On the Island!

We recently Cozumel and our first choice was to visit Tulum to see the ruins but we realized that we didn't have enough time to really enjoy the tour, the local ceynotes and beach so we opted to visit a local beach. We decided on the Money Bar after reading great reviews on Trip Advisor about the great snorkeling. Overall, it was a great spot for the price. There was no cost for admission unlike most of the beach clubs in Cozumel. I had done some research prior to the trip and found that almost every beach bar charges admission fees, ranging from $25 all the way up to over $100 with inclusive items such as food, drinks, alcohol, snorkeling, etc. Since we aren't big drinkers, we decided to go to the Money Bar instead.

We normally take a taxi but this time we decided to walk. I wouldn't suggest it, just because it was around a 4 mile walk and we weren't wearing the correct shoes for walking. We were more than happy when we were seated immediately upon arrival. We quickly ordered two margaritas which were really delicious!

Later, we ordered some guacamole & chips which was the perfect beach lunch. Their menu is in pesos but I came prepared with my pesos conversion app. That is, until mid-lunch, I showed the waiter my peso converter and he said that it wasn't correct, that the correct conversion was 16 pesos to 1 dollar. I just let it go since I was on vacation- who has time to try to figure out conversion rates?  Our total bill came out to around $31 (w/gratuity) for 3 margaritas, 1 beer and a plate of guacamole & chips, so I was pretty happy.

 

 

The hubby rented some snorkeling gear for only $10 for the set. I read on Trip Advisor that they used to charge $40 for equipment, but they must have changed it because of local competition with lower prices (there is a place right across the street that rents snorkeling equipment for $12). I honestly don't like using the mouthpieces after people, so it's on my shopping list to purchase sets to take on our next trip.

I joined the hubby for some snorkeling after some convincing from him that the water wasn't bad once you got in. Isn't that what they always say? I didn't want to miss out on the snorkeling, so I decided to brave the cold water and I'm so happy that I did, because there were beautiful fish everywhere! They were swimming all around my legs and it was pretty amazing.

All in all, we had a pretty amazing time and we got to try out a new spot in Cozumel! They also had taxis right behind the bar, so we didn't even have to wait on one. The cab ride back to the port was $12 total.  On our taxi ride back, our cab driver told us that the Sky Reef Club was another nice place to visit. For $15 admission per person, you get 1 welcome drink, a beach chair w/umbrella, snorkeling gear & a tequila tasting, so we will definitely have to try them next time.


Have you visited Cozumel before? 

Our 7-day MSC Cruise

We are back from our 7-day MSC Cruise and we had the best time!

Nassau, Bahamas
We visited the Straw Market, took the taxi to Atlantis to Paradise Beach and enjoyed the sun and water for a while. We had planned on getting a couples beach massage, which we normally do every time, but they were already busy, so we decided to just enjoy the sun a little. Later, we headed back to Atlantis and visited some of the cute shops behind Atlantis and also the gorgeous yachts and marina by the restaurants. We walked around and took some photos and headed back to the ship. We had to board at 1:30 so it was a fairly short day.

San Juan, Puerto Rico
Old San Juan is always my favorite stop. The first thing we did was stop at Starbucks to grab a coffee and look at the map. We go here often, so we wanted to try something different. We ended up finding a secret scenic area by the water that goes all the way around the El Morro Fort. There were so many Iguanas everywhere. We took lots of pictures and then headed towards town to find Barrachina's- I had read all about their amazing Pina Coladas. They originated at Barrachinas, so I figured they had to be amazing! And I was right, they were the best Pina Coladas that I've ever had in my life! The bartenders use almost 3 shots of rum per glass and the hubby and I shared 3 large drinks and some grouper fritters- I was definitely feeling relaxed. My husband liked them so much that we walked all around town to find the same rum that the bartender used and we finally found it and purchased 2 different Puerto Rican Rums to use at home.

We also visited Pigeon Park where you will find hundreds of pigeons and you can feed them. I chose not to because I saw a girl almost get attacked when she had food in her hand (no thanks!). My husband did go in and I stayed outside the gate and observed. One pigeon ended up landing on his shoulder and sat there for the longest time. It's also by the waterfront, which is really beautiful. From there, we did a little bit of shopping and I found a nice white dress to wear to dinner. On the way back to the ship, there was a long line of local vendors who sell their wares for a living. I found a sweet little old lady selling shell bracelets, necklaces and other things. The hubby and I chatted with her and ended up buying matching shell bracelets and headed back to the ship.

Phillipsburg, St. Marteen
We opted to take the water ferry over to Great Bay Beach. They had so many cute little shops and bars/restaurants. We visited Diamonds International where my husband almost bought me a pair of diamond earrings. I just wanted to look at the jewelry and enjoy myself, but the salespeople were so aggressive that it turned me off from wanting to purchase anything. They even tried to bribe us with a private open bar upstairs at the last just to get us to purchase some jewelry. I had to make the hubby leave because he really wanted to buy them for me, but I was just so ready for the beach. Maybe next time, some place where they aren't so pushy. Thanks, but no thanks. I was so happy to get out of there! We also had to leave early this day so we bought a Guava Berry drink from the bar and sat on the beach for a little while. It was nice to have a view of the cruise ships in the near distance. The beach was loaded with these tiny little shells. The hubby helped me collect a few to bring back home.

We really enjoyed the Cruise Ship as well. We ended up purchasing a couple's 1 hour facial on the third or fourth day and it was amazing! By purchasing the facial, it gave us access to the thermal spa which we enjoyed for about 4 days in a row.

I also loved that MSC Cruises offers the option to purchase the smaller drink/beverage packages. We had purchased an 18 alcohol package plus a 15 coffee beverage package. It ended up being perfect for just the two of us. We tried every tropical drink on the menu- pina coladas, Miami vice, mojitos, daiquiris, sweet and sour,tequila sunrise, Jamaican rum drink,Mai tai. Dinner was also amazing- lobster, escargot, scallops, shrimp, surf and turf. The desserts were out of this world- tiramisu, baked Alaska, cheesecake. Which is why I gained almost 10 lbs! Also, their pizza and pastas are all hand-made and so amazing! We watched the chefs hand-roll the pizza dough, add the toppings and bake it in the pizza oven. The pizza was so good! There were several nights that we grabbed a slice for a late night snack (and sometimes, a plate of dessert as well).

Now, we're back home and I've started a new exercise routine with the hubby. We are doing HIIT workouts. We started yesterday and did only 20 minutes and it was amazing! We also plan on getting back on gluten free, soy free, low sugar and mostly dairy free eating plan. I'm pretty sure my body is in shock from all of the sugar, dairy, alcohol that I consumed for 7 days!

It's so nice to be back home. Now I'm just catching up on laundry, we just had gluten free waffles and chicken sausage for breakfast and are getting ready to get some things done! Have a lovely weekend!!

Where are you going on vacation this year? I'd love to hear all about it!

Two Goals Accomplished + Our Upcoming Vacay!

   

 via j'adore jcrew 

Happy Wednesday y'all!! I'm in an awesome mood because I'm leaving for vacay soon with the hubby! This week I have been working extra hard around our house trying to get things organized so that we can come home to a shorter to-do list.

I have been working hard the last couple of weeks and I managed to complete one of my 2016 goals- I cleaned out 90% of the garage! The other 10% will be eliminated at our garage sale after we get back from our trip. I can't tell you how excited that I am to be almost finished with it (clutter causes me extreme anxiety!) My husband is really excited that he can now park our car in the garage.

Speaking of cars, we also marked another goal off of the 2016 goal list. We purchased a newer car and had it delivered to our home last Friday! It's a white Nissan Juke and it's only about 2.5 years old. It has a nice sound system with a moonroof and tinted windows- so nice! It will be really nice to ride to Miami in our new car and I'm beyond excited!

This upcoming vacation is so needed because my husband and I have both been working so hard with zero breaks. I am really looking forward to laying on the beach with a book +  tropical drink in hand. It will be nice to just relax and not think about work or house to-do list. We plan on staying overnight in Orlando and visit Disney Springs again and maybe do a little bit of shopping before driving to Miami and boarding the cruise ship.

I'll be back with some fun vacation photos soon!!

What upcoming vacations do you have planned? I'd love to hear all about them!

Top 10 Reasons that I'm looking forward to cruising the MSC Divina!

So remember how I blogged about how I pretty much skipped my birthday this year and also didn't even celebrate publishing 3 books on Amazon? Well, I will be celebrating very soon on a cruise! This will be my first time cruising on MSC. We have been on every cruise line except for this one!

I thought I'd share with you the Top 10 Reasons that I'm really looking forward to this cruise in particular. So, are you ready to hear my 10 Reasons?!

TOP 10 REASONS THAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO CRUISING THE MSC DIVINA!

1. Because it's a gorgeous ship!! 

photo via Flickr

2. This will be our first time in a balcony room!!

photo via cruiseone

3. The Swarovski Staircases. What girl doesn't love Swarovski crystals?

photo via travelzoo

4. The pasta is home-made. What?! I don't really indulge in pasta at home, but you can bet your butt that I will be eating some on board the MSC Divina. 

photo via jillsgreatescapes

photo via travelzoo

5. I've read reviews that the pizza is amazing! Again, I don't eat pizza at home too much, but I definitely am looking forward to trying their pizza. Did I mention it's an Italian ship?

photo via MSC Cruises

photo via MSC Cruises

6. The amazing Desserts!!

photo via MSC Cruises

photo via tipsfortravelers

7. The Nutella Crepes on board. I have never had a Nutella Crepe but it sounds divine!

photo via MSC Cruises

8. The gourmet coffee- espresso, please! I'm assuming because it's an Italian cruise that they have to make amazing Americanos and espressos right?

photo via MSC Cruises

9. Relaxing by the pool & reading my books! There are five pools on the MSC Divina!

photo via MSC Cruises

10. Tropical Drinks, of course!

photo via cruise critic

I'm so excited for this cruise! I personally love cruises because they are so easy to plan. All of the food, drinks, excursions are in one place, so all you have to do is buy! We opted to purchase a coffee drink package (includes 15 coffees) and an alcohol package (includes 18 drinks) since we aren't big drinkers. I love that MSC offers the coupon vouchers instead of the huge drink package! I'm counting down the months + days!!