Hotel Hopping Grenada Style – Part 1

Posted by islandmoosie on October 26, 2011
Posted in: Grenada - October 2011, Hotels, Kalinago Beach Resort. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

As with our previous visits to Grenada, we hotel-hopped on our most recent trip to check out a couple of hotels, and revisit a couple of our favorites.

 We started our trip with a two night stay (Oct 9 – 11, 2011) at Kalinago Beach Resort

Kalinago is located on beautiful BBC beach aka Morne Rouge beach (my personal favorite beach in Grenada).  This property is fairly new and we have been looking forward to checking out the accommodations ever since we took a tour of the property last year.  It did not disappoint.

Beautiful BBC Beach!

Our room was a ground floor unit which was spacious, nicely furnished, and with modern amenities.  The bed was soft and comfortable which allowed me to get a good night’s sleep.  I’m very picky about the comfort of beds and have been known to drag down a featherbed with me on a previous trip!!  I would rank the bed at Kalinago as second comfiest among the many hotels I’ve stayed at in Grenada.  The room has a mini-fridge, electric tea kettle, a nice-sized flat screen tv, and of course the requisite A/C to keep you cool.

Kalinago Room# Gingerlilly

The bathroom was also very spacious and the shower had great water pressure.

Kalinago Bathroom in Room# Gingerlilly

The hotel has a nice-sized pool overlooking the beach, with a bar conveniently next to it to keep yourself fully hydrated with some potent libations.

Kalinago Pool & Beach Bar

Fully-stocked bar! I spot a Frangelico bottle in the back!

Who am I to resist? Cheers!

The staff at the hotel were all very nice and friendly, in particular the young lady who checked us in late at night on Sunday (forgot her name…too many Stags… we had stopped at 3 bars prior to checking in that night!!), and Areeno (sp?) the young man tending the bar on Monday night, as well as our server at the restaurant at lunch on Tuesday.

Monday night they had a Manager’s welcome reception held at the bar with plenty of cocktails and finger foods, despite the low occupancy at that time.  Quite impressive.  The owner, Ms. Julia Moore, was our host and it was a pleasure to meet her.  She is genuinely warm and welcoming, and embodies the Grenadian friendliness that we’ve experienced time and again.

We dined at the restaurant for lunch one day and found the food to be delicious, the service attentive, and the views fantastic! (I will post a separate review of the restaurant.)

Hard to beat the view from Kalinago Restaurant

If I could fault Kalinago for one thing, it would be the bad wifi internet connection in the room.  The connection kept getting dropped.  I did not see an option to do a wired connection via an ethernet cable, and I did not bother asking since it was a short stay for us.  So, if reliable internet connectivity is important to you, take that into account.

The other thing that Kalinago can improve on is the driveway from the top road.  It is quite steep and only the last part is paved.  We found that taxi drivers generally avoided using this driveway and instead would opt to pick-up/drop-off using the Gem Holiday Resort driveway next door.  Not a big deal to walk over since both properties are small and literally right next to each other.

Overall we were very pleased with our stay at Kalinago.  We thought it offered a great value.  It’s on our list of hotels that we would stay at again.

Lovely daytime view from the Kalinago Lobby

A glimpse of the colorful Grenada sunset from the Kalinago Lobby

Here's to the good life!

Stay tuned… Next post, my absolute favorite hotel!!

Doggies and Kitties Oh My!

Posted by islandmoosie on June 1, 2011
Posted in: Activities, Cozumel - May 2011. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Being animal lovers, we like to support the tireless work of animal welfare organizations in the islands that we visit.  It’s one small way for us to contribute something positive to the community, hopefully make a difference to better the lives of the animals, and support the spaying and neutering efforts to reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats.  This trip was no different for us.  Although we were not able to bring supplies as we were traveling with carryons only, we visited the Cozumel Humane Society and dropped off a donation.

Lucky for us, our friends Wendi and Andy, who we had met up with in Cozumel, were also animal lovers.  Our passion for island travels and animals made us instant buddies when we “met” in the travel forums. 🙂  As Wendi and I were planning our respective trips, we both knew we had to at least stop by the animal shelter during one of our outings around the island.  We dropped by the shelter on a Monday, and although we forgot to call ahead to let them know we were coming, the staff were gracious enough to give us a tour of the kennels. 

The shelter has a very nice setup, with several big enclosures for the cats, individual kennels and a big common area for the dogs.  But Wow!  They had a lot of dogs, all waiting for their furrever homes. 😦  The dogs were all in great shape and definitely eager to get some attention and love.

Come in for a visit!

Just a few of the dogs available for adoption

Tugs at your heart 😦

Hi! Can I go home with you?

A shy, sweetie

The shelter also had quite a number of cats, all looking for a head scritch and a chin rub.  There was a momma cat with her adorable kittens, a couple of adult tabbies, several of which were orange tabbies, which I have a soft spot for!  Sigh.  I wish I could give them all a proper home.  I really wanted to play with the kitties, but we were not allowed in their enclosures.

Kitty wanted to play

Pretty blue eyes

 
 

Shhhh... Momma and baby sleeping

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 

The rest of the kittens

 
 
 
 

The Cozumel Humane Society seems to be a very well-run organization.  The facilities were clean, the animals were in good shape, and you can tell the staff love the animals.  If you are visiting the island and are an animal lover, contact them, visit the shelter, and drop off a donation.  The Cozumel Humane Society does some good work!   http://humanecozumel.org/aboutUs.html

 
 
 

I LOVE red kitties!!

 
 

Another Camera Junkie in the Making (Cozumel Photo Tour)

Posted by islandmoosie on May 27, 2011
Posted in: Activities, Cozumel - May 2011. Tagged: , , . 3 Comments

When I stumbled upon the superb reviews of Cozumel Photo Tour on Trip Advisor, I thought, BINGO!  This is exactly the type of activity tour that I have been searching for in our island travels.  As a photo enthusiast and admitted digital camera junkie (don’t ask… I’ve stopped counting…), I have previously looked for a photo class that takes you around the scenic spots in the island and provides you with pointers on how to improve your photography skills.  Alas, I haven’t had much luck in finding such a tour in the other islands, so I was really really stoked when I saw this tour offered in Cozumel. 

Even though we would only be on the island for a precious few days and it meant I would have to give up some beach limin’ and snorkeling time, I knew I just had to take this tour.  HAD TO!  Even if I had to arrange for a private tour, I was not going to miss this chance.  I convinced Hook that he should take the tour with me.  With a bit of sweet-talking and an old-fashioned bribe of lunch after the class, he agreed. 😉

It was suggested by one of the reviewers on Trip Advisor to take the tour earlier during your vacation rather than at the end of it.  The logic being, you can learn the photo tips and apply them to the rest of your vacation photos.  What a brilliant idea! 

On a bright, sunny, perfect Saturday morning, Hook and I met with Tati, our photography instructor and tour guide.  We started at the replica of a Mayan temple, with Tati guiding us to the best settings to use on our cameras, letting us take photos, reviewing them and giving us hints on the angles and spots that would make the photo more interesting.  Too bad the sun at that time of the day was on the wrong side of the temple so the photos were not oustanding.  But, we still gained valuable tips on setting up the shots.

 You can click on the photo to view a larger image in a new window 

First photo attempt …notice the cable lines on the side and in the back 

Replica of a Mayan Temple

Next attempt … a better angle, no cable lines

 

A closer look

Mayan native

 

 

Right behind the Mayan temple replica is a replica of a Mayan god.  Tati used this to instruct us on how to make the true colors of the photo subject come out.  Wow!  What a difference!

Blah colors...

   

Now the true colors show on the pic...

Walking along the Malecon (the street that fronts the ocean), we stopped and took some photos along some interesting stonework and statues.  First a “Moosie moment”… The previous day while riding the Collectivo (shared van ride) from the airport to our hotel, we passed by this very same spot.  I was taking in all the new sites when something caught the corner of my eye as the Collectivo stopped briefly at the intersection.  In one of the cluster of statues, I saw a figure next to another statue.  I did a double-take and for a split second thought to myself “Dang!  That’s weird!  Why do they have a statue that is wearing a red Speedo next to a Mayan warrior??”  Then I noticed Speedo man move, and saw his buddy with a camera in hand.  Duh!  It was some guy, probably from a cruise ship that was in port, posing in his bright red Speedo for a photo.  Thank goodness it was not a banana hammock he was wearing!  Just a regular swim style.  Ok, I digress…

Here’s one of the interesting photo that I took from this area.

Colorful details

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We also stopped and took photos at the Museum in town.  It was a nice way to get a break from the sun and heat.  This is the most memorable and useful lesson for me.  Tati taught us how to take photos in low light situations.  OMG!  The results are friggin amazing!!  This part of the tour really improved my skills.
 
Using the built in flash on my camera in a very dark room…

Double B - - Bland and Blurry

 
 
Now hold on to your seats, because the difference is going to blow you away!
 

Using NO flash at all

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The colors POP!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Just to show that I actually retained what I learned in class… Take a look at the photo that I took of the town square clock tower the first night we were on the island (pre-photo class tour) compared to one that I took a few nights after Tati’s photo class.
 

Prior to photo tour using external flash

 
 

After the photo tour using NO flash

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ok back to the Cozumel museum… Some sample photos inside the replica of a traditional Mayan home
 
 
 

 

Achiote seeds

 
 
Let’s play what looks odd in this photo…
 

Bet you didn't know Mayans had Stuart Weitzman sandals back then! 😉

 
 
 
A lesson on taking photos of splashing water…  I didn’t have much success in capturing the perfect shot, but this one shows some good details of each splash of water.

Splashing water

 
 
One of the highlights of our class was that we just happened to meet a family (mom and 2 kids) playing on the beach.  Tati explained to the mom what we were doing and got the mom’s permission to let us take photos of her and the kids.  This was really cool, and in looking at the photos that I took afterwards, it was really neat to see the pure joy in a kid’s face as he splashed about the waves.
 

Mom and kids

 

Anticipating the next wave

 

What a cutie

 
 

Aaaahhh... to be young and carefree

 
 
 
Remember how I said earlier that I had to twist Hook’s arm (errrm, I meant sweet-talk!) and bribe him with lunch so he would join the photo tour class with me?  Well it turns out he is a budding photographer!  Who knew?!  He really enjoyed the class so much that he hogged the smaller camera the rest of the trip and was seen taking photos ANY chance he could.  The only time I could pry that camera away from him was when I had to use it while snorkeling.  Sheesh.  This, from the guy who initially said he was just going to take his Ipod Touch and just use that to take photos during the class because he did not want to be seen with my girly-colored (teal) camera (it’s a Canon Powershot D10 — takes great underwater pics if you are looking for an uw camera).  “Are you kidding me?”, I said.  “No way you are going on a photo class with an Ipod Touch as your camera!”  Well, now Hook is hooked! (pun totally intended 😉 )
 
I have to admit, Hook is a natural at seeing the artistic side of things.  The angles and composition of his shots are commendable.  But God help my pockets if I have to finance another digital camera addict in this household!  Gee, thanks a lot Tati!  LOL. 
 
Some sample photos taken by Hook…
 

Perfect timing for this shot

 
 

Notice the sailboat mast perfectly under the spear

 

Cool photo!

 
 

Nice!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lines lead to the clock tower

 
 

Artistic photo at Playa Azul Hotel

 
 
Heck, he even took what turned out to be a nice photo of this street, even though he was not aiming to take an artistic shot.  He was just taking a photo of the Sabores restaurant sign so we could remember its location for next time.

 
We really enjoyed the Cozumel Photo Tour and would highly recommend it to anyone, no matter what level of photography skill you have.  Tati is an AWESOME instructor and guide!  Very personable and easy-going.  She explains the concepts in simple terms that anyone can understand.  I learned so much more and was able to apply and retain what I learned in the 3 hours with her than the full day photography class that I took at home from which I remember nada!  Not only is she a great photographer and instructor, she is also very knowledgeable about the island and its history and culture, so we learned about that as well.  Absolutely worth it!!  We look forward to our next trip to Cozumel and taking another photo tour with her — maybe wildlife and scenic ones next time.
 
For those interested in this tour, you can find more info at http://cozumelphototour.blogspot.com/  Be sure to take the tour at the start of your vacation.  Your photos will be so much better!
 
PS:  If you take Tati’s photo tour, ask her to introduce you to some Obleas de Cajeta – a popular local candy.  …Of course I had to work in the food aspect here you know 😉

Refusing Reality

Posted by islandmoosie on May 24, 2011
Posted in: Activities, Cozumel - May 2011. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Reality go take a break!  Hook and I are still in Cozumel… at least in our minds and palates. 

Since arriving home late last week, we have sought out various Mexican foods to at least keep that vacation vibe going.  So far we’ve managed to sample some horrible churros from a restaurant with the word “Churro” in its name no less, and what supposedly are the best tacos al pastor in the area which turned out to be nothing but overpriced tacos at $3.50 a pop that bore no resemblance to the real tacos al pastor that we tried in Coz.  I figured it couldn’t be authentic when everyone at the restaurant — diners and all the servers — were all gringos (no offense… just sayin’…)

Eager to practice our new-found cooking skills (yeah, me included… I am trying to get in touch with my inner chef… humor me here) and desperate to satisfy our cravings for some authentic Mexican food, we set about re-creating the dishes that we learned in Josefina’s cooking class from last week. 

We are fortunate to live in an area where there are mega ethnic supermarkets that carry all sorts of ingredients from around the globe.  Fresh nopales leaves?  No problemo.  They come in a pack and barely cost 2 bucks.  Media crema for the guacamole?  Aisle numero uno!  Achiote paste?  Ok, we did run into a challenge finding this, so we had to settle for achiote seeds instead and grinding it ourselves.  But only because I didn’t feel like schlepping to another market to find the paste kind.

Bounty from the ethnic supermarket

But wait!  We don’t have a molcajete (say it, I know you want to… mol-cah-heh-teh… mol-cah-heh-teh!).  No worries Senor Hook! as I whip out my $10 off birthday coupon from World Market.  Sure enough, World Market to the rescue.  Not only did they have an authentic stone molcajete, but it was a big one too, and not bad for 20 bucks.  Seriously a better deal than lugging one back home from Coz.  No, mister TSA Officer sir, I don’t believe my 15 pound solid stone molcajete with its 5 pound solid stone pestle could be used as a weapon in flight.  Ummm, yeah, you just go ahead and try to sneak that one in your carryon luggage.

Hook pointed out that we needed to start no later than 4pm, so we could have a fighting chance of eating by at least 8pm, what with all the prep work that had to be done.  And that, folks, is exactly how we spent the rest of our Sunday afternoon…. chopping…slicing…grinding… and squeezing various vegetables, fruits, and spices. 

Chefs-in-training

Ok, it was interspersed with a lot of silliness and posing for the camera, so it was a fun afternoon. 

Serious chopping and dicing here

 
 

Hook being silly

 

Showing off the tortilla-making moves

The glasses of cold, smooth mojitos helped a bunch.  😉  And all the freshly made food were yummylicious! 

Ta da!

Grab a cold one and chill!

 
 

So Reality… Go grab yourself a cold one and chill! 

Hook and Moosie are squeezing the vacation vibe for a few more days.