Back in March of 2007 we stayed on the island of Isla Mujeres which is a small island 1/2 mile wide x 5 miles long, for one week. Isla lies off the coast of Cancun and is a 20 min. ferry boat ride. We stayed at the Posada del Mar which is one of the oldest hotels on the island. It has since been substantially rebuilt. We enjoyed our stay there and especially the beach which was directly across the street.
The following is a video I made starting just outside the lobby and then up the stairs and down the hall and finally into our rooms. The rooms are basic, but clean and provided everything we needed for a relaxing stay on the island.
Our special treat on Friday mornings while walking our dogs is to visit the Tradiciones Latte Art Cafe, halfway through our walk. They bring out a bowl of water for dogs and we enjoy some of their wonderful coffee while chatting and watching the early morning traffic in Cancun. Here are a few pictures of a typical Friday morning w/ Chocolat, Dylan, Sombra, & our friend Louise………
Our destination the dog and cat friendly Tradiciones Latte Art Cafe
It’s about 8am Friday………….
No traffic yet………
On our way to the cafe with our pack………….
Dylan and Sombra are best of friends …..
This is Chocolat
The pack waiting for a cookie…………..
The entire pack calmed down after a long walk to the cafe……….
While we were waiting for our cafe’s I took a picture of a few the other shops.
The first one is a men’s barber shop where you can sip some good whiskey and have a Cuban cigar while you dip your feet into a relaxing massage bath all in some very comfortable surroundings……..
This is a Spa……..for the ladies……….
next door to the barber shop
Heading back home………
An interesting customized traffic cone I saw along the way……..
There is just no end to the interesting subject matter to see on the streets of Cancun.
Many of my readers live in all parts of the world. I’ve gotten views from China, Japan, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Russia, Canada, Nova Scotia, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Portugal, the Mideast, South Africa, the Philippines, South America, USA, Virgin Islands, and so on. I’ve always been interested in where and how people live in other parts of the world. I admire the Mexican architecture and therefore I thought you might like to see what some of Cancun’s Casas, Haciendas, and Villas look like. I went for a walk in the nearby neighborhoods and photographed some of the nicest homes. Notice that all the properties are walled and gated. They are all made from cement, concrete blocks and stucco and are very hurricane resistant. They are so clever in the use of the building materials available here. The floors and even the roofs are made of poured concrete. When you walk through these homes the floors and stairs don’t creak and even all the interior walls are made from the blocks and stucco. These homes are solid.
(Click on the little arrow for some mood music while you scroll down)
A beautiful casa on a corner lot………..
A magnificent villa…..
A Mexican Hacienda entrance……
I love the look of this 3 story gem……..
Modern architecture…………just a bit too extreme for me……….
Large corner villa more in the traditional style……..and colors……
A more modest casa but still very nice……
Many of the gates are works of art in themselves and behind them are marvelous hidden gardens……
Entry ways can be intricate and impressive……
More examples…………
Most homes of this size also feature roof top gardens and decks many of which have pergolas and palapa style coverings……
Bougainvillea growing up the walls and ironwork…..
These polished stainless steel gates are expensive and elegant…….
A small park in the neighborhood with amazing detail work on the benches……..
These are some of the better homes here in Cancun. They are in a more upmarket area and are typical for the area they are in, but like any city not typical throughout the many different neighborhoods. I will do a future article of the middle class homes soon.
A LITTLE MUSIC TO PUT YOU IN THE ITALIANO FRAME OF MINE WHILE YOU READ MY REVIEW:
This little Bistro is across and down the street from the Bull Ring on Bonampak. It is on the ground floor of the Hotel Bonampak. It has 8 tables and is popular among the local businessmen at lunch time. Be prepared to wait for a table. It offers good food, excellent service and reasonable prices. The salads and pastas are huge portions. You can order “medias” (half) portions, which is what we did. We had decided that since it was lunch, we would pass on a salad. I had to try the Spaghetti Bolognesa (140 pesos full/80 pesos medias) since it had been strongly recommended by an Italian friend of mine. He promised that it was the best in Cancun and even better than his own version. I was not disappointed, it was fantastic. Suzie ordered the medias Fusilli Primavera but changed the type of pasta to fettuccine. She was equally happy with her choice. We recommend that a couple order one full order of pasta and one salad and share. The full portions can easily feed 2 hungry people.
This is the doorway…..
Ambiance is plain and dignified and w/ a low noise and soft appropriate music playing in the background…..
The menu was clear and well done…….
and had several pages of selections…………..
including desserts……..
Fresh hot garlic bread baskets were served and replenished often……
Suzie’s order, the Fusilli Primavera…………..made with fettuccine pasta
my Spaghetti Bolognesa…………….
I loved these napkin holders…………..we could really use one out on our patio table……..
We were experiencing a torrential downpour that lasted over an hour, and the streets flood here very quickly…..
You can see the bull ring across the street in the background, we waited it out at the table closest to the door while enjoying a couple more glasses of wine.
After the water level subsided we were able to get to our car and head on home. We will definitely return to El Principio.
Our bill came to 330 pesos ( $26.40 USD ) which included our 2 pasta dishes, a diet coke, a beer, and 2 glasses of red wine.
Address: Ave. Bonampak 227, Sm 4, El Centro, Cancún, Quintana Roo, 77500
Phone: 998/892-8499
Cuisine: Italian
Location: El Centro/ across from the Bull Ring
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