This never gets tired.

D has walked into town and I am contemplating the day. The breeze has died down and there are no clouds. Might be a hot one! To my surprise D has discovered how much he likes beachcombing saying that it is both relaxing and good exercise! I joined him for a while yesterday.

D made his fabulous ham omelets for brunch.

We were kicking around possibilities for the day when Boo & the Frenchman texted saying that they would love to come over again to sit in the shade and watch the waves. We went to fetch them in our golf cart and did exactly that.

D made cocktails. He and I were too hungry to chase down sunset so we went right to Brisas Grill. It was a busy place and we were lucky to get a table when we did. D had grouper and cilantro sauce and I had seafood pasta in a white wine sauce. We did not think that it was as good as when they were on the beach. We were home in time for a glass of wine and Suits on Netflix.

Kath’s quote: “When you make an omelet, as when you make love, affection counts for more than technique”.-Isabel Allende

Love never fails.

We love so many things about staying on the airport strip. But the best part is being excited to get up with the sun, make our coffee and then just sit there.

We had established our Luna d’ Miel routine of D walking into town for his second coffee, newspaper, tortas, fruit and juice. This is when I would typically go shelling & sea glass hunting. At that point I had almost a full bag of alga marine, my favourite sea glass colour. D also checked in on daughter Boo as she was still ill the previous evening.

We also love that the Luna d’ Miel unit that we stay in, has a fairly well equipped kitchen (including an electric frying pan that we had taken down years prior). Taking full advantage, we stayed in for a fabulous breakfast of Isla ham and eggs.

I spent the day I and out of the sun, It was cool in the shade (almost too cool) and hot in the sun (almost too hot). D finished his book and we took turns in the hammock. I felt sleepy all day and tried to rest. We snacked and nibbled the day away. Daughter Boo and the Frenchman had our golf cart for the day. We loved going back and forth to pick them up and drop them off.

At 6 pm we were at K & M’s hotel to pick up their excess supplies. So far we have done so with most of the people who have departed. We will consume a bit of it and find an unsuspecting local to pass the rest off to.

Had a lovely Happy Hour at Jan & Bruce’s. They are in the old Glady’s apartments that we stayed over New Year’s years ago. We walked the crazy ladder to the roof.

Dinner was at Bertha’s (link here) & Sister #2 and her husband joined the four of us.

We stopped at J and B’s to pick up more supplies and ended the evening with a glass of wine under the stars. We were the only inhabitants at Luna d’ Miel that night.

Kath’s quote: “While sleeping in a hammock, with the touch of a warm wind we remember why we are in love with the life!” -Mehmet Murat ildan

Love never fails.

Later that same day we chilled on Luna De Miel’s Caribbean patio until supper with rums & freshly squeezed oj and nachos.

We love the colours of the sea on this side of the island, especially in the ever changing light.

But we also appreciate the  west patio too with the natural tree canopy and views of the bay.

Eventually we cabbed into Centro to Covi to stock up on some wine and met a wonderful couple from British Columbia. We have friends in both the communities of Pender Harbour & Gibson’s Landing in BC and this couple lived half way between the two. She spontaneously told me about a place that they had just discovered where they were delighted with food they had never tasted before. Turns out that they were speaking about Chiles Relleno from La Lomita, where I had my first meal on the island many years ago. They were so enamoured with everything about Isla, they even wanted us to see their little room at Hotel Casa Espana.

We then wandered over to Brisas Grill to have dinner with family members Don, Victoria, Kelly and Lorraine. Unfortunately, I had misinformed the latter and mistakenly they went to the former Brisas Caribe in Colonias. Eventually they found us but I felt bad.

In the end we had a lovely sunset dinner with our feet in the sand (see this link to read about it in more detail).

After dinner, we wandered Hidalgo with a stop at our favourite bakery truck for pina (pineapple pie). Unfortunately our friend Jose was sold out so everyone bought cookies and pastries instead. Our final stop of the evening was with Victoria and Don at their hotel-Roca Mar to fetch their leftover groceries and a last visit around the pool. They departed the next morning.

We are very much looking forward to our 2016 Isla visit, when we will not have to hail a cab or make the walk down the dark airport road after an evening in Centro. We will be spending half of our time at Villas San Miquel. We will have gorgeous sea views in a secure compound in the perfect location. On a day like Day 7 we will have saved all kinds of time and cash by not making our way back and forth to Centro. We cannot wait!

Since I have recounted this time earlier this year, I have been informed that Brisas Grill is closed. I do not know any of the circumstances but certainly hope that it all gets straightened out because we are very fond of the spot.

Kath’s quote: “Dinner is not what you do in the evening before something else. Dinner is the evening.”  ― Art Buchwald

Love-that is all.

We discovered this little gem and its owner Isabel a number of years ago when I first convinced D to join me on the island.  At that time, I had stayed in various neighbourhoods on Isla but never the airport strip.  Knowing that D would equally enjoy Centro and the Colonias for his morning walks and time of exploration, while I could be perfectly content just gazing at the turquoise sea and the crashing waves, I happened upon Luna d’ Miel.  Fast forward to this, my tenth visit to Isla, we were once again embraced by Isabel and her sparkling clean, pristine apartments with a very special bonus.

We had expected to wheel our cases into our favourite room which we had secured the year prior before we returned home.  But Isabel stopped us and asked us if we would prefer another option.  An apartment had been built for her personal use right on site but she explained to us that she prefers to rent it to her visitors.  Our answer was a resounding grateful-YES!  Here’s why:

The combination living and dining room (there is a round glass dining room table just to the bottom left of where this photo ends) was fashioned from the former front lobby of the hotel.  This was taken just before our guests arrived to watch the Canada’s gold medal victory in the Olympics.  We spent many late afternoons enjoying a glass of wine in this glass encased room.

Sister #3, D and I had lots of room to cook together in the airy and efficient kitchen where I remembered the front hotel desk of the hotel to be. The kitchen is equipped with fridge, mic, coffee maker and everything that you might need to make simple meals. We were preparing to host the birthday celebration of The Frenchman (more details of the party to follow).

We were able to sit 10 for an el fresco dinner but not without the help of Isabel who brought in tables, chairs, table cloths and twinkle lights.  She is so hospitable and generous with us, having done the same thing the year prior when we hosted another birthday party for Sister #2 and her twin brother.

There were no other guests staying in the hotel the evening of our dinner party, so we set up on the cement terrace for appetizers before dinner.

But back to that original tour.

The brand new bathroom had an enormous walk in shower and lots of space and storage.

The bedroom boasted another seating area, king sized bedroom, overhead ceiling fan, separate (from the one in the living room) remote AC, wardrobe and direct access to a shaded pergola and the plunge pool.

Here’s the primary reason, we love Luna d’Miel in the first place.  It is one of those special places on the island where you can watch both the sunrise and sunset.  We were awake at the time pictured just above, each and every morning, just before the sun began to rise.  We would have brewed our coffee in advance, and we would sit quietly in these white chairs and watch the sky come alive.

We could sit and gaze at the blues of the sea, with the breeze in our faces,

or swing in the hammock (we brought our own from home and hung it ourselves) forever and a day.  Some afternoons we would venture to North Beach but in all honesty, we couldn’t think of a reason to leave.

This tree did not provide quite as extensive a natural umbrella when we first started staying at Luna d’Miel.  It has grown and its canopy has expanded since then.  As visitors to the island know, the traffic on the airport strip is non-stop.  We got used to the traffic noise and gladly endured it to perch in the setting sun and watch the world go by.

This is the view of the Bay of Cancun right from the living room window of the suite.

The sun sets above the palms and over the bay.

We actually enjoyed a rainy day, perfectly dry inside but enjoying the falling rain through the floor to ceiling windows.

But the very best thing about staying at Luna d’Miel this season was that the rest of our family was just two doors away.  J1 would bring our Grandbaby over as soon as she was awake in the morning, knowing that we would be waiting for her.  He would return to their casa to rest and perhaps sleep some more and we would spend a wonderful hour or so with the joy of our life.

Luna d’Miel and Isla Mujeres is our paradise but somehow the Wee One made it that much more glorious with just a giggle, two-toothed smile or gaping-mouthed smooch.

Kath’s quote: “The littlest footprints make the biggest impressions on our hearts”.  -Unknown

Sunrise from Luna D’ Miel-not one but TWO hearts! For us, love was all around.

Love-that is all.