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I love the cenotes in Tulum. Everyone one of them is so different then the other and the businesses that pop up around the cenotes are equally as diverse. While riding my bike on the south end of the beach road I saw a new cenote entrance next to a beautiful stone bar and restaurant.

I could already tell this looked like a beautiful place to have a bite or a drink- but then at the top of the back stairs you see a long wooden path. It is clear that whatever was at the end of this “yellow brick road” was going to be amazing.

a short walk down the path brings you to 4 suites each resting high above the mangroves. Each suite was beautifully appointed with private stunning bathrooms, screened 4 poster beds, ceiling fans and BEAUTIFUL views of the mangrove canopy.

Each suite also has a perfect sitting area to enjoy the beautiful view with a cocktail from the bar and a good book.

As I continued down the wooden path I came to the cenote! So amazing! I must say I love the concept of a “cenote club” There were large round lounge beds to relax on as well as a sun umbrella to shield from the hot sun. However in my case, it shielded from the tropical rain that had just started to fall when I was there. The rain created the most breathtaking site on the cenote.

This cenote is a small river way that connects via a short swim or paddle away to a very large open air  cenote. The large open cenote is breathtaking and has always been one of my favorite spots. The intimacy of the connecting water way makes a very private afternoon but the easy access to the large area makes it the perfect place to canoe or paddle board, both of which are available for rent.

I was not able to try the food but I am very much looking forward to it.

Ziggies Beach Club
Beach clubs in Tulum can be hit or miss. But I have always enjoyed the Beach Club at Cabanas Tulum. I remember when it first opened several years ago. This is always one of my favorite spots to come with my kids.

Things to do with kids in Tulum can be tough to find. Parents want to relax and enjoy their meals and kids do not want to sit forever while their parents enjoy– enter Ziggies Beach Club. I love this spot with kids because 1- they have a trampoline (although this is currently being repaired as of may 2013) 2- they have a pool table within easy reach of a table so that parents can enjoy their meal while the kids enjoy a pool game.
3- they have tables during the day right down on the beach so that kids can easily play in the water.

As a parent of 2 kids I can say that having them entertained while I enjoy 1 of my favorite dishes from their vast menu. One of my favorites is the chicken caesar wrap with a glass of crispy white wine. It is simple but classic and always good!

They have a number of special events that I have attended as well from wine classes featuring mexican wines- which I loved, to lobster night, tequila tastings and a specialty Mexican dinner buffet. I have been talking to the owners about getting these events on the Tulum Events Calendar and hopefully you will see them there soon.

Stay tuned- but in the mean time…. any time is a good time to go to Ziggies Beach Club in Tulum.

A great view for breakfast

I am not really sure how I could have had a better Mother’s Day weekend. In Mexico Dia de las madres is Always on May 10, regardless of the day of the week- in the USA it is the 2nd Sunday. S every few years – like this one- it creates an amazing weekend of LOVE MOMMY!

Bacon and Cheese omelet! Yummy!

So Friday, started out by working from home as usual. After getting the kids from school we headed down to the First Friday event at Mateo’s —— This was great because there was great art everywhere- kids activities- kite flying- face painting etc. Once the kids left with their father, I stayed and covered the event for work (I love my job!) After the event I headed into town to listen to some live music! I stopped of at Curanderos and Mint and as always both were a blast. Amazingly I was in bed by 2 am (that is really early for Tulum’s nightlife! as bands do not start until 11 pm in town)

Saturday I spent my day in my bed with the ac on and watched shows on the internet. Later in the afternoon I headed out to a cenote to cool off even more.

Sunday morning was met with kids and Ruben taking me to the beach to enjoy an amazing breakfast at Cabanas La Luna (LINK) The food here is incredible we were all pretty happy. For the rest of the day we played on the beach- got a tan and drank smoothies (Cabanas La Luna makes some killer smoothies) To top off the already killer food day I had, the guys in the kitchen who are long time friends sent me home with dinner- Their special that day- Filet Mignon with asparagus and green potatoes! It was amazing! The kids and I curled up in bed and ate the best dinner we have had in a LONG time!

As if the weekend ending their would not be enough- On Monday a friend of mine was sent to give me a massage while the kids were gone with my husband- where they went I had no idea- and I really did not care- I was getting a massage jajaja I did not care about anything at that moment.

When they got home they were holding my gift…. a beautiful kitty! My long time cat, Calvin died this past year after being with me for 15 years. So getting such a special kitty was a real treat. We named him Hobbs. I must say…. this Mother’s Day is going down in history!

Fun activities to with kids in Tulum are not the easiest thing to find. Well, I have to say that my kids are looking forward to returning to Mateo’s on the first Friday of June! Keeping the kids happy and entertained allows for the grown ups to enjoy the MANY amazing shows, demonstrations or activities around during First Friday.

Mateo’s in Tulum has always been knows for having something for everyone. With several different levels and areas to enjoy your afternoon with different entertainment in each. Match that to the crazy imagination of the owner, Matt and you get some pretty spectacular events!

This past Friday marked the opening of the latest from this mastermind of fun… First Friday Live Art Expo. Yes, I know- last Friday was not the First Friday of May! The event had been postponed from the previous Friday due to weather concerns.

Anyway…. The beauty behind this idea is not to have a place with a bunch of artisans selling their items but rather a LIVE demonstration of how they do it. Pieces are for sale as well but the as the afternoon draws into night the blank canvas begins to come alive.

There were several stations set up all around and the whole place was a buzz with energy. From a spray paint artist doing a stunning mural on the back wall to several artists painting large canvases, a talented body painter, beautiful jewelry makers, a chess table, kite flying on the upper deck, a table stocked with art supplies and Mexican images for you to create your own piece of art and add to that the amazing sounds of Son de la Barrio playing their incredible reggae cuban music!

Art piece done by Ink2Lu’um

A perfect afternoon and night! The event goes from 4 in the afternoon until the restaurant closes and will be held on the first Friday of every month. If you would like to participate in first Friday as an artisan, contact Mateo’s at Mateosmexicangrill@gmail.com

If you are in town on the First Friday of any month- head to Mateo’s for this event- you will not regret it.

This is one event that

Rain in Tulum comes in quickly and  disappears just as fast. People are always emailing me – asking me what the weather is like during certain times of the year. The fact is that most days are absolutely beautiful. Some a little more hot then others – some much more humid then others, but all are beautiful.

Today was a beautiful example of the rain in Tulum. The morning was beautiful, a little cloudy but beautiful. On the ride to the beach for work I could tell that the rain was about to start in 3 or 4 minutes. You get really good at this skill the longer you live here. My son has uncanny ability to call out the rain about 30-45 minutes before it starts. I will never forget our first Christmas here, we stayed at Blue Tulum, back before it was Adonis. My son, then 4 turned to his grandparents and me and said, “We better head inside. It is going to rain soon.” An older couple near by chuckled at the cute little boy thinking it was going to rain- as it was a remarkably clear day.  Like this  type of sky…

Never the less, we packed up and headed into get a snack. about 15 minutes later with almost NO warning what-so-ever, the rain began to dump on the pool area where we had been sitting. When the older couple ran inside and saw my son they complimented his remarkable skills. Every since, he has rarely been wrong.

Well anyway…. today I ducked into Cabanas Tulum just in time. I must say that I was actually very glad to get rained on because it gave me a chance to get one of my favorite breakfasts in Tulum… the Eggs Benedict at Ziggy’s Beach Club. I must say that since I moved to Mexico I have rarely had a really good Eggs Benedict.   The only 2 exceptions to this that I have found are.  1) Mezzanine Hotel - The eggs Benedict here were really really amazing and I mean seriously…. check out this view!

and the 2nd is at  Ziggy’s Beach Club.  Well today, I got my special treat… I got to sit back and watch the sea thrash and the rain plop onto the sand while eating an amazing Eggs Benedict and enjoy a beautiful glass of white wine!

and now, in true Tulum form, the rain has past, the sun has come out and it is time to get back on with my day.

Tonight was the perfect example on why I chose to live in Tulum. Tonight we decided to BBQ dinner because it was incredibly hot in the Ouse. Someone the menu was BBQ chicken legs, roasted potatoes with garlic and rosemary and hot dogs. Because what BBQ is complete without hot dogs?

For the BBQ sauce I combined one of our favorite bottled BBQ sauces with katsup, honey, salt and pepper. The chicken was delisios.

For the potatoes I chopped them up, chopped some garlic and mixed it up with salt, pepper and olive oil. I also threw in some large sprigs of rosemary so we got the flavor but did not have to bite into rough herbs.

Dessert was truly the best part of the meal. I took canned peaches and mixed them with my favorite granola, honey, brown sugar and Cointreau. I folded them in foil packets and threw them on the fire. When it was time to dig in, I served each packet with coconut IceCream. It was an amazing end to the meal.

But I must say that what made this afternoons dinner so special was the perfect example that it was of life inTulum. While sitting in my princess chair in my garden watching my BBQ, I was also watching the soccer game going on in the street getting all the 7-9 year old boys running off their dinners, a park FILLED with kids running around, moms chatting and young teenagers kissing hand in hand. In the distance you can hear the music from the dance class that happens every Monday-Friday in the park.

It was a perfect Monday night.

Matt loves his kites

After working all afternoon on the south end of the beach road in Tulum, I stopped off to see some friends of mine at Mateo’s. when I arrived I had, as I usually do at Mateo’s in Tulum, more fun then I intended.

Every time I go I meet fascinating people, I listen to amazing music, and I enjoy the enticing cocktails and food.

But today brought something much better!

I got to fly a kite from the top deck of Mateo’s. the kites were fun, colorful and best of all… Surrounded by laughter. Even when we failed and we not able to keep them afloat we had help there to make sure we did not mess anything too much.

I must say… Flying a kite with Matt at Mateo’s was a perfect afternoon.

The mornings are my favorite time of the day.   Sitting in my garden in the morning with all the beautiful plants, drinking a cup of coffee and I am not gonna lie… sometimes stealing a peak at all the neighborhood guys that work out in the park across the street.  But mostly it’s the garden and plants.

Caribbean gardening has always been very tricky for me.   When I first moved to Tulum,  trying to figure out the balance between the potting soil, the compost  and the sand was very hard.  Not to mention being from a colder climate I didn’t know how to plant anything in the tropics.  In spite of all of my best efforts and Internet searching,  it still seems that the  ”spit it out and see what grows”  theory works best here. A couple years ago I spit my papaya seeds in the garden and  three months later I had five Papaya trees.  Not long after that 3 of them grew and gave fruit.

Currently in my garden I have blooming frangipani flower, a small Key lime tree has not fruited yet,  my Chaya plant, ( a local spinach)  Nopales (edible cactus) and yellow hibiscus which never seem to have flowers, a type of bromeliad, pole de Marco , elephant ear, aloe Vera.

The Pole de Marco is a beautiful green leave with a bright purple underside.  This plant is also perfect to make a tea that is perfect for calming the stomach.   I mix it with a  little bit of honey and the water turns light purple which my daughter loves.  The Aloe Vera  is obviously very good for rubbing on your skin but it is also very good for drinking.  It tastes horrible but is very good for you.

There are many versions of the hibiscus  many of which are very good to eat or make a drink from.  There is also a lovely bromeliad that I can never remember the name of it,  but it also is medicinal.  the roots grow in bunches and wrap around a supportive branch or tree trunk.  If you are in the jungle and get bit by an infectious insect or animal…  you can put a small section of the root under your tongue.   I will slow down your heart and slow down you blood, giving you more time to get the hospital.

These are just a few of the many many wonderful plants that you can see in Caribbean gardening.

UPDATE may 8, 2013, what a bummer, only a few days after writing this post- Moka has closed. I hope that it opens again in a new location. I hope you were one of the people that got to eat here. Restaurants in Tulum are popping up all the time it seems these days. The newly redesigned and named Moka Cafe is one of the newest additions to the main avenue in Tulum town. This Tulum restaurant in located directly across the street from main city plaza. When I was in the mood for a great salad I remembered this menu and new it was perfect for what the day called for.

The restaurant has an entrance way filled with comfortable and stylish tables that you would reminded of me of the hip coffee house back home in Portland, Oregon. As you enter the courtyard you can see the beautifully designed landscaping that really makes the space feel magical. There are also these amazing cow hide bags that serve as planters and I think that they are very cool!

The menu is so vast. I was first handed the breakfast menu as it was only 10 am. I was in the mood for a salad and asked for the other menu which I was given and told that I may order from either menu. I hate when you cannot order lunch early. I must say that the breakfast menu did look amazing. I took pictures that you can see below!

The wind blew perfectly through the corridor and to our table which kept it very cool. I had a strawberry and blackberry smoothie and it was amazing. And for lunch I had the Paraiso Salad. This is a bed of greens, shrimp, goat cheese and candied pecans with a house vinaigrette. The salad was so good and all the flavors matched perfectly.

My friend had a chicken Cesar salad which was really really good but had too much dressing on it. But it was still very very good.

This Tulum restaurant certainly does have something for everyone. I took photos of the menu to get your palate going…

Ginger Restaurant in Tulum has always been one of my favorite places to go to dinner in Tulum.  The look and color palate is sleek and modern, the food is always amazing and the drinks have the kick they should.   Each time dining at this fantastic restaurant in Tulum pueblo makes me wonder why I ever eat any where else.

This time was no exception.  I met some friends for drinks and dinner.  We sat in the open garden area under the tinkling white lights.  Although the wine list is very good here… I chose a cosmopolitan.  Here they are the perfect light pink.  Many many times when I get this drink at other places it is as bright red as the cranberry cocktail they put in it and just as sweet.  But these drinks are GREAT.

Everyone at the table ordered something different and the best part about that is that everyone did a round robin with tasting bites of each dish.  I ordered the fresa salad which is one of my favorite things.  mixed greens, balsamic vinaigrette  strawberries and goat cheese.  It was a little heavy on the goat cheese – but I LOVED that fact.  But it was a touch too rich for some at our table.

Another friend ordered the fish with pineapple salsa which was incredible- sweet with a touch of savory and the fish was cooked perfectly and was accompanied by some mashed potatoes.

The same was true for my other friend who ordered the fish with passion fruit sauce. There was the most perfect crispness to the skin and it was hard to stop eating.

The ceviche is always wonderful here and they have a few different options. the traditional and the tropical.  I loved the tropical that my friend ordered with the punches of mango.  I think it is the perfect combination to the fish but I love sweet stuff.

The star I must say was my friends filet mignon.  Served with potato puree and a salad, this was so delectable.  It is hard to find a really good steak in Tulum and especially at any good price.  This meat was cook perfectly  -medium rare to medium.  If you are one of those people who like you meat more cooked – make sure to specify but I must say that the way they cooked it was perfect.

To top off a perfect meal we savored the rich flavors of Zignum mezcal anejo  which almost had the flavor of a scotch whiskey   It had a caramel or butterscotch flavor that was to die for!!!!

What is the only thing left to do after that?  Work off that amazing dinner and all of its delicious calories playing pool at Mint Cocktail Bar in town.

Another amazing dinner at Ginger Restaurant in Tulum.  Do not miss this spot while in town!!!!