Playa del Carmen Mexico - Day 8 - Sat. Oct. 29, 2011

When we woke up this morning it was a BEAUTIFUL and we knew we were going to have a great final day of our vacation.

For breakfast today, Mr. Sass had moletes and I had scrambled eggs. We ran into Rogelio who was really happy to see us and I think maybe a little embarrased by all the fuss we had made about him the day before. He looked a little shy about seeing us, but touched. At the end of our breakast, he asked when we were leaving and thanked us for writing the letter. He told us, "You always have a friend here."

Today was a really relaxed day of hanging out at the beach and hotel all day. The weather was gorgeous, as was the ocean, so we spent a lot of time in the ocean. The surf was super gentle - almost lake-like, and warm, and there were almost no waves. I know most people like waves, but there is nothing better to me than a calm ocean where I can float on my back and drift like a piece of driftwood.



The entire day was sunny except for a short period where this big, black cloud blew over in the afternoon. It showered for all of one minute and then the sun returned.

We spent a little time at the pool as well, but it was a bit too chilly so we sat in the "hot tub" which is a little area in the center of the pool. It was extra hot today! In fact, it was too hot for Mr. Sass.

For lunch, I had the shrimp tacos and Mr. Sassy had the fish tacos. Very yummy as usual. There were a couple big iguanas hanging around the pool area and I got a good video of one of them. You can also see the hot tub and pool in this video.



The day was a little shorter than usual because we had to get to bed early in preparation for a very early departure the next morning, so all of our plans got moved up a little.

We went back to the room around 4:00 p.m. and got showered and then headed to the bar for happy hour. We made this short video at happy hour, talking about the highlights and lowlights of our trip.



During happy hour, gato girl visited us. I said, "Gato Girl! Come here!" and had her follow me to our room where I had some treats waiting. I had put aside some shrimps from my shrimp tacos at lunch and also had some yogurt for her. She galloped after me to the room and gave her some shrimp, which were too big and tough for her to chew, so I had to break them into pieces to make it easier for Her Majesty.





Before we left for dinner, we headed to the beach and were glad we did, because the sky was extra beautiful. It was shades of pink with some beautiful cloud formations. There was one large, circular cloud formation that was spectactular - it reminded us of an alien space ship - and I was able to capture it on video and photos.





For dinner, we decided to stick nearby since we had to get to bed early. Our intial plan was to eat at a pasta/Italian/pizza place called La Pommerola which was supposed to be a couple blocks away, but we couldn't find it. We asked a local if he knew where it was and he told us they had relocated downtown. He recommended we go to La Piola instead, another Italian/pizza place, which he said was excellent. We had passed there a few times during the week and he said he felt the pizza was better than La Pommerola. Well, what a great recommendation! The pizza was PHENOMINAL. In fact, Mr. Sassy and I agreed that it was probably the most delicious pizza we have ever eaten. In our lives. And we live in the Philadelphia area, so that says something. The pizza we got was a large pizza with vegetables. It was wood-fired with a thin, almost cracker-like crust. The cheese was super buttery and the pizza just melted in our mouths. Out of this world!! The setting was lovely too, with tropical plants and waterfalls. As usual, the dessert was a bit disappointing. I got this chocolate cake with ice cream. It looked amazing, but the cake tasted like Duncan Hines box mix. Nothing special. Again, cakes are NOT a strength in Mexican cuisine.




After dinner we went back to the room, finished packing (we had started earlier in the day) and went to bed. We had to get up at 3:00 a.m. (UGH!) because our flight from Cancun departed at 6:00 and it is an hour or so drive from Playa del Carmen to Cancun.

Well, it's been a great trip! No, not perfect. There were some glitches, but one of the greatest things about this trip is that we feel we have found our new favorite place. We will definitely be returning to Playa del Carmen and Mahekal. In fact, we've already booked our next trip for June of 2012!

Until next time, hasta la vista!