Good Morning from the Royalton Chic!! Waking up to the view and sounds of the ocean is pretty great. Yesterday we checked into the hotel about 3PM and our room was ready. After a brief rest period, we decided to check out the pool.
The pool bar closed at 6PM so that was the sign it was time to get ready for dinner. We had reservations at 8PM at Vespa, the Italian restaurant. We spent some time in the lobby listening to a saxophone player until it was time for our dinner.
They had a huge menu!! We elected to get the Polpette (meatballs), Insalata Caprese, Bruschetta and Insalata Arrosto (mushroom salad). All were decent. The Polpette was my favorite. Could have used more pesto on the Caprese. We each got a pasta dish. I went with the lasagna and Angie got the Penne Salsiccia Funghi. The lasagna was my favorite. It could have used a better bechamel and more cheese. The penne had some good flavor, but was lacking enough "kick" in the tomato sauce. It was a very generic marinara. My favorite dish of the night was the Berenjena Parmigiana (eggplant).
I was expecting thicker slices of eggplant since that is usually how this dish is prepared. Instead there were thinly sliced ribbons of eggplant that had been lightly breaded and fried. Served with a healthy amount of cheese and sauce. I don't know how they got the eggplant so thin. Maybe a mandoline? This may require some research. Neither of us had dessert. We had an early start on Tuesday, so we headed back to the room.
Yesterday after a nice breakfast at the buffet, our transportation arrived to take us on four site inspections. We visited a Hilton.Mar Carlbe, Wyndham Altra, Dreams Sand and the Catalonia Grand Costa Mujeres. I loved both the Hilton and the Catalonia. The Catalonia had a really interesting "Fifth Avenue" concept with a centrally located "street" that had most of the restaurant and shops. So many options for lunch including Peruvian food! I liked the Hilton a bit better for the ocean views.
We returned to the resort about 4:30 and put on our bathing costumes. We were going to check out Level 18 which is the rooftop pool deck. They were having a Foam Toga Party. This area serves as a combination night club/pool party zone.
It is open to the public (for a charge) and to all guests of the hotel. The difference is that alcoholic drinks you order here aren't part of the all inclusive concept. Unless you are a Diamond Club member which is a special room category.
When we arrived the foam and togas must have already left since it was pretty quiet. A couple of forty year old men with mullets were twerking. And that's as exciting as it got. We relaxed on some comfortable lounges until 5:20 when it was time for our hydrotherapy appointment in the spa. That was a great experience. A member of the spa staff will take you on a "circuit" of different water and hear therapies. I started with the sauna for ten minutes. Then it was supposed to be the steam room but unfortunately it wasn't working. Then it was off to a cold steam shower. Followed by a hot shower. Followed by the ice bucket challenge!! Then into an area with three separate tubs. One was a warm bubbling hot tub. The other was a cold plunge - probably 6° Celsius. The last was a larger hot tub with a few water massage stations. After five or ten minutes in the hot tub, I'd then take a polar plunge. Very refreshing!!
After about an hour we headed back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. Angie finished up some work and I got a snack of chicken wings at the Sports Bar. She met me there when it was time for dinner at 8PM. Tonight was Asian at Chopsticks. They have all small plates so you can try many things. We had short rib pot stickers, crab dumplings, chicken satay, mussels in green curry, a delicious ramen and sea bass. All so tasty!!
We were tired after our long day so we headed back to the room.
Yesterday was our last full day at Royalton Chic. While Angie worked I went to Hacienda for an a.la carte breakfast. They had a beautifully prepared breakfast bowl with fruits, yogurt and seeds. So tasty!! After breakfast I assumed my spot in a comfortable lounger. It was very windy so I didn't venture into the pool. Angie joined me for lunch where we each had very good burgers with caramelized onion. Angie went back to work and I went back to my lounger. I was still a little hungry so I ordered a spicy salami pizza. It was very tasty with large chunks of the capicola. The menu item should have had at least one chili pepper next to it so you knew the spice level!!
Angie joined me back at the pool at 3:30 and we decided to venture into the water. It wasn't too bad once you got in. About 5 PM we headed back to the room to get ready for the evening. Tonight we had a special dinner at Level 18, the same place we were yesterday for the Foam (or was it Faux) Toga Party. The dinner was only for Diamond Club guests.
There were four tables of ten guests each. Before dinner, there was a dance performance from some of the resorts entertainment staff.
Dinner started with a watermelon salad. The thick slice has been slightly dehydrated to enhance the sweetness. The second course was called a shrimp cream. This was more like a rich smoked tomato soup. Very tasty but I didn't get any shrimp flavor. For the main course, we had lamb ossobuco. This had some great flavors of cinnamon and other spices. It was really delicious with thee mashed potato and roasted carrots. Although it was challenging to eat since you really needed a sharper knife. I thought it was an odd choice for this kind of meal.
After dinner was the Neon Glow Party. We got great seats and a cocktail. One of the dancers from earlier came over with some glow paint so of course we had to be festive!! They had some amazing fire performances!! The resort put on a really great show. I was sad to see that more guests didn't make the effort to come to the pool deck to see it.
Today we will have breakfast in Hacienda. Then Angie will finish her filming. Our transfer will be arriving at 1PM to take us to the next hotel Dreams Aventuras which is about a ninety minute drive.
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