LIFE’S A BEACH, AT LEAST MOST OF THE TIME

Costa Maya, Mexico

The three day power outage last December and the snowy winter that followed was starting to feel like a thing of the past after a day in the sultry heat of Santo Tomas, Guatemala, the heartbeat of Mayan civilization. The people so warm and approachable and the Mayan culture indelibly imprinted on their faces.

Our day on Roatan Island, Honduras was certainly one to remember as we snorkeled in the clear blue water with schools of cobalt coloured fish darting amongst the coral below us. In ten feet of water we swam to the edge of the reef where the drop off to the ocean floor plunged us into darkness. Time to retreat after so much excitement to laze in the turquoise coloured lagoon.

Stress free on Roatan Island

All alone at the Costa Maya
beach resort

Harvest Caye, Belize is a man made affair designed for cruise ship passengers, its facilities spotlessly clean yet sterile. Not really our style, we checked out the pristine beach cabanas and decided the only natural thing about this place was the jellyfish.

The facilities back on board Marina were much enjoyed that day, including Paolo’s latte magic in the a/c as the external temperatures hit the high 30s.

Puerto Costa Maya on Mexico’s Caribbean coast proved to be a pleasant surprise. While this too is an exclusive facility designed for cruise ships it was fortunate we were the only ones in port to soak up the bluest waters we have ever seen flanked by miles of gorgeous sandy beaches.

Our beach day was perfect and it was hard to pry ourselves away from the soothing surf, singing birds and silky sand that enveloped our toes.

The staff wanted to blast out loud music but we reached an agreeable compromise.

Moody tunes that seemed to blend perfectly with our environment became the order of the day, along with a couple of refreshing, ice cold cervezas. Not bad, and snow removal not required!