Hola Cancun!

For the 4th of July weekend, we went to the Westin Regina Cancun Resort in Quintana Roooooooo, Mexico (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/search/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=1092). Because, really, what's more patriotic than leaving the country for the 4th of July? Right. We actually went because I'd been working like a crazy person for five months, billing between 245 and 325 hours a month - and was therefore in desperate need of a break. And the 4th of July was there to give it to me.

Above is a picture of the Heavenly Bed. Pookie famously said, after a restful slumber, "If I never move from this position, never use the pool or go into the water, I will have still gotten my money's worth on this trip." Alpaca couldn't agree more.

We did, of course, venture out. We ventured straight into the pool, and straight into the ocean. We may have also accidentally made our way to a shopping plaza or two, but only in search of another pool or ocean, I assure you.

One of our bellhops recommended an Italian restaurant a short bus ride further up the island called La Dolce Vita (http://www.cancunitalianrestaurant.com/). The restaurant itself was just adorable, really well decorated, sitting on the lagoon with a great view of the sunset. The food was very good and the view of the sunset from our table made it even better. We had lobster bisque (good), veal ravioli (good, and HUGE) and husband had the lasagna, which he really enjoyed. For dessert, we had a lovely chocolate concoction called the "truffle." You can't go wrong with truffles.

We also lunched at Tony Roma's (http://www.tonyromas.com/files/home.asp), where husband had his usual ribs and Pookie, Alpaca and I shared a shrimp and rib plate. The food was good, but not as good as in LA, and the portions were smaller.

For dinner on Sunday night, we chose an Italian seafood restaurant in the JW Marriott (http://marriott.com/property/propertypage/CUNJW), Gustinos, with views of their manmade waterfalls, cascading around the restaurant, located just beyond the pools (which overlook the ocean, of course). We started with buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes and a wonderfully thick and flavorful tomato soup. Husband enjoyed his tortellini, and Pookie, Alpaca and I shared the penne dish, which was accented with chicken, eggplant, tomatoes and some other wonderful vegetables. The food and service were outstanding. On a different night, we had dinner at the JW Marriott's Argentinian Steakhouse. Years later, we're still talking about it. We started with a traditional Argentinian sausage for an appetizer, which was phenomenal. Pookie, Alpaca and I shared a surf and turf entrée, which featured filet mignon, lobster tail and chicken, all of which were beautifully seasoned and grilled. Husband ordered the sampler, which offered a little bit of each of the restaurant’s most popular entrées, including filet mignon, chicken, lobster and pork. We ended with a tres leches cake, which was out of this world good – so good, in fact, that Pookie literally licked the plate clean (on a dare, but it still counts).

We also went to a local, non-touristy restaurant near the port called Stefano's (http://www.frommers.com.au/destinations/cancun/D39255.html), where Pookie, Alpaca and I shared a pizza and husband had a calzone.

You'll notice if you've gotten this far that we have yet to have Mexican food. You'll notice if you get to the end that we never actually had Mexican food in Mexico. We had plenty of Italian, and some American and Argentian. No Mexican. We were amused. We went to Taco Bell on the way home from the airport for laughs.