Saturday Live

Our Saturday morning at Emerald Bay started with coffee on the patio around 7:00. Bob decided he would meet Kathy and Barb for breakfast at La Cordeliere. I opt for cereal in the room, and some time to myself. La Cordeliere is currently the only “inside, sit-down” restaurant at Emerald Bay. It is named after a French Navy frigate that made an unsuccessful attempt at landing on the beach at Mazatlan with intentions of conquering and enslaving the Mexicans. Now, the French have never shined in the warrior department, so they were soundly beaten by the poorly armed people of Mazatlan. Their noses bloodied, the French made a hasty retreat, and never returned. The folks in Mazatlan are still quite proud of this victory.

On this morning, respecting the local culture, Bob ordered huevos rancheros at La Cordeliere. The ladies, having some empathy for the French, had fruit plates and cereal. I’m not sure what the meals cost as Bob forgot his money in the room, so the ladies picked up his tab. Good move, Bobby! The quality of the food, as well as the service, was reported to be excellent.

I haven’t eaten at La Cordeliere this trip, but would give the restaurant a “mixed review” from the past. The meals are moderately expensive, and the portions are relatively small, compared to most restaurants “off-property”. There is a “theme” night each day of the week and a daily breakfast buffet. Lunch is served 12:00-5:00 daily. On Sunday, there is a Champagne Brunch. Holiday buffets are offered on Christmas, New Years, and Easter. The buffets are about $30 US.

Last December, another friend and I, ate dinner at La Cordeliere, on or about the 19th of December. Unfortunately we had chosen the wrong night to dine there, as the service was terrible. On that night, the food quality was acceptable, but the portions were small, and it took over an hour to get our food. During our hour long wait, we were offered water once, and given two small dinner rolls. We had to chase down a server inside the restaurant to get some butter and a knife. I found out later, after submitting a written complaint to the front desk (something I seldom do), that most of the Emerald Bay staff were attending their annual Christmas party that evening. In these situations it is good to remember that poor service is rarely a “personal thing” in Mexico. There is seldom any warning of closures, or changes to staff or schedules. This should just be considered “business as usual”. For the most part, I have come to accept this reality, and take the bad with the good.

Angel and I have been the most satisfied with La Cordeliere when we “pass” on dinner, and only order off the menu for breakfast or lunch. The food quality, as well as selection, for the breakfast buffet, is excellent, but neither Angel nor I eat enough to justify the cost. The lunch menu items are generally priced much lower than dinner, and the portions are larger. If we decide to stay at Emerald Bay for dinner, we usually order from the pool grill or room service. The pool grill closes at 6:00 pm every day, but room service is available 24 hours each day with a 15% surcharge for delivery.

After posting the blog yesterday, I walked for 30 minutes, then changed, and went down to the pool to sun and swim. I returned to the room about noon and found Bob on the patio reading a book, Out Stealing Horses, written by Per Petterson Yes, two t’s in Petterson. Bob is enjoying this book and would like me to read it before he leaves next Friday. I’m hoping I can fit it in. Last year he lent me a real page turner, No More Dead Dogs, a short read and funny as all get out. After I gather Bob, we head to the pool and settle in for the afternoon. Bob wanders a bit, talking with anyone, and everyone. He tracks down Barb and Kathy. The three agree that they would like to take advantage of the Salsa Dancing lesson being offered poolside. I go for a swim and notice the three of them in the distance not so gracefully engaged in the Salsalito. Their instructor appeared to me to be less than skilled himself, so I’m not sure if they really improved their dancing repertoire through this experience.

Bob and I end up spending the early afternoon at the pool, alternately lounging and swimming. At some point we decided that a trip into town for dinner was warranted. We left the pool about 2:45, went up to the room, showered and changed, and made the 4:00 shuttle to Pueblo Bonito Mazatlan.

Bob had invited Kathy and Barb for drinks, though we had plans to strike off later,on our own, for the evening. We traveled together on the shuttle to the Pueblo Bonito where we arrived at Cilantro’s Restaurant just in time for, guess what? … Happy Hour! The ladies ordered a Mango Margarita, Bob had a Mexican cabernet, and yours truly, the usual Pacifico. Curiously, Bob had pesos, and picked up the tab.

After a relaxing drink, and enjoying the view of Bird and Deer islands, the beach, and ocean, from Cilantro’s, Bob and I parted ways with the ladies and began our walk toward the busy Golden Zone. On this particular Saturday night, the time-share hawkers were few, and relatively passive. We strolled slowly. I pointed out various eateries and places of interest, mainly small stores and shops. Bob remarked that he wanted to find a place called Villa Italia, that he had heard of from another EB guest. He perseverated on that a bit as we were walking. I told him that it was about twenty to thirty minutes from Pueblo Bonito Mazatlan, depending on the pace. I had intended on just a brief walk to a nearby, but very authentic “local joint”. There is no ingles spoken there, but they have really, really good tortilla soup. We passed up my chosen spot , and walked much further until I spotted the Villa Italia sign, across the street and to our left. I tell Bob that we can stop there on the return route. He agreed. At this point we were at the outer fringes of the Golden Zone, and into an area that included the Inn at Mazatlan, the first hotel that Angel and I had stayed at in this beautiful city. Bob wanted to see the lobby, so we walked in. I dragged him straight through the lobby and out the back door where he was surprised to see the beautiful gardens, a pool, and Papagayos Restaurant. Then the beach appeared before us. He was impressed. The Inn at Mazatlan is in a good location, moderately priced, and clean. Papagayos restaurant serves good food and will not strain your wallet. We seated ourselves in the beachside chairs and viewed the ocean and stars for about ten minutes, before making our exit through the lobby. Once, back on the street, I pointed out Rico’s coffee shop which has great coffee, tasty pastries, and free internet. I told Bob that Mr. Aces and Mary’s, adjacent to Rico’s, served tasty, moderately priced meals. We were hungry, and I love Mary’s, so tortilla soup “be damned tonight”. We crossed the street and seated ourselves. I ordered the Mary’s chicken tender salad and bottled water. Bob ordered the marinated chicken salad. The total cost for all was about 180 pesos, or about $16 US. The salads are excellent at Mary’s. They are served in a large stainless bowl, with a dressing of your choice on the side, and grilled bread. Angel and I have never been disappointed at Mary’s. Neither were Bob and I last evening.

After eating we began out return journey to catch the shuttle home. We checked out the menu at Mr. Ace’s. Breakfast is very reasonable for folks staying in the vicinity of the Inn at Mazatlan. As I recall, the quality of the food is above average.

Bob stopped at a nearby farmacia to pick up a small bottle of sunscreen and then we were on our way to view the Villa Italia. Along the way I was stopped by Juan Carlos, one of the time-share guys that recognized me from prior visits. He asked me how I was doing and inquired as to the whereabouts of my beautiful esposa. I told him that Angel had not arrived yet, but we would be sure to stop by and say “Hola!” once she was here. At that time, I am sure, he will attempt to get us to go to a presentation. I eventually caught up with Bob who was dead set on seeing what this Villa Italia thing was all about. As I approached Villa Italia, I found him inhabiting a temporarily abandoned time share kiosk. He had already procured a Villa Italia menu for future study.

We picked up the pace, as we needed to complete a leisurely 30 minute walk in 20 minutes to catch our shuttle, or wait at the Pueblo Bonito Mazatlan for another hour. For some silly reason, we were both eager to get back to “the compound”, and we put ourselves in high gear. We “made” the shuttle with about 30 seconds to spare, both of us sweating profusely from the forced march.

After returning to Emerald Bay, Bob bought a couple of Mexican cigars at the Deli. We then decided to hit the heated spa at the pool for a bit before having, our now what is becoming a ritual, cigarro on the patio. We checked out towels and joined the last of the “great partiers” in the spa. After about twenty minutes we had both had enough and we headed up to the room. Safe and sound in our fortress, we lit up on the patio. Thirty minutes later Bob was sound asleep. It was 10:00. These are long and brutal days.

Phil arrives tomorrow. Trust me. Things are going to get interesting.