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Curiously Carmen

Travel: Iberostar Cancun Resort

December 20, 2017

Hola! I am back in cold and foggy Vancouver after a beautiful, fun and relaxing vacation to Cancun! I was planning on doing some blogging over there, but unfortunately my laptop charger broke and was rendered useless. 🙁

Stay tuned for some travel posts on Cancun! The first review will be on our resort, Iberostar Cancun! It was both of our first time going to Mexico and doing an all-inclusive.

Can’t believe four years has passed since our last vacation, this trip was much needed!
While looking for a place to go, Cancun was surprisingly not our first choice, nor was Mexico. I actually did not want to go to Mexico at all originally, due to all the bad food poisoning stories I have heard. However, we found some really nice resorts, did lots of research on preventing food poisoning and before I knew it, we had booked our tickets to Mexico!

The boyfriend was the one who found Iberostar Cancun online. We were debating on going to Cancun or Puerto Vallarta but decided on Iberostar Cancun because it looked really nice. The trade off was that our trip was shortened 2 days because Iberostar Cancun was more expensive.

I am not even sure how to begin this review because I don’t think I will do it justice. Iberostar Cancun met and exceeded all our expectations. It’s hard to clearly articulate my thoughts on the resort because all I want to write is IT WAS AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL YOU NEED TO GO BYE but that isn’t too informative now is it? LOL! So let’s break it down into five categories: resort grounds, service, beach/pool, entertainment, room, and food.

Resort Grounds

Situated right on the coast, the resort ground was stunning. Infinity pool, swim up bars, endless beach chairs, manicured lawns, palm trees… they did a fantastic job curating the perfect tropical getaway. The resort was clean and spotless, and they used hawks as a natural pest control.

Hotel lobby & bar, complete with a violinist/pianist each night

Service

Service was impeccable. The staff at Iberostar Cancun worked really hard to upkeep the beautiful resort grounds, especially the dining staff. We were always greeted by staff while walking around the resort. Over the week, we started to recognize the dining staff as well as the other way around. The only time we didn’t have good service was at their Japanese restaurant.

They had a large number of staff working each day to meet the needs of the guests. There was a server on the beach, many waiters/waitresses, groundskeepers, towel staff, bartenders, front desk, and maintenance.

Beach/pool

Beach views!

It was my first time on a tropical vacation, and I kept asking myself if I was dreaming or not. The beach was tastefully planned for the ultimate relaxation. I lost count of how many times I drifted off on the beach despite party music playing a few meters away.

The pool starts at the resort and lead to the infinity pool!

The pool seemed endless as well and planned with thought. There was a swim up bar so that you could chill in the pool while getting drinks. This bar was the most crowded and loud though, I preferred to get my drinks on the beach. The pool only went up to my shoulders and I am 5’3, I think they designed it like that so that guests can just chill with a drink in the pool.

Entertainment

For the first five nights, we didn’t take advantage of their nightly entertainment options. We went to the night shows for the last two nights, which start promptly at 9:45pm. The first one we went to was their magic show, which was really impressive and not disappointing at all. The second one was a live Disney musical, where they played clips of certain Disney movies and performers would come out in costume and do a dance routine.

Before the shows, they also had hilarious segments with the audience. It had us cracking up and almost in tears! I wish that we went to more of the shows!

Room 

Each room at Iberostar Cancun faces the ocean, so you are guaranteed an ocean view no matter which room type you select. They do not have rooms on the other face that face the street.

Despite having the most basic room, it was very comfortable and relaxing. The king sized bed came with what seemed like an endless supply of pillows, which I had no idea what to do with. The wifi in the room was very strong as there is a router in each room.

The bathroom is separated into two sections: one area with a large counter and sink, the other with a toliet and shower.

We took advantage of the room service numerous times! It was great after a long day of exploring and when we just wanted to chill. Although they always told us it would take 30 minutes, the food would arrive in under 20 minutes.

Food

Food!!! Iberostar Cancun had many food options… buffet, a fine dining French restaurant, steakhouse, Japanese restaurant, Mexican restaurant, burger bar by the pool, and room service. This does not include the numerous drink bars either!

The juice bar each morning!
Breakfast buffet

We mainly ate at the buffet and the food was delicious. Main highlights of the food buffet were the fresh guava juice, freshly baked croissants, and guacamole.

The Japanese restaurant was also good, it was teppanyaki so we were able to see the chef cook our meal. It was entertaining and fun.

Hotel room view!

If you’re thinking of doing an all-inclusive in Cancun, I would not hesitate one bit to recommend Iberostar Cancun. It was such a great experience here and exactly what we wanted on a tropical getaway. Even though our vacation has ended, I constantly find myself daydreaming about relaxing on the beach under their straw huts with a pina colada in my hand.

Disclaimer:Resort stay purchased by myself. Opinions are own. 


Filed Under: Cancun, Mexico, travel

Travel: Cancun Bucket List

October 16, 2017

I envy those people who just hop on planes every couple months or so! Well, not really because I don’t like plane rides… but I DO look forward to getting off that plane and exploring the destination!

Lately, I’ve been having a strong desire to travel but my next trip will be soon! To where? You guessed it… Cancun, Mexico! The boyfriend and I are celebrating a couple major accomplishments and it’ll be our first airplane trip together in FOUR years.

The last time we went on a plane together, I didn’t even have this blog yet… which is really saying something! We have done some short weekend getaways but not more than 4 hours drive away from Vancouver. I’m looking forward to a “real” vacation!

Credit: Sunwing Vacations 

Anyways, to curb my travelling desire and to share my excitement, I’ve decided to write a Cancun bucket list!

Here are the things that we would like to do:

Credit: Youtube 

Day trip to Isla Mujeres: Isla Mujeres is a very tiny island about a 15 minute ferry ride from Cancun. There are also lots of excursions to do here, but we will probably just do a stroll of the island and relax on the beach to save some $.

Playa Norte, one of the beaches there, looks absolutely breathtaking so I imagine that there will be some time spent there too!

Credit: Total Snorkel Cancun

Snorkelling: Snorkelling is an absolute must! It’s both our first time in a tropical place, and we’ve both always wanted to try it. We are excited to be partnering up with Total Snorkel Cancun for our first ever snorkel experience!

You can also check out their Facebook and Instagram for more pictures!

Credit: International Incentive Travel 

Downtown Cancun: Cancun is divided into two sections: the Hotel Zone and Downtown. Most of the resorts are in the Hotel Zone, whereas Downtown Cancun has more of a local vibe. There are also shopping malls but I don’t really want to shop at western stores because I can do that in Vancouver.

I want to see the local vendors and markets there instead! Apparently, Cancun is well known for their vanilla extract too which you can buy in this area.

 

Credit: Business Insider 

Cancun Underwater Museum (MUSA): At the bottom of the warm, beautiful waters of Cancun, lies an underwater museum dedicated to the art of conservation. It seems like a very unique activity!

Our 2 hour snorkelling package with Total Snorkel Cancun includes a visit to MUSA.

Credit: Promo Cozumel 

Cozumel: This is a bit of a stretch and I don’t know if we will end up having enough time to do this, but Cozumel would be really nice to check out too. It is an island in the Carribean Sea and a very popular cruise port. It looks very beautiful but it takes 3 hours from Cancun, which means 6 hours round trip. Reviews I’ve read recommend Isla Mujeres instead since it’s closer.

Last but not least, most of our time will be spent relaxing on the beach or swimming pools at the resort of course! It’s funny because usually when travelling, we don’t purposely try to spend time at the hotel and rather go out and explore… but that’s how it goes with an all inclusive!

For more things to do, check out Cancun Riveria Maya’s website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! They are also a reliable and trustworthy site to book your snorkeling tour with Total Snorkel Cancun.

Do you have any Cancun recommendations? Let me know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: Post in partnership with Total Snorkel Cancun, in exchange for media passes.


Filed Under: Cancun, Mexico, travel

Lighthouse Pub

September 1, 2017

Prior to visiting Sunshine Coast, I didn’t do too much research on places to eat and such. We wanted a slow, relaxing agenda and to just go with whatever we felt like that day. The only restaurant I wanted to try was Lighthouse Pub, because of the nice view. On our first night here, we came to Lighthouse Pub for dinner.

Lighthouse Pub is located in Sechelt, by Porpoise Bay Provincial Park.
The only reason I wanted to come here was because of the view. The patio overlooks Porpoise Bay and it looked super nice and fitting for our trip!

Look at that perfect view! We came on a quintessential hot summer day.

At Lighthouse Pub, you seat yourself so we went straight for the patio. Luckily, we got the last table on the patio… but the bad thing was that it was located in the smoking side of the restaurant… It’s been awhile since I’ve been to a restaurant where people smoke. =\
Chicken strips, $15.95: Once I saw chicken strips, I was sold! However, these were really disappointing. I am probably the biggest chicken strip lover out there, and over the years I’ve been able to tell whether or not the chicken strips were good. Right when she brought them over, I knew that they aren’t the good quality ones.

The chicken strips did not peel off in piping hot strips. Rather, the meat was similar to the frozen nuggets that have a light texture to it and makes you wonder if it is even made out of chicken meat or not. On the plus side, they had a great seasoning to it.
Lighthouse cheese burger, $14.95: What chicken strips are for me, are cheeseburgers for the boyfriend. Unlike my dish, he was really satisfied with his cheeseburger. The meat patty was very juicy. He upgraded his fries for a seafood chowder, and was not disappointed either.

Each spoonful of the seafood chowder was met with a generous portion of seafood, such as salmon and clams. We were very surprised at how much seafood they put in there – but surprised in a very good way!

Despite my disappointing chicken strips, I would come back to Lighthouse Pub but order something different. I would still recommend it for those visiting the Sunshine Coast on a sunny day because the view is very pretty! The inside of the restaurant is nothing special though.

Yay!

 

Lighthouse Pub Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Filed Under: food & drink, Sunshine Coast, travel

Lucky’s Smokehouse

August 9, 2017

Back in May, the boyfriend and I went on a weekend getaway to the Sunshine Coast! I have a couple of food posts to publish still. Plus, there is a Sunshine Coast weekend itinerary at the end of this post if you’re thinking of heading there as well!

After we got off the ferry to the Sunshine Coast, we were ready for lunch! The boyfriend found Lucky’s Smokehouse on Trip Advisor, and being the barbeque fan that he is, he really wanted to go check it out. I’m glad we did because it was probably the best restaurant that we ate at on our trip.

Lucky’s Restaurant is located in Sechelt, about a 25 minute drive from the ferry. Sunshine Coast has one main road called the Sunshine Coast Highway (it’s not a highway at all though) and once you get into Sechelt, you make a right and it’s there. We actually drove by it the first time by accident because it was a bit hidden and surrounded by car repair shops and such.

When we parked the car and walked over, we were greeted immediately by a delicious, smoky BBQ smell outside. Taking that as a good sign!

After ordering and paying at the counter, the staff will bring you your food. There are two tables outside for you to enjoy on a sunny day, which is what we did. The outside tables had a water bowl for dogs as well!

Train wreck, $15.95: The boyfriend’s colossal meat tower burger. It came with their signature BBQ pulled pork, sausage, and brisket. He was in love at first bite. All of the meat was extremely tender and full of smoky flavour. I had a few bites and I enjoyed it as well, although there was too much meat in it for me. I would have liked it with just the pulled pork, and MAYBE the brisket. I have a really sensitive stomach and IBS so I would have a really hard time digesting all that meat protein.

BBQ chicken burger, $11.95: I was in a chicken mood, so I decided to order this. It was also very tasty, although it didn’t have the “WOW” factor like the train wreck burger. I’m glad that I ordered the BBQ one because without the BBQ sauce, it would have been pretty plain.

For our sides, we ordered salads to balance out the unhealthiness. Well, the boyfriend was actually going to get potato salad, but he was glad he chose the salad as the train wreck burger was very rich and filling. He wouldn’t have been able to finish a starchy potato salad too.

If you’re a barbeque lover, check out Lucky’s Smokehouse! It wasn’t too busy when we went, but I suspect that it will be busier as peak summer season approaches.

Planning a getaway to the Sunshine Coast? Here is a post on our weekend itinerary!

Lucky's Smokehouse Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


Filed Under: food & drink, Sunshine Coast, travel

Travel Itinerary: A weekend on the Sunshine Coast + tips!

May 26, 2017

To celebrate a special occasion, the boyfriend and I decided to go on a quick trip (much to my persuasion in the beginning) to the Sunshine Coast. We were there for two nights and three days, which was a good amount of time to explore. Despite being a long weekend, the towns we visited weren’t overwhelmingly busy, although the ferry was a different story!

We’ve been to the Sunshine Coast twice before, with my mom and her friends. But for those two times, we didn’t get a chance to fully explore restaurants and parks because we stayed at the house that my mom and her friends rented and went fishing. And those were only day trips as well.

I’ll be writing a few other posts on the Airbnb we stayed at (because I miss that little beach house so much) and also reviews of the restaurants we visited. This post will be about things to do on the Sunshine Coast!


Here was our itinerary:

Day 1

View on the BC Ferry

Ferry: Although ferry is the only way to get here, it is definitely a beautiful 30 minute ride and one to be savoured. On a beautiful BC day, there are no better places to be than on the ferry. I recommend going to the top deck of the ferry, to enjoy the magnificent mountains surrounding you and the vast ocean gleaming. I brought a book to read while the boyfriend plugged in his headphones. But it gets pretty windy on the top deck, so I recommend bringing a light cardigan or something to keep yourself warm while enjoying the views.

Lunch: After arriving at the ferry, we drove to Sechelt (approx 30 minutes) for lunch. The boyfriend found a BBQ restaurant named Lucky’s, so we ate there and we were not disappointed at all!

Porpoise Bay Provincial Park: We were a 7 minute drive from this park, so we decided to check it out and drive around as we are planning on going camping here with our friends in a couple of months. Perhaps I will blog about that!

Davis Bay Pier: Before driving back to our Airbnb, we relaxed at Davis Bay Pier. It is a small stretch of land overlooking the ocean, and it is so beautiful! There is a nice pier to walk along, kind of like a mini White Rock. We walked down the pier and enjoyed the views.

When we came here two years ago, there were people swimming in the water but we didn’t see that this time. We did see some families bringing their dog to play in the water though!

Roberts Creek: It was check-in time so we met our Airbnb hosts, and unpacked our bags. We were both a bit tired, so we rested at the Airbnb for a bit.

Dinner: After recharging, we went back to Sechelt for a lovely patio dinner at Lighthouse Pub overlooking Porpoise Bay. The views were great, but my food could have been better.

Day 2

Soames Hill: I found out about this hike back in the fall, and I really wanted to do it because people were saying that it was quick and easy for the view. And I’m a sucker for views. The hike was about 40 minutes going up to the second peak if you stop for pictures along the way, which is what I did. To get to the first peak is about 20 minutes. We didn’t find it too challenging but I was a bit sweaty at the peak. The view was super beautiful and overlooked Gibsons and Keats island. Definitely recommend as it’s a pretty easy hike!

Dessert: After the hike, the boyfriend found a gelato place in Gibsons, Mike’s Place, that supposedly had really good ice cream. So we went there and yes, the ice cream was really good. It was also really cheap compared to Vancouver prices, only $3.75 for a cone with one scoop! He really enjoyed his gelato!

Gibsons Landing: We decided to explore a bit of Gibsons Landing. It was a pretty and quiet seaside town, but also buzzing with people at certain restaurant hot spots. We walked around here for a bit, went to the boardwalk and gazebo. This place is great for taking pictures on a nice, sunny day.

Rocky beach in Roberts Creek

Flume Beach: We went back to our Airbnb area of Roberts Creek, which is halfway between Gibsons and Sechelt (the two biggest towns). Our beach house was literally next to the water so we brought some towels, a book, music, and just relaxed. However, the beach outside our place was really rocky and breezy due to the shade. Our hosts recommended that we drive to Flume Beach which has less trees and more sand. It was a good choice and we relaxed there for a good two hours. At one point, we saw some sea lions playing in the water!

Dinner: We didn’t have a dinner place in mind, so we decided on trying Shift in Sechelt. I didn’t really enjoy it at that much as it wasn’t really the vibe that I was looking for in a small beach town. It reminded me of a smaller Rogue Kitchen & Bar or something that belonged in the city. After we sat down and ordered our food, we went on Yelp and found a hotel restaurant across the street which we probably would have enjoyed more as it had a more slow and relaxed atmosphere with ocean views.

Day 3:

Gibsons Landing: Since we were catching the afternoon ferry, we decided to go back to Gibsons as it is closer to the ferry. The last day was prettier than the second day, as the clouds were gone and the skies were bluer. The pictures I took on the third day were a lot brighter than the second.

Lunch: Lunch was spent at Molly’s Reach, which kind of as a cool back story to it! So in the 70s-90s, Gibsons was the filming location for a show named The Beachcombers. it was one of the longest running TV shows in Canada but I was too young for it. Anyways, Molly’s Reach was a fake restaurant for the show. When The Beachcombers ended, someone decided to buy the property and turn it into a real restaurant. We sat on the patio, which had a nice view of the boats and water. The food was good as well!

Gibsons Landing: After lunch, we walked around a bit again and went back to Mike’s Place for cheap gelato before taking the ferry back.


All in all, it was the perfect quick little getaway. I feel much more refreshed and energized. I made a point to not bring my computer so that I could fully relax. I have a hard time relaxing, which is weird… but I feel like I should always be working on my blog or answering emails or something.

Tips:

-Use Airbnb or VRBO: The hotel options on the Sunshine Coast are pretty limited, and often not as nice as the vacation home rentals. As we drove through the area, we saw that many of the houses there are being rented out by vacation go-ers like us.

-Free ferry: Yup, you heard that right! As the main form of transport out of the Sunshine Coast is by ferry, it is free coming back. Tbh, that is one of the main reasons why we chose the Sunshine Coast as opposed to Victoria or Nanaimo… because spending $150 roundtrip on a ferry is something we prefer not to do.

-Transport: We saw many bus stops along the main road, and read that transit is a good option for those without a car. But after being there for the weekend, I don’t recall seeing a single bus along the road although I saw people waiting at the bus stops. I would recommend renting a car or driving if you’re able to.

-Take it easy: The Sunshine Coast is known for its relaxed, laid back, and easy life. Don’t come here expecting a ton of things to do, it is not New York City or Tokyo. If you’re looking for a quiet retreat and a small town vibe, Sunshine Coast is the place to go.


Filed Under: Canada, Sunshine Coast, travel

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Hi and welcome to Curiously Carmen! I am Carmen, the girl behind the blog. You can read more about me here!

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