Grand (Flamenco) Occidental Xcaret

We've been home from our honeymoon at the Grand (Flamenco) Occidental Xcaret; for about 36 hours and though we are glad to be home - DAMN was it cold out at the bus stop this morning. The resort is located
about 10 minutes from Playa Del Carmen which is about 50 minutes from Cancun. Playa Del Carmen was first known for the ferry to the snorkeling and diving haven of Cozumel but has become its own bustling town full of shops, tourists and time share opportunities.

IF you exclude the regular horrors of travelling for over 12 hours to arrive at a destination that would take less than half the time if you had been able to fly direct, our honeymoon was fantastic. The resort was beautiful, It lived up to our expectations as a 4.5 * resort, with friendly and helpful staff, well cared for (not to mention lush) grounds, numerous pools, a gorgeous and serene beach club, and of
course an abundance of food to eat, water to drink and of course you could find alcoholic beverages every step of the way.

During our 7 night stay we were permitted to eat out 4 times at our choice of 5 excellent a la carte restaurants; in the end we only made it out for dinner 3 times, but c'est la vie. In addition to all of these resources there was also a SPORTS BAR and DISCO on the premises. Although the disco seemed to have some potential, we only made it there one time and despite our large consumption of Mojito's (with new friends) and being the last to leave for the evening, we never did make it out to the dance floor to shake our booties.

Once we found the SPORTS BAR however, we seemed to continue migrating that way as our evening progressed. We watched baseball, played pool (surprisingly well) and enjoyed the beverages of the bar.

There's more to say and pictures to upload, but for now, I will say the resort was beautiful, we rarely left and we spent the majority of our time swimming, eating or sleeping...ahhh isn't that the life?

Granola Girl's RECIPES

This is just the begining, but I intend to slowly amass my favourite recipes here. Please be patient and remember to check back.

GLUTEN-FREE Recipes
Gluten-Free Ponderosa Cake
Gluten-Free Bagels
Gluten-Free, Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza (also Yeast-Free and Egg-Free)

NOT GLUTEN-FREE Recipes
Easy Quiche Lorraine

3:56am

3:56am, I welcome the crisp ocean air against my sweaty, tacky skin. The hard plastic of the lawn chair presses coolness into my back like an ice pack. The only sound interrupting the pure silence of early morning is nature herself. The rhythmic lapping of the ocean waves along the rocky shore. Though the waves may vary in strength and sound, they will never stop - such beautiful white noise. Within moments I am ready to return to my toasty haven and drift back to sleep.