Wine and Spirits Travel

I came to Riviera Maya for a food, wine and tequila tour, but we hadn’t gotten to the tequila. That all changed on the third day as we finished our Tulum tour with a tequila tasting at Hacienda Tres Rios Resort . The Food and Beverage Manager of Hacienda Tres Rios , Oscar Orbe Quiroz, led our tasting seminar. It wasn’t just something he did for us, but a course the resort’s guests get to take each week. I have to say it was one of the best I’ve had for any spirit. He explained the basics about tequila being made from the blue agave plant grown in Jailisco, and the difference between the kinds of tequila – white, silver, resposado, anejo and aged. We started with Don Julio White, a sweet and mild spirit. Next, it was 1800 Silver, with a hint of color and a touch of green apple in the taste.  The Sausa Reposado showed caramel and vanilla from the toasted barrels and the Sausa Tequila Anejo had the taste of both wood and aging, making it almost like Scotch Whisky. As someone who ten

It was another day in Riviera Maya with lots more food (and drinks) to try. We were heading to Tulum for the food tour, but first we were going to see the only archaeological site on the Caribbean Sea. We were leaving Grand Velas Riviera Maya fairly early to go to Tulum, so I ordered breakfast from room service. The Banana Nut Pancakes were one of the items on the 24 hour room service menu (included in the all-inclusive plan) and they arrived quickly. The ride was about an hour and I was rather surprised when we arrived at the mix of old and new with trams leading to pyramids, and Mayan dancers next to a shopping mall. When we got nearer to the sea, though, it was clear that what we were looking at was closer to the ancient than the modern. This site is one of the last of the cities built and inhabited by the Mayans.  It’s hard to imagine that this one time fortress was consider a modern city hundreds of years ago and even more amazing how well it still stood up. We toured the py

It was a day worthy of two columns as I continue with the second part of our eating tour of Playa del Carmen . In the first half of the day , we had some great food (and drinks), but it just continued to get better as Riviera Maya Tourism selected a great range of Mexican and Mayan eateries for us to try. It was also nice to get the chance to walk around Playa del Carmen, a suburb of Riviera Maya which offers beautiful beaches, hotels, shopping and (obviously) tons of places to eat. Luna Maya Restaurant is upstairs and appears to overlook the entire city.  The selection here is gourmet, with a cross between Mayan and Mexican. They got our attention immediately by cooling us off with anise soaked cold towels and a fruit juice drink. This restaurant, which just opened in December, was a bit more formal than the others and the service was first class. It appeared that we had a 1-1 ratio between servers and patrons.  A Mango Tequila (mango, tequila and Green Curacao) quickly appeared

My blogs almost always follow me for a day, but I don’t usually have a day where I’m going to eight restaurants. That was the planned schedule for our first full day in Riviera Maya's – eight restaurants in Playa del Carmen. We actually started the day with some free time. I met up with the PR rep to learn more about Grand Velas Riviera Maya , an AAA Five Diamond resort. We were staying in the Adults Only Grand Class section, but it turns out that the main resort has quite a family following and even more restaurants. I was fine with the delicious breakfast we had at the Bistro, with my Egg White Omelet with Spinach and Tomatoes, Hash Browns, Beans and Pineapple. All served by two attentive waiters as we overlooked the Caribbean Sea! I had a short chance to look a bit more at the water as I took an hour to lie by the infinity pool before getting ready for the Playa del Carmen food tour. The first restaurant, La Casa del Agua , was up a long flight of stairs and I’m still not c

June was destined to be Mexico month. I had already decided that I needed a break and was only doing one, one week trip. My inbox was flooded with invitations, but there was a definite pattern – more than half were for Mexico! There are a still quite a few places in that country that I’d like to get to so it was a difficult choice, until I found out that one had a focus on food, wine and tequila. The decision was made quickly after that and I welcomed the chance to visit Riviera Maya . The day didn’t quite start the way I expected. I had an early morning flight and left the house at 4:00 am, only to be caught in a horrendous thunderstorm with lightening everywhere. I finally arrived at Bloomington Airport in time for my flight to Chicago, but the storm was heading there and the American Airlines rep told me there wouldn’t be any flights going out until the afternoon. Air Tran quickly accommodated me, albeit with a four hour layover in Atlanta. I did get to check out their business c

No, I haven't been abducted by aliens or run off with a Mexican cabana boy! I've just been incredibly busy eating, tasting and checking out the sites in the Riviera Maya with the tourism board and some other really great writers.  Hold on just a little bit longer because there is lots to come.  I hope to have the first stories and photos up soon. I promise it will be worth the wait. From Playa Carman to Tulum, Grand Velas to Secrets Maroma , Mexican wine to chocolate, tequila to mezcal --  it's a most spirited trip! My suite (with plunge pool) at Grand Velas Rivera Maya

I may no longer live in New York, but the Mets are still my favorite baseball team. I went to games regularly with my dad as a kid and then as an adult. Thanks to frequent trips to Shea Stadium with Grandpa, my daughter Sam is now even more dedicated to the team than I ever was.  I was the first to admit that Shea Stadium had seen better days and was in need of renovation, but when it was completely torn down, there was a bit of sadness in our house (Sam  actually named her cat Shea to honor the ballpark’s memory).  She was out there at the first game of the new Citi Field . It took me a bit longer to approach this massive building that looked nothing like my beloved ballpark, but once I did I found a whole new world of going to the baseball game – one that fits nicely in the life of a spirits traveler. Citi Field is a different planet from Shea Stadium inside and out. It holds nearly 42,000 fans (less people with more comfort); offers various levels of seating and service; and ha

It is amazing how fast 10 days on the Celebrity Millennium went. When I look back, I see that I certainly did a lot and visited a lot of places, but the saying is true, “time flies when you are having fun!”  It was time for the fun (at least the ship fun) to end as we docked at our final stop – Vancouver . I wasn’t about to let the opportunity to check out this popular city get by, so I arranged with the British Columbia and Vancouver tourism boards for Lynn and I to spend the day and night exploring. We were also invited to stay at the Wedgewood Hotel &  Spa , a beautiful Relais & Chateau property, so we didn’t have to worry about getting to the airport until morning. I could see how people love this city, with its modern décor, great food and wide-ranged culture. For me, it was the combination of the water and snow-capped mountains that would draw me in the most. Josie Heisig of British Columbia Tourism , the woman who had orchestrated my visit to the Okanagan Va

When I first found out I would be taking the Pacific Coastal Wine Cruise with Celebrity , I told a lot of friends and relatives about it. Everyone said the entire itinerary looked great, but the majority came back and said, “You must see Victoria, it’s one of my favorite places.” With that kind of buildup I was afraid the real thing would let me down.  I couldn’t have been more wrong. After the ship docked, we took a cab down to Silk Road , just on the corner of the elaborate entrance to Chinatown. There we met with Cathy Ray of Tourism Victoria and Daniela Cubelic, owner and manager of the tea and aromatherapy shop. I had never seen anything like it, a combination of modern décor with the tradition of tea. Daniela has made a point of studying tea variations and customs from all around the world so she would know how to custom blend them downstairs and serve them at the store’s Tea Tasting bar. It is where she holds workshops and pairing events for customers who want to fully e