we could have one last beverage outside before we departed.  All the staff was so great!  Couldn’t have asked for better.  At noon we departed for the new hotel.

Because our hotel transfer was exclusive to the airport, we had to take a taxi to the new place.  Our butler made the arrangements for us which was nice. The poor taxi driver didn’t know where the new hotel was and asked for the address.  It wasn’t on any of our paperwork but we looked on the map and he could tell from the map.  He was super pleasant and visited with us on the way.  It was about a 40 minute drive.  I don’t think he was ready to go so far as we did because we had to stop for gas along the way. 

The new hotel is huge.  After we got checked in our new butler took us for a tour of the facility.  I quite frankly got lost.  Our room wasn’t ready so we sat and enjoyed a beverage.  Once the room was ready our butler escorted us to the room and showed how everything works.  We are really close to one of the lunch restaurants so we won’t  have to go far for lunch….. Woohoo.  And the sushi place is not as close but still pretty close so I can get my daily dose…. Another plus.  AND a guy goes by about every 20 minutes to see if we need a beverage and walks it up to our swim out pool. Yes our room has its own private pool off the deck.  Oh it is so nice to have a deck.  We really missed it at the other place.    Can’t wait to spend time on it the next few days.  The room is great! The bathroom is huge … no bumping into each other.  And the bed is so big we will have to take annual leave just to find each other.  I think we will be getting a great night sleep.  And the sound of the ocean just outside our door is a heavenly sound. 

Dinner was a true experience.  The food was not nearly as good or even good.  And it was so loud in the restaurant we had to use sign language and text to converse.  Art said he thought he might need some piano wire to floss the gnarly tasteless chunks of meat out of his teeth.   We can mark that place off the list to go to again.  

I got a call last night and I have to speak in church when we get back so I may spend some time preparing  for it tomorrow……….or maybe not. 

For now we are going to enjoy listening to the ocean on our deck til it’s time to go to bed……awwww.

Getting Ready to Leave

 We had another great day in the books. We decided we would spend the day at the pool instead of the beach.  Art found us a couple loungers that were in a great spot.  The area filled up quickly.  I think more people arrived today.  I can only imagine what it will be like tomorrow.  

We got in the pool a couple times to cool off.  It was pretty hot.  We ordered lunch at the pool.  We also ate our left over steak from last night. Yep it was still delicious.  We truly spent the whole day by the pool.  The weather turned to rain tonight. We were grateful that it waited until tonight. 

After dinner we got packed up so we could spend as much time tomorrow by the pool as possible before we move on to our next adventure.  It has been great being here.  The staff is all so great couldn’t have asked for more! 

Full Day of Fun

Today started out a little iffy but ended up great!  This morning it was really overcast and windy.  The clouds were really dark and it looked like it would start raining at any moment.  Art got up early to get us loungers by the beach.  He got the last two available.  I was surprised so many were reserved with the weather the way it was.  

We went to the restaurant for breakfast.  It was really good! After we headed to the beach.  We spend most of the morning at the beach.  The wind blew so hard it blew the dark clouds away.  Once the clouds were gone the wind stopped.  It ended up being a pleasant day.

We decided to split another hamburger for lunch.  It was delicious.  They are so big there is no way we could eat a whole one by ourselves.  Besides it leaves room for sushi.  The sushi here is really good.  I will miss my daily sushi when we go home.

After lunch we got in the pool.  I was shocked how warm the water was. Usually it is a little cool when you first get in but not this one.  It was nice.   After we got out of the pool we headed back to the beach but made a quick stop by the hot tub.  Art wanted to see if it was very hot,  Usually they are warm but not hot,  We stepped in, I was really surprised.  I bet the temperature was at least 104 degrees.  We sat in it for a short time.  

We decided to get in the ocean.  There were some good sized waves so we waved hopped.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay in for too long as I had a spa appointment.

When I checked in to my appointment, I was told I could go to a regular room for my treatment or I could go in the air purifier tent.  I wasn’t sure what the tent was but was willing to give it a try.  It was a big tent in the middle of the waiting room.  They said no one wanted to try the tent so I said I would do it.  They were all excited that I would do it.  It is seals up when you get in and the air is purified.  I thought the whole experience was very pleasant.  I would definitely do it again.

Our wrist bands are magnetic and you use them to open the doors.  Ours stopped working so we had to get them reset.  I think it must happen a lot as they never questioned it when went to the front desk and we saw others having to do it as well. 

We had a great dinner.  Our waiter was very entertaining.  I had ordered buttered mashed potatoes and when he brought them he said here are your butter knife potatoes.  He realized what he said and it cracked him up.  We all got a good laugh out of it. 

We thought we would watch the game at the sports bar.  The game did play, however a live band came and played.  They were so entertaining to watch I totally forgot to watch the game. The drummer was the most animated drummer we have ever seen.  

When we got back to our room, I noticed the butler had left our usual treat but had also put our slippers by the hot tub.  There were rose petals strewn about.  Art found a note saying to enjoy our bath.  I turned around and the hot tub was filled with a bubble bath.  How cool!!!  Such a fun surprise.   Yes we did get in.

The day was full of fun and we are spent.  Tomorrow is our last full day here.  Then we move to the other hotel. 

                                                                            The band 

                                                    This is the tent I had my spa treatment in

Not even Cloudy

 The weather today was incredible.  There were very few clouds.  The sky was bright blue.  It was really hot and humid though.  I loved it.  

We spent our time on the beach.  Art got us a couple loungers in the same spot we were at yesterday.  It was wonderful.  We shared a delicious hamburger and fries for lunch.  Then this afternoon we walked down the street to the farmacia to get my eye drops.  Luckily it wasn’t too far of a walk.

Tonight was a dining experience.  We decided we are not foofoo eaters.  We went to the French restaurant for dinner.  The waiter was a cute kid and he tried hard but we are like the hillbillies doing gourmet.  Art ordered his usual gin and tonic and they forgot to put tonic in the drink. It was pretty strong.  They brought out the customary appetizers.  One of them looked like a Barbie ice cream cone. I wish I would have  taken a picture.  But I swear it was just cat food.  That is what it tasted like.  The waiter suggested Art have a certain starter so he said ok.  It was horrid.  He couldn’t eat it.  I ordered something different,  It was really weird but tasted ok. Art had soup and I had salad.  I think my salad was really just big eels. The main coarse ….. I am not sure  what to say but it was the most normal.  I had a beef medallion that was so tough my jaw got a workout.  It didn’t come with anything just a piece of meat on the plate that they poured some sort of weird juice over it..  Art had the lamb and peas. He said the meat was tender but the flavor was weird.    But the dessert was delicious!  We had an upside down crème brûlée and chocolate soufflé….delicious. We decide it was definitely a dining experience. 

After dinner we sat out by one of the pools and enjoyed the evening and Art ordered a not so strong drink. 

Overall the day was great…dinner wasn’t the best but still loving being here. All the staff is incredibly helpful and nice!!!

Beach Time and Food

 Another good day with no rain.  It was a little more cloudy today and lot more humid but enjoyable none the less.

We went back to the buffet this morning for breakfast.  It wasn’t bad. I prefer the omelets at the restaurant but Art likes the food better at the buffet. 

We spent the day at the beach again.  Art got up early and reserved some loungers.  There are a lot more folks here and we weren’t sure we would be able to get a lounger on the first row by the ocean so he was willing to get up early.  He found us a great spot.

We actually ate lunch today.  We went to the buffet.  Art ordered a pina colada and I ordered a virgin miami vice.  We aren’t sure how they make them but they are super smooth and delicious.  Art wondered if they make them with some kind of cream.  I don’t know but I do know they are better here than any other palace. 

I went to the spa today.  I was scheduled for a chocolate wrap.  I have had a couple of them in the past and they are great!  When I got to the spa they confirmed I was getting a chocolate wrap but when I got in the room the gal had me down for a passion fruit wrap.  After talking it over I decided to stay with the passion fruit.  It was a good call.  They are basically the same but with the chocolate wrap they use a brush to apply the the chocolate but with the passion fruit they rub it on.  Oh it was so lovely.  I really enjoyed it and my skin was so soft when I was all done. 

We went to the Mexican restaurant for dinner. They reviews were so good so we were excited to go.  It wasn’t that great.  Art ordered lobster.  He got the whole thing.  Head, body, legs, tail all of it.  It didn’t look all that appetizing.  My dinner tasted like vinegar.  It wasn’t good.  So to make up for it…. We went to the sweet shop and got cake.  Now the cake was delicious!

More beach time tomorrow.  Can’t wait!

No Rain

 Hooray Hooray Hooray….no rain today. We got lucky the sun came out a lot today.

We decided to go to the restaurant instead of the buffet for breakfast.  It was pretty windy out but we endured.  My breakfast was delicious!  Don’s was not bad.  I think he prefers the buffet.  

We spent all day on the beach.  We got front row loungers.  The staff was extremely attentive.  They brought us a bucket of ice with water in it and they periodically came and freshened the ice and brought more water.  At one point they came and brought us fresh towels and set them up for us.  It was impressive!

We got in the ocean.  It was a little chilly when we first went in but after about 30 seconds it was warm and pleasant.  It had some really big waves so it was fun to play in.  

When we came back to the room to get cleaned up, we stopped at the concierge desk and Art ask them to order us some shrimp cocktail.  Less than 30 minutes later we were eating delicious shrimp.

For dinner we went to the Japanese restaurant.  It was delicious.  They had excellent sushi.  I could have eaten a bunch more.  It is customary for the restaurants to bring some kind of appetizer while you are waiting for your food.  Tonight our cute gal brought an appetizer and we both looked at it like what on earth.  It looked like a tentacle sea creature growing out of a rock.  We both thought no thanks I am not eating that.  But it was fried tapioca.  Actually it was pretty good.  Art tried it and said “oh it’s packing peanuts”…..hahaha it was kinda like rice cakes only with flavor.  

After dinner we sat out and listen to a couple perform.  The girl sang and the guy played the piano.  They were really good.  I was sad when they stopped.  

I was supposed to do the spa hydro therapy tomorrow but after listening to Art’s experience. (Funny as it was). I decided it wasn’t for me so I cancelled it. I would rather go to the beach. 

All the staff here is so attentive and friendly.  It is so great being here.  

Two for One

 Well I didn’t post anything yesterday as we were so tired we went to bed early.  So I will do today and yesterday at once.

Starting with yesterday.  It was pretty much an average traveling day.  I woke up at 3:15 and was afraid I would sleep through the alarm so I just laid there awake until the alarm went off at 3:45.  We got to the airport at 5:15. It always amazes me how busy the airport is that early in the morning. I was surprised the couple ahead of us at the check in counter couldn’t believe they couldn’t get on the plane because as they said they were a half hour early from departure and why do they need to be earlier……this is Boise Idaho for heavens sake. Guess what…. They had to take the next flight.  Then another couple had  two kids they were taking to Mexico and they didn’t have any documentation for the kids.  Not sure how they thought they would be able to take them out of the country.  I don’t know how that all shook out.

The flights were both pretty bumpy.  I can’t remember when I was on a flight that had so much turbulence.  And it lasted for most of the flights.  It was crazy.  I am not usually a big fan of airplane food but I’ll tell you what…. Our lunch was delicious.  Art and I both commented on how good it was. All our flights arrived at their destinations early.  That was nice.  We arrived here 30 minutes early. That really was nice.

I can’t believe how much customs has changed.  We were a little worried going through on a Saturday.  We figured it would be crazy busy.   Nope, we got off the plane and walked right through.  Normally it takes so long by the time we get through our luggage is waiting for us.  This time we had to wait for our luggage to be offloaded.  That was a new experience.

We got a private van to the hotel.  It was fun. When we arrived it was raining hard.  But the clouds parted and we got to the hotel without it raining too hard .  But after we arrived it started back up.  We had a nice dinner then went to bed early.  Our room is nice.  It overlooks a lagoon.  I do miss having a balcony though.

Today we went for a walk around the facility after breakfast.  It is a beautiful facility.  Unfortunately, it started to rain. It rained off an on all day.  That’s okay because we watched football and then went to the Spa.  Yes I said we. Art read the hydro therapy was a must do.  Hmmm when they said a must do I really think that is something for spa people to do.  Not everyone is a Spa person.  In fact,  some people should never go to the Spa.  Art is one such people.  I am a Spa person…. Art is not.  We were both going to do the hydro therapy but the women’s side wasn’t working so I didn’t do it.  I think I lucked out.  I am still laughing at Art’s description of the events.  He said that it was only an hour but felt like a week. The heat was way too hot and the cold was so cold his swimsuit  froze to the seat so he decided he better stand after that,  I can only imagine him in that predicament. The whole experience made for a great comedy act.   I had a hot stone massage.  I will say it was the BEST hot stone massage I have ever had.  My experience was so much better that Arts.  I am supposed to to the hydro therapy on Tuesday.  I think after hearing all about from Art, I will be cancelling.  

The weather is suppose to be better tomorrow, so we are hoping we will be able to spent the day at the beach.