Playa del Carmen: Días 3 and 4 (La Playa!!!)
Maybe I should have saved this post for tomorrow, when my area has a high of 3°F for the day (9°F today isn’t much better!)? Ha ha! That’s okay, I’ll just keep doing what I’ve been doing since we got back – looking at vacation pics for virtual warmth!
Our weekend in Playa del Carmen was all about the beach (la playa)! Each day started with a run:
Food consumption:
And meandering over to the beach:
I did bring my GoPro to Mexico! More on that in later posts!
You can’t really tell in any of the pics, but I wore these bikinis (tops here, bottoms here) while in Mexico, and really liked them (I bought them just for this trip – looking forward to wearing them this summer, too!).
One day we got crazy, and went to the pool, after we got back from the beach. I was amused by the fact that I was working on knitting a super warm scarf, while wearing a bathing suit:
This is exactly what I wanted most of the vacation to be like – totally chill (ha, relaxing, not the temps). No schedule. Lazing about. Getting to things, eh, whenever we got to them. Perfection.
We did have a few adventures other than the beach. On Saturday night, we went to Babe’s, a Swedish owned restaurant with a specialty for Thai noodles and “Asian European” cuisine. I got the recommendation for Babe’s from a super enthusiastic coworker, who said it’s the best Thai food she’s ever had.
I used my Spanish a bit there (with a lot of mistakes, but more on that in a later post!) which was fun. And I did find out that almost all of the dishes had fish sauce in them, so they made a special dish for me and Steven!
That was not the highlight of dinner though. The first was this Daiquiri:
Then Steven and Gina working on this masterpiece:
And Luca asking if he could use my phone to take pictures. So I gave it to him and asked him to take a picture of the four of us.
Oh my gosh, we were laughing so hard. And that got the attention of the ladies at the table next to us who did come over and take a picture of us five – now it’s one of my favorite pics!
We had a fun time at Babe’s.
And after, Steven got what he said was the best thing he ate the whole time in Mexico – a Marquesita – a sort of crepe (made with flour and milk), cooked on the spot, then filled with something sweet or savory of your choice (Steven chose Nutella).
And our wild adventure the following day (Sunday)? Prepare for this folks, I party hard.
Laundry.
Ha!
Steven and I packed with the intent of doing laundry while we were there. And there was a laundromat right by our place! Gina and I bought soap on Saturday and headed over on Sunday to check out the laundromat… only to find it closed. Drat! I spoke in Spanish to the lady at the smoothie shop next door to ask here if she knew of another – no luck!
But! We had passed a laundry place the day before, that was also really close. Would it be open? Ding ding, it was
And. AND! I didn’t even have to wash it! I gave my instructions in Spanish (lavar en frío, secar en delicado), with some use of writing on a notepad too, and paid, with instructions to pick it up at 8:00 pm.
GUYS. I paid the equivalent of, like, $4 USD for someone to wash all these clothes (my bag only) and fold them so nicely!
Does that service exist in the states at that price?! Gina and I were a bit excited!
Oh, and since you can’t have too much Mexican food (wait! you CAN!), we made it for dinner that night, too! It wasn’t getting old to me… yet…
Don’t worry, we saw Pedro on the weekend, too. Only, we figured out she might be a girl, and re-named her Pedra. After that day, every time we left the condo, Luca would call for her. So darn cute (and super funny to me to imagine what the locals were thinking to hear a little boy call “Pedro! Pedro! Where are you?!”)!
We bought her some cat treats and started carrying them with us (just like I did in Rome, ha ha). She would see us and come running to us! It’s dorky, but it made me miss Data a bit less (and feel guilty for giving another cat some love at the same time)!
Themocracy
It was the same when I was in Thailand handed them dirty clothes and for almost nothing they came back perfect! I def think it should be a service here. Laundry is my least favorite chore. Those drinks look amazing, so does the food…good on ya for investigating at the restaurant…I’d be so screwed not a word of Spanish ha ha!
I think it should be, too! It was so nice not to have to sit down and do it myself, on vacation.
You would be okay there without Spanish! They speak a lot of English. I just wanted to try to speak it.
I hope Data didn’t smell “other cat” on you! LOL! That daiquiri–wow! I hope you didn’t waste time drinking that because it looks like it’d end up all over the table otherwise. Love the pic of the 5 of you but the kid pics are funny too. I love it when kids get the camera. It was fun to look through your pics on a cold morning. Welcome home? LOL!
I wondered if Data would! I brought back the treats we got for Pedra and Data wanted NOTHING to do with them 😉
I kept wondering why they were giving us plates for our drinks! Ha ha!
Another great 2 days!! It looks like an amazing time! I absolutely love the dresses/cover-ups that you and Gina are wearing on the beach!! Too too cute!! Did you get them down there?? That warms my heart about Pedra and the treats!! Y’all are so awesome!!!
=^..^=
Thank you! Yes! We got them in Cozuhel! I have a funny story about that for another day, lol! 🙂
I’m loving your recap! Sounds like my kind of vacay- running, beaching, eating, relaxing! That daiquiri is legit, and I love your orange maxi dress- super cute!
Thanks! I got it at that store in the mall I think I was telling you about – Dry Goods?
sounds heaven! I normally travel with people who plan everything out, so it’s nice to do nothing. One vacation they did excursions and I got a pedicure 🙂
Awesome!!! That is a perfect way to relax!
My dad and stepmom retired to Mexico (they live in Lake Chupala) and send food pictures ALL THE TIME! I swear the freshness of the food and the colors of the town make me want to go for a very long visit. Their temps today: 80 *sigh*
That is so awesome! Please tell me you visit them all the time?!
My friend who used to live there had told me the food would be awesome, and she was right!
You are giving me the travel bug!!!! Seriously, I started researching vacations in Playa Del Carmen yesterday.
Awesome!!!!
I bet that sweet little cat misses you!!! Your family photo came out great 🙂 I love all the pics.
The daiquiri looks amazing! I am drooling lol
$4 laundry is so awesome, I would have done a back flip lol The beaches are really pretty there.
I hope some other tourists are giving her love! 😀
I think you should have applied for US Citizenship for Pedra and brought her back!! 🙂 Loving all the pictures still, thinking I need a vacay soon….
Dang! Why didn’t I think of that?! Data has seen her pic and think she looks hot. Oh, Data…
I think you do, too! 🙂
This post is making me so jealous, especially the uber frigid temps in Chicagoland right now. I would like to be enjoying an adult beverage on a nice warm beach right now. Please and thank you. 🙂 Love the boat illustration. Hope that’s going on someone’s fridge. Or perhaps framed in a study…
I think everyone in Chicago deserves a beach day, too! No shame to those who enjoy a summery cocktail or two today… ha ha.
I hope Gina saves that image! It made me lol so hard 😀
Did you have a hard time running in vastly different weather? I’m guessing it was humid, which always is struggle-face for me, especially after being in cooler weather.
That marquesita thing sounds/looks SO good. I’m such a sucker for crêpes, though I kind of get stressed about eating messy street food. It looks “neatly packaged” though.
I didn’t! There was always a nice breeze and I had my hand held to stay hydrated (for those super long runs of around 5 miles, lol). The hard part was needing a public restroom from time to time (cause my eating was so off). I visited Starbucks a bit for that 😉
I bet you would like it! They reminded me a bit of getting one in Paris, only rolled instead of folded. Steven did say it was a bit messy, but only at the end 😉
Wow – what a great trip! It makes me miss Mexico – I haven’t been in such a long time (it’s really embarrassing!). I’ve heard great things about Playa del Carmen, and it sounds as you all really “vacationed”, even with the barco de barfo (too funny). I’m now ready for a *real* vacation one of these days!
Why embarrassing? Cause you live close? Have you been to that part of Mexico, or only closer to CA?
Those pictures of Luca made me laugh too. So cute of him to offer to take pictures. I’ve never heard of marquesitas. As I read your description I kept thinking that it was a crepe. Is it any different?
Oh and that cat made me smile too.
When I’ve had crepes, they have been folded differently, but I have no idea what’s in them, or how to compare since I didn’t try a marquesita!
I’m really enjoying these vacation recaps! I’m so happy to hear that you had such a great time in Mexico. I know it can be a hit or miss for many, but your approach of skipping resorts and doing your own thing is awesome. And you got to run there too!!! Major jealousy. My sis actually just called me to discuss her plans to travel to Mexico and possibly Cabo where her and I once went many years ago, but I told her to check out your blog for the possibility of going where you were instead!
Aww, thank you! And thanks for recommending to your sis! I bet Cabo is fab, too!
A lot of people were SHOCKED we weren’t staying at a resort. Maybe I would try that someday…? But I really liked having the condo as a home base and exploring (safely, lol) kind of on our own!
I love how Luca looks so much like both of his parents