MEXICO | Sweet Leisure

Category Archives: MEXICO

3 BEST COCKTAILS FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE

I’m getting sloshed on New Year’s Eve. It’s the only way to end the terrible, horrible, no good, really bad 2020. I’m loading up on cocktails. But not just any cocktail. My cocktails must be spunky enough to chase away doom and gloom and usher in the light and bright. I’ve come up with three […]

GRAND RESIDENCES RIVIERA CANCUN AND COCKTAILS

Lately I’ve been dreaming of Grand Residences Riviera Cancun. It’s the 5-star resort where I would love to be confined. Beautiful suites. Lovely beach. Great pool. And best of all, unmatchable food and drink. As to cocktails, here are two recipes: the resort’s Habanero Margarita and the Almond Passion. Mmmmmm!

¶ Posted 12 June 2020 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § BEACH § BEVERAGES § CARIBBEAN § COCKTAILS § DESSERTS § HEADS UP TO HAPPY HOUR § RECIPES § RESORTS § RESTAURANTS § RIVIERA MAYA § TRAVEL § YUCATAN ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Alicia Guzman, Almond Passion, cream of coconut, Grand Residences Riviera Cancun, Habanero, habanero margarita, Javier Borbolla, Javier Moreno, Mexico, Puerto Morelos, tequila, Torres 10

YUCA’S HUT COCHINITA PIBIL

IMMIGRANT CHEF: SOCORRO HERRERA Yuca’s Hut Los Angeles, California Socorro Herrera was born in Mérida, the capital of Mexico’s Yucatán State. Both ancient Mayas and Spanish conquistadors settled in Mérida leaving behind rich cultural characteristics that influenced Socorro as she grew up, married and started a family. Seeking a “better education for her […]

¶ Posted 03 May 2020 † Susan Manlin Katzman § CALIFORNIA § ENTREES § IMMIGRANT CHEFS § LOS ANGELES § RECIPES § RESTAURANTS § YUCATAN ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Cochinita Pibil, Immigrant chef, Los Angeles, roasted pork, Socorro Herrera, Yuca's Hut, Yucatan State

THE SPA AT GRAND VELAS RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO AND SPA RECIPES

Drum roll please. And the grandest of them all—the winner—the best of the best resort spa in all of Mexico is…ta-da…Grand Velas Riviera Maya Spa.
Not that I’ve been to all the pampering places (unfortunately, something I must correct), but have been to enough to know that this one would be really hard to beat.

¶ Posted 17 September 2019 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § CANDY § CHOCOLATE § DESSERTS § RECIPES § RESORTS § RIVIERA MAYA § SPAS § TRAVEL § Uncategorized ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Energy Bites, Grand Velas, Grand Velas Spa, Riviera Maya, Toffee, Water Ceremony

TEQUILA: 10 TIPS FOR BUYING AND DRINKING

I was lost, but now I’m found. Lost in a murky, all-is-acceptable-when-it-comes-to-drinking-tequila-sort-of-a-way. But now my cup runneth over with knowledge. I credit Javier Moreno, the charming sommelier at the Grand Residences Riviera Cancun resort (located on the Caribbean coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula). Javier conducted a tequila tasting seminar for a few guests of the resort and, like the resort itself, the seminar couldn’t be better.

¶ Posted 26 June 2019 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § BEACH § BEVERAGES § CARIBBEAN § COCKTAILS § CONDIMENTS § DRINKS § RECIPES § RESORTS § RIVIERA MAYA § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: agave, Anejo, Blanco, Caribbean, Extra Anejo, Grand Residences Riviera Cancun, habanero margarita, Mexico, Reposado, tequila, Yucatán Peninsula

Ten Secrets to Enjoying Secrets Huatulco

Brochures tout the suites, pools, restaurants, beach and spa of Secrets Huatulco, an all-inclusive resort in Huatulco, Mexico, but previews don’t/can’t paint the whole picture. As we’ve happily been there, done that, we are supplementing the marketing information with our own ten little secrets to getting the most from a Secrets vacation. Read on: 1. […]

¶ Posted 05 August 2013 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § HUATULCO § RESORTS § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Amstar, Apple Vacations, Camaron Gigante, chapulines, CHOCOLATE, Conejos Bay, El Sabor de Oaxaca, Huatulco, Las Crucesitas, Mezcal, Oaxaca, Pluma Hidalgo, Secrets, Tangolunda Bay

PINEAPPLE SHRIMP FROM EL CAMARON GIGANTE

Take a poll and most people familiar with Mexico’s Bahías de Huatulco (a tourist development on the Pacific Coast of the state of Oaxaca) will say Maguey Bay sports the most popular beach. On weekends, particularly, the beach fills with playful locals as well as vacationers who to come to swim, sun, snorkel, relax and […]

¶ Posted 31 July 2013 † Susan Manlin Katzman § HUATULCO § RECIPES § RESTAURANTS ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Bahias de Huatulco, El Camaron Gigante, Maguey Bay, Mexico, Oaxaca, Santa Cruz Bay, shrimp

BIKINI BOOT CAMP AND GRILLED FISH SALAD

According to recent research (conducted by myself and certainly not with any facts attached), The Riviera Maya, along Mexico’s Caribbean coast, hosts more spas than any other similar-sized area on the planet. Riviera Maya spas run the gamut from five-star palaces of perfection, where attentive staff oil and spoil tony clients in settings both serene […]

¶ Posted 06 July 2012 † Susan Manlin Katzman § ACCOMMODATIONS § DIETS § ENTREES § RECIPES § RESORTS § RESTAURANTS § RIVIERA MAYA § SALADS § SPAS § TRAVEL ‡ Comments Off ° Tagged: Amansala, Bikini Boot Camp, Grilled Fish Salad, Mexico, Riviera Maya, spa, Tulum

RIVIERA MAYA: TWO GREAT RESORTS/ONE GREAT RECIPE

Time to confess. I’m promiscuous. I sleep around. Sometimes I practice a sort of serial monogamy, seduced by the pleasure of one. On the other hand, I believe “the more the merrier” and “variety is the spice of life,” so have been known to jump into a different bed each night. That’s not to say […]