After our two-hour guided tour by Camila (who has been to MP more than

The hubby and guide Camila

1,000 times), we enjoyed high tea at The Sanctuary outside the entrance prior to the bus ride back down, the train ride back (with another wonderful meal and wine) and then finally the drive to Cusco.

First stop:  Peru

Best sight so far ..

Our first dinner spot was recommended by our hotel and an excellent choice. Dining hours are very European in terms of time .. i.e., few dine before 8:30 and most much later.  So we Americanos are easy to spot as the “early birds.”   Cala – Mar de Amor – was close by, overlooking the ocean with waves crashing, and really delicious.  A few pix follow ..

Hummus Peruvian style

Shrimp with Sweet Potato Puree

The Lighted Cross is an iconic symbol in Lima, erected when John Paul II visited.

 

Library in Santo Domingo

We toured the historic part of Lima — the downtown area, Presidential Palace, Covento de Santo Domingo, and then to the upscale areas of San Isidro and finally the coastline of Miraflores where we stayed. As is typical of many countries, one-third of Peru’s population resides in this capital city (9 million); it is quite large and diversified.

Downtown Lima

Another first-rate meal at was at Amar Amor.  Peru has become quite the food paradise, and this restaurant was no exception.  Unquestionably the highlight dinner was at Astrid y Gaston, voted the #1 Restaurant in South America. Rather than opt for the multi-course (28!), prix-fix, formal menu offered, we chose instead the more casual ala carte bar menu. This was just a great experience.

Our biggest challenge was getting a true translation of the complex dishes, as the English version menu was not available (the restaurant had just moved to a new location).  The staff was very helpful, professional and friendly, and we were thrilled to meet Astrid herself (Chef Gaston was in Paris), who not only is present but seemed to know most of the guests.  Photos follow of the most delicious food ..

From the raw menu

 

Best dish:  Shrimp with quinoa (native to Peru) and baby vegetables

 

Tres Leches dessert

 

There was a short flight (1:20) for the stay in Cusco (and trip highlight Machu Picchu);  one can drive from Lima but it would take 20 hours as there are no shortcuts through the mountains. Cusco is a city of 500,000, most of whom depend on the tourists for their livelihood, although there is a new copper mine providing well-paying jobs. Our accommodations were in an old monastery (Hotel Monasterio), which is quite elegant but small as they are not permitted to move any interior walls. Adjusting to the altitude (11,000 ft) is challenging .. tons of water, a special Mate de Coca tea offered everywhere, and taking it easier than normal.  My only complaint was a chronic headache. They are having El Nino … this year it will rain approximately 55″ and the weather changes at a moment’s notice.   For the backpackers (of which there are tons), inexpensive hostels are everywhere.




Our trusty guide Camila and driver Fausto, provided by tour company Belmond,  were very knowledgeable, professional, and punctual and enabled us to navigate the remarkably narrow, cobblestone streets and see the sights .. the main church beautifully decorated for Easter, some nearby ruins, and cavorting among the llamas, alapacas, and even the precious vicunyas whose yarn is the priciest.  We visited The Sacred Valley of the Incas, which is pretty spectacular, including Ollantaytambo in the Urubamba Valley but skipped the 260 steps to the top …

 

A highlight of the day was lunch at the Hacienda Huayoccari, the drive to which is positively daunting, which made this majestic destination even more remarkable. Wonderful food, beautiful table setting and another incredible view of the valley. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Next post:  Machu Picchu …

“Who says you can’t turn 60 and eat your cake too?” was the wording on the invitation.  Well, certainly not ME — and now I totally stand by that.  And this birthday celebration was indeed all about the cake (and cupcakes, too, for that matter).

Way back in the spring of last year, I was visiting a favorite client and got the idea that this ingenious venue was not just for the kiddies.  I have had the pleasure of doing business with Duff’s Cakemix since it opened in 2012.

That is a Duff’s cake for Hofstra U — daughter Hannah’s alma mater.

You might know the name Duff Goldman — as in the Food Network’s Ace of Cakes. Well, not only is there now a Charm City Cakes West in addition to the original Baltimore location, but there is the most wonderful design studio right next store, at the corner of Melrose and “Sweet”zer in West Hollywood. The only way to explain it is to call it “Color Me Mine” for cake decorating.  If that doesn’t ring a bell, then I’ll explain that people go in and select from different sizes of cakes or a set of cupcakes (already baked), pick their flavor (including gluten free and kosher on request), frosting or fondant, and selections from the goodie bar. How impossibly fun is that?   As a side note, Duff’s found my company through a Google search (can you say “Search Engine Optimization”?) and it has been a great relationship ever since.  I was already a huge Ace of Cakes fan, so I knew this company would be so much fun to work with — and it has indeed been amazing to watch them grow!

Sting ray on the left side of photo

From there it was on to the Akumal area.  Many visitors come to the region and stay only in Akumal, which is excellent for scuba diving and snorkeling (our activity this day).  We particularly were hoping to see sea turtles, and I am happy to report they were completely visible not very far from shore.  Again, Silvia was most accommodating, even putting on the flippers for the hubby (who has no balance, not to mention a strong aversion to salt water).  It was hard to tell how large the turtles were that we saw.  There are very strict instructions not to touch them or get directly above them.  One had a sucker fish attached to it’s back – we were told the fish is rather lazy so it was taking advantage of the turtle stirring up things for the fish to eat!   There was also a fairly large ray which thankfully kept his distance.

Sea turtle with sucker fish attached

Tiger Fish

Our last stop was snorkeling in a very large inlet that had tons of fish in very clear water, followed by lunch at the beach — although I’m not sure encouraging diners to climb up into their tree house while drinking beer in the sun is the best idea.   We then enjoyed “Taco Night” back at the hotel, complete with mariachi band and freshly made churros; muy deliciosa!

Lunchtime view in Akumal

Wanting to see the other hotels in our immediate area led us to dinner at the Fairmont Hotel”s El Puerto, the middle property in Mayakoba and by far the largest of the three (Banyon Tree is the third, comparable in size to Rosewood).  While all three properties are distinct and separately operated, there is reciprocity — even to the extent of charging the Fairmont meal to our Rosewood account (can you imagine that on the Vegas Strip?).  Of course all of the properties will gladly transport guests in one of their luxury SUV’s.  During the day, there are ferries that go around to all three properties on an hourly basis.

This meal was an interesting mix of hot and cold, from sushi and ceviche to

Tuna sashimi with sesame slaw

 

Great finish to the meal

steaks, etc.  We enjoyed an array of really fresh and light seafood, followed a cheese plate for dessert.  A side note that seemed curious: the restaurant was decidedly formal – courses were wheeled out to the tables via a cart.  Except whoever designed the restaurant should have ditched the stairs – it took two servers continually raising and lowering those carts for each service!  Not the best planning …

A coati (raccoon family) enjoying guacamole and likely going for the pizza next …

We also had the opportunity to dine at Banyan Tree’s Saffron restaurant for excellent Thai food.  The rains wrought a bit of havoc for the folks who thought they could dine outside; many a meal was brought inside mid-way as the water persisted.  This hotel is very exotic and inviting from what we saw.  They were expecting Tiger Woods, among others, for a PGA tournament starting a couple days after our departure.

Spicy chicken with fried brown rice and vegetables

Thai tapioca … this was not your grandma’s version

Some final thoughts on the stay here, much of which we shared with the General Manager.  The staff was uniformly happy.  You can’t fake that.   Separate from doing whatever they could to make their guests’ every wish come true, we spoke to many and found them to have a great work ethic and seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs.  One even shared with us that for the upcoming high season, he was sending his wife and two toddlers to the in-laws in Arizona so he could work double shifts and not put a strain on the marriage by being away so much.  He would talk to his kids daily via Facetalk, and felt he could do this while they were still young so the family could get “ahead.”  

After yesterday’s “oopsie,” the management was even more attentive.  Cabanas were reserved for us both at the main pool and beach pool.  This reinforced my long-held business philosophy that everyone makes mistakes, but what separates successful businesses is the manner in which they remedy those mistakes.  Rosewood lived up to their well-deserved reputation in their responsiveness and we look forward to visiting their other properties!

At one with his tunes …

Matching birthday greetings

But because this will always be the “60th birthday” celebration (well, until a few days in NYC this January; but that is another story), this one needed to knock it out of the park.   And I am thrilled to report it did just that.  I had read many articles about this particular stretch south of the Cancun, and kept up on the all the “Best Resort” lists, etc. Separate from the Conde Nast Travelers Readers Choice list just published, this particular resort had long since been on my target list.  The hubby surprised me on my 50th b’day with a trip to Rosewood’s Las Ventanas resort in Cabo, and it was all that one would expect and maybe more … You know those little sewing kits provided at fine hotels?  Well, the thread in my kit contained only colors that matched my clothing. How’s that for service?   I think the ratio of staff to guest was 4:1, and I loved those numbers alot.

The trip got off to a wonderful start — upgrade to Dallas?  Check.  Upgrade to Cancun?  Check.  And then Rosewood personnel greeting us at the airport  with the first big decision of the trip:  “Our traditional welcome drink is a mojito.  Would you prefer a margarita instead?  With or without salt?” On the way to the resort, our driver Javier shared his interesting story — in addition to working for the resort, he works as a bodyguard and is a 2nd degree black belt who teaches tae kwon do to young kids.  Good to know, but both this area and the west coast counterpart Cabo are completely safe to visit.  I’m wondering if Javier was convinced when the hubby told him we were on our honeymoon — that it was the first marriage for both and how we waited to find the “right” person .. does that even translate??

One enters the Mayakoba area off the main highway that runs from Cancun south through Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and well beyond.  Every vehicle entering checks in at a security gate.  Depending upon one’s destination, one either goes to the right for the Banyan Tree Resort, straight ahead for the golf course, or to the left for the Fairmont or the Rosewood.  And upon our arrival some 40 minutes later, said margaritas were there the minute we pulled up to the resort… Yep, a good start indeed.

Another welcome amenity

Another upgrade awaited us at the hotel, this time to a split level suite.  Pretty great, except I avoid stairs in order to preserve my knees (don’t want ever to have to replace the replacements!).  So that was a bit of a decision.  Nevertheless, I completely unpacked and had a lovely plunge in the private pool.  Woke up to a bit of a monsoon, and quite a bit of water seeped in some of the doors.  A room change was in order, back to the originally booked accommodations.  Repack everything?  Nope, the staff will handle that, thank  you very much. Truthfully, it was much neater than what I had done!  Now much closer to the main pool and breakfast, but still with the private pool and outdoor shower, this indeed works.  And maybe there won’t be any rain to deal with at all, but that is probably optimistic.  Getting one’s bearings here is no easy feat; there are little more than 100 rooms but the spread is so large one uses golf carts to get around.  From reception to the beach is about a 15-minute walk.   A visit to the spa (world class massage in an outdoor setting) and dinner at the beach (soft shell crab tacos, salmon tartar and passion fruit margarita among the treats) was a fantastic way to cap the first full day.

Tangerine sorbet poolside

Beautiful weather followed the next day so swimming, reading and relaxing was the order of the day.   The staff is wonderfully trained to fulfill one’s every wish.  Buenos dias, Mrs. Bialosky, como esta?  Cannot say enough about how pleasant everyone was.  There were non-stop poolside treats from mini drinks to crudites to Evian spray, etc.  I’m guessing even if the hotel were at capacity (they were about 75% full), the service remains the same…

Mr. Iguana wanted to have lunch with us …

Cigar tobacco drying from the ceiling

We ventured into Playa del Carmen — about 15 minutes via taxi — for dinner at Yaxche; delicious Mayan and regional cuisine. Thankfully we were pretty much under cover on their patio when the deluge hit.  Only a little wet during dinner …

Hotel lobby

One of the very interesting things to do on-site is view the eco-system of the property via a 30-minute boat tour. The only maintenance that the property is required/allowed to do is to remove seaweed; nothing else in terms of treating the water, etc.  The system’s balance is therefore maintained for the inhabitants. Those would include iguanas, many types of birds, crocodiles and turtles, among other things.  And since many of the accommodations have small docks, it is surprising that none of the guests have encountered wildlife in their rooms — although I did have a cat wander in one day from our deck.

Fortunately Mr. Croc stayed right there ..

Golf Course at Mayakoba — gorgeous view ..

Tomorrow is the big snorkeling excursion … to follow in the next post plus the rest of the trip.