There was no sun visible above the horizon this morning, but still the scene was a pretty one.

We had hoped to go to Playa Norte that day but the weather forecast was iffy. Instead R&M came over for a ham and egg breakfast that D whipped up for us.

Then I asked Bruce and Susan our neighbours at Luna d’Miel if we could possibly borrow their golf cart for a spin around the island.

We wound our way around the entire island with only one stop-the Ladies Beading Co-operative for some more shopping.

We all spent some time at our beach looking for sea glass.

At lunch time I contacted Loncheria Nichol’s (I had always wanted to find the excuse) for fried chicken and an extended visit on our back deck.

It was still chilly so D wound himself up in the hammock for a read.

Later, we took a bus into town so that D could do some shopping for the Wee Ones back home.

That evening R and M treated us to an amazing dinner at North Garden. We started with frozen drink concoctions.

Delicious premise made bread came along next as well as empanadas and roasted potatoes (yes please!).

R chose a flank steak.

M selected salmon

and me chicken.

We were all in for something special but D most of all, with his Tik ‘n Chix shrimp.

When it was time to serve us our mains and entire trolley was wheeled out from the kitchen and little grills set up to finish our selections. We were very impressed and the food was excellent. We felt particularly blessed not just because the four of us had shared an amazing meal but because of our friendship over 35 years!

Afterwards R and M humoured us by going across the street to Snappers to watch the end of a Jets game. We had another nightcap at home under the stars.

Kath’s quote: “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” –Muhammad Ali

Love never fails.

The sunrise that morning (and almost every morning) was gorgeous. D headed out to walk the loop and afterwards we had a small breakfast at the apartment.

I enjoyed a little walk in our hood.

It was a very hot day so we spent our time at the shelling beach purposely enjoying when a wave would splash us for refreshment.

And then we spent the rest of the afternoon sequestered under the umbrella or with our feet soaking in the chilly water of our plunge pool.

Later that afternoon we met the lovely sales manager of Hotel Rolandi to tour their gorgeous hotel.

I was so impressed that every room had a sea view. I imagined myself around the pool until sunset and then a quick change for dinner.

There are more than one gorgeous pools so you could sit amidst a chatty group to get to know other guests or find a spot where you could quietly stare at the ocean for hours on end.

At sunset we were escorted to our table for the evening.

It was a delicious and romantic evening belatedly celebrating Valentine’s Day. The restaurant was so exquisite I would suggest that you not wait for the excuse of a special evening.

Each of our seven courses was perfection. here is a link to that Blog Post.

The concierge hailed us a cab and we went home for some late night libations on “our” other side of the island.

Kath’s quote: “Love is the crowning grace of humanity, the holiest right of the soul, the golden link which binds us to duty and truth, the redeeming principle that chiefly reconciles the heart to life, and is prophetic of eternal good”. -unknown

Love never fails.

That morning there was another gorgeous sunrise. Dawn is one of my favourite times on the island.

Another hot and windy day so I stayed under the umbrella for the duration.

D took friends Rudy and Andy on a walk and beer tasting at Isla Beer. They stopped on their way home to cool off in the breeze (and have just one more cold beer). Andy had never been out to Luna d’ Miel, and he really like it.

Earlier that morning, D had visited X Bulu Ha to make arrangements with them and share in some breakfast. So I had much of the day to myself.

R & M dropped in on their way in from Centro. Their hotel was having a grand opening so there was no place to sit and they had been in Centro all day. I made popcorn and we had a lovely visit under the umbrella.

That evening we went into Centro for dinner at El Patio.

Afterwards Michelle and Jan (whom we had met years prior at Luna d’ Miel) met us for drinks and a visit. They are Canadians too, but from a province that we had never visited, so a couple of years ago we visited Prince Edward Island.

We had a little wine with the stars before bed.

Kath’s quote: “Anyone can drink beer, but it takes intelligence to enjoy beer.”- Stephen Beaumont

Love never fails.

For Jo.

We could tell even that early in the morning that it was going to be a hot one so D was already out walking and I took in my daily limit of the sun.

Sister #3 and Donna joined us by our little plunge pool so that they could cool off without walking to the beach. Xbulu Ha were we typically stay, boasts a perfect location but doesn’t have the frills like a pool. Typical of Sister #3, she did not come empty handed. She whipped up a batch of pico de gallo for a lovely lunch treat. We enjoyed our left overs as they munched on the sandwiches they had made for the beach.

When they left, I enjoyed a leisurely time in the hammock and under the umbrella while D went out walking again (twice in fact).

R & M suggested we join them for sunset from their hotel Bahia Tolok.

One of the fav restaurants of the four of us is Basto’s. I love everything I have ever tasted there but in particular their garlic shrimp dinner and their hand cut fries. D ordered the last Hamberga Especiale which he loves. M and I split the Enchiladas Suisa and the garlic shrimp. R ordered the latter as well and really enjoyed it. Beers were cold, and the service attentive.

Home for a nightcap under the stars. We slept with our air conditioner on for the first time, and it got really chilly through the night.

Kath’s quote: “People who love food are always the best people.”-Julia Child

Love never fails.

We were blessed that morning with another beautiful sunrise.

At around 9 am we made our way to Lola Valentina’s for a very special breakfast. “Morning Abel” was our waiter not to be confused with “Evening” Abel our other fav Lolo’s waiter. See all the details in the link (once Covid 19 is done).

Just as we arrived home, we were invited to R & M’s hotel for the afternoon. Since it was a brand new property, we jumped at the chance. They were almost directly opposite of us on Medina (the other side of the Airport Strip). It was called Bahia Tolok.

We walked into Centro just as the sun was setting. We had told R&M about the amazing tacos at 1000 Tacos and after one taste, they absolutely agreed with our accolades. R loved the octopus taco so much that D had to order one to try it too.

Since we had eaten such a light meal we were hankering for dessert so we stopped at a different shop for gelato. Our impression was that the owners were Italian which made a lot of sense. The gelato was delish! We all hopped the same cab to Luna for a nightcap under the stars before we put R & M into their own cab home. A beautiful day with amazing friends.

Kath’s quote: “Life was meant for good adventures with great friends.”-Unknown

Love never fails.