A letter from the Caribbean

My dearest friends,

I am just about to pop out of the villa and head to the beach.  The thing is I need to wait for the butler to finish placing my bottle of Rosé in the ice bucket. This minor delay is completely my doing.  When I arrived this morning, early, I had time to unpack and unwind, then had lunch at The Deck. I was quite comfortable feeling the breeze, sipping my rosé and gobbling up all the traditional Mexican snacks, until the urge to hit the beach came over me. So what did I do?  Headed back up to the villa and just so happened to mention to my butler, who is seated only a few feet from my front door, that I absolutely loved the wine I had with lunch.  Two questions later (in which restaurant did I dine and was it a white, red or rosé?) and I smiled and slipped into my room to change into a swimsuit.  In the back of my mind, I felt like he might have a bottle sent to my room, but I had no real idea. Royal Hideaway Playacar is an adults only all-inclusive hotel, so I figured it was just the beverages I had stocked in my refrigerator that were part of the plan. I was proven wrong in that assumption. Before I could slip on my cover-up, there was a gentle tap on the door and like an angelic sommelier, my butler was there with wine in hand and ice bucket ready to receive the bottle of pink goodness. Some parts of the world may only experience three to five months of pink-wine weather, but here in the Caribbean…I indulge whenever I want.  The weather is always perfect for sipping on this.

Having winessed the bottle cozy up to the ice cubes, I skipped out of the villa and down to the beach, happy to know I would be coming home to a perfectly chilled elixir if I somehow needed a magical potion to cure me of anything that inflicted me on the enviable stretch of white sand upon which the beach butlers had set up my covered seating. As highly unlikely as that seemed, knowing it was there waiting gave me sense of security. Speaking of which, this place has the security game down pat.  The Riviera Maya has long prided itself on guest safety and security but here at Royal Hideaway Playacar, there are an additional two, visible, layers to that security, allowing me to relax even more deeply. Today there’s a saxophone player playing at the pool behind me.  The breeze carries his music to my ears and I feel a drink order coming on. I’m in Mexico, so tequila comes to mind as a first option, but I am already attending the tequila tasting upstairs in Spices in only a few hours.  I don’t want to spoil that experience, so Piña Colada it is.

That will be enough until the tasting because there’s a long night ahead and I only arrived today.  Four more days to explore the resort and head to Tulum for an afternoon should reset my spirit and prepare me for the summer ahead. That preparation needs to include long walks on the beach and some time in the gym because I fully intend to take part in dining at each of the six restaurants here at the hotel. I am especially looking forward to the intimate Chef’s Table, where I am to be seated directly in the kitchen in a glass encased dining room outfitted with cameras and a flat screen television to showcase the detailing that takes place as each dish is plated for my enjoyment. I am having a ball here.

Come to Royal Hideaway Playacar.

Besitos,

Gina