Top o' the evening to you all. I'm back. (insert big cheesy smiling face :) The Riviera Maya is fast becoming an international culinary food and drink destination. Food & wine (and Tequila) festivals abound, and one in particular is held annually in Playa del Carmen. I went to it one November. Well, ahem, I went to Playa with my buddy Danielle to ATTEND this food festival & due to a mix-up, ended up missing the entire event completely &^%$. At the time I was pretty darn bummed out about it but it became good fodder for a blog. Nonetheless here's a blog about the food festival; "A Taste of Playa". If you are trying to get out of cleaning your bathroom toilet, then feel free to waste a few minutes reading this blog! http://www.playabeachgetaways.com/blog/28/123 Oh ... read more

They say "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". What about a blog a day...does that do anything at all for ya? Probably not, but what the heck, here is a blog I wrote a few years back about "A mom's trip without her kids". Hats off to all the hardworking loving moms out there! http://www.playabeachgetaways.com/blog/28/261... read more

Here are 2 blogs on tips for traveling with friends & sharing a condo together (so you keep them after you come back!!!) & and on the endangered turtles who hold the secret to our longevity! Just click on the links to get to my blogs! Tips for Traveling with Friends (so you keep them after you come back!!) http://www.playabeachgetaways.com/blog/28/139 Magnificent Turtles: oh how I love thee!! http://www.playabeachgetaways.com/blog/28/165... read more

Life is like an ocean. It can be calm & still, or rough & rigid. But in the end, it's always beautiful. ~ Well we got home without a glitch or hitch for the most part. Coming from bathing suits and shorts to hats, mitts and jackets could be considered torture! But we've done it before many times, & I expect we'll do it again. I think it's harder for the kids than us toughened old birds! It's the price one has to pay to get away on a tropical trip. (You delight in our pain way too much!) The only issue at the airport was going through Customs/Immigration as they did not have the staff to handle the planes landing. (We overheard a conversation from "those in the know" that there weren't enough staff) & ... read more

"Family is like music; some high notes, some low notes but always a beautiful song". Well this time I know where we left off. How could I not. Dad is in intensive care, family rallying around him, including 3 of his nieces who are nurses at the hospital. Talk about the luck of the Irish (well except for that stupid heart attack which wasn't so lucky) but he's in amazing hands and if it's going to happen, Dad had the best outcome possible with the exception of Mom/us being away. :( We spoke to him this morning and his lovely great niece Kendra had brought him breakfast and he was tickled pink over that. Dad LOVES breakfast, so despite what he's been through, he's eating which is always a good sign. Dad has been a fit ... read more