If the murse is wrong, we don't want to be right! 27 days- holy smoke!

[2ScottishPrincesses]

No judging here!! If I could take the kids out longer, believe me I would!!

Nate & I will be celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary on the day Becci turns 13! (That is if I don't strangle him first )


Baby Spice.....

Actually we'll call Nate Baby Spice. He's 9 mos. younger than me so he'll only be 35 during our May '09 trip.

That is so weird that you got married the day Becci was born, we both had life changing events but I bet you looked a lot better than I did that day

If Nate's Baby Spice I think Donny's going to have to be Embryo Spice 'cos he'll be 32 by the time we go (mind you he still act's like a grumpy old fart )

 

[jenna]

That is so weird that you got married the day Becci was born, we both had life changing events but I bet you looked a lot better than I did that day

Your job was a lot harder than mine. All I had to say was "I Do." Then again, I was saying it to Nate so that did involve some pain. Just kidding, Nate dear, if you read this!

If Nate's Baby Spice I think Donny's going to have to be Embryo Spice 'cos he'll be 32 by the time we go (mind you he still act's like a grumpy old fart )

You go girl!!! Robbing the cradle!!

 

[rentayenta]

OMG first off, Zihua is beautiful, the people are friendly, the drinks are potent, and the food is fab! DH and I have been back about a week from a much needed and well worth it vacation to a place we'd like to retire. My charge with the Sotavento is still not resolved but that's the ONLY bad thing I have to say about Zihua. Continental Air is a whole other story........... I have the worst luck when it comes to airlines.

We had very early flights on Continental, arrived to the airport in plenty of time, had our last Starbuck's for the week, and chilled. I absolutely hate to fly so thankfully I had a few prn anti-anxiety meds with me for both ways.

We arrived at Houston/Bush with literally 10 minutes to get to our next gate, 3 terminals away. Why Continental would offer that as an option is totally beyond me? Only by the grace of a higher power did we make it. That and the fact that DH does triathlons and sprinted and got there with a minute to spare. The only thing that stopped me from totally decomping was my prn anti-anxiety med

We arrived to a very beautiful Zihua right on time, hit the ATM (after NOT listening to the local who said the ATM was not working and caught a cab. And that's when my Spanish came flowing back to me.............like an old friend, it was little choppy, but I was able to converse quite well.

We arrived at the Catalina Beach Resort (CBR) and at the front desk was Cesar and Celso sweet guys!!!!! I had been emailing with them and called the week before arrival to confirm. They were so nice and I fell in love with CBR right away. We checked in hassle free and headed to our deluxe bungalows. I loved it from the tile to the hammocks to the view and wow, what a view! We had number 31 and our friends had 39. I felt immediately relaxed and just soaked it all in. It was the best!!!!

 

[rentayenta]

We changed into our swimsuits and headed to the beach It was about 3:30 pm and we had no problem getting a palapa. In fact we didn't have an issue the entire trip. We had plans to have dos por uno (happy hour) at the Sunset Bar. By the time we got there, I had enjoyed a LARGE margarita from Elvira's and was toasty. The peanuts at the Sunset Bar are like crack- addictive. They are soaked in lime and sprinkled with salt!

And sunrises.......................

For dinner, after tres dos por unos we sauntered back to Elvira's and had dinner. We had their coconut shrimp, fish tacos, quesadilla, and some sort of steak. It was all really good. We enjoyed many meals there throughout the trip.

The sound of the waves crashing into the ocean was PURE heaven for us We are originally from So Cal and painfully miss that sound. Every night we slept with the windows open, sans the ac, and were blessed with that amazing sound. I didn't need any prn’s until the flight home

We woke up around 9:30 the next day and that's the latest we slept the entire trip. The sunrises became too beautiful to sleep through. We were in bed by 10 pm though. The sunrise, drinks, and sunset wiped us out

We headed into Commercial Mexicana to get beer, water, and snacks. We also picked up some delicious pastries from their bakery. After we headed back to the beach for drinks and sun. We took many long walks along Playa de Ropa, during the day and night and I am not sure which is more beautiful.

Tonight we had reservations at Coconut's. We all got ready and headed into town. While in town we saw a guy, not a federali, just sitting there with a handgun; is this legal?

Mariachi:

Mexican coffee:

 

[rentayenta]

Anyway Coconut's was good, not great, and not sure if it warrants all the hype. We had steak, carne asada, black bean soup, and some herbed chicken dish which I liked the best. The twinkle lights were nice and the Sangria was good. The service was slow. I know the service is always slow but we had to hunt down our server for the check. Maybe the guy with the handgun got him?!

After dinner we cruised around. Fun town. We had a beer at Rick's and passed by Bandito's. Our friend's shopped a little and we took in the sights. We made it over and walked the pier. The lights across were so beautiful. We even found a boat for Gabby:

Back to La Ropa for a nightcap and a walk on the beach. Amazing. I can't imagine it ever getting old.

Daily breakfast was huevos rancheros or chillequillas at either Elvira's or Paty's. Not original but close and delicious. Weak coffee though at both places.

The next day was Troncones. Javier said he'd get a us cab driver with decent English so the guys could say what they needed. Antonio, our cab driver, was the best He drove us to Troncones, found the guys a place to rent a board, dropped us at Roberto's and said he'd wait if we wanted. The cab fare was $30 each way. My gf and I relaxed on the beach and watched the guys surf. The waves were really big and DH did well. His buddy is a fairly green surfer but had a blast nonetheless. Lunch was at Roberto's, we bought Antonio's of course. It was a gorgeous day.

DH is on the left:

Some cool sand creation:

In MY hat. He was really tan but the light/shadow makes him look pastey!

Antonio drove us back about 4 pm, we said adios, and he said he'd be back on the day we left to take us to the airport.

 

[rentayenta]

The days are beginning to bur so maybe I'll jut hit the highlights from here.

Food:

BEST tacos from some sweet lady in the market area next to La Perla (a restaurant), I think. .50 a taco. $4 and we were stuffed.

We also ate at Pollo Feliz, which tasted just like El Pollo Loco here in the US, Rossy's, Paty's, Daniel's, and Tamale Any's. Can you imagine $2 for a the best red sauced banana leaf wrapped tamale? Unreal. Their Sangria was good too. I think dinner that night was a whopping $13 before gratuity.

On the last night we ate at Linda Vista, the CBR's restaurant. I never saw more than a few people there so I was a little skeptical but our food was fantastic! I am embarrassed to say I had the linguine scampi but it was really good. The sauce was buttery and creamy but not too heavy and the shrimp were plentiful and cooked perfectly. DH had the steak fajitas. The meat was delicious.

We met lots of neat people including a couple that was there for their 60th wedding anniversary They were darling! We also met a woman, whose name escapes me, from SF who was really fun to chat with at the beach and had been visiting Zihua for like 15 years. The Zihua crowd is a little older which was exactly what we wanted, mellow and relaxed. Our friends made it into Ixtapa but we never felt the need to leave. Having been to Cabo x3, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan, I felt we weren't missing anything except maybe another $25 tee from Carlos and Charlie’s. We saw the same people almost nightly at the Sunset Bar. I think on the 3rd night we started not only enjoying the Sunset's dos por uno but also Paty's that started at 5 not 6.

All of the local kids seemed to be having a blast and I think our most astounding observation was that we never saw any local kids whining. They'd sit there all day with their family selling goods without a tv, ipod, Wii, you name it and appeared perfectly content. They'd walk the beach with bowls of ceramic items, in the hot sun, and be laughing and chatting with their friends the entire time. My children could learn a few things!

The CBR: love the authenticity of the room, the tile, and bed. Yes, the bed. DH and I slept so well. That region's beds typically consist of a matress on a cement block. He suffers with chronic back issues and loved their beds. I was very happy. A hubby sans sleep is not a happy camper. The hammocks on our balcony were so fun and the view from the deck could not be beat! We left the windows open and unlocked and our room was always comfortable. It was nice to have the little fridge and housekeeping did a good job. The stairs were never an issue either. I think they kept me from gaining the entire 10 lbs. I had planned on. Cesar, Javier, and Celso were so sweet. I think they liked us too and know they liked the case of Pacifico we gave them upon our departure.

I could ramble on and on and probably have too much but it truly was the best vacation! It had romance, alcohol, great food, amazing sunsets and sunrises, and lovely locals. And we spent less than we had planned on.

We did buy a few trinkets for the kids but really didn't find anything we hadn't before on other trips to Mexico.

I wish I had one of those .50 barbacoa tacos with cilantro and onions right now!


More photos........................

The hotel's infinity pool:

A visitor on our deck

At Tamale Anys:

Our view while having breakfast every morning:

Random beach beautiness:

That's a Carnival coming to ruin the view

 

[rentayenta]

More randomness..........................

The pier:

The movie theater:

Los bomberos:

Give us this day, our daily drink:

If Michael Bolton and Fabio were to blend. That mullet is a masterpiece!

Michael's mid-morning snack:

A shrine:

Me..........................NOT!

for reading and not making fun of how chubby I am.

 

[jenna]

Awesome report & pics!!! It looks gorgeous there! I'm so glad you guys had a great time!

I'm looking at the pictures thinking something looks so different about you Jenny when it hit me, duh! I totally forgot you cut your hair!! It looks great!!

 

[rentayenta]

Thanks sweetie. I have about 500 photos of sunsets and sunrises and M drinking beer.

 

[jordanyosh]

Great pix....looks so relaxing...perfect vacation...

 

[2ScottishPrincesses]

What can I say except BLISSFULL ....thank you for sharing this with us

 

[DisneyJo]

Jenny your trip looks and sounds absolutely amazing

 

[rentayenta]

What can I say except BLISSFULL ....thank you for sharing this with us

It was total bliss. Food, sex,

Jenny your trip looks and sounds absolutely amazing

I can't believe we've only been home a week.

Great pix....looks so relaxing...perfect vacation...

It was!!!! Did you like Michael's mid-morning snack?

 

[2ScottishPrincesses]

OMG I have to share a nightmare I had at church today . Niamh was feeling in a very joyfull mood this morning and wanted to express this by going up in front of the pulpit and I had to keep grabbing her and hauling my very squirmy child on to my lap. After the third escape bid Donny took over and I relaxed back into the pew....only problem was it was a bit draughty and when I looked down two of my shirt buttons had come undone and I was exposing my baps and lacy bra to the minister and the choir I was absolutely mortified and I'm SO glad my DM and bro were not there today. Donny on the other had thought it was hilarious and said "It's probably the most attention Willie Kelly (old man in the choir) has paid in church in years)....GIT!!!!

I know this story hasn't realy got anything to do with anything at all but I had to share my pain so I don't develop Post Traumatic Stress disorder

 

[jenna]

OMG I have to share a nightmare I had at church today . Niamh was feeling in a very joyfull mood this morning and wanted to express this by going up in front of the pulpit and I had to keep grabbing her and hauling my very squirmy child on to my lap. After the third escape bid Donny took over and I relaxed back into the pew....only problem was it was a bit draughty and when I looked down two of my shirt buttons had come undone and I was exposing my baps and lacy bra to the minister and the choir I was absolutely mortified and I'm SO glad my DM and bro were not there today. Donny on the other had thought it was hilarious and said "It's probably the most attention Willie Kelly (old man in the choir) has paid in church in years)....GIT!!!!

I know this story hasn't realy got anything to do with anything at all but I had to share my pain so I don't develop Post Traumatic Stress disorder

I feel your pain! I'll share a story to make you feel better:

When Emma was a baby, I took her to Christopher's end-of-school preschool picnic. It was outside at a local state park and all of the classes were there with their parents. Well, little Emma was nursing and although I was covered with a nursing shawl, everyone got a bit of a show. All of a sudden, a huge burst of wind blew my shawl off as Emma had pulled off. I was more than exposed! I wanted to crawl in a hole and die!

 

[rentayenta]

OMG I have to share a nightmare I had at church today . Niamh was feeling in a very joyfull mood this morning and wanted to express this by going up in front of the pulpit and I had to keep grabbing her and hauling my very squirmy child on to my lap. After the third escape bid Donny took over and I relaxed back into the pew....only problem was it was a bit draughty and when I looked down two of my shirt buttons had come undone and I was exposing my baps and lacy bra to the minister and the choir I was absolutely mortified and I'm SO glad my DM and bro were not there today. Donny on the other had thought it was hilarious and said "It's probably the most attention Willie Kelly (old man in the choir) has paid in church in years)....GIT!!!!

I know this story hasn't realy got anything to do with anything at all but I had to share my pain so I don't develop Post Traumatic Stress disorder

That is so flippin funny!!!!!!! Maybe he thought you were trying to get a little more than the love of the Lord.


And I have been meaning to tell you, your bro is cute.

I feel your pain! I'll share a story to make you feel better:

When Emma was a baby, I took her to Christopher's end-of-school preschool picnic. It was outside at a local state park and all of the classes were there with their parents. Well, little Emma was nursing and although I was covered with a nursing shawl, everyone got a bit of a show. All of a sudden, a huge burst of wind blew my shawl off as Emma had pulled off. I was more than exposed! I wanted to crawl in a hole and die!

Ha ha ha ha. Jenna is such a sweet soul too, I can imagine you being so purely mortified! I keep missing you on IM.

 

[2ScottishPrincesses]

Thank you Jenna you made me feel so much better...I may have exposed my F cups but they were incased in lace and there was no nipple exposure oh I bet you just wanted the ground to open up an swallow you.

Jenny you are so naughty suggesting such things to a good God fearing girl like myself....I've never had a raunchy thought in church...never ever...I promise...ahem

Yes my bro is probably just your type Jenny, he's pretty slim and has a wicked sense of humour but can I just say...EWWW it's always weird when your friends think your big bro's cute. The only plus side when we were growing up was that he had extremely cute friends so there was alway a lot of eye candy hanging about our house

 

[rentayenta]

Thank you Jenna you made me feel so much better...I may have exposed my F cups but they were incased in lace and there was no nipple exposure oh I bet you just wanted the ground to open up an swallow you.

Jenny you are so naughty suggesting such things to a good God fearing girl like myself....I've never had a raunchy thought in church...never ever...I promise...ahem

Yes my bro is probably just your type Jenny, he's pretty slim and has a wicked sense of humour but can I just say...EWWW it's always weird when your friends think your big bro's cute. The only plus side when we were growing up was that he had extremely cute friends so there was alway a lot of eye candy hanging about our house

Oh no Jenna showed it all! Pepperonis and everything.


I bet it was nice having a big bro with hottie friends?! As an only child I cannot relate.

 

[rentayenta]

Guess what?

417 days until WDW!!!!! ​

And 237 until we can make our ADRs!

 

[rentayenta]

Guess what?

417 days until WDW!!!!! ​

And 237 until we can make our ADRs!