Enjoying the Island of Costa Maya!

The first few photos are of the Costa Maya Port, which we bypassed and hopped on the shuttle to Tropicante. There was a nice sitting area around the swim up bar and lots of great eating spots. If you just want a pool day or are on a tight budget, I could see this being a nice place to just chill and read a book or maybe do a little port shopping. Our first option was to visit the Chacchoben Ruins but we knew that it was going to take up so much time and we only had so much allowed time before heading back to port. Maybe next time!

The shuttles to Mahahual are further out of the port, past all of the shops. The tickets were $3 per person and the open air trolley was very nice! If you walk even further down, you can grab a taxi for only $2 per person.

I had done quite a bit of research on where to visit in Mahahual; it had been years since our last visit. I finally decided on Tropicante because I had read great reviews on Trip Advisor and found out that it is owned by Steve from America. I emailed him before our trip and reserved 2 beach chairs w/shade. As soon as we got into town, one of Steve's employees came up to our trolley and had our names on a chalkboard sign and walked us over to the sitting area on the beach. Such great service!

The views were just amazing! The water was such a beautiful color of blue. It was so nice to watch the boats and people kayaking in the water.

This guy came by and sang an entire song for me so I tipped him a couple of dollars. I should have asked to pose with his sombrero!

The first thing that I did was order a margarita- pretty much my favorite drink! It did not disappoint; very delicious!

Later, we ordered lunch and opted for the Grande Burrito to share. It was a pretty big plate and all that we needed between the two of us. It was really fresh and delicious and the waiter was so nice and brought out extra chips for the salsa.

The hubby and I walked up to the Tropicante Bar and each had a shot of their 100% agave tequila. Some of the best tequila that I have ever had! It was so smooth that I didn't feel a heavy buzz/hang over after, which is always good!

 

We paid our tab and grabbed a taxi back to the port for $4 for the both of us. Our day in Costa Maya was really amazing! We are hoping to explore some more new spots on our next trip. Comment below if you know of any more great spots that we should check out!

Where is your favorite spot/thing to do in Costa Maya?

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? 

Winter Getaway!

We are leaving for Mexico in less than an hour!!! I'm currently up at 3:00 a.m. enjoying a latte and finishing up this blog post. I am so excited you guys! We have been working extra hard this year trying to finish house projects, so it will be nice to have a week-long break. We will be visiting both Costa Maya and Cozumel- we have been to both, but it's been a while since we last visited.

I am looking forward to catching up on some kindle reading, writing in my journal and hopefully get some clarity on my business/career for the upcoming year. I have been so overwhelmed with my business that I really need some time to just step away from it all and do some soul searching about the direction that I want to go. And let's just be real, I am especially looking forward to some sun and tropical drinks on the beach! I will be back soon with some photos to share!

What are some of your favorite spots in Cozumel & Costa Maya?

St. Augustine Trip: Day 2

The next morning we got out early and did some walking around historic downtown. It was nice to be up and about early without so many people on the streets- it gave me a chance to take some great photos! 

 

 We missed out on the St. Augustine Distillery on our last visit so we made sure to fit it in this time!

 It was interesting to hear and see how their Rum, Gin, Bourbon and Vodka is processed. It's definitely a lot of steps to create!

 After our tour, we were given the chance tot try samples of their drinks with their specialty liqueurs which was my favorite part! 

We  visited the San Sebastian Winery next. Every time we visit St. Augustine, we make sure to visit San Sebastian to do the wine tasting and purchase some wine to take home.

After finishing up our St. Augustine trip, we packed up our things and headed back home. We made a couple of Starbucks stops on the ride back home. It was a fun trip and we plan on visiting again this fall!

Day 1 St. Augustine Trip!

   

 We stayed at the Bella Bay Inn which was right across from the Marina and O.C. White's Seafood Restaurant. It was perfect because it was right in the middle of everything!

 Another Inn that we may try out another time

 

We ate here at Harry's Seafood, Bar & Grille and really enjoyed it.

We always order a seafood platter when vacationing in Florida!

 The hubby ordered the seafood platter which was amazing! I ordered the she crab soup. The only problem was that the bowl was way too much and I barely put a dent in it because it was so rich. The hubby helped me finish it.

We purchased tickets to visit the Lightner Museuem

 

 We watched the music show where the lady played these old music players - so amazing! Definitely a must if you visit St. Augustine!

 This is where I would like to stay next time we visit St. Augustine- The Casa Monica Resort & Spa

 This is the restaurant where we ate the last time we visited. A little expensive, but a really great restaurant! We really enjoyed the mojitos :)

      

 We went to both St. Augustine Beach and Vilano Beach- both amazing! We brought our Angry Orchard Beer with us & enjoyed some tanning.

For lunch we went to Stir it up right off the beach and had some healthy quesadillas and burritos

 

  We had to try the Kookaburra since I heard so many great things about it! We ordered the fair trade drip coffee which wasn't that great. I think an espresso would have been a better choice. I'll try it next time we visit.

This was the spot that we ate breakfast at during our trip. 

  We ordered the gluten free egg, cheese and bacon sandwich.

 We stopped in at the St. Photios Shrine- it's a quick tour but interesting, and it was nice to cool off for a minute (St. Augustine is so hot in the summer!)

 We had dinner at A1A Aleworks and it was so romantic in the evening. Hubby had the shrimp & I ordered the salad and the she crab soup. This is a very popular spot in St. Augustine- it's crowded every time we visit! The food is so delicious and we will definitely be back again!