Expedia, Take Me Away!

Calgon ain't gonna cut it, folks. There is only one thing to cure what ails me and it's a vacation. The proposal, the nasty winter, a painful rejection... I just NEED something. Preferably warmth and sunshine. Maybe a cocktail with a paper umbrella. A week to forget about all the crap, get a massage and enjoy a little R&R.



Unfortunately, I'm failing. My attempt to rally a couple friends into a girl trip has gotten more complicated than necessary. One's cheap, one doesn't like to fly, one is low on vacation and doesn't want to go for too long, and one doesn't want to waste her whole trip driving somewhere (me!). I don't want to drive 8 hours each way for a long weekend. And if I'm going to pay $300-$400 on a plane ticket, I'd rather go to Puerto Rico than Savannah or Orlando. I want to go somewhere I've never been and do something I've never done. Going clubbing in Atlanta is a snooze. Sitting on the beach in Destin lost its appeal once I graduated college and spring break is behind me. We've tossed around a million things, including cruises and nothing is settled. When its all said and done, I'm not sure we'll end up going anywhere. But I need this trip!

So here's where I'd like to go. Anyone want to join me?

Rockhouse Hotel - Negril, Jamaica

Rockhouse is a boutique hotel stretching across the cliffs of Pristine Cove in Negril. The resort, nestled amongst eight acres of tropical lush gardens, boasts a 60-foot cliff-top horizon pool and an award winning restaurant set on a balcony suspended directly over the water. Thatched roofed villas with private sun-bathing decks perch on the cliff's edge, and throughout the property, ladders and stairs carved into the rock lead down to easy water access for swimming and snorkeling on the reef.

Rockhouse is consistently ranked one of the top resorts in the Caribbean. In 2010 it is nominated for three World Travel Awards including best Boutique Hotel in the Caribbean for the sixth consecutive year. Patricia Schults names Rockhouse as one of the "1000 Places to See Before You Die" in her New York Times Best Selling Book.

Or how about this one?

Ladera Resort - St. Lucia

A thousand feet below, an intensely blue Caribbean Sea dashes against the volcanic Piton Mountains. Faintly scented tropical breezes cool your skin. Your private plunge pool beckons. There are only 9 villas and 23 suites in this ultimate rainforest open-air hideaway. Each offers fine linens, luxurious amenities and four-poster beds made of polished tropical hardwood. And each, deliberately without a fourth wall, invites the spectacular sunsets and astonishing views right inside, to be a part of your very private, very special retreat.


Looks good, huh? At this point, I'm fairly easy to impress, but 'heavenly' doesn't even sum it up. What's the most wonderful, relaxing place you've ever been? I need more suggestions. If you haven't been, but are dying to, share your dream trip.

SP

P.S. PC is guest blogging today at Romance Author Buzz. Pop on over and and say hi so she doesn't get lonely. http://romance-author-buzz.blogspot.com/

P.S.S. If the formatting looks wonky on your screen, I'm sorry. When I edit it, it looks fine. Then I pull it up and its all crazy. I have no idea what's going on. Please forgive me.

Life's a beach, and then you come home

I've spent the past two weeks at my mother's house, tending to her after she had some major surgery. That's why she hasn't been posting her pithy comments here lately. She's recovering nicely and should be back up to speed in a couple months.

But I got to thinking about something. I tell folks I'm going to visit my mother and that she lives on the coast of Georgia and automatically they jump to the conclusion she lives on the beach.

Au contraire. Yes, she lives on a small barrier island, which oddly enough has a longitude that's only -.33 degrees different from Cleveland, Ohio. See? This is why I don't worry so much about her during hurricane season. She is so far inland that their threat from a hurricane is quite minimal. That's not to say it can't happen, but it happens less than oh, say... Key West.



But I digress. She doesn't live on the beach. It's not far, though. 4.3 miles from her house to the beach at the old Coast Guard station according to Google maps. I've posted photos of the beach during past visits, but I thought I'd give you a little sample of how the everyday people live.

This is my mother's house. It's nice, it's comfy, it's beautifully decorated on the inside, but it's not on the beach.



And this is her houseguest philosophy. She's ~mumble, mumble, mumble~ years old so I suppose she's entitled to feel this way. ;-)





She has grass and shrubs and garden statuary like many people do. Here's "Frank" and a set of temple bells.




This is one side of her house and some positively gorgeous flowers called Agapanthus (also known as Lily of the Nile). Sadly, Huntsville is one cold-hardiness zone too far north for these to flourish. They could handle our summers, but not the winter.



And here's a close-up. Aren't they lovely? So you see, my mother has flowers, not sea oats growing in her yard.



She also has towering live oak trees. Because this is a barrier island, local ordinances prohibit cutting any tree with a diameter larger than a few inches. I guess they are afraid developers would chop away everything and the island would wash away. It could happen, you know.



She has spiders. I've seen plenty of geckos too. I'd be willing to bet there's a snake in the yard somewhere but I try not to dwell on that because I'd never set foot outside otherwise.



And there is the ever-present Spanish moss. It drips from everything -- the live oaks, her dogwood tree, the azaleas and camelias. And large chunks of it fall and get all over everything, like her backyard swing that hangs in the shade of a big live oak tree.




I hope you get a chance to visit St. Simons Island sometime (and the rest of the Golden Isles of Georgia too). It's a beautiful spot filled with history. The beaches aren't as pretty as our pre-oil spill Emerald Gulf Coast, but the wild Georgia shrimp here are to DIE for!

I'm back in town now and playing catch-up. I have mail to sort and bills to pay and dirty clothes to wash and an editor pitch to get ready for though I did get quite a few books from her line read during my time as Nurse Ratchett, Jr. (my younger sister holds the Senior title). The afternoon before I left I made one last jaunt to the Coast Guard beach and got there just in time for a storm with thunder and lightning to roll in.

Some beach.

Do any of YOUR relatives live in neat places?

P.S. Remember today is the last day to enter my "Red Hot Romance" contest.

Walkabout Wednesday

The Mayan Riviera – Jewel of the Yucatán

Riviera. This word immediately conjures visions of bikinis, the Cannes Film Festival and the casinos of Monte Carlo. Generically defined as a coastal area with holiday towns and beaches, it’s most often associated with the French or Italian coastline.

However, another Riviera is quickly becoming famous for its white beaches and turquoise waters. An hour by air from Miami, the Mayan Riviera is not as densely populated as Cancun, its neighbor to the north. Fewer people and a slower pace have turned this stretch of coastline into a favorite tourist destination for folks seeking sun and relaxation and for couples looking for a terrific honeymoon spot.

Located on the Yucatán Peninsula, the Mayan Riviera is not as developed as Cancun, yet still has plenty of all-inclusive resorts, which provide every amenity without the “metropolis” atmosphere of Cancun’s mega-resort properties.

Playa del Carmen, forty miles south of Cancun, was a sleepy village until a few years ago. Discovered by Europeans as a cheaper alternative to Cozumel, Playa is pure Mexican-Caribbean relaxation and is frequented by backpackers, archeology buffs and sun-worshippers alike.


Fifth Avenue, Playa’s main shopping area, is a pedestrian-only street with plentiful shops carrying an eclectic mix of colorful pottery, arts and crafts and gift items. Be prepared to haggle. It’s all part of the ambience of Playa’s shopping.

The ferry to Cozumel is at the end of Fifth Avenue along with Señor Frogs, a favorite watering hole for tourists. Twelve miles off the coast, Cozumel has long been considered the gem of the Mexican Caribbean. World-renowned for diving and snorkeling along a stunning coral reef, it offers a laid-back vacation experience. A shortage of potable water has halted rampant development, which delights tourists looking for simple island life.

Should you tire of shopping or lying under a thatched canopy called a palapa, sipping the bartender’s specialty, the area is teeming with exciting and educational side trips.

Xcaret, a one hundred fifty acre ecological park, is six miles south of Playa del Carmen. It features underground rivers and lagoons for snorkeling and scuba diving, botanical gardens, an aquarium and a swim-with-the-dolphins program. Xel-Ha, a state park with similar facilities at half the price, lies a little further south. Both are first-rate for a day of family fun.

Perhaps the most famous attractions in the Yucatán are the Mayan ruins, especially those at Tulum and Chichen Itza. The best known of the Mesoamerican civilizations, the Mayans originated in the Yucatán around 2600 B.C. They developed astronomy, mathematics and their own calendar systems. Their architecture, which consists of elaborate and decorative temples, pyramids and palaces built without metal tools, still puzzles and amazes modern engineers.

Tulum, often considered the most beautiful of the Mayan sites, is located eighty miles south of Cancun. It is the only Mayan city of any significance built directly on the sea. While it lacks the architectural complexity of other sites, it exemplifies the mantra of any real estate agent – location, location, location.

Poised on cliffs forty-five feet above the Caribbean and facing the rising sun, the ruins consist of several structures and a city square used for ceremonies and rituals. The Temple of the Frescoes contains hieroglyphs and restored murals depicting Mayan gods. The House of Columns was one of the largest residential buildings in Tulum and is more complex than most structures on the site. The palace-like edifice contains four rooms and a roofed sanctuary. In keeping with its name, six columns support the roof of the main room.

The most impressive structure at Tulum is the Castillo or castle. It holds court on the bluff overlooking the sea and is the tallest building on site. Used as a temple and quite possibly as a lighthouse, the building is laid out with portals facing in four directions. The alignment of structures is significant in the Mayan culture. This compass-like layout most likely allowed the Mayans to use the Castillo as a sort of solar calendar, with the solstice sunlight shining through the building via the north and south doors.

The most recognizable ruins of the Yucatán are the ones at Chichen Itza. Located one hundred twenty-five miles west of Cancun, the town covers almost three miles in area. Chichen Itza was initially settled as an agricultural development. The large number of cenotés or water-filled sinkholes in the area, made it ideal for settlement and growing crops. As the Mayan culture developed, Chichen Itza became more of a religious center as reflected by the large number of ceremonial buildings on the grounds.

The Temple of Kukulcan, the plumed serpent god, is the highlight of your visit. It is seventy-nine feet high with four steep staircases facing in the four cardinal directions. Each stairway has ninety steps, and the total number of steps, combined with the number of stairways and the single upper platform adds up to three hundred sixty-five. Climbing these steep, narrow steps is quite a challenge and at the top you may find a hysterical tourist who’s climbed up but is afraid to make the return trip.



This temple is the most famous example of architectural alignment in the Mayan civilization. People gather each year during the spring and fall equinox to watch the sun illuminate the steps and create the image of a great snake slithering down to Earth.

Another oddity of the temple is its acoustics. If you stand in front of the stairs of this eleven hundred-year-old structure and clap your hands, the pyramid answers with an echo that resembles the chirp of the sacred quetzal bird. Acoustical engineers compared recordings of the echo to recordings of the quetzal and determined them to be identical. Varying your position along the staircase can vary the tone by as much as half an octave.


Whether you’re a beach bum or an archeology buff, young or old, the Mayan Riviera and surrounding areas offer plenty of possibilities for vacation travel and fun. This land of white beaches and jewel-tone waters will fit every budget and style. Why not check out one of those palapas for yourself?



Do you like the beach? Ever been to the Caribbean? Some other fabu beach resort? Tell us about it!

Bon Dia

This week, the DH and I are on vacation. I'm sorry if you're freezing wherever you are, but today I am in sunny Curacao, which is 12 degrees north of the equator. It's thirty-five miles off the coast of Venezuela and is part of the Netherlands Antilles. Two other islands, Aruba and Bonaire, make up the rest of the island group and together they're often called the ABC islands. The people speak a language called Papiamento, which is a strange mix of Dutch and Spanish. Bon dia, the title of this post, means good day.

The water is clear and turquoise. I went snorkeling in the hotel's lagoon. It's shallow enough that I can stand up if panic starts to set in. But I saw coral and some purple fish and I'm a happy camper. The beach isn't your typical sandy shore. It's filled with washed up coral and were it not for my Crocs, I couldn't even get into the water.

So while the shore's a little rough, this island has one HUGE plus going for it. You can drink the water. You also don't have to scrutinize every bite you eat for fear it's been washed in contaminated water. Haven't needed the Immodium once. I know: TMI.

It's been nice and breezy and warm. We have had to battle rain every morning, but that's better than the snow and cold parts of the US are battling. The resort is all-inclusive, which means all I have to do is beckon Sandrik, the cabana boy and ask, "Will you please bring me another of those wonderful fruity drinks with a little paper umbrella stuck in it?" I took merengue lessons on Sunday afternoon and salsa lessons yesterday, and Georgio and Ramon are just the cutest instructors a gal could want to have. And what hip action! I also read Problem Child's book under the shade of a big palm umbrella. And I met a very nice woman from Finland who is reading a book called HOUKUTUS. Translation: TWILIGHT. The craze is worldwide.

I'd post photos but I just can't get blogger to upload any. That's a shame because I have a wonderful photo I took on the beach today. I was walking in the surf and amidst the pieces of coral that resemble brains, sponges and part of the male anatomy that will remain nameless, I found a heart-shaped piece of coral -- El Corazon. It seemed appropos after the ride into town for shopping this morning. Drivers here are somewhat crazy and the only difference between my ride to Willemstad and Joan Wilder's trip away from Cartagena in "Romancing the Stone" was we had no pigs and chickens in the van.

We'll get back home on February 1st, and I'll post an account of the trip. Stay tuned. Same Playground time. Same Playground channel. And keep the Playfriends company for me while I'm gone.