Travel and adventure blog for those looking for destination ideas and vacation planning tips.
South Padre Island In The Offseason
South Padre Island in the offseason is one of the best travel values in Texas. With low hotel rates, no crowds or traffic, and the best beach in the state to yourself, what’s not to love!? Then you add perfect mild temperatures and the delicious fresh gulf coast seafood that’s served up daily, well, as we say in Spanish, ¿Qué más quieres? (what more do you want).
SPI in October
We had a week off in mid-October and wanted to spend some time relaxing and decompressing at a nice beach that wasn’t crowded, expensive, or far away. SPI checked all the boxes. The year before we spent our fall break in Cancun and this year we wanted to be closer to home so road trip it was! Now you can certainly fly to South Padre Island but we prefer to drive as it’s only a 6 hour drive from Houston and my wife and I love to get on the road.
Our reservations were from Sunday – Wednesday at the La Quinta by Wyndham South Padre Island Beach property, however, we took off on Saturday afternoon because our oldest daughter was celebrating her 21st birthday at our house with her college friends. We knew we wouldn’t be getting any sleep. Combine her friends with our son’s (22) and the cousins around the same age and we wanted no part of it 🤣.
At 3 p.m. we hit the road. The plan was to get there close to 10pm, get some rest, and catch the sunrise in the morning. We made the mandatory stop at Buc-ee’s for food and snacks and to buy our 4th pair of Tumblers for the beach! That is not a typo or exaggeration, we have forgotten our damn tumblers that many times on road trips. We then turned our Waze app on to get the downlow on where the cops and speed traps were and had a smooth ride in. Until….
Last minute reservation
I had not made a reservation for Saturday night! I figured we would wing it and find some last minute cancellation for cheap. Now if you’re thinking that you’ve read that somewhere before on my blog, well it’s because you have (see New Orleans post) and I’m hard headed apparently, lol. Surely my hotel tonight app wouldn’t let me down 2 times would it? I turned it on once we passed Victoria, TX and began monitoring the hotel prices.
About 30 minutes from the Queen Isabella Causeway I got a rate I could live with. The hotel was on the island, on the bayside, and only a few minutes from the La Quinta where we had reservations at the following day. I looked over at my wife like a conquering hero. Yes, that is how I feel when I land a great deal damn it! Let me have my travel victories.
The room was nothing to write home about but it did meet our objectives. It was on the island, cheap, clean, and quiet. We were tired and wanted to get up early to enjoy the sunrise on the beach, so after a quick shower it was lights out.
Day one – Sand Sculptures and Reading
We woke up to weather in the 70’s and made our way to the beach to the catch the sunrise and it was just perfect. As you can see in my pictures above, it was a very tranquil and picturesque setting. We couldn’t have asked for a better beginning to our Fall getaway. After finishing our coffees on the beach and enjoying the peaceful sounds of the waves, it was time to eat.
We finished our breakfast and checked out of our hotel but needed to kill some time before trying to check into our next hotel. We headed to a bookstore we accidently found while driving around the strip. Karma Coffee & Books is a nice cozy store with a decent selection of books for a small establishment. If you forgot your beach reading books at home, you can pick something up here.
La Quinta by Wyndham South Padre Island Beach
It was barely 10:30 a.m. when we tried checking in and they gave us the whole “we don’t have any rooms ready yet, check in time is “blah blah blah” spew. They took our information down and asked me to check back with them later. I asked if they could text me when my room was ready and they stated they couldn’t. Which got me wondering, why don’t hotels give you those restaurant pagers that alert you when your table is ready? No biggie. We went to our vehicle, changed clothes with door open (hoping nobody snuck a peek), grabbed our umbrella, chairs, ice chest, and headed to the beach.
The beauty of South Padre Island in the offseason is that picking a spot is so much easier during this time. Without the spring break or summer crowds, you have your pick of locations to post up. But please bring your own chairs and umbrella (those that drive there obviously). Umbrella and chair rentals range from $30 – $45 per day! If your party consists of more than you and your wife it will add up quick.
With our location staked out and umbrella and chairs setup, we settled in nicely. Our ice chest was full of cold beer, vodka, rum, and mixers. We were set and it wasn’t long before the beautiful combination of 85 degree sun, ocean mist, soft rolling waves, and the drinks I was mixing up had us feeling just right. We put our books down and decided to take a walk.
Sand Castle Days
Our Sunday Funday coincided with the ending of SPI’s Sand Castle Days event. This free family-fun event is held in front of Clayton’s Beach Bar and has grown from a local celebration to a major qualifying event in sand sculpting. We were lucky to catch the ending and got to admire these sand works of art. If you can schedule your visit around this event, I would highly recommend it. Have a look at some of these beauties.
Night one dinner – Sea Ranch Restaurant
This place does everything well but above all else, it’s the Oysters Rockefeller! When I say nothing hits the spot better after a day at the beach day drinking, I freaking mean it. You need to order a couple of orders as appetizers (no joke). Hell, my wife says to order this as the main course, they are that good. Here is a link to their website, I highly recommend this place. Sea Ranch Restaurant located on the south side of the island.
Day 2 – More Beach, Siesta, and Argentina Steakhouse
Day 2 started with us out on the hotel deck facing the Gulf of Mexico and enjoying our coffee while watching the sunrise. There is something soul reviving about sunrises on the beach. We sat in silence watching the sun make it’s slow climb over the horizon. All while listening to the rhymical ocean waves and the occasional squawk from sea gulls nearby. I snapped the pic below and posted it on twitter and some tv station asked if they could use it in their morning broadcast. Have at it was my response.
When I say we came out here to relax and decompress, we came here to seriously chill. We loved the spot from yesterday so we setup in the same area. We took our books out and settled in for another day of relaxation. After a few hours it was time for a stroll and you can’t go wrong walking in any direction. You’ll have the beaches practically to yourself, no joke.
Courtyard by Marriott
On the other side of Clayton’s Beach Bar is one of the newer hotels on the island. The Courtyard by Marriott is a property I want to stay on our next visit so we decided to stroll in and have a sneak peek. The place did not disappoint. From their great outdoor sports bar (Bar Louie) to it’s pool area, to it’s main indoor bar with live music nightly, it had everything. We will definitely be staying here on the next trip to SPI.
Siesta and evening plans
Falling asleep while laying on a beach chair is undefeated. As long as you’re completely under a big umbrella or else it could be trouble 😨. At best you will have a weird tan in some funny spots and at worst you will look like Malin Akerman in The Heartbreak Kid (Ben Stiller movie, not the original from the 70’s). Anyway, once I woke up I decided to text a friend who lived in Brownsville (about 40 minutes away) to let them know we were close by and if they had dinner plans. They were game so we wrapped it up at the beach to get ready.
Night two dinner – La Pampa Argentinean Steakhouse
La Pampa Argentinean steakhouse is one of my favorite restaurants in all of Brownsville. I was first introduced to this place about 10 years ago and it has become a must stop every time I am in these neck of the woods. The various cuts of beef are all made to perfection and they also have a decent wine selection to boot. Order the CHAMPIÑONES DON RAFAEL (Mushrooms With Prosciutto And Bacon) as an appetizer and the Lomo Alto (Grilled Ribeye steak) for the main course. My mouth is watering just typing that.
Once our friends arrived, the red wine started to flow, and the mood was set for the rest of the evening. It was great catching up on such short notice and the stories and laughs just made the night even more enjoyable. After a bit, the conversation turned to fishing and my friends’ new boat that they had recently purchased. It was just our luck that they were actually planning on fishing the bay the next day and invited us to join them. Of course we said yes!
Day 3 – South Padre Island Bay Fishing
This morning started off just as the others did (enjoying coffee on the beach at sunrise, followed by a big breakfast). Our friends had asked us to meet them at the boat dock by the Painted Marlin restaurant. Prior to arriving, we made a pit stop at the liquor store to buy the captain his favorite IPA beer. With plenty of refreshments and snacks in hand, we were ready to head out to the water to drop our lines.
The weather more than cooperated with us and we had the ideal conditions to be out on the water. Speaking of which, I had no idea how shallow the water was on this side of the island. It couldn’t have been more than 3 feet deep in large areas! This was a major relief to my wife as she always thinks that whatever boat we are on, it will capsize and we’ll get attacked by hungry sharks. Too much shark week and titanic tv viewing 🤣.
Captain Skye
Our captain made sure we got a good tour of the bay and took us to some his favorite fishing spots. We dropped our lines in several spots and had a great time throughout. The main fisherman with all the luck was my friend Fari (captain’s wife), she caught the biggest fish of us four. It was her birthday so we were happy for her. As for my wife, she didn’t fish but cheered me on as I tried to catch dinner for us. After a few hours of fishing, we had caught enough to eat for later that evening and our attention turned to sight seeing.
Skye gave us a nice scenic tour of the bay and showed us points of interest. We even saw the dolphins that live in these parts. He had various quirky facts to share and sounded like a professional tour guide so I mentioned to him that he should take visitors out for a living. Well it turns out that he has already started the process to do exactly just that. If it becomes official, I will come back to edit this post and add his contact info.
Night three dinner – Painted Marlin Grille
If you’re looking for a spot that will cook your catch the same day, this is where you need to be. Of course you have to gut and filet your fish first. Don’t be showing up all ghetto with your fish on a line because they will refuse. We pulled into the dock and Skye cleaned our fish and put the filets in a bag. He then proceeded to park the boat right in front of the restaurant. We gave cooking instructions to the waitress and ordered the drinks and sides. It was a perfect way to cap off what had been a fun filled day out on the water.
Day four – SpaceX
You can’t visit South Padre Island without at least taking a drive to see the SpaceX rockets! I mean, you can literally see them on the launch pad at the SpaceX Boca Chica site from the island. It is only a 55 minute drive from island and well worth the visit. There are no public tours available but you will be able see the rockets incredibly up close.
Besides getting up-close views of the rockets, there is also a nice empty beach that you could relax on. The road to SpaceX dead-ends at the beach and it’s pretty much empty in each direction. A word of caution though to those that want to see the rockets and visit the beach. There is only one single road that leads in or out and there is a mandatory checkpoint on that road with immigration and drug dogs. So don’t go taking your vice over there because then you’ll have another view with bars to look forward to 🤣.
And that’s a wrap! Hope you enjoyed reading about our 4 day adventure visiting South Padre Island in the offseason. FYI, the offseason generally starts after Labor Day and ends March 1st.
Best area to stay in Mexicali? The vibrant Zona Dorada!
If you plan on visiting Mexico’s 3rd largest border city, the best area to stay in Mexicali is their vibrant zona dorada! Great restaurants, bars, and shopping are all within walking distance of any hotel you chose in this zone. The golden zone (as it’s known in English) is also located along the main thoroughfares of the city so getting in and out to explore the many things to do can be done with ease.
Mexicali – Capital city of Baja California
I first visited Mexicali in 2014 for work and have gone back about every other year since then. Like most people before they first visit, I didn’t really hear much about this border city and couldn’t tell you anything about it. It’s not really on anyone’s travel radar. While it has a population of roughly 1 million people, this city doesn’t come to mind when you think of Mexican cities along the US/Mexico border. Tijuana or Juarez are usually the first ones people list. Then followed by probably Nuevo Laredo or Matamoros. But just because you might not have heard about it doesn’t mean it’s not worth a visit.
Getting there is an Adventure
All of my visits to Mexicali involved a road trip from either San Diego (the closest major airport on the US side), Orange, or Los Angeles. The trips generally ranged from 2 hours for the San Diego route to almost 4 hours from LA. But do not despair on the drive times as you will be traveling through some beautiful and scenic areas! See interactive maps below for routes from LA and San Diego.
From San Diego
From LA
Tips:
- Make sure you fill up on gas/charge your vehicle.
- Have some extra water in your vehicle just in case. Especially if you go the San Diego route.
- Do not take the roads leading to the border wall on the US side. Wait until you get to the Mexican side of the border if you want to snap some pics of you at the wall. I’ll have more on why further down 😎.
No matter which route you take, you will travel through some very nice terrain and see some interesting things along the way. There are also various points of interest where you can detour and learn about the area. One of those spots is The Desert View Tower.
The Desert View Tower
After several trips to Mexicali from San Diego and passing this old tower in the In-Ko-Pah Mountains range for years, I finally decided to make a stop to see it up close. I also needed a restroom break, but still. It’s hard to miss as you travel through these parts and I can imagine it was a comfort to see for weary travelers back in the day. Once in view, there are signs that will take you to the base of the 100 year old viewing tower.
The backroad to get to the base is filled with weird shit, not going to lie. Like I would be creeped out if I came here at night. Straight out of a horror movie type stuff 😨. But you shouldn’t be traveling through these parts at night anyway so you won’t have to worry about coming up missing, lol.
The Desert View stone tower sits high in the In-Ko-Pah Mountains. It has a restaurant and bar located on the old road across from the tower. The 100 year old Tower also houses a museum, giftshop, and has an observation deck. Despite the creepy road to get there, it’s worth a quick pit stop.
The Infamous Border Wall – USA side
You can’t help but notice the USA/Mexico border wall once you cross the Jacumba Mountain range. The landscape goes from cool, elevated, and rocky to hot, dry, and flat. For most people, they have only seen the border wall on tv in political ads or news stories. It is pretty jarring to see in the distance and it sticks out like a sore thumb against the desert landscape. As stated before, there are roads that can take you close to the border walls but you can only get so close before you see signs not to go further.
We took one of the roads towards the wall until we got to the sign warning not to go further. At that point we stopped to take a couple of pictures and made a U-turn to head back to the highway. We of course were being watched and it didn’t take long for curious border patrol agents to stop us just as we were approaching the freeway.
They were pleasant and professional. After a couple of questions and ID checks, we were on our way. I can’t blame them. Two Mexicans in a new black convertible in the middle of nowhere taking pics of the wall, lol. So just a word of caution, wait until you get to the Mexico side to take pics at the wall. Hell you can even climb it if you want over there.
Crossing Over the Border
The border crossing is located at Calexico, CA. This small town of about 38K is tiny compared to it’s 1M+ neighbor to the south and nothing to write home about. So here is where you have 2 options on crossing. You can drive your personal vehicle or car rental across with no issues (make sure you have insurance that covers you in Mexico) or you can leave your car in Calexico and walk across. I have done both but I do have the advantage of leaving my car at our company facility on the US side of the border and they drive me across to my hotel.
For those not wanting to take their vehicle across, there is a junk yard on the Calexico side that will let you park your car there for a fee. The place looks like where they filmed the Breaking Bad scene where Walter and Jesse meet with Tuco. So you’re probably saying to yourself, “this guy is nuts, I’m not leaving my car at a junkyard”. Relax, it’s safe and I’ve done it and it’s cool.
One time that stands out is when I was traveling to Mexicali with my friend McCoy and we arrived at night (around 8 pm in December). He had never been to any part of Mexico in his life and this was going to be his first time crossing the border. So there we were on a cold December night, alone in the middle of a junkyard with a suspect looking “supervisor”, and waiting for our ride to come get us. My man was nervous 🤣.
La Zona Dorada!
I have stayed at the Hotel Araiza Mexicali and the Hotel Lucerna Mexicali (both very fine properties that I would also recommend) but in my opinion, the best area to stay is in La Zona Dorada. My personal preference is the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Mexicali because it is in the heart of the zone. It is within walking distance to some of the best restaurants and shopping in Mexicali. Not to mention some nice bars as well. With great people managing the property and excellent service, it is my favorite place to stay.
Whether you visit Mexicali for work or vacation, the last thing you want to do is drive around looking for good food and a drink after a long day at the office or sight seeing. Staying in this zona will eliminate that hassle and you’ll be in one of the safest areas of the city too. So, where to begin with the food and bar choices? Here are my recommendations.
Zona Dorada Restaurants- Cabanna
I cannot say enough great things about this restaurant. All my Mexicali trips start and end here, and for good reason. The food at this place is fantastic, the vibe and people watching is superb, and the beer is served ice cold. They have indoor and outdoor dining sections and the place is well decorated but the main event is the food, and in my opinion their tacos!
After Mexico City Mexicali is my all time favorite city for tacos, and it’s because of places like Cabanna.
Bodega 8
Another good spot in la zona dorada is Bodega 8. This restaurant seems to always be packed and is a favorite amongst the locals. Getting a table in the late afternoon/early evening is pretty easy but from 6 pm onwards I recommend you make reservations. The food here is more adventurous with an array of dishes served straight on a molcajete. My food palate is not very complex and I don’t like to take chances on my meals so apologies for not having any pics of the wide variety of dishes they serve. I keep it simple when I order here but there really is a good selection to choose from.
Mochomos – Sonora Steakhouse
If you’re looking for a proper steakhouse, look no further than Mochomos Sonoran steakhouse. It’s located in the plaza directly across the road and everything is superbly made there. This is the #1 restaurant in Mexicali (per Tripadvisor) and I definitely agree with that ranking. The ambience and service are what you would expect from a fine steakhouse and the star of the show is without a doubt the mouthwatering dishes served here.
Sonora is a state in Mexico that is known and recognized for it’s beef quality and the Mochomos chain has definitely mastered the art of steak. All the usual cuts of beef are grilled to perfection and they also have a good wine selection to pair with your meals. But while I expected great meat selections from this place, their seafood was equally impressive. Being so close to the Pacific and Gulf of California, the seafood is as fresh as it gets and this restaurant will surprise you with those selections as well.
Zona Dorada Bars – The Good Life
Located inside the Zona Dorada is a pretty relaxed bar called the Good Life. It’s the great spot for pre or post dinner drinks. Their mixologists are top notch and do their part to serve up some of the best liquid good life in Mexicali. The vibe here is chill and not rowdy with a good mix of young and old. Order the Moscow mule, best one I’ve had made in a long time.
Cantina Mexico
This is a cool sports bar with huge half wall sized screens to catch any major sporting event. It just so happened that Mexico was playing in a soccer tournament during one of my visits so I got to watch it there. But I have also visited during baseball and football seasons and they will have those games on as well. They will have live entertainment here on certain weekends and overall it’s a good bar to catch a game. The food served here is your standard bar fare.
Zona Dorada summary
This is a pretty good sized area; therefore, there are so many places that I didn’t write about because I wanted to keep the focus on the highly recommended establishments. There are also great Italian, Chinese, and awesome fusion restaurants all clustered in la zona. So whether it’s your first time visiting Mexicali or you are a repeat visitor, you would do well by staying in this zone.
I will be writing a separate post on the lively craft beer and taco scene in Mexicali. After several visits that have now spanned almost 10 years, I have tried out many places that deserve to be written about. I hope you come back to my blog to read about those.
Getting back & the infamous border wall – Mexico side
Crossing into Mexico from Calexico is a breeze compared to going back. For starters, when you drive into Mexicali there are no agents that stop and ask you questions. Everyone is let in except if you’re one of the very few unlucky ones that gets randomly selected by the stoplight (yes, it is a literal street stoplight) that will turn to red for no rhyme or reason. You will then be asked to pull over and they will question you and possibly search your vehicle. Other than plain bad luck, you will not spend any time getting into Mexicali. Coming back over is an adventure onto itself. So here are my tips.
Driving back across
There are 3 things you can do to make your life easier when driving back.
- Get your Global Entry card and skip the lines at all US land border crossing.
- If you don’t have your Global Entry card, then be prepared to line up before 6 am
- Cross back late at night (after 10 pm)
If you do none of these things well then te chingaste. You will be in some ridiculous long lines and depending on the time of year, it might even be in 115 degree weather (no joke). See pics below I took of the line.
The 2 US/Mexico border points of entry
- Calexico East border crossing is open from 6 am – 10 pm
- Calexico West is open 24 hours
Take your pictures on this side of the wall
As I mentioned earlier, if you’re determined to have your picture taken at the wall then do it on this side. For one, Mexican authorities don’t give a shit if you want a selfie there. They will just look at you and laugh or ignore you. During one of my visits they were constructing new segments of it and on one other occasion I got a pic of some guys climbing it with some home made contraption! There was a US border patrol truck parked just on the other side so maybe they were just trying out their gear for a future attempt?
Walking back across – Calexico West border station
I’ve walked across the border at both entry points and the Calexico West border station is definitely the preferred location. For the most part this crossing is through a building which shields you from the hot sun. If the line extends outside the building, at least you’ll have various street vendors selling food, drinks, and snacks to keep you in a decent mood.
Walking back across – Calexico East border station
Get ready to get some steps in on this route. Before I had my global entry card I had to take this route which meant I got dropped off halfway in the Sentry lane (literally in the middle). You then have to walk to the customs building. Where upon exiting, you still have to walk 1/2 mile to a little liquor store where your ride/Uber can pick you up. All part of the adventure peeps 😃.
So now you know where to stay when you visit Mexicali! The Vibrant Zona Dorada!
Exploring In The Old Walled City of Cartagena
Exploring in the old walled city of Cartagena is like a walk through 500 years of history. This great jewel on the Colombian coast has seen and weathered it all. Spanish conquistadors, pirates of the Caribbean, the dark ages of the slave trade, and countless invasions all have made their mark on the resilient city.
It is because of this fascinating history that we made our decision to stay in the old part of town. We could have picked the shiny Miami like coastline area but we were looking for a place that would stir our imagination and the walled city of Cartagena did just that. Our last and final city of our Colombia vacation would be the perfect ending.
Getting there from Medellin – Arriving at night
As I discussed in my Medellin post, in country flights on Avianca are the way to go when moving around between major cities in Colombia. The flight to Cartagena was a little over a hour and cost us $33 each. We arrived around 6 pm but by the time we retrieved our luggage and hopped in a cab, it was 7 pm and getting dark outside. The sun sets just before 6:30 pm in July in these parts.
The good thing is that the walled city of Cartagena is only a 20 minute drive from the airport so we were there in no time. As you approach from the main thoroughfare, you begin to see the walls and the cannons perched atop, still guarding the old town. It was a clear night and you could hear waves lapping the rocks along the shoreline. Once our driver turned towards the walls, the scenery would change dramatically.
The old walled city
As soon as you get past the walls you will feel as if you’ve teleported to the colonial era. We were immediately mesmerized by the immaculately preserved colonial architecture. The many bright balconies with flowers overhanging and the stone archways with their beautifully lit lights captivated us. There were people walking around getting their night started and horse drawn carriages taking guests on evening rides. Cartagena absolutely nailed her first impression.
Where to Stay – The Sophia Hotel
We chose the Sophia hotel and were quite pleased with the selection. It’s located directly in front of la Plaza de la Aguana (largest and oldest square in the old town) and a pick up/drop off spot for the horse carriages. The check in process was rather painless and our room was neat and had a nice view overlooking the plaza. Oh, and welcome cake was waiting for us in our room! This is always going to be a plus, lol. We freshened up and decided to chill by the rooftop pool for the evening.
The bartender took our drink order while we grabbed some pool chairs and began to enjoy our first night in Cartagena. Because it is a coastal city that is sort of close (about 700 miles north) to the equator, the temperature range is pretty much the same throughout the year. You can expect lows to be in the upper 70’s and the highs to be in the mid to upper 80’s all year long.
The crisp refreshing mojitos kept coming and combined with the pleasant ocean breeze blowing in, it made for a very relaxing evening. It was just the type of night we needed after the hustle and bustle of Bogota and Medellin. We stayed until they closed. When we got back to our room we ordered room service and shut it down. We couldn’t wait to see Cartagena by day!
Day 2 – Guided walking tour, Emerald shopping, Cafe del Mar
Daytime is when Cartagena shines bright like a diamond. We started this day off with a big breakfast at the Sophia and asked the manager if she could book a guided walking tour for us. Not only did we want a tour of the old town inside the walls but we wanted to tour the harbor and neighboring Getsemaní as well. Just about every hotel and hostel in the old town can book various same day tours for you. Or you can prebook on Viator prior to your trip. After eating I went to the ATM (more about this later) and we waited for our guide.
Guided Walking Tour
Our guide met us at the hotel and after a brief introduction (and paying him in pesos), he started right away. This guy was all business I tell you. The tour started at the plaza right in front of us and from there we went outside the walls to see and learn about the harbor. He was well versed and knew all sorts of facts about Cartagena’s incredible history. My imagination drifted off as he was talking as I wondered what it would have been like 500 years ago with ships from the old world sailing in.
Getsemaní
From the harbor we made our way just a couple of blocks down to the historic neighborhood of Getsemaní. Known as the birthplace of Cartagena’s culture, this hippie enclave has a laid back vibe during the day. This area is where the first artisans that built the old town used to live back in those times. Street art and brightly colored homes and businesses line the cobblestone streets of this bohemian barrio. We very much enjoyed the pace of life here. Everybody seemed to be straight chillin’ and having a good time.
Getsemaní is more than a hip and artsy neighborhood, it’s a way of life. There are many cafes, restaurants, and bars with people sitting outside drinking and eating while taking in the Caribbean sea sun. This place is blessed with lots of picturesque streets and I lost track of how many we went down. Every one we explored had some level of coolness about it.
When we arrived to the Holy Trinity Square area we finally saw the Palenqueras! I wanted to see and take a picture with them. You’re probably asking yourself, what is a Palenquera? They are the black women of Colombia who wear the brightly colored dresses that balance fruit baskets on their heads. This post explains their history and the impact they’ve had on Colombian culture. The ladies were fun to chat with and will gladly pose for pictures, but please be sure to tip them. This is how they make their living.
Nightlife
We made plans to come back to Getsemani in the evening to partake in the festive nightlife that this area is well known for. One place in particular caught our eye during our walk and our guide told us that it is a nice place to dance and drink. Cuba 1940’s has a 4.5 rating out of 5 on both google and TripAdvisor reviews so it has to be the real deal right? We made plans to find out!
Plaza de la Merced
Once we left Getsemani, our guide took us to the Plaza de la Merced which is located just inside the walls. This place is home to the theatre and a wing of the University of Cartagena. It was a pretty area but more importantly to us at the time, a place to rest! It was hot and humid and our guide was making sure we got our money’s worth and our steps in.
We rested for a while inside the university patio on some benches they had set up in the shade. There was also some interesting pictures displayed around the interior perimeter that we took a little time to view. After the short rest stop, we walked along the town walls to get a view of the water and then our guide said he wanted to take us to see the exquisite emeralds of Colombia.
Shopping for Emeralds
Okay so I’m not entirely sure how this happened or what sorcery was at play this particular day, but not only did we agree to making a stop at this really nice jewelry store inside the old town, we spent a good deal of money there as well! If you are a regular reader of my blog then you know I don’t write about shopping for jewelry on vacation, ever. Hell, look at our pictures, we hardly wear jewelry at all.
I blame the tour guide. Just kidding. Looking back, it was almost inevitable. For starters, we had learned in Bogota during the salt mine tour that Colombia supplies 90% of the world’s emeralds! Then add the facts that my wife’s birthstone is an emerald and we were in a romantic city and all the stars lined up for the purchase. It’s all good fam, she more than deserves her beautiful emerald ring. To see her face light up when she tried it on and said to me “I want it babe”, well that alone did it for me.
The only thing I regret is not taking a close up picture of the ring! Once we bought it, it got put into a box and bag. I only have this one pic where the sales lady is cracking up because I told her that all I got for a souvenir was a miniature botero woman figurine and my wife got this super cool ring.
End of guided tour
We parted ways with our tour guide at the jewelry store and I had to use my map app on my phone to get back to the Sophia hotel. Along the way we saw Sir Frances Drake’s house which is still very impressive and found some cool plazas and restaurants. We also got stopped by some performers who wanted to rap for us. They were actually pretty good. I have a fun clip of how that went down.
It was about 2 pm now and we wanted to get some rest before heading back out to catch the sunset at Cafe del Mar on the wall. It was an eventful morning and early afternoon exploring in the walled city of Cartagena. Now it was time for a siesta before seeing what she had in store for us in the evening.
Cafe del Mar – Best place to watch the sunset!
This place had been recommended to us by everybody and their mother. I get worried when that happens because then my expectations become quite high and hard to meet. I asked myself, could this place live up to the hype? Reading up on the reviews of Cafe del Mar I learned 3 very important things that made our visit a great success.
- Make a reservation on the Cafe del Mar website in advance or arrive 20 minutes before opening time (4:30 pm) and get in line.
- When you get seated, place your 1st order of drinks immediately! Don’t be messing around talking about, “I’m not ready yet and need some time to look at the menu”. You’re going to be mad as hell, lol. The service gets slower and slower as the evening wears on. It gets packed.
- When your 1st order of drinks arrive, order the second round right there and then. Trust me on this.
Vibe and what to expect
If you don’t make a reservation you can still get a table but it won’t be along the wall. And that’s okay because there isn’t a bad seat in the entire place as far I could tell. They play EDM music here and the mood is festive. From 4:30 until about 6:15 pm, everyone is just getting their drink on and waiting for the main event, the sunset. That is when all the cameras come out and everyone tries to get their best shot in.
As the sun dips over the horizon, the sky turns to different shades of summer and the crowd becomes more lively. By that point, the mojitos (or whatever it is you are drinking) are kicking into gear and you are feeling that Caribbean groove. This place 100% lives up to it’s reputation! It is the best place to catch the sunset.
There is an alternative if you don’t want to spend money or drink and it’s one that a lot of the locals do. Find a spot anywhere along the wall and wait for the sun to dip. It’s free and you get some great views as well. We enjoyed the vibe and people at Cafe del Mar and even met a cool couple there who we ended up having dinner with.
Dinner and Horse Carriage ride
We left the café buzzing and feeling amazing, and to be quite honest, I don’t remember how we found the restaurant we ate at. Not sure if the couple that was with us recommended it, or we found it by accident, but it doesn’t matter, because it was damn good! It’s called El Burlador and it’s a Spanish gastrobar and steakhouse. They had some live music going on and the food was fantastic. I highly recommend it!
After dinner we said our goodbyes to our new amigos and hopped on a horse carriage to take us on a ride through the old town at night. Our plans were to keep the party going at Cuba 1940’s in Getsemani but we needed to go to an ATM to get some more pesos. They come in handy for tips and paying services like horse carriage rides by the way.
We got to the ATM and I didn’t have my debit card. No problem, it’s probably in the room I thought. Nope, not there either. I had left it in the machine in the morning. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to get the card cancelled to be on the safe side and by then the mood to go out had been killed. We were in our room and a shower and bed seemed the better option at that point. We called it a night.
Day 3 – Playa Blanca in Baru
This day would be a beach day. My wife and I had discussed which beach to visit prior to our arrival and we ended up comprising on Playa Blanca in Baru. I use the word compromise because originally I wanted to take her to the Bora Bora Beach Club in the Rosario Island chains but she didn’t want to get on the boat ride to get out there. Playa Blanca could be driven to from Cartagena so we decided to go that route. We had the Sophia hotel manager make arrangements with a driver to take and watch over us.
The drive to Playa Blanca is a little over an hour but it seemed less than that as our driver was a funny and talkative dude. Once we arrived, there was a military checkpoint just outside the zone. We had to get out of our vehicle for a pat down, they quickly reviewed the car, and then we were on our way to find a parking spot. This is the part we didn’t like and felt like the local government could do a lot more. There were way too many vendors and hawkers trying to get you to park in their area or use them as guides.
After parking we had to walk down this wooded path until we got to the main opening. It is then that you are treated to a very nice beach with beautiful Caribbean water. This is what we came for!
Beach area and what to expect
The beach, sand, and water are all perfectly fine. I’d rate those things an 8 out of 10. We chose some beach chairs on the front row of the playa surf beach bar and were properly attended throughout our time there. Tourists and local families intermingled and the music was not overpowering so you could actually hear the surf and have a decent conversation. By now you should know that our go to drink is a mojito, so we told the waiter to keep them coming. It was a sunny day, the water was warm, and we didn’t have a care in the world.
Until the vendors and hawkers came. It was just too many and they are pretty annoying. Everything is being pitched too. Massages, cigars, jewelry, and every trinket you can imagine is being slanged out here. It helped that we were patrons of the Playa Surf beach bar but they had their own merchants too!
We ended up buying some cheap magnets and souvenirs for our mantle since we didn’t have any Cartagena stuff yet. Aside from that, Playa Blanca is very nice public beach. If I could do it all over again or on my next visit, I’ll probably opt for a private beach club or check out one of the islands just offshore from Cartagena. It was still a good time though!
San Felipe Castle Fortress
After our fun in the water, the plan was to take a tour of the mighty San Felipe fortress that guarded Cartagena for hundreds of years. As we made our way back to the city it started to rain and got progressively worse the closer we got. We decided to tour it the following day and told the driver to take us to an authentic Cartagena restaurant and man did he come through with his selection.
Cande Cocina
He dropped us off at Cande Cocina and it was the best food we had tasted on the entire trip. You couldn’t tell from the outside but this place is pretty big once you go in. It has a great layout and has live entertainment as well. To me and my wife, it was the food that was phenomenal! Every thing we ordered here was mouth watering. I can’t say enough nice things about this restaurant. If you’re looking for a grade A authentic Cartagena food experience, you have to give this place a try.
Colombia’s Independence Day – July 20th
Because we were gone all day and Cartagena is very very weird about not making a big deal about their independence day, we thought it was a regular day. No huge fireworks display or over the top nationalism, or not much of anything compared to most countries. We found that to be odd for sure. It wasn’t until when leaving Cande Cocina, we had seen a big increase in soldiers in the old town. Turns out they were all heading to a military parade that was going to start in the plaza in front of our hotel!
We took the scenic route back to the Sophia and wandered to some new areas of the old town that we didn’t see the previous day and then made our way to our rooftop bar to chill and check out the parade from above. We ordered some drinks and viewed the event along with other hotel guests. The rain had subsided and there was even a rainbow providing a nice backdrop.
Night rain out
No sooner had the parade ended than it started to rain again. Only this time it would not stop. It literally rained all night so we stayed in and ordered room service for a late dinner. We packed our luggage as well since we had a 1:30 pm flight back to Bogota the following day. Our last night in Cartagena was a washout and we were okay with it. Before saying our last good bye to the city, we had a date with the fortress in the morning.
Day 4 – Fortress tour and Farewell
It’s unfortunate that we had overcast skies to work with this particular morning. The pictures we took do not do this massive fortress justice. It is a well designed military fortification that has seen it’s fair share of war and invasions. Sitting on an elevated hill overlooking the harbor, it is perfectly situated to spot any oncoming ships. Canon and battery stations line the walls and one could imagine how loud it must have been during times of battle.
In addition to the thick high walls and cannons, this fortress also has an elaborate tunnel system where soldiers could move around undetected and out of harms way during a fight. The tunnel system actually reached the walls of the old town and was part of a fully integrated and connected defense apparatus. Those have been flooded out but there are still some tunnels open where tourists are allowed.
This fortress is a must visit site when coming to Cartagena. In addition to the captivating stories of the fortress, you will also have some superb views of the city in every direction. Hopefully you’ll have better weather than we did.
Adios Colombia!
Ending our trip at such an engaging historic spot was fitting in our eyes. We came to this country to learn more about Colombian culture, their people, and their history and we left happy and satisfied knowing we had succeeded in doing that. Despite that, I was longing for more. There was still so much more to see and do. The coffee plantations, the pacific coastline, the amazon rainforest all left to be explored. There will definitely be a Colombia round 2 trip. And if you’ve never visited, I hope that my blog post inspired you to add Colombia to your bucket list!
MEDELLIN IS A REMARKABLE CITY AND COMEBACK STORY!
Medellin is a remarkable city and comeback story! It’s infamous history is well known to the world but over the last 2 decades it has made incredible strides to remake itself into one that all of Colombia can be proud of. We had been reading for a while about the radical makeover and decided to vacation in Colombia to experience it for ourselves. Our journey got off to a great start in Bogota and we were excited to keep it going in Medellin. This is part 2 of 3 of our adventure.
Getting there from Bogota
We took a $22 per person flight (no joke) on Avianca that literally took about 40 minutes. It’s either 22 bucks for a flight or 9-10 hours driving, your choice. I mean I can’t even get an Uber to take me to the airport from my house for that kind of money. And that’s one of the great things about traveling to Colombia. You can take in-country flights for super cheap and visiting far off cities via regional air is very convenient.
One thing I’ll mention about the airport is that it is on the other side of a mountain from Medellin. You will have to drive through it via an almost 5 1/2 mile tunnel! The longest one in the entire continent. Truly an engineering marvel but also nerve wracking your first time. Once we entered, it seemed like forever before we saw daylight again. We had a new appreciation for the saying “light at the end of a tunnel”.
The Charlee Hotel – I didn’t want to checkout 😆🥳
The entrance and lower area were getting remodeled during our visit so I don’t have a pic from outside but trust me when I tell you that The Charlee Hotel is pretty sweet. Wonderful service, phenomenal views, and a spectacular rooftop bar made this my favorite hotel of the entire vacation. Not to mention the location is in the heart of the EL Poblado neighborhood (Parque Lleras). This area has no shortage of social and nightlife activities. The many bars, restaurants, boutique shops, and other attractions all concentrated in this super chill neighborhood keeps the area buzzing.
Welcome cocktails at check in? Don’t mind if I do. Striking views of Medellin, just open your room windows and have a look 🤩. Oh and they had full size liquor bottles for your “mini” bar selections! Good stuff too, lol. We also loved that they had sliding doors that separated the bedroom from the sitting area with long curtains. Helped with blocking out the noise at night. But the highlight is their rooftop bar and pool which I will circle back to.
Robin – Our tour guide, driver, and drinking partner
This time we had a tour guide and driver set up. His name is Robin and I’ll be mentioning him throughout this post as he was a big part of this portion of our vacation. He was recommended to me by a friend in Houston who had visited Medellin a few months back. When he caught wind that we would be heading to Colombia, he immediately texted me, “You have to book this dude Robin, he’s legit”. And now I am highly recommending his services to you all. I’ll post his contact info at the end of the post.
We had been communicating and speaking on Whatsapp prior to our arrival and negotiated his fee upfront. I also knew what he looked like from his Instagram page so when he arrived at our hotel to pick us up, it all lined up. “Como estas brother?”, he says to me as we make our first introductions. We all hit it off from jump street.
Medellin Graffiti Tour
The first thing on our sightseeing list was the famous Medellin graffiti tour in La Comuna 13. I had heard from some friends and colleagues who travel extensively that this is a must do tour. Since I trust their travel opinions, I didn’t do any reading on it at all. I figured it would be just a bunch of cool murals in a neighborhood like La Candelaria in Bogota. Slightly rolling terrain but very manageable to walk and not too many people, just as we had experienced a couple of days ago in the capital. I was wrong about every single one of those assumptions 😂. Except the part about the murals, those were awesome.
Comuna 13
It was once the most violent and dangerous neighborhood in all of Colombia. The government literally went to war there against the gangs, narcos, and paramilitaries that had wrecked havoc on the area in the 80’s and 90’s. The controversial crackdown in the early 2000’s led to hundreds of deaths, beatdowns, arrests, and people disappearing. After that “cleanup” effort, the government began making improvements to Comuna 13. This included installing cable car access and escalators to connect the tops of the neighborhood to the rest of the city.
And that gave hope to the people and inspired a revitalization that was led by the street artists. Between the raw talent of the street artists and the new government efforts to help remake the image of the battle scarred neighborhood, a rebirth took place. A new colorful makeover where La Comuna’s stories are now told in the murals.
What to expect – Starting at the bottom
When we first arrived to the bottom of Comuna 13, we were sort of shocked by how different this graffiti tour was from the one in Bogota. For starters, it was super packed with people and bikes everywhere! Finding a parking spot was like gladiator games for drivers. Secondly, this neighborhood is like a Brazilian favela. You are high up on a hill with houses on top of houses all the way up. And those inclines will feel like they are at 50 degree angles in some spots.
But once the initial shock wears off, you very quickly gain an appreciation for the scenes all around you. People literally from all over the world gathering to admire the street art, food, and performers in a place where 20 years ago this was unimaginable. As we made our way slowly up the main street heading to the escalators, there were murals and story telling on each side of the street. It really was a beautiful scene.
The Murals
So many murals, so little time. If you’re a fan of street art like I am, you will want to do this tour on a non-holiday work week. We did ours on a Saturday and as you can see in our pics and video clips, there were tons of people out. I don’t want to mangle or get the stories about the murals wrong so I’ll just share a few pics of the ones we liked. Believe me when I tell you that there is tons of them on this tour. You can also check out the tours offered on Viator as they offer them in various lengths and activities.
At the top there are even more murals and you get to see some other views of the city below. The comeback story of Comuna 13 is still ongoing as it is for Medellin. This place though, now gives the people hope that better times are ahead for them both. With the dark past now behind them, there is real opportunity for the people, Medellin, and all of Colombia.
Food, Entertainment, and the walk down
You definitely won’t go hungry or thirsty on this tour. Street food vendors line the main road up and there are also plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars to choose from. Besides the murals, this area is big with street performers of all kinds and abilities. Breakdancing groups, rappers, dancing teams, etc. They are all well represented. Comuna 13 is also used as a popular backdrop for music videos so you might catch one being filmed if you’re lucky. Once we got our fill of the tour, we turned around and headed back down. I made a mental note to do this tour again during the week. I wanted a little more time with less people.
Envy Rooftop Bar
After the graffiti tour, Robin wanted to take us on a proper city tour and to the Botero museum. We told him to move those activities to Monday. It was Saturday and we knew if we didn’t get some nap time in, we would mess up our Saturday night plans. He dropped us off back at the Charlee hotel and we made plans for him to get us at 7:30 am the next day for our all day Guatape tour. We caught the tail end of happy hour and after a couple of drinks, decided we would skip the nap, lol. Y’all know how it is once you get started.
We changed clothes and went to the top floor of our hotel. The Envy Rooftop Bar and Pool was barely starting to fill in. Our arrival time was perfect as we were able to secure a good spot overlooking the lounge below. It’s recommended that you make reservations here if you want a sofa spot. The views from this open air bar were absolutely fantastic! Have a look here.
Vibe and atmosphere
During the early evening hours it is chill and the music is relaxing as you can see/hear in the video clip below. But when the night goes dark, that is when they kick it into gear and you’ll hear some EDM, reggaeton, and some salsa mixed in. Combined with the amazing views and all the beautiful people that show up in droves, it’s impossible not to have a great time here. We headed back to our room a little before midnight. I had a personal quest to achieve the next day and I couldn’t do it hungover. 😆
Day 2 – Guatape
We started with a big breakfast at the hotel (which by the way was our favorite of the trip, best servers too). And right on time, Robin was there to scoop us up promptly at 7:30. We had to get off to an early start because Guatape is about 2 hours away from Medellin and we wanted to beat the crowds and tour buses. It being a Sunday meant that many locals would also be out enjoying their day off so it was imperative that we beat them to the town.
The drive over there was scenic and about 30 minutes out from Guatape, we stopped to get waters and snacks at this little town that had a replica of El Peñón de Guatapé. We also made 2 other stops at points of interest which was frustrating in a way because I wanted to get to the main event already! But our guide knew what he was doing. He was slowly building up the interest. Slowly building the anticipation. It was all worth it when we finally arrived!
El Peñón de Guatapé
This huge rock formation towers over everything in the surrounding area. What we see is only 1/3 of it! The rest is in the ground. When I was first looking up things to do in Medellin, this was at the very top. The way it just stands out is fascinating, like it was placed there by aliens (cue the X-files music). It’s not just modern day visitors that are intrigued by the unique rock. The Indians that used to inhabit these ancient lands used to worship it.
It wasn’t until 1954 that 3 dudes (probably after a night of drinking aguardiente) looked at it and said to themselves, I think we should climb to the top. It took them a whole 5 days to do it back then. Today there is a staircase built against the rock and according to most blogs it takes 10-15 minutes to the top. It took me 20 minutes to make the trip up. Y’all know I like to drink and eat good, don’t judge 😎
My mission was to climb it and shoot some pics and video from the top. I’ll be honest and say that when I was staring at it up close and in person, it was a bit intimidating. My wife had told me she wasn’t going up and Robin said he’d done it many times and would pass. It would just be me and rock going toe to toe.
The Climb – What to expect
Before I get to the climbing experience I have to touch on what’s around the base of the rock. There are observation decks, restaurants, souvenir shops, restrooms, and more. You definitely won’t be bored while waiting for those in your party to make the climb should you pass on going up. As I stood in line I looked around and there were several little kids and older people eager and ready to climb. This motivated me, lol. No way was I going to punk out. Plus I had posted the above video clip to social media so had to do it!
The climb up is exactly 700 steps and they are numbered too. Looking up from the bottom, the steps look to be all evenly proportioned and spaced. They are not! In some places you will encounter triangle shaped steps that are not very wide and are further apart from each other. You will also have to deal with water dripping from the rock and of course the altitude. One other hazard along the way is people stopping to rest and catch their breath. They will literally stop in place or move over to the side but it’s not a very wide path. Okay, it’s me, I’m people. 🤣
At the top!
I won’t lie fam, the climb was whoopin’ me for a while. I am out of shape and was feeling it. But I persevered! When I made it all the way to the top viewing area I felt like a champ. Felt like Rocky running up the steps in Philadelphia. The first thing I did was film a short video clip to post the after shot. You can tell that I was just catching my breath too.
The views were nothing short of amazing! In every direction you could see the beautiful archipelago of Guatape below and I wanted to explore them too. Getting on a boat and exploring the islands was not part of the itinerary but I figured I’d ask Robin to see if he could hook something up. But that would have to wait because for now, I was enjoying the scenery. The only thing that was missing was more sun so my pictures could pop more! Nevertheless I think these shots are good.
Back at the bottom
Walking down is obviously less strenuous and a lot faster. My wife was waiting for me and shaking her head. “How are you feeling?” she asked me concerningly. Like a million bucks I told her! Even though my legs had started to shake those last 40-50 steps, when I was on flat ground it felt good. This is how I was when I made it back down.
Exploring Guatape on a boat!
The first thing I asked Robin upon descending was how much would it cost to hire a boat to take us around the islets. He called one of his buddies and gave me a price that equaled to about $40 bucks. I countered with, if he doesn’t have a cold 12 pack of beer onboard, book someone else. Robin laughed and said it’s covered. We were all set now. After arriving at the dock we were given our life vest and were introduced to the boat captain. We then boarded and popped open the first cold one of the day.
The tour on the water was a raucous good time and very informative. Not only do you get some different and impressive views of the rock but you get taken by some badass cribs and celebrity homes. We were also taken by the home of Pablo Escobar which was burned to the ground by the government. The property still sits unoccupied and is abandoned. There is also a floating cross that represents where the old town used to exist before the flooding from the new dam.
The town of Guatape
It was now time to actually explore the colorful and festive town of Guatape. This is a warm and welcoming place with old world charm. The people here are inviting and genuine and we found it to be very peaceful while walking around. One of the first things you’ll notice is the the bright colors used on the buildings and structures of the town. Guatape is known as the most colorful town in Colombia and I’m not sure I can argue with that.
You could spend a few hours wandering around and it wouldn’t even seem like a lot of time had passed. We did a little shopping and then it was time to get some grub. We had worked up an appetite and were ready to eat some Colombian food. I already knew what I wanted. The classic “Bandeja Paisa”! I could eat this meal every day. It contains white rice, red beans, ground or minced beef, plantain, chorizo sausage, corn, pork cracklings, fried egg, an arepa and usually half an avocado. We headed back to Medellin after we ate.
Sunday Funday evening
When we returned to the Charlee hotel in the late afternoon, it was still gorgeous outside so we all decided to head to the Envy bar to drink by the pool. Management had the roof on (I had no idea it had one) but then soon retracted it. It turns out there were some dark clouds that had rolled in earlier. The day was a success and we didn’t want it to end. As the mojitos and beers kept flowing, the sun went down and we relocated to check out another spot.
We called it a night around 9pm. It was a long fun day but we had to prepare for the next day’s events. Tomorrow we had a 1/2 day city tour lined up plus a late afternoon flight to Cartagena to catch. We showered and packed our bags that evening. But just because we were done for the night, Medellin wasn’t. The people of El Poblado were just getting started.
Day 3 – Inflexion Park, Paisa Town, and Botero Museum
Our last day in Medellin would be at a slower pace. We had our breakfast, checked out, and took our luggage with us when Robin picked us up at 9 am. The original plan was to visit these 3 sites but we threw in a couple of more stops to get some last minute shopping done. Everyone back home that requested souvenirs wanted a bag of coffee so we stopped at a place to get several bags of beans grinded up and resealed.
The second additional stop we needed to make was due to a counting error back home. It was an honest mistake that could happen to anyone. Who hasn’t miscalculated how many pairs of underwear they need on a trip? Anyone? Anyone? Buellar? You see what happened was… Ah man, my wife would not stop roasting me about the mishap. “How long have you been traveling?”, she asked sarcastically. “Don’t you write a travel blog?” 🤣😂
Robin took us to some mall where I seen a billboard of Brazilian Neymar advertising some underwear. Superdry was the brand and I had never heard of it in my life. I didn’t care to look into them or spend any more time than I had to. Underwear is underwear right? I had the cashier ring up 2 boxes (3 in each). The amount was $80 dollars! I had literally spent less hiring a boat for a couple of hours and lunch!! Lesson learned kids, always take enough underwear.
Inflexion Memorial Park
This was a somber place and I’m glad we visited it. The site that this memorial sits on is no other than Pablo Escobar’s Monaco building which the government had demolished. It is dedicated to the more than 46,000 victims of narco violence between 1983 and 1994. An astonishing number of lives lost in that dreadful era and a wound that is still healing for the country. The memorial is a stark reminder that the glorified version you see on the many Narco series had a real human cost.
Paisa Town
After the memorial visit we moved on to a more cheerful place called Paisa Town on Nuttibara hill. This is in fact a replica of an Antioquia town. It’s pretty touristy and not very authentic but we found it to be nice and quaint. Definitely a spot for souvenir shopping. The best thing about this spot is the views of Medellin. Bring your camera as you will get some good shots of the city on a nice clear day.
Botero Museum and Plaza
Our final stop was the Botero museum and plaza. This place is dedicated to the world famous Colombian artist Fernando Botero Angulo. A true born and bred Medellin paisa, Mr. Botero liked to paint and make sculptures of people in large and exaggerated sizes. I think secretly he liked his women thick. The square plaza in front of the museum is full of his wonderful work. We spent some time here admiring the sculptures and learning a little about Botero and his preferred style of work.
The sculptures of various people, animals, and body parts are spread out through the plaza. There are actually 2 museums in this vicinity but we decided not to visit either. My wife and I are not really the museum type and make a few exceptions to spend our time in one. There was plenty to see and admire out in the open and we were pleased with the selections available to the public.
So just FYI, the area around the plaza is okay during the day but I wouldn’t be anywhere close to it in the evening or stay in these parts. It’s a little shady to be honest.
Time to Leave
Robin had one more trick up his sleeve. He took us to a hotel by the plaza and tipped the bellman some pesos to take us to some balcony close to their top floor. This is where we were able to take the cover shot of this post. It was a great spot to take pics and perfect ending to our time in Medellin. A remarkable city and comeback story to be sure. I needed more time here. This city fit me, my personality, and I felt at home here. I’m a Colombian paisa at heart!
Robin took us to the airport after this last stop. We had gotten to know him over these last 3 days and it was cool to have made a friend. As I stated earlier in the post, this dude wears many hats and was an excellent driver and guide. You’d be wise to hit him up if you come through Medellin. His Instagram is @medellinway.
As for us, Cartagena was waiting for their turn to host us!
GREAT TIME IN BOGOTA – DOORWAY TO THE LAND OF ENCANTO!
We had a great time in Bogota (the gateway to Colombia) as we kick started our journey to the marvelous South American country. Surrounded by the stunning Andes mountains, Amazon rainforest, and a beautiful sprawling coastline, there is no shortage of adventures to be had in the land of Encanto.
We went on an epic 9 day trip that covered 3 cities (Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena) and could be considered a Colombia travel sampler if you will. Our vacation was divided evenly (sort of) in time at each city and covered just enough to leave you wanting more. This post is part one of three.
Getting there
We had quite the experience just getting out of the US. For starters, we had to go through the ATL (world’s busiest airport). We try to avoid flying through there as much as possible but sometimes it can’t be avoided. Our first leg from Houston to Atlanta went on without a hitch. Our original layover was supposed to be 3 hours. This is usually a perfect amount of time that gives you some cushion if there are delays on the 1st flight and it also gives you a window to eat without being in a rush.
Delta airlines however decided to give us a bonus 2 1/2 hours because who couldn’t use more time at their hub airport right? We used this extra time to get properly hammered because what else was there to do, lol. We took it all in stride and charged it to the game. The delay meant that our arrival into Bogota would now be around 11 pm instead of 8 pm. There would be no first night going out stories to tell.
El Dorado International Airport
This is a huge airport but with a very well organized customs check in. We breezed through without incident and even my common name would not cause us problems this time. Things changed quickly once we got our bags and moved on to the main arrivals area. The doors slid open and all you could see was a sea of people and they all seemed to be yelling out in various directions. We were bombarded by several that kept asking if we needed a ride to our hotel. Waiting for an Uber was out of the question so we grabbed a cab.
An airport worker (I think) opened the door to our cab and wanted a tip! She was pretty adamant about it too. I politely declined, got inside, and told the driver to take us to the Holiday Inn Bogota airport property. It was now midnight and we were tired. And of course the cab driver gets lost. It was just one of those days. I literally had to guide him there using my Waze app. Wasn’t sure if he legit did not know how to get there or se estaba haciendo pendejo but either way we got there.
Day One – Monserrate, La Candelaria, Bolivar Plaza, and Gold Museum
The alarm went off at 8 am and as we peeled back the curtains and took our first daytime glimpse of Colombia, we were happy. Mostly clear blue skies as far as the eye could see. We were already off to a good start and only needed our coffee to get us truly going. Colombia is world-renowned for their excellent coffee and it tastes even better when you’re in the country. This was me after every sip:
Where to Stay – Sofitel Bogota Victoria Regia
After breakfast we took a 30 minute cab ride into town to our hotel for the next 2 days. The French hotel Sofitel Bogota Victoria Regia was a true gem of a property. Great location, superb service, and the best bed I have ever slept on in all of my years of travel (no joke). I had never stayed at a Sofitel property but I should have known that this would be a great experience when we pulled up and the doormen had top hats. It reminded me of our stay in Mexico City at the Intercontinental. My boys in top hats over there were super attentive and on top of their game as well.
It was only 10am and our room was not ready so they checked our bags. No worries, we were on a mission to do as much sight seeing as possible this beautiful day. My wife asked if we had a personal driver or tour guide set up and I told her it was me. She wasn’t amused. She had gotten used to us having private guides on our most recent trips. We were going to do it old school style like we had done it all those other years, by getting lost everywhere.
I’m only half kidding fam. As long as my google maps worked on my cell then we would be good. I had an ambitious day planned for us. Monserrate, La Candelaria, Bolivar Plaza, and Gold Museum were all on my itinerary so we jumped into a cab and made our way to the first site.
Monserrate – Best view in all of Bogota!
It’s always nice to get a bird’s eye view of the city you are visiting and you won’t find a better spot than this one. The most visited sanctuary in all of Bogotá sits at 10,400 feet above sea level! At that altitude you can see the sheer size and magnitude of the entire city and appreciate it’s beauty from the top. But first you have to get there and I’ll cover the 3 ways to get to the 500 year old shrine on the hill.
Walk up the Hill
Nope. Not for us, and definitely not on day one. Remember those 10,400 ft. I told you about? You need to take it easy to get acclimated. I did not want to die in the first 24 hours upon arrival. But for those that want to give it a shot, here are some things to consider.
The opening and closing times of the Monserrate trail. It’s open every day, except Tuesdays, from 5:00 am to 1:00 pm to go up and from 5:00 am to 4:00 pm to go down. Most people say it takes between 50 minutes to an hour to complete the hike. So if you want the exercise or don’t want to pay a fee to go up, have at it amigos.
Via Funicular
I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what the hell this meant. When people were asking me if we were going to take the Funicular I was like a deer in the headlights. So FYI, its a type of cable railway system along the mountainside that sends you up at like a 45 degree angle. This is the option we went with due to the time we arrived. It is open Monday to Friday from 6:30 am to 11:45 am and on Saturdays until 4:30 pm. On Sundays and holidays until 6:30 pm.
Via Cable Car
It is only open starting at noon. Days and hours of operation are Monday to Saturday from 12:00 pm to 11:30 pm and 10:00 am to 4:30 pm on Sundays.
Almost there! Just a little more walking.
Whether you take the cable car or funicular, you’ll get dropped off at the same spot close to the top. But you’ll still need to make a small hike to get to the sanctuary. As you can see on the map below, there are 2 routes to go up. I recommend taking both (one up and the other coming down) so you can get different vantage points. It’s a steep hill but the trail is beautiful. The hike would have been perfect in silence but they literally broadcast the sermon on speakers throughout the trail. So if the sanctuary is having mass, you will hear the word all the way up.
AT THE TOP! 🤩
Your reward for hiking up to 10,400 ft is more than just. Incredible views of Bogota in all her glory await you! If you are lucky and the weather cooperates (like it did on our visit), your view will extend as far as your vision allows. We were so mesmerized by the scene before us that for a good while we had completely forgotten about the sanctuary! The superb views outshine the church on the hill in my opinion. The history of the sanctuary is much more interesting than the building itself. It’s worth reading about if you’re a history buff.
Behind the Basilica Sanctuary there is a large plaza with handicrafts and souvenirs. Next to it are several restaurants where you can try a wide variety of Colombian cuisine. Also a short distance from the sanctuary are two other traditional restaurants that have terraces overlooking the mountain and the city. They serve typical Colombian food and some international dishes there. All in all, Monserrate is an absolute must visit!
La Candelaria – Heart of the Capital
After leaving Monserrate we decided to walk to the vibrant soul of Bogota (La Candelaria). This area is the historic center of the city and is home to some of the city’s most popular attractions, museums, and cultural buildings. As if that weren’t enough, La Candelaria is also home to some very legit cool street murals. Taking a walking graffiti tour is one of the more popular options from tour operators like Viator. I strongly suggest booking one online. Or you can wing it like we did but you will more than likely miss out on some things.
Our walk from Monserrate was a couple of miles but it was all downhill and very scenic. Plus the temperature was in the mid 60’s with a breeze so we couldn’t have asked for better walking conditions. There is no actual sign to tell you that you are in La Candelaria, but trust me, you will know it when you get there. The architecture, streets, and graffiti are all so different here. This place can only be truly appreciated by walking around and getting lost in all the side streets and alleys. Enjoy the slide show and picture gallery of this unique neighborhood.
Murals and Lunch
As I recommended earlier, it’s best to book a walking tour. The guides will know exactly what streets to hit, where the best murals are, newest, etc. Don’t get me wrong, we still had a blast getting lost and found cool shit on our own but we also went down some roads to nowhere. The terrain is hilly here so you can definitely count this as a leg day in your workout calendar. It was now mid afternoon and we had worked up quite an appetite. The search went from murals to food!
Found the perfect spot in the Restaurante San Felipe Candelaria. We were finally going to have our first Colombian meal and beers! The breakfast we had didn’t count since we had omelets, fruits, and some breads. This place did not disappoint at all. The super friendly service and ambiance were exactly what we needed. For the food, we pretty much let our waitress order for us. We rolled the dice and hit with the seven, seven-eleven, seven-eleven, Seven even back door Lil’ Joe.
Okay that was a verse from Ice Cube’s hit “It was a good day”. You get the gist. Our plates were winners, the beers were going down right, everything was going our way. But seriously, if you are in La Candelaria, give this place a visit. Your taste buds will thank you.
Bolivar Plaza
Full from our meal and with a slight buzz from the Club Colombia’s, we made our way to the main cultural plaza. Bolivar plaza is the main square of Bogota. It is right smack in the middle of the historic district and is set up how the Spanish of the time would set up all their major plazas in the new world. The church cathedral and government buildings all in one giant square. Mexico City, Lima, and Bogota all have similar looking plazas. Even down to the pigeons who take over the empty spaces.
The cathedral was closed during our visit so we were not able to see the inside. I’m sure it is amazing like all the others that Spain built during their colonial period. We walked around the plaza and took note of the architecture and people watched for a while. Main plazas are fascinating places to watch the masses move around and interact with each other. We also took this time to study our map to get to our next location (the Gold museum).
The Gold Museum
Our last and final stop would be the Gold Museum. Or that was the plan anyway. We made our way through what were now packed streets and found the Museo de Oro. It was almost 5 pm and it closed at 6. My wife and I looked at each other and the decision was an easy one. The museum visit would have to wait until the next day. All of the walking at altitude had caught up to us. We also didn’t want to give the museum short thrift and wanted to properly enjoy it. So we took an Uber back to the Sofitel for some downtime before dinner.
Dinner and that’s a wrap
Back at the Sofitel hotel and much to my wife’s delight, they had “Welcome to Colombia” slices of cake waiting for us in the room. We had our dessert and then laid down for some much needed rest. The plan for dinner would be simple this evening. My birthday was the next day and I knew we were going to stay out late then, so we decided to save the partying for 24 hours. A few beers and some Beef Wellington at the hotel restaurant was how we capped off our first day. Tomorrow we would be celebrating.
Day 2 – Gold Museum, Salt Mine Cathedral, Andres Carne de Res
This day would be a very special one, it was my birthday cabrones! It seemed like all the Sofitel staff knew too. Was pretty cool being told happy birthday by the front desk and door staff while we headed out the door. I’m telling you, the hotel crew here were customer service experts! My wife was all like, “I bet you that they will have birthday cake in our room when we get back”🤣.
It was back to the Gold Museum this morning to finish what we started yesterday. On the drive over there, we had a very cool Uber driver that we both hit it off with. He was informative and funny and when I asked him if he would be up to taking us to the Salt Mine Cathedral and Andres Carne de Res, he was 100% onboard. We exchanged cell phone numbers and he agreed to pick us up around 2:30 pm. We were set.
Gold Museum – 2nd attempt
We arrived just after 10 am and there was already a decent amount of tourists inside. It is Bogota’s most famous and visited museum and when you see the collection you will know why. What is it about gold that just fascinates people and makes them gravitate to the precious metal like characters on Lord of the Rings? I swear I saw some guests staring at some pieces like Gollum looking at the ring. It was funny but weird.
For the entrance fee of one American dollar, you can wander around the 3 floors of this historical museum and learn about the gold pieces and the people that created them. Besides the gold there are also many relics and artifacts displayed throughout the maze of rooms and vaults. This place is worth a couple of hours of your time for sure. Different performances are also held just outside the doors throughout the year so if you’re lucky you’ll see one.
Nuestra Senora del Carmen Sanctuary
While reading up on places to visit in this general area I came across some cool pics of a candy cane striped church. I had to see it for myself. I looked it up on our map and it wasn’t too far of a walk so we made our way to the church. It was different and trippy in person for sure. Standing out with it’s unique color pattern, it also had some beautiful interiors that mixed Gothic, Byzantine, and Moorish styles.
Taxi ride from hell
After visiting the church, it was time to head back to the hotel to get ready for the Salt Mine tour in Zipaquirá (a little over an hour away from Bogota). My Uber app was acting up so we had no choice but to get a cab. Short on time, we grabbed the first available one which was just a little bigger than a Smart car. By a little “bigger” I mean about 3 more inches of leg room. Every instinct in my body told me not to get into this cab and I should have listened but I told myself it would work out.
For starters, our driver looked like Gríma Wormtongue in Lord of the Rings. Google the name so you can get a visual. But aside from looking weird and creepy, the tiny car was really dirty and in rough shape. Felt like if we hit a big pothole it would literally break apart. We felt every single pebble the tires hit. His driving was the worst of it. Every time he shifted gears he was grinding the hell out of them. Like a 16 year old learning to drive stick for the first time.
The hilly terrain did no favors for the 5 horsepower car either. I’ve cut grass in riding lawn mowers with more power. We almost got hit no fewer than 3 times, the dude wouldn’t talk, and he had us listening to the gospel the entire way. Whole scene was surreal, comedic, and scary at the same time. When we finally arrived we counted our blessings. There was a new victim, err, I mean passenger eagerly waiting to take our cab. I thought for a second that maybe I should warn him. Nah, he looked like he needed some excitement.
The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá
Northeast of Bogota and a little over an hours drive is the city of Zipaquirá. It is here where you will find the famous Salt Cathedral 600 feet below the earth in a salt mine of all places! How did they do it? Sheer will, ingenuity, and lots of hard work is how. Now we had never been inside of a real mine and didn’t really know what to expect. Our only experience ever with mines was watching movies which didn’t help because they were either falling apart or had evil nasty things inside.
And for a minute when you first enter, the walls collapsing and you being trapped do cross your mind 😱. But you can relax and take solice in knowing that 600,000 people visit every year and if it was unsafe, we all would have heard about it in this time of social media we live in.
Navigating the labyrinth of rooms
This place is pretty awesome I must say. I mean I would never want to work in a mine because I know that it is incredibly hard work. But taking this tour, following the guide around to each main room, and listening to the stories, well it brings out the explorer in you. So many different rooms and paths to take on the way down and at the bottom. The original cathedral was built in the 1930’s but then it came crashing down in the early 1990’s. It was then rebuilt at a deeper level of the mine and reopened in 1995.
What started as a simple place for workers to worship and pray for their safety while at work turned into a massive project with huge stand alone crosses made of rock or carved into the mountain interior. Several rooms are lit up in various colors and with different cave backdrops. 14 of these chambers were turned into devotional chapels. Each one is said to represent a major event that occurred on the Via Dolorosa (the path Jesus took to his crucifixion). It’s all quite impressive.
The Main Room
Once you descend all the way to the bottom (of where tourists are allowed), you’ll reach the main cathedral site. And let me tell you, there is way more down there than just the main alter and Cross! There is a full blown spa, a movie theater, places to eat, jewelry stores, souvenir shops, and more! You would never have guessed so much was at the bottom when you take the tour. It’s like a whole little town. The tour ends when you arrive to this area. The tour guide points out the main exits and then you are free to stay and wander as long as you want.
Andres Carne de Res – Original Chia Location
When I booked our Colombian vacation, I knew exactly where I wanted to celebrate my birthday in the evening. It had to be at the original Andrés Carne de Res. This is absolutely the place to be on a Friday night and especially if you are celebrating any kind of event. I’ll try to describe it the best way I can.
It’s a restaurant/nightclub/sensory overload wonderland. It is the ultimate destination for diners, drinkers, and partygoers alike. There are many layers to this place too. Several dining areas, different dance floors, and multiple kitchens. Add in the many glittering lights and live performances happening all around and you’ve got yourself a non-stop-party atmosphere.
Cocktails
After we were seated, we ordered our first drinks and got the lowdown from our waitress on how the place operates. A Mojito for my wife and I wanted to try a different Colombian beer so they brought me an Aguila. To our surprise, they serve their mojitos in a freakin’ bowl! A bigass bowl like they serve Pho in. Another difference here is that they literally use the whole mint plant, stem and all. Verdict from my wife, best mojitos she’s ever tasted.
Aguardiente! – My first experience
You can’t visit Colombia and not drink Aguardiente. It’s like their unofficial national drink and you will literally see it advertised all over the country. Even before we arrived I had friends and colleagues tell me, “you have to at least try the Aguardiente”. So it being my birthday I figured that it was the perfect time to give it a shot. Here is was my initial reaction.
As you can see in the video, I was not a fan of it. It’s a sugar-based drink with only 29% alcohol but the taste just isn’t there in my opinion. I would end up trying it again in Medellin and Cartagena just to make sure, but it was no better in those places as well. If you’ve tried it, let me know what you think of it.
The Food
Everything we had was delicious here. We stuck to seafood and empanadas for the appetizers and select beef cuts for the main course. When they do bring your beef order out, they slice it for you tableside. Andres Carne de Res delivers on the food front with flying colors. Their menu is quite extensive and I’m sure that it would be hard to go wrong no matter what you ordered here.
Dance the night away
After our meal we drank and danced to Cumbia and Salsa music. That is the only way to finish off a great time at Andres Carne de Res. We left a little after 11 pm and headed back to Bogota (almost a hour drive back). Still feeling good when we arrived back to the Sofitel, we went to a rooftop bar across the street for a night cap. I don’t remember what time we left there but I know when we got back to our room, we set every alarm and wakeup call we could think of. We had an 11 am flight to catch in the morning. Medellin would be waiting for us.
Amazing 5 Day Mexico City Itinerary! Visit the most popular spots!
This amazing 5 day Mexico City itinerary will have you visit the most popular spots so you can experience Mexico’s rich and beautiful culture, learn about it’s fascinating (yet complicated) history, and indulge on the legendary tacos and Mezcal that this Ancient capital is world renown for.
When I first put this itinerary together it was with a first time visitor in mind (my wife). She had never been to CDMX (Ciudad de Mexico) and wanted to visit the historic Aztec capital for herself. I had previously visited twice (both times to watch Mexico vs USA in World Cup qualifying matches). However, I wanted to see some new sights since on both my trips I ended up doing the same things!
With that context in mind, we discussed our “must see” list together and then I added some side quests to make our journey that much more interesting. Each day would be a unique adventure. This 5 day Mexico City itinerary can be done in the order we did it, in reverse, or any combination. Bottom line is you’ll get to see the best of this stunning metropolis!
Where to Stay? – In Polanco
Yes it’s a fancy and upscale area but our anniversary was just around the corner and we wanted to splurge a bit. The currency exchange rate was 20 Mexican pesos to 1 US Dollar, so it wasn’t a bad deal at all. I promise you won’t break the bank even while staying in one of Mexico’s City’s richest neighborhoods.
This ritzy district is home to some of the best restaurants and bars. And not just in Mexico but in the world. Pujol, Quintonil, and Limantour can all be found here. High end boutiques, art galleries, and the Museo Soumaya which is owned by one of the wealthiest men in the world (Carlos Slim) all reside in Polanco.
But aside from the glitz and glamour, it’s location and safety reputation make it one of the best areas to stay in. These were keys to us as we wanted to be close to as many sites as possible but also didn’t want to have to worry about getting mugged right outside our hotel.
InterContinental Presidente Mexico City
We chose the InterContinental Presidente Mexico City property for it’s location, prestige, and room views. Man o man do their rooms have some super sweet views. The pic below is from our standard room. If you upgrade to a suite, the windows are almost floor to ceiling for an even more exceptional experience.
The service you’ll receive here is top notch and they have a 1st class concierge team. They can (and will) arrange all of your activities. Everything from tours, private drivers, tickets, you name it. They are on top of it and well connected to all the tourist sites and current events happening. This would come in handy on our trip as we had to rely on their services a couple of times. The staff really does go above and beyond to make you feel special here.
Our hotel was located just outside of Chapultepec Park. It was very close to the Castillo de Chapultepec and the Museum of Anthropology which were on our bucket list. It was also a 5 minute walk to the beautiful Paseo de la Reforma Avenue so this helped with game planning. Our day one site seeing revolved around our proximity to these places. The plan was simple and straight forward. Check into hotel, freshen up, and hit the ground running!
5 Day Mexico City itinerary Day 1 – Tacos, Chapultepec Castle, Museum of Anthropology, Zocalo
Yes you read that list right. Tacos is absolutely the very first thing you should get into when visiting Mexico City. And not just any tacos, I’m talking about street tacos to be more precise! I’ll have plenty to say about the taco scene but first just a couple of tidbits about the castle, museum, and Zocalo. The first 2 close at 5pm and the latter is open all day and night. But keep in mind that the churches and several businesses around Zocalo close early. It’s also not a safe area in the evening there. Just something to ponder when playing around with the itinerary.
One other key note that I probably should have mentioned earlier in this post, arrange for a guide prior to your arrival. Either booking your own or through your hotel. Trust me when I say this will make your vacation so much more pleasant. Our personal guide (Marcos) was recommended by a friend who had visited a couple of months earlier in the year. We communicated with him on the phone and booked his services prior to our visit. The dude was solid and I will recommend him to you as well. I’ll post his contact info and social media at the end of this post.
Tacos 🤤
Back to the itinerary and tacos. After meeting us at our hotel and getting into his ride, Marcos started to tell us about the area we were in and it’s history, and about the castle we were about to visit when I stopped him. “Con permiso Marcos, pero antes de empezar el tour, necesito tacos de la calle”, I told him sort of abruptly. For my non-Spanish speakers, I basically told him “hold up Marcos, before we start the tour, I need street tacos”. Without missing a beat he tells us “I know just the place.” The little taco stand he pulled over for us to eat at hit the spot perfectly! I think I ate like 6 of them, no joke. They were that good. Now we were ready to tour the castle.
Castillo de Chapultepec
This castle on the highest hill of Chapultepec Park was the only royal palace in North America. It’s a remarkable structure with fascinating stories to go with it. We had done some reading on it before the trip and used Marcos to fill in the gaps. We couldn’t’ wait to see it for ourselves.
The path leading to the castle is very well kept and we were quite impressed by the way the Paseo de La Reforma connected to the grounds. It is said that this straight boulevard was modeled after the great ones in Europe. Hard to argue with that once you see it.
You’ll also see a beautiful monument paying tribute to the Niños Héroes (Boy Heroes). These cadets bravely died defending Mexico City during the Mexican-American war in 1847. After a fierce battle in which the Mexican side was losing, the order was given to retreat but 6 proud military cadets refused the order and fought to the death. Pretty gritty stuff that is still honored in Mexico to this day. There is even a civil holiday dedicated to them and their service.
Once you pass the monument you’ll head up a little ways to the ticketing station. I would recommend you buy your tickets online ahead of time and skip the lines. You can buy them on your own, arrange for the hotel to get them, or have your guide get them before your visit.
Chapultepec Hill
As mentioned before, this castle is nestled at the very top of the hill so get ready to walk (wear comfortable shoes!) uphill. It’s a pretty good climb but there are benches, statues, and nice views along the scenic path. Just remember to take it slow. Mexico City is after all, the 8th highest capitol city in the world at 7,350 feet above sea level. You will definitely feel it’s affect especially if you are traveling from a coastal city or one with low altitude.
The Castle – More of a Palace
Once you arrive at the top and go through the palace gates, you’ll notice right way that this castle is really more of a palace. But what a splendid palace/castle it is! The gardens and courtyards around the main structures were beautifully maintained and the 360 degree views were fantastic. Marcos led the way to the main rooms and explained to us what we were looking at. He told us stories of a bygone era that this historic palace was a part of and we listened intently as our cameras snapped away.
We spent a couple of hours here and in my opinion it was just the right amount of time. I absolutely recommend this place as a must see site when visiting CDMX. Check out the slide show gallery below.
Museum of Anthropology
A 20 minute walk (or short car ride) from the castle is the National Museum of Anthropology. Mexico’s most important, largest, and most visited museum is another must visit site. So many artifacts, collections, and exhibits from Mexico’s pre-Columbian era to be seen here. Marcos sub contracted a specialist in this subject to guide us for this portion of the tour.
While we listened and learned about that time period and marveled at the ancient artwork and sculptures, we couldn’t help but take note of how cruel the Spanish were when they encountered the Aztec (and other Indians of that time). I can only describe it as cruelty for the sake of cruelty. Pure disrespect for the temples and people of that time. If they didn’t outright destroy the statues they encountered, they defaced them.
Aside from that, some of the pieces really are impressive and the ingenuity used to build them and their ancient civilizations gives you an appreciation for how advanced they were in some areas. There is so much to see here and this place really deserves several hours to properly view all of the sections. We honestly could have spent half a day at this museum, it’s that good. And we aren’t the museum type either!
Zocalo – Attempt number one 😂
After leaving the museum our guide took us down Reforma boulevard to see the Angel of Independence. He then drove us close to the Zocalo to park his car in Chinatown. Yes CDMX has a chinatown (I didn’t know either, lol).
Marcos wanted us to make a stop at this post office in the area and at first we were like, bruh, why? But then we got there and it all made sense. OMG, this has to be the most beautiful and charming post office you’ll ever see. Have a look for yourself.
I have to give Marcos props for these surprise spots. I had not heard or read about this post office or Chinatown when researching things to see in CDMX. These wouldn’t be the only surprises from him on this trip.
From the post office he took us to this 17th century building that is now a restaurant. La Casa de los Azulejos is definitely a throwback place and worth a stop if you’re in the area. Not only is it super old but it also feels old (like a step back in time when you’re inside). The building is even leaning due to the ground that Mexico City was built over.
Tapped Out
Stepping out of the blue tiles restaurant, Marcos took us to Bellas Artes since it was literally a couple of minutes walk. I went inside to buy ballet folklorico tickets for Sunday’s perfomance. But by this time, we were beat fam. We had been up since 4 am, the altitude had gotten to us, and we ran out of steam. It was now 6 pm and we knew we had the Pyramids the following day which would entail a lot more walking. We told our guide, “no mas amigo”, and we called it a day. Back to the hotel for dinner, a drink or two, then lights out.
Dinner Night 1- Chapulin
I couldn’t wrap up day one without talking about dinner time. True to my travel edict (when in Rome, do as the Romans), I had to keep it real and eat & drink like the locals here. That meant Mezcal (boy do chilangos love their mezcal) and grasshoppers 😲. But before we got to that part, we had a few beers to unwind at the executive lounge in our hotel. Liquid courage always helps. Plus we had some new views to admire.
We had dinner at the appropriately named Chapulin restaurant. The name literally means grasshopper so you know it will be on the menu. This place was absolutely fantastic and the food was delicious. I know, I know, you want to know about what it’s like eating freaking grasshoppers. Well I’ll be honest with you, there are 3 phases you will go through. First dread, then you’re like F it here goes, and finally you’ll be like “damn these things are good!
I’d say they are crunchy, tangy, and had a little spice to them. I think that’s how they were prepared for us. Or that could have been the Mezcal working on us. Either way, we were surprised at how good they were. TBH we were expecting the worst. Goes to show you that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, or a bug.
5 Day Mexico City itinerary Day 2 – Teotihuacan Pyramids, La Gruta, and Lucha Libre!
Depending on how you want to experience the pyramids determines what time you should start heading out from Mexico City. Teotihuacan is roughly 75 minutes away from the capital so if you wanted to ride the hot air balloons you need to be on the road by 5:30 am as they go up at 7. We were doing a regular tour so we left our hotel at 8:00 am. The archaeological zone opens at 9 so you want to get there close to opening time. One other note, don’t visit on Sunday as it is extremely busy because it is free to enter for Mexican nationals.
Marcos picked us up promptly and we made a quick stop along the way at some small ruins. We spent about 20 minutes there and in hindsight I would have passed on making the detour. I had tunnel vision. Visiting the pyramids had been a life long dream of mine and I wanted to make a bee line for them. As we got closer I grew more restless. Like a little kid heading to Disneyworld for the first time, I was anxious.
When we exited the freeway and the pyramids came into view from a distance I was besides myself. “Look babe! Look! They’re right there!”, I excitedly exclaimed to my wife. She was more restrained but also delighted to finally visit this ancient wonder of the world. And then Marcos chimed in, “I’m going to take y’all to one more spot before we enter the Pyramid grounds.” Nooooooooo. They’re right there! I thought to myself.
Artisan shop and Mezcal tasting
So to be fair to our guide, we rather enjoyed this little pit stop just outside the Pyramid zone. We learned about the art of making Mezcal, quilt making, and stone artwork. My favorite part was the Mezcal tasting. Nothing like catching a sweet buzz before 10am. Inside there is a big gift shop, which of course my wife enjoyed and then we took the obligatory picture in serape and mariachi hat 🤣.
Teotihuacan archaeological site
Finally! As we entered the site, Marco led us to some smaller ruins that were near the entrance. There we learned about the techniques and colors used by these ancient people. It was a nice slow build to the main event. We listened intently to the stories and took in the new knowledge while snapping away to capture every single moment and structure.
As we moved towards the main area and onto the Avenue of the Dead, the pyramid of the moon comes into the frame and WOW. No matter how many PBS and National Geographic documentaries you’ve watched about these pyramids, there is nothing like seeing them up close and personal. Mesmerizing is how I would describe what it feels like to see the pyramids in person for the first time.
You have to understand, my wife and I are students of history and since we were kids, these pyramids had captured our imagination. To finally be here walking alongside these wonders of the old world was surreal. Built around 100 AD, this ancient city will have you in awe as you move from structure to structure and make the long walk from the Pyramid of the Moon to the Pyramid of the Sun at the other end.
Things to know before visiting the pyramids.
- Wear comfortable shoes! No flip flops or “cute” heels or sandals or you will regret it.
- Use sunblock and/or wear hats and long sleeve shirts. Sun is strong out there.
- Carry a small backpack for waters.
- Get there as close to opening time as possible. I don’t care if you’re not a morning person. The big tour tour buses start arriving around 11’ish and don’t stop. Don’t be crying about too many tourists if your butt gets there at noon.
- You won’t be able to climb any of the pyramids due to stupid covid restrictions (as of this July 2022 writing). There are rumors that they may never allow climbing anymore. It’s a shame too. Here are some pics of what your climb would look like staring up the pyramids.
La Gruta
After hours of walking and discovery at the pyramids, it was time to eat. We had made reservations a week in advance on Open Table (and you should too) and were ready to experience this much talked about restaurant. This thing is inside of a freaking cave! We loved the concept and the proximity to the pyramids (about 200 yards from Gate 5 of the Teotihuacan Archaeological Zone, behind the Pyramid of the Sun).
We arrived on time and were led down to our table inside the cave. The layout and vibe was festive and we were ready to try out some of the local cuisine. The food here is authentic as it gets. My wife was eager to eat the local fare and dove right in head first. She messed around and ordered some kind of Nopal (cactus) dish and I sat there in shock. 26 years married to this woman and she has never ever ordered anything with nopales. Maybe it was that strong cocktail they gave her as an appetizer?
I played it safe and ordered the local barbacoa. My wife ate about four bites of her dish. It turns out she isn’t about that Nopales life, lol. My dish was good and I felt bad telling her it was good. So as you can see amigos, there is a limit to when in Rome. My wife’s ordering mishap was a one off. We would still highly recommend this restaurant to those visiting the pyramids. You’ll even get a candle at the end of your meal to make an offering.
Lucha Libre
After our late lunch we headed back to our hotel for a nap to recharge. This was a real nap, not like the fiasco in Las Vegas nap from our last trip, lol. We both properly set our alarms and knocked out. The first bout was set for 8:30 and we wanted to be in our seats by 8 pm. I was super pumped about attending and my wife could not believe I was taking her to a wrestling event. She had never even been to an American wrestling match. I assured her that this was much better.
Alarms went of, we got dressed, and headed to the lobby to ask the concierge about a ride to the Arena Mexico coliseum. It had started to rain a little and she starts asking us about our transportation plans. I tell her that I’m planning on using Uber to go and come back and she tells us that the area around the Arena is not too safe and she recommends we use one of the hotel chauffer’s to wait for us and bring us back.
Of course my wife thinks this is a great idea and I’m like, “babe, that’s like $100 for the dude to take us, wait for wrestling to finish, then bring us back”. But to no avail, she was sold on the hotel driver idea. So we climb into this fancy souped up hotel SUV and we’re on our way to the hood to watch some lucha libre.
Arena Mexico
Okay so the Arena Mexico is in a rougher part of CDMX but it’s not like we were heading to a Brazilian favela or anything like it. Plus as you can see from my pic above, there are plenty of police at the entrance. Our driver dropped us off at the entrance and stated he would be parked right across the street when we got out. We made our way to the ticket window to buy our tickets. So this is where I should have taken my own advice about buying tickets in advance of your trip.
There are ticket scalpers that hang around the box office that are annoying AF. Had I bought my tickets ahead of time I could have avoided all that silliness. It wasn’t that big a deal but if it can be avoided, just do it. Once we got our tickets we were searched by security and were allowed in. The whole thing was relatively smooth for the most part.
Once inside we found our seats first then went to the souvenir shop and concession stand. You have to get a mask, it’s a must! My wife was just shaking her head as I tried them on. Boom! Found one that was a perfect fit and it happened to match what I was wearing that night, lol.
So what’s it like?
2 hours of nonstop over the top showmanship combined with some great athleticism. It’s a riot from the very beginning and doesn’t slow down. It doesn’t take long for the crowd to choose a favorite or decide who the bad guy (or girl) is. Once that happens, the crowd is in full effect and the insults start flying! I mean I heard some wild ass shit talking all around us. Some wonderful gems like:
- “Matenlo! Matenlo!” – Kill him kill him
- “Quitale el calzon!” – Take his underwear off
- “Desgreñarla” – Take her hair out!
And this is just a small sample of what I heard the women screaming! 🤣
The wrestlers for their part fed into it and encouraged the desmadre. They would quickly add fuel to the fire by flipping off the crowd or spouting their own mierda back at them. The whole scene was a laugh riot. There was a kid wrestler in one match who got in the action and then they put his little ass in a headlock and the crowd went wild. In other match they had some midgets jumping into the fray and they got some beatdowns. There’s also some female on female wrestling to round out the matches.
Dinner Night 2 – More Street Tacos
As promised, our driver was literally across the street waiting for us when we left the arena. Not going to lie, felt pretty cool having a private hotel chauffer driving you around and waiting to take you wherever you want. By now we had a nice buzz going and were ready to eat. That could mean only one thing, Tacos al Pastor! The official taco of Mexico City, lol. I told the driver we’d like to eat them and he said “I know just the place”. Of course he did. They know all the taco joints!
He took us to this street taco restaurant and we weren’t the only ones with tacos on the mind. It was 11pm on a Friday night and the people were arriving for their fix. Either coming from an event or fueling up for a night that was about to start. I wish I would have taken a pic of the name so I could recommend it but the Bohemia’s were hitting and the Pastor Trompo had all my attention. Tacos were excellent!
5 Day Mexico City itinerary Day 3 – Coyoacan, Frida Kahlo Caza Azul, Bazar Sábado in San Ángel, Xochimilco
It was now Saturday or better known in our itinerary as Frida Kahlo Day! Marcos had prebought our tickets to the world famous Caza Azul a week before our arrival. Our reserved time slot was for 11 am so the plan this day was to tour Coyoacan until it was time for us to get in line at the Frida Kahlo house.
Coyoacan
Bohemian Coyoacan is probably the most chill and quaint neighborhood you’ll find in CDMX. It is full of colonial charm with it’s cobblestone streets and tree lined plazas. It’s a very old part of town with a distinctive history that is worth reading about prior to visiting. We found it to be perfect and to our liking. I honestly could have stayed in this area as well and been just fine.
We walked around the Jardín Centenario park as Marcos pointed out certain buildings, houses, and streets and told us important historic facts about them. Getting a tour of this area is a great way to pass the time while you’re waiting for your Frida Kahlo museum slot. Grab an ice cream cone or some food at one of the many street side cafes in the area. Or just sit on a plaza bench and enjoy all the sights around you.
Frida Kahlo Caza Azul
It was now time to get in line at the blue house. And as I’ve said before, buy your tickets online prior to landing in Mexico City. I don’t even think you can get into Frida Kahlo’s house the same day without reserved tickets. We seen several people get turned away that just showed up thinking they could buy tickets same day and get in. As our guide told us and we witnessed ourselves, there is ALWAYS a line to get in.
Once inside you’ll have to pay a few pesos for permission to take pictures (no flash allowed). Then the only other rule they have is a limit on how many people can be in a room which they monitor and enforce. There is no time limit for you to move from room to room. You can stay for as long as you want in each one.
First Visit Impression
The place is way bigger than we thought. It’s not a house, it’s a compound! The house/museum layout is very easy to navigate and the rooms were well preserved to give you a snapshot of how Frida lived. Every room has either paintings, drawings, sketches, and/or pictures taken by her or of her. Frida lived both a fabulous & eccentric life, and a very tragic one was well. This is all captured in her paintings as she wrestled with her situation. See my favorite pics and rooms in this slideshow below.
My favorite paintings and pics
My favorite rooms
Frida Kahlo house final thoughts and verdict
Absolute must visit! There is a wing dedicated to her clothes that I left out and a gift shop as well. My wife enjoyed those sections, lol. The courtyard is also very beautiful and relaxing with even more art pieces that she collected. All in all La Caza Azul was everything we thought it would be and more.
Bazar Sábado in San Ángel
A 15 minute drive from Frida’s house is the San Angel Bazaar that was recommended to us by the hotel concierge. Apparently it gets popping only on Saturdays and since it was Saturday we wanted to check it out. Marcos dropped us off at the entrance and then went to find a parking spot. This Bazaar is one giant outdoor artist and artisan market. Throw in the live music playing in the plaza and street food all around and you have the makings of a good time.
We only stayed about an hour just browsing and walking around the area which was pretty spread out. If arts and crafts is your thing then you will be delighted as all can be here. Lots of talented people displaying their work. Most take credit cards but I recommend having some pesos on you as well.
Xochimilco!
It was now time to get the party started on the waterways of the world heritage site Xochimilco. This working class neighborhood is home to the famous trajineras (gondola like boats) that traverse the many canals that form a transportation system to various parts of the borough. But for us and the thousands of visitors that come here, it’s a place to sing, drink, listen to mariachis, and eat!
Launch area and picking a trajinera
There are several launch areas for the trajineras and it really depends on who you use to book them that determines where you’ll take off from. Our guide Marcos took care of everything and took us to one of the main launch sites. There are 3 things you need to do at the launch site prior to selecting your trajinera.
- Use the restroom.
- Make sure you have pesos! There are lots of food and drink vendors on the water and some don’t take credit cards. There are also people selling arts and crafts.
- Buy your beer and liquor here before boarding your boat. You can buy more once on the waterways but it’s way more expensive.
Selecting your floating garden (trajinera) is a matter of personal choice. Structurally they are all basically built the same, it’s just the name, decorations, and color schemes that are different. After picking your favorite and loading your ice chest/beverages, you are set! Your rowers will get you onto the main waterway where the fun is just about to begin.
The trajinera experience
One of a kind is how I would describe it. Boats coming and going at a slow pace with parties of different sizes. There is music being played everywhere from personal speakers and from trios and mariachis that are available for hire (they will literally jump from their boat to yours or rope the boats together and glide with you while they play). Singing and dancing can be heard and seen in every direction and the smell of delicious food is all around.
You already know I had to get the mariachi’s to play for my amazing wife. After I selected several songs, I asked Marcos to pick one of his favorites for them to play. He obliged and my wife and I turned to the front of the boat to watch the mariachi’s play it. A couple of notes in and we hear this beautiful baritone voice coming from the back. It was freaking Marcos belting out the song. My man was putting his heart into this song. Wife and I were stunned. I told you earlier he was full of surprises.
Restrooms while floating and other things to know
You were probably wondering where one uses the restroom while you’re on the waterways? At people’s houses is how. Lol. Okay let me explain. All along the waterways are homes that back up to them. Lots of them have restrooms outside with signs that say available for public use (for a fee of course). You just let your rower know that you need to go and they know where to anchor the boat.
Food is available for you to bring onboard prior to launch or you can buy from any one of the vendors floating along the canals. Same goes for cerveza, candy, and everything else. There’s a whole food and beverage ecosystem on the water!
La Isla de las Muñecas is a creepy island with dolls hanging from literally everywhere. Trees, fences, etc. There is a lot of legend and folklore around it and it’s become a tourist destination on it’s own. Check with your rower to see if he will take you as some won’t due to either superstition or religion.
Dinner night 3 – La Bikina
We thoroughly enjoyed this restaurant and bar. Awesome vibe, live entertainment, great drinks and food, and a very cool interior with murals in every room. It’s also located in Polanco so it was close to our hotel. It’s a 2 story building with various sections (main dining, bar, outside dining, and upstairs VIP club). The main area was booked so we sat in their covered patio section. After serving us our drinks in these awesome day of the dead glasses, the mariachi made their entrance and began to play.
The food here is top tier and they have 200 kinds of Mezcal!! Two freaking hundred. And we honestly felt they wanted us to try all of them too. Great place to end your evening or get it started.
5 Day Mexico City itinerary Day 4 – Zocalo, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Lorenzo Boturini Street
This was our last full day in Mexico City and we were going to make it count. This day would get off to a very late start. We had no scheduled events and no Marcos either. It was father’s day and we were going to be on our own. We slept in, ate a very late breakfast, and checked out of the Intercontinental hotel.
As is my usual custom when staying in a big city, I booked a hotel very close to the airport for our last night. This way we wouldn’t have to worry about traffic in the morning. Our flight was leaving at 10 am and I wanted to be there by 7:30. We had a driver from the Intercontinental take us to our new hotel (Holiday Inn Express Airport) and worked out a deal with him to wait until we checked in and dropped off our luggage so he could drop us off at the Zocalo.
Zocalo – Attempt number two 😄
This time we made it with no issues and full of energy. We were ready, lol. I couldn’t wait to see my wife’s reaction when she first stepped foot on the gigantic plaza. It’s pretty shocking for a first time visitor. The wide open space and enormous Mexican Flag towering above takes some getting used to and is quite imposing. “That’s the biggest flag I have ever seen!” were her first words.
After walking around the square and taking photos, we started to make our way towards the main cathedral when a crowd formed to the right that caught our eye. As we got closer we could hear the rhythmic sound of drums and saw white smoke coming from that direction. It turned out there was some kind of Indian dance/ceremony going on. We stayed and watched for a while before moving on.
Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
I’ll never stop being impressed by the cathedrals that the Spanish built all over the world. Truly magnificent structures of incredible beauty with great attention to detail. We’ve been fortunate to have visited great cathedrals in Spain (Avila and Segovia), Lima, Quito, Bogota, and CDMX and I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite.
It’s difficult to describe how gorgeous the interior of these building are so I’d rather just show you in a slideshow.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
We left the cathedral and found 5 de Mayo avenue. This avenue takes you straight to the exquisite cultural center known as the Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts). It’s only a 10-11 minute walk from the Zocalo so you pretty much have to see both when you visit the historic district. If you recall earlier in the post, Marcos had taken us to Bellas Artes when we tapped out.
The weather was crappy then and my pictures were dreary. This day was partly sunny which made a world of a difference. I was determined to get a great picture of the palace to make it my feature shot for this blog post. I think I succeeded. 😁
Cafe Don Porfirio inside Sears Building
To get the best views of the palace you have to go directly across the street to the Sears building. Go inside and take the elevator up to Cafe Don Porfirio’s rooftop terrace. You’ll have to buy a coffee or pastry and wait about 10-15 minutes. But it is well worth the wait as your reward is stunning views of Bellas Artes.
Lorenzo Boturini Street
We had built up quite an appetite by now and wanted to grab a bite to eat before heading back to our hotel to change. We had tickets for the ballet folklorico at Bellas Artes that evening and didn’t want to cut it too close. I summoned an Uber using our hotel address but once inside the vehicle I asked the driver if he could take us to get some al pastor tacos on that street with all the pastor restaurants.
Yes that was the best description I could come up with, lol. He says, “I think I know what you’re talking about”.
Once he pulled up to the block, I knew I was at the right spot! This was the street where the Netflix show Taco Chronicles (season 1) filmed their Al Pastor episode. Oh, it was on now. We couldn’t wait to feast on the best tacos in all of Mexico City! Only one slight problem. It was barely 2:30 pm and most of the joints were not open and just starting to stack the carne on the trompos. We were at Tacos LOS GUEROS DE BOTURINI and they wouldn’t open until 4:00 pm so made our way to the next block.
So which place has the best tacos al pastor? My wife and decided to take the taste test.
We made a pact to eat 2 tacos and drink one beer at as many taco places as we could handle. Sounds ambitious and aggressive right? Well it was crazy too, lol.
Our first spot would be Taqueria Gabachos. Perfect start to our quest!
Next stop would be El Pastorcito. Really good!
Our third stop is Tacos Rays – Another winner. I had to cut back to one taco, lol. It was at this place that we decided not to go to the ballet folklorico. We were really enjoying our time doing this quest and didn’t want to stop. We gave them away to a couple who was eating next to us. They were more than happy to receive them.
Stop four would be Tacos Los Gueros – Loved this place! It was my wife’s favorite.
Last and final stop on our Best Tacos Al Pastor quest, Los Originales de Don Ray. Outstanding.
Final verdict – They were all winners in our eyes and taste buds 🤤. I think I need a redo though, lol.
5 Day Mexico City itinerary Day 5 – Flying home
And that was a wrap for us. My wife had her first Mexico City experience and the 3rd time was the charm for me to finally visit the pyramids. We came, seen, and experienced just about everything we set out to do. And for the things we missed this time, well that just means we need to make another trip out here 😉. Until next time Mexico Lindo y Querido!
Helpful Links for your CDMX trip!
Our guide Marcos Coronado! – Can also be reached at +52 5548794130
Las Vegas is the ultimate weekend destination!
Las Vegas is the ultimate weekend destination. Whether it’s your first or tenth visit, the feelings generated prior to your trip will be the same. There is an excitement and anticipation as your travel day gets closer that is different from other vacations. You just know that you’re going to get into some sh** and you actually look forward to it! It’s one of the reasons why we picked Vegas to celebrate my wife’s milestone birthday. We only had 2 nights there and we were going to make them count!
Pearl Jam in Las Vegas? – LFG!
On the drive back from our New Orleans road trip my wife and I were discussing plans for her upcoming milestone birthday (no I won’t say which one, are y’all crazy?). She didn’t want a big party but wanted to celebrate “somewhere”. As any married man can tell you, this type of conversation usually ends up with the man making several suggestions and the woman shooting them all down but not offering any of her own. It’s the classic “where do you want to eat?” scenario. In my mind I was like “here we go again”, lol. Until …
My Itunes music shuffled to a Pearl Jam song and a light came on! I had previously read that Pearl Jam was touring in some US cities so I asked her if she wanted to go see them play and of course she said yes. We are both Gen X’ers and they were the one major band from our era that neither one of us got to see back in the day. At a pit stop for gas, we switched drivers and I started to look up dates and cities. Bam! Pearl Jam in Vegas, 2 days after her birthday on a Friday night. It was perfect.
I quickly booked our tickets and was feeling pretty good. My wife would have a memorable milestone birthday watching one of her favorite bands of all time. “Where should we stay?” she asked enthusiastically. It’s Vegas babe, there will be plenty of rooms and availability I confidently responded. And why wouldn’t I be confident? This would make our 7th trip to Vegas since we’ve been married and we never had an issue finding cheap or decent priced rooms on the Strip at various properties. That is until.
EDC Festival + Weekend = 😱😲😡 Rates!
Damn you EDC. Damn you to hell. To say I was astonished at the hotel rates would be the understatement of the year. I had honestly never seen anything like it, especially in Vegas! Just to give you an example of the shit I was seeing, the old freakin’ Circus Circus was going for $250 a night!!!! For those of you that have never been to Vegas, this is the cheapest hotel on the strip. You can find that hotel for $30 a night (not including the stupid resort fee) during the week! All the major hotels were going for $400+ a night. Just unbelievable. As I started to look into the reason why, there were several.
EDC was in town, it was the weekend, and then you add the inflation situation and you get the perfect storm for price gouging. When I showed my wife the rates she was like “Ah hell naw!” Downtown Vegas rates were equally outrageous. It was time for plan B. We would be staying away from the strip & downtown for the very first time. This would be new territory for us but we found our hotel pretty quickly. It was one we had never heard of but it ended up being quite nice. The South Point Hotel Casino-Spa would be the perfect off strip hotel.
Pre-Arrival – Covid strikes!
Just 2 days prior to our trip and on my wife’s actual birthday I got the dreaded “show has been cancelled” message from Ticketmaster. Apparently 2 band members came down with Covid that same week. One on Sunday and another on Wednesday. They made the decision to cancel the Friday show. I was in shock for a minute.
To make things worse, I received the alert while my family, in-laws, and SIL were having dinner with us at a steakhouse. I had to play it cool throughout the meal until we got back home. When I broke the news to her, she was mad and disappointed but kept her sense of humor about it. At least it’s not U2 cancelling she quipped. I proceeded to ask if she wanted me to cancel our trip and her response was, “Are you kidding me? It’s Vegas, we’ll still have a good time”. And with that, we packed our bags that night. We had a flight to catch the next day.
The Hangover movie
My wife is a school teacher and she didn’t want to miss more than one day of school so we decided to take a flight right after Thursday class. I would be picking her up and we would drive straight to the airport. As I watched her come out of her school that day, it reminded me of that scene in the Hangover movie. When Bradley Cooper walks out and tells one of his students “it’s the weekend, I do not know you, you do not exist”.😂
IAH Airport
At the airport we had a small meal and airport beers while waiting on our flight. As we all know, airport beers just hit different and have a distinct flavor. That I’m on vacation or my company is paying for them taste 😎🍺. While getting our pre-travel buzz on, we reviewed our upcoming itinerary to make sure we had everything covered. I always like to compare our plans to what we actually did on the visit. They’re usually pretty close but you have to be flexible in case things change. We had a funny change in our adventure.
Day/Night one
- Arrive to South Point Casino, shower/change, and head out
- Circa Legacy Lounge
- Freemont Street Experience
- Golden Nugget to gamble
- Back to South Point Casino
Day/Night two
- Breakfast at South Point Casino
- Beer Park rooftop bar at the Paris hotel
- Circa Sports book to place multiple bets
- Circa stadium pool to chill and day drink
- Back to South Point for dinner and early evening nap
- Wake up around 10:30-11 pm, shower/change, and head out
- Foundation Room at the Mandalay Bay then Voodoo Lounge at Rio
Day 3
- Breakfast at South Point
- Area 15 and surrounding attractions there
- Fly home in the late afternoon
LAS VEGAS BABY!
We touched down around 8 pm and took an Uber to our hotel. The South Point hotel and casino is only 6.9 miles from airport but it will set you back $40. Pro tip, take their airport shuttle. It’s free but only runs at certain times so check their latest listing. We didn’t want to wait for the next one so we paid.
Check in was a breeze and our first impression of the property was that it was bigger than we thought and was pretty nice. But we were on a mission to get out and enjoy our first night. After showers and changing, we jumped into an Uber and headed to the newish Circa hotel in downtown Vegas. We had reservations for an outside table at the Legacy Lounge and were ready to get things kicked off.
Circa Legacy Club
Now this is a first class lounge. From arrival to paying your tab, the service is top notch. After arriving at the Circa hotel, just follow the signs to the Legacy club area. Once there, 2 hostesses will greet you and check your reservation. You’re then led to a dedicated elevator that goes straight to the 60th floor where the club is located. Once the doors open, the first thing you’ll see are busts and pics in honor of the founders and dreamers behind this city in the desert.
A second hostess/greeting station awaits you after the Vegas history walls and then 2 things hit you almost simultaneously. The case holding the gold bars (500 to be exact, 2 oz. each) and the amazing views! I booked an outside table but it was closed due to high wind gusts. It was very windy on the ground so I can imagine what it felt like 60 floors high. Another setback but we took it in stride. We were seated at a great spot and couldn’t have asked for a better waitress. I’d go as far as saying that she was one of the best we’ve had in a good long while.
Cocktails
The cocktails are superb here. We had several and tried a different one each round. The verdict? All smashingly good, strong, and a little pricey. You already know when your menu comes with no prices, get ready buddy. Our favorites were the Legacy Club signature drink and the Green Felt Jungle. But to be honest, all of the club’s drinks are phenomenal. You can tell the bartenders take pride in making each drink. The attention to detail es Top (as my Spanish speaking friends would say).
The Vibe
I would say that this club/lounge is perfect to get your pre-drinking on before a night out on the town or for post dinner drinks. The vibe is laid back and chill here. You won’t find a DJ spinning or loud music being played. It’s mainly just jazz you hear in the background. I highly recommend a visit here. It’s too bad the weather didn’t cooperate so I can’t rate how it is to enjoy this place outside with unobstructed views. But we can vouch for the interior experience. Most importantly for this particular visit, the birthday girl loved it.
Freemont Street Exprerience
Now we were feeling good 😁! It was time to see what was happening on Freemont Street. One side of the Circa hotel & casino is on Freemont so it was just a matter of walking outside through that exit. Mind you we hadn’t been to downtown Las Vegas in like 18 years or so, and man has it changed. Add the sweet buzz we had going to the sensory overload we were now experiencing and it was quite the rush, lol.
Overhead there is this cool lightshow that’s constantly changing. You had a DJ spinning on one stage, a band playing on another block, people zip lining above you, and street performers everywhere. And the people watching here is great. Freaks definitely come out at night. Cue the Whodini music. (Only my old school peeps will get that reference) We grabbed what my wife swears was a 40 oz beer each and took it all in as we walked around gawking.
Oh and let’s not forget the weed. Holy shit there was a lot of weed smoking going on. It hits you the moment you exit the hotels and is what you’ll be smelling the entire time you’re taking in the sights. Recreational marijuana use became legal in 2017 in Nevada so if you’re from a state where it’s illegal, you need to get used to it here. Or partake if you wish. We had to take a pass. 😅
Golden Nugget – Las Vegas
After downing our big ass beers and getting our fill of Freemont Street, it was now time to gamble. My wife loves her slot machines and she insisted we play at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. Those of you who read my travel blog regularly (thanks by the way), you would probably remember from our Louisiana trip that my wife cleaned them up in Lake Charles. The Golden Nugget in Louisiana is still hurting from all that winning my wife did that night. Okay it was only $800, but still.
She brought her players card with her, found a good machine, and played her heart out here. I went to play in another area, then to the bar, then went back to find her having a good ole time. Eyes all glassy, beautiful face radiating, and from the looks of the credits, she seemed to be breaking even. I knew it was time to go when I sat next to her and she would do a little shimmy dance every time she won. No. Like literally every time, no matter the amount. It was cute though and seeing her happy was all that mattered to me.
It was now 3:00 am and while this is early in Vegas, we were still on Houston time (5:00 am). Night one was a success. We took an Uber back to our room where my wife crashed out the whole ride over there. Our casino was packed with people still and we briefly thought about continuing there but our better judgement won. It was time for some sleep.
Day 2 – Daytime
I woke up like a champ around 10:30 am with no hangover. My wife was not so fortunate. There would be no shimmy shaking this morning. We showered and went down for late breakfast/early lunch. My wife had no appetite so she ate very little. I threw down and then we grabbed an Uber to head to the Paris hotel on the strip. A cool front had come through overnight and the weather outside was absolutely fantastic. Blue skies, temps in the 80’s, and no humidity. Perfect for grabbing a seat overlooking the strip and getting our day started.
Beer Park at the Paris Hotel
Our last trip to Vegas was in 2016, just prior to this place opening. I had read the reviews about this bar online and wanted to see it for myself. When we arrived the place still had some seats available and we got a great spot overlooking the strip below. This open area rooftop bar occupies some serious prime real estate. Located at the base of the Paris hotel and directly across from the Bellagio fountains, it is perfectly situated for you to enjoy day or night.
There was a live band playing while we were there and it didn’t take long for the place to fill up. Another thing I liked about this bar was that they were ready when the sun started to rise. They were quick to open all the shades above us. This made the experience more enjoyable. My wife got her appetite back and had a burger & fries. I sampled various local beers (stayed on the light side, no IPAs for me) and we enjoyed watching the masses down below. Pro-tip, the distances between hotels are substantial. Just because on a map or in pics they look close together, be prepared to walk a lot and wear comfortable shoes.
Circa – Sportsbook
It was now time to place some bets, chill by the pool, and day drink. We headed back to the Circa hotel to do just that. So by now you are wondering, “why didn’t they just stay at the Circa hotel?”. Almost $500 per night is why. Ain’t no freaking way I will pay that kind of money for a Vegas hotel. My flights to Europe and South America were cheaper than that. I can write a whole 3 thousand word post about where you can travel to for that kind of money. Okay so back to our travel story.
Not only were we placing bets for ourselves but I was getting messages from friends back home to place all kinds of bets for them, lol. I laid down bets for my Mexico team to win the World Cup, the Patriots to win the Superbowl, and for the Aggies to win the College football championship. Let’s see if any of them pan out. The odds are long and winnings will be great so if any hit, then maybe I’ll pay to stay here when I collect 🤣.
The sportsbook area is huge and the seating is stadium style so there isn’t a bad seat in the house to watch whatever it is you are betting on. The giant jumbotron screens will show any top sporting events going on at the time. There was a big golf tournament being played during our stay but betting was locked.
Stadium Swim
I had been wanting to check this pool out since I first read about the hotel opening up in December 2020. It just had a unique design and I liked the way the layout looked online and had to see it for myself. The giant screens outdoors seemed perfect to watch a big game while chilling by the water. Walking out to the pool area and seeing it for the first time in person I can say that the hype is well deserved!
We walked all around the various pools before settling on some chairs closer to the bars and big screens. The afternoon was starting to warm up and so was the atmosphere. The resident DJ was playing mainly EDM music but threw in some top hits as well. What was great about the vibe here is that the music is not too loud and neither was the crowd. Everyone was just chillin and enjoying the day. Some were even gambling (they have a poker room near one of the bars where you can play in your swimwear).
My only complaint about this place is that there is no shade anywhere in the main area. Our visit was in late May and you could feel the sun bearing down already & I can only imagine how hot it gets June – September. No way in hell would I be out in the open during those months. It would have been perfect if they had umbrellas. So with that being said, spring for the cabanas. They are located around the whole perimeter and are completely shaded, give you some privacy, and have their own restrooms!
Get a Cabana
All in all, I’d visit here again but would pony up the cash for a cabana. They were sweet and if you are traveling with friends then you could split the cost. The service was great and watching a sporting event on the big screens was a cool twist to Vegas pools. It was now late afternoon and time to head back to our hotel for dinner and a much needed nap to get ready for night two.
Night two – Plans can change
Our game plan for this night was simple and straightforward. Eat dinner, knockout, wake up around 10 pm’ish, and then shower/change. I wanted us to try out a couple of rooftop clubs/bars (The Foundation Room at the Mandalay Bay & the Voodoo Lounge at the Rio). A couple of hours at each and then finish the night at our hotel. Easy right? We laid out our evening clothes, closed the curtains and took our nap around 8 pm.
At around 10:30 I woke up and looked over at my wife who was sound asleep. I’m talking deep sleep. She looked so peaceful and I didn’t want to wake here so I just laid there thinking she would wake up any minute. Laying there in pitch darkness and listening to the hum of the AC and my wife’s snoring, I fell back to sleep. And sure enough, just like in a comedy movie, my wife would tell me later that she woke up at 11 and I was snoring like a grizzly bear and she didn’t want to wake me up figuring I would get up. SMH.
At 3 am we both wake up at the same time. My wife is the first to look at the time. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”, she asked half annoyed/half mad. I asked the same of her. “It’s because you were sound asleep and I didn’t want to wake you at that moment”, we both gave each other the same answer. By half an hour we had missed each other. “What do we do now?”, she pointedly asked.
Going out at 4 am – Sure, why not
We’re in Vegas babe, there’s always something to get into, no matter what time it is. I gave her 2 choices, “If you want music and desmadre, then there are after hours clubs and strip bars that are still open or we can gamble here at our hotel casino”. She chose the latter. We got dressed and headed downstairs. The casino was jam packed and still had a ton of energy. My wife found her machine and settled in gambling with that golden nugget money she still had and I posted up at one for the hotel bars.
I wasn’t in the mood to gamble but was more than entertained by the cast of characters I was surrounded by. Reminded me of the Star Wars bar. Just the oddest collection of weirdos you could find anywhere. Adding to this mix was the steady stream of EDC and other partiers returning from long nights and it was fascinating shit to witness to be honest. By 6 am I was buzzing and by 8 am I was borderline drunk arguing with some dude about Whataburger vs In-N-Out.
My wife found me around 8:30 and I asked her how she did with her slots. She told me let’s go eat and sober you up. In a nutshell, the Golden Nugget Louisiana money we brought to Nevada with us was kindly deposited into the South Point Casino, lol. She was playing with house money and now it literally was. We went to have the giant breakfast buffet and they served everything. Lord knows I tried to eat it all too. After eating we went back to the room, packed, checked out, and left our bags at the bellman station. We had a late afternoon flight and had one more stop to make.
Area 15
This was another new Vegas joint that opened end of 2020 that we wanted to see. I didn’t do too much reading about this place prior to our visit so wasn’t ready for how big this general area is. The entertainment complex is huge and consists of several buildings, artwork, and mixed use space. We spent a little time checking out all the art pieces outside before venturing inside the main Area 15 building.
Once you step inside you need to give your eyes a few seconds to adjust as you leave the bright Vegas sun and enter the darker environment that is Area 15. So how to describe this place… The Arts meet Virtual Reality meets Amusement Park is my definition. As we walked around looking at all the options, it dawned on us that there is so much to do just in this one building. I highly recommend going to their website which I have linked at the bottom of this post and visit with some kind of game plan (and budget). Entry is free but that’s about it.
The choices and options are plenty. There is some freaking awesome Virtual Reality stations and areas, an ax throwing bar, arcade, interactive golf experience, interactive art/mega mart, indoor zip lines, rides, and so many other things to do and experience. As for us, the arcade, golf, and some fresh ice cream was enough for this visit. We were short on time and wanted to check out at least one other building.
Army of the Dead – Las Vegas
This building caught my eye as we entered Area 15 so I told my wife I wanted to circle back when we exited. I had no idea that Army of the Dead was a real Netflix show or that it was filmed in Vegas or anything like that. All I knew from walking up is they had this cool ass taco truck outside and people were saying that part of the VR game experience was getting inside one and shooting zombies from it. Hell sign me up!
We walked in and my wife said she was scared because of all the creepy sound effects in the waiting area. She didn’t want to play the game but encouraged me to do so. My team would consist of this other dad and some 10-14 year old kids. We all took our mission seriously and would battle it out for the highest score. I thought I could win.
Once you get inside the taco truck, you have a wrist band communicator and you put on your VR headset. you select your weapon and the ride starts. Doesn’t take long before Zombies start coming out of the woodworks. It was kind of scary when they would actually make it to the taco truck and were hanging off the burglar bars trying to claw at you. I must say that this was a ball of fun and the sound effects and graphics were cool as hell. In the end, one of the kids won but it was close damn it. 😆
Time to go
It was now late afternoon and we went back to our hotel, grabbed our bags, and headed straight to the airport. We had done quite a bit in 48 hours and were ready to head back so my wife could close out her last 2 weeks of school. This trip was fun, it was funny, and provided us with a lot memories. And that’s why we continue to go on these journeys. They may not always go as originally planned, but that is what makes an adventure. Until next time Las Vegas!
Helpful Links and Maps
Weekend in Louisiana: Big Easy and Lake Charles Getaway!
A weekend in Louisiana visiting New Orleans and Lake Charles is the ideal getaway for those looking for a great scene, amazing food, and a vice or two to indulge. We went on a quick road trip adventure that took us from Houston to the Crescent City and Lake Charles. Along the way we made a stop in Scott, Louisiana for some of the best boudin and cracklins you’ll find in the state!
Pit Stop at Don’s Specialty Meats – Boudin and Cracklins!
We took off on our road trip at 6 am with a game plan to be eating and drinking in New Orleans by noon. There would only be one mandatory stop along the way and that would be at Dan’s Specialty Meats in Scott, LA. Yes I did say mandatory! This place has some of the best boudin and cracklins in the entire state in my opinion. Remember, you’re in Louisiana now, it’s time to chow down like a local. For those that have never heard of these delicacies, I’ll break them down for you.
- Boudin – It is authentic Cajun sausage. Traditionally it is a blend of cooked pork, rice, onions, peppers and some fantastic seasonings stuffed into a sausage casing. There is also seafood boudin available as well. Pro tip: Pronounce it like a real Cajun, “boo-dan”.
- Boudin Balls – Basically this is boudin squeezed out of the the casing, breaded, and deep fried in the shape of a ball. I eat them as is but some people like to dip them in a creole mustard sauce. Try both the original and seafood boudin balls!
- Cracklins – Think of pork rinds with some extra fat attached. The extra fat provides a meatier texture and a more intense flavor than traditional pork rinds. This also makes them more dense and just so damn good.
Other Boudin and Cracklins locations
Traveling on I-10 (in either direction) through Louisiana you’ll start seeing the billboard signs as you get closer to Lafayette. “Best Boudin this” and “Best Cracklins that” they all read. And to be quite honest, you really can’t go wrong at any of the locations on the map I attached. Dan’s is my personal favorite, followed by The Best Stop Supermarket just down the road. Lafayette is the capital of Cajun country so you can explore and try out a new boudin location each time you come through these parts. let me know which is your favorite place in the comments.
Where to Stay? – French Quarter of course!
Whether it’s your first, third, or tenth visit, it doesn’t matter. You have to stay in the French quarter of this historic city to get the full experience. All the best restaurants, cafes, and bars reside in this district or within walking distance of it. Lodging options run the gamut from well known chain brands to independent boutique hotels, to even some haunted ones. And boy does this city have it’s fair share of those…
How we picked our hotel – Back story
I wanted to relive our very first visit to New Orleans from back in the late 90’s. Back then we had only been married a couple of years when I spontaneously asked her if she wanted to go. Neither one of us had visited NOLA at that time so when she agreed, we literally took off that same weekend. No online reservations, no calling hotels ahead of time, we just took off like the young bucks that we were. On that trip we found out a couple of things that still ring true to this day.
- New Orleans is ALWAYS busy with festivals, conventions, etc. and hotel availability is always in short supply.
- Staying in the French Quarter is an expensive affair on the weekends.
I remember us arriving in New Orleans and pulling into a store parking lot to begin calling hotels for a place to stay. We got lucky around the 4th try, someone had cancelled. Would I be so lucky this time around?
How we picked our hotel – Spring 2022
“You’re really not going to make a reservation anywhere?”, my wife bemoaned before we left on this adventure. “Nope. We’re going to wing it like we did on our first visit” I confidently declared. I wasn’t concerned at all because I had technology on my side this time. Armed with my travel experience and the travel apps on my iPhone, I figured that Priceline, Kayak, or Hotel Tonight would bail me out when we arrived with a super low rate in the middle of all the action.
Well let me tell you fam, hotel prices in the French Quarter are some stubborn mofos. I had taken a peek at the prices before we left Houston and I told my wife, “these prices are freaking outrageous, no way in hell am I paying that!”. But New Orleans wouldn’t budge. She responded to my arrogance with a “yes you will pay that amount and you’ll like it too boy”.
Every single property had their rates jacked up. But as I was scrolling, there was one property that stood out for it’s price and superb location. It was still expensive but well below what others were charging in the same vicinity. I took a look at the pictures, glanced at the visitor star ratings, and it was “cheaper” than all the others near by. Worked for me. Maybe this is a special promo I thought. F it, we’re not going to get a better deal so I booked it. My wife was driving and didn’t look at the pics. She was just happy we got something in the French Quarter. That is…….. until we pulled up to the hotel.
The Bourbon Orleans Hotel 😱
“You know this place is haunted right?”, was the first thing my wife said to me when we pulled up to valet our car. Before I could get a chance to answer, the young girl valet “Sandy” was at the door and welcomed us to the property. We gathered our luggage and road trip snacks and made our way towards the hotel entrance. “Hey Mister” I heard someone call. It was the teenage looking valet driver. “Sandy” asked me if I could park my car just off to the side because she didn’t know how to drive a stick shift. I moved my car for her and was thinking that it would be cool if they left my ride up in front of the hotel.
We checked into the beautiful Bourbon Hotel Orleans around 1 pm and they already had our room ready. After freshening up, it was time to explore the surrounding area on this clear blue sky Saturday. The streets were bustling with tourists and locals alike and near our hotel were several artists displaying their artwork. I was on a mission to find this one bar in particular that someone had mentioned on my twitter feed. I punched in “The Carousel Bar and Lounge” into my map app and was on my way.
The Carousel Bar & Lounge – Hotel Monteleone
Now this is a cool ass bar, no joke. I can’t believe I had never heard of it before in my life. Tucked inside the elegant Hotel Monteleone on Royal St., the Carousel Bar & Lounge is located to the right of the lobby once you walk through the hotel entrance. The iconic bar is an old school institution that has been around for 70 years now. It’s history is pretty fascinating and well worth looking into prior to a visit here. And visit you must. I mean, it’s a freaking circus merry-go-round with a 360-degree bar in the middle of it!
There are only 25 seats, so you can sit on the carousel or around it. You’re good either way and the scenery around you will constantly change as people come and go trying to land a coveted spot on the carousel. So you’re probably thinking that it’s super hard or a long wait to get a seat at the novelty bar. The short answer to that is, not really. I’ll share a couple of tidbits that will help you get on the ride.
Getting a seat at the bar.
As I mentioned earlier, with only 25 seats to go around (no pun intended), we’re talking prime real estate here. The main keys are to be patient and have a great attitude! The absolute worst thing you can do is to be lurking behind those sitting down and making a stupid frustrated face and constantly look at your watch. People are just going to order another round for the hell of it 🤣. So here’s what to do.
- Strike up a conversation with those sitting at the rotating bar. Especially if you see their drinks empty. If they are already tipsy or drunk, you’re already halfway there, lol.
- Ask politely if they can let you know when they are leaving. It’s all about how you ask. If you’re a couple, whoever is the more outgoing or charming needs to do the talking.
That is pretty much it. I approached a group of 4 middle aged women who were clearly buzzed and having a great time and started to chat them up. Within a couple of minutes one was telling me I could squeeze in between the seats to join them. I heard my wife behind me, “Mira esta”. I quickly pivoted and said “can my wife get in here as well?” We were now part of their crew and they informed us that they were wrapping it up and ordered us a round while we waited. In all it took us about 15-20 minutes to get a couple of seats.
The Cocktails
Just about everyone orders New Orleans classic cocktails and you should too. As the saying goes, when in Rome. Don’t be that person that orders bud light or even worse, tries to ask for a seltzer at a place like this. Venture out and try some new things. These 3 were our favorites.
Bourbon Street – Head to Pat O’Brien’s!
After a few rounds at the Carousel Bar, it was time to make a move to another New Orleans landmark, Pat O’Brien’s on Bourbon street. This is where the world famous Hurricane drink was invented back in the 1940’s. It’s also home to the original flaming fountain that’s located in the courtyard. It’s only lit at night by the way. Definitely worth a stop while you’re out and about bar hopping on Bourbon. Pat’s can be found next to Marie Laveau’s House Of Voodoo so you can get your cards read while you sip on that Hurricane.
Bourbon Street – What to expect
This street es un pinche desmadre and I love it! Loosely translated, “it’s a beautiful mess”. It is everything you ever heard about it and then some. You will see and come across all types of people from every walk of life imaginable. Music from all the various bars provide the soundtrack as you walk through the various maze of street performers, groups of bachelorette parties, divorce parties, turning 21 parties, and the thousands of other revelers that are there to partake in the debauchery. And that’s just Bourbon street on her best behavior during daylight hours! Here’s a picture slideshow and video clip as exhibit A.
Early Dinner at Antoine’s
It was now time to eat. As you can imagine, we were definitely feeling ourselves after several hours of shenanigans and it was still early enough to beat the dinner crowds. So we made a beeline for the legendary French-Creole restaurant Antoine’s. I had always wanted to eat here but there were always huge lines or it was reserved for private parties during previous visits to New Orleans. This time we were lucky (sort of), lol. I opened the door all cool and let my wife in and the place was as nice as it shows on the pictures that are online.
The host inside took a quick glance at our outfits and kindly told us that they had a dress code for dinner. I mean, we weren’t dressed like bums or anything. We had your typical spring shorts/polo shirt combos on, perfect for walking the quarter and bar hopping, but not for Antoine’s. The host was quick to add that we could eat at this side area bar in the back that they had set up for the common folk . Okay the common folk line was mine 😆. But still.
I took it in stride, looked towards the back area he was pointing to, and in my best Jack Dawson impression told my wife, “So, you wanna go to a real party?”
Common Folk Side
The back/side area was more fun anyway! You have access to the same menu and food as the bougie side but the atmosphere is more laid back. How laid back? Well Antoine’s is located on St. Louis street and apparently it’s a favorite amongst locals to have mini-parades down this street. Restaurant patrons on the common folk side could go in and out at will to the street to take pics and video. I was able to capture a wedding party celebrating in the streets.
The Food Verdict
Fantastic and as expected! You don’t stay in business for 180+ years without knowing what you’re doing. We each had Seafood Gumbo and Oyster Rockefeller for appetizers. For dinner, the Classic Fish Amandine and Creole Shrimp. We ate some before I snapped the 2 pics below so excuse the presentation, lol. All were mouth watering… except for Oyster Rockefeller. My all time favorite appetizer 😭.
Antoine’s is the birthplace of the Oysters Rockefeller dish. And this fact, I did not know until this visit. I had Oysters Rockefeller for the first time about 12-13 years ago in the French quarter but at another restaurant. And since that time I’ve ordered them in different cities whenever I see them on a menu. So what’s my point?
Well they disappointed me here. Badly. They may serve the original recipe here but I whole heartedly prefer the knock off recipes. I’m just saying, don’t say I didn’t warn you. We ate them but when the waitress asked how we liked them, we were honest with her. She told us this is not the first time she has heard this type of complaint and offered to bring us some Charbroiled Oysters instead. They were so much better!
We wrapped up dinner and headed back to our hotel. The sun was beginning to set and we needed a break. No way were we going to last at night at the pace we were operating at. We got in a shower, nap, and set our alarms for 10pm. We were beat and needed some Zzzzz’s.
New Orleans at night – Head to Frenchmen Street!
Okay full disclosure here. My wife and I don’t do Bourbon street at night. We stopped that back in our mid-30’s. That’s for them young bucks. We prefer the live music scene and people on Frenchmen Street. The vibe in this area is chill and older. You won’t see crowds walking around with hand grenades, people drinking from beer bongs, or boobs popped out for beads here.
The scene here is all about the live music and there are several good bars to choose from. Our favorites are the Blue Nile which has an upstairs and downstairs bar and Bamboula’s which usually plays blues. I’ve attached a map so you can see all the bars and calculate walking distances if you’re staying closer to Bourbon St. As you can see, it’s not a bad walk at all. But for those that rather not, there are plenty of Ubers, Taxis, & Pedicabs to get you there and back.
Creepy walk back to our hotel
After we called it a night and were leaving Frenchmen Street, it dawned on us. We were heading back to our haunted hotel. We hadn’t really had too much time to think about it aside from when we first checked in. But now walking the dark and lonely streets of the French Quarter, we couldn’t help but feel an eeriness around us. Even the houses and businesses we walked by looked to be straight out of a horror movie.
The Haunting – Delaying the inevitable
As we entered our hotel, my wife told me that she was nervous and needed another drink to help her sleep through the night. The hotel bar was still open so we made our way towards the sounds coming from that area. She was only delaying the inevitable. Eventually we had to be in our room alone with whatever entity roams this property. On the way to the bar we stopped to use the restroom in the hallway. When my wife emerged, she told me that ever since we checked in she hadn’t looked into any mirror or been alone in any room for fear of seeing someone or something else looking back at her.
We sat at the mostly empty bar and seen a peculiar sign that caught our attention. It listed out all the historic New Orleans cocktails and since we had a few of them earlier in the day, we decided to cross out a couple of more. I ordered a Scarlett O’hara and Sazerac for us and we began to read about the Ramos Gin Fizz drink. Some dude across from us ordered it and we noticed that the bartender poured some of the ingredients into the shaker and then closed it and put it inside of an automated shaking machine.
We thought the bartender was being lazy but then come to find out, this drink needs to be shaken for 6 minutes straight! It was last call so we finished our drinks and looked to each other for reassurance that everything would be okay in the room. Surely the stories were old folklore, tales from drunk guests, urban legends… This place can’t be haunted. It’s all in your mind I remember telling my wife.
Sleepless night
Once inside our room, my wife’s paranoia started to affect me as well. I had to use the restroom and she was about to close the door when I was like, hold on, leave it open. “But you’re on the toilet about to blow it up”, “I thought you weren’t scared” she teased. I’m not scared was all I could muster. Weird thoughts started going through my head as I was sitting there. What if the ghost slaps the shit out of me while I’m on the toilet? Who would believe me? Why the hell would a ghost even do that?, I tried to rationalize to myself.
My wife insisted that we sleep together huddled in the center of the bed with the covers tucked underneath us so that “nothing could touch our legs or arms from over the bed’s edge or underneath the bed”. It made sense at the time. We laid there, wrapped tight like a Mexican burrito and trying our best to get some sleep. I couldn’t shut my mind off. Images from all the scary movies I had ever seen began to appear in my head. The exorcist, Jason, Freddy Krueger, the poltergeist clown, they all made a cameo.
After a couple of hours I got really thirsty and realized I had left my full water bottle in the restroom. I got out of bed and walked in the dark room feeling my way towards the restroom. If something would have touched me at the moment I probably would have fainted. Just as I walked in, the exhaust turned on by itself and the toilet water started running! Ah hell naw. I turned my butt around and got right back into bed, where I stayed until daylight.
Day 2 – Beignets to start the day!
It was 7 am and we were wide awake after that restless night. We showered, packed, and went out for beignets at the Café Du Monde. This New Orleans institution has been churning out these delicious French pastries since Civil War times! If you’ve never had beignets they are like square hole-less donuts coated in powdered sugar. Paired with Café Du Monde Coffee and Chicory, this winning combo is hard to beat to get your mornings started in the French Quarter.
Café Du Monde opens at 7:30 am daily and I highly recommend you get there as close to opening time as possible. It doesn’t take long for lines to start forming. They do have a takeout only line if you can’t find a seat or would rather take it with you. Another tip is to ask for lots of napkins as beignets are very messy to eat. If you have hand wipes, even better. Hopefully there isn’t a band playing outside during your visit. Last thing I want to hear at 7:30 in the morning is horns blaring “When the Saints start marching in”.
Checkout
We finished up our beignets and walked a few blocks down to have a proper breakfast at Café Maspero. Then back to our hotel to get our luggage, checkout, and say goodbye to the Bourbon Orleans. We had survived the night at our first authentic haunted hotel. The manager thanked us for our stay and called the valet to bring our car up (it had been moved sometime the day before). While waiting outside in front of the hotel we saw our car whip around the corner moving pretty fast. The driver came in at a good speed and parked it right where we were standing. “Who the hell is driving my ride like this?”, I thought out loud.
“Good morning Mister!” It was “Sandy”. But… Wait a minute… I was thrown off for a few seconds. She proceeded to load our bags and opened the door for my wife. I tipped her and before she closed my door I asked, “I thought you didn’t know how to drive stick shift, how did you learn so fast?”. She smiled coyly and winked at us, “have a safe ride back Mister”.
Did “Sandy” use my ride last night to learn how to drive stick shift!? What the hell? My wife was cracking up telling me that “Sandy” was probably using our car all night with her friends, grinding the hell out of my gears, all while learning to drive manual transmission. It was funny to imagine that scenario. Man did we get a good laugh just thinking about where my car might have been. 🤣
Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino – Pool time & Slots!
We were now on our way to the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino for part 2 of our weekend in Louisiana. By design, this day was meant to be a 100% chill day. There were only 3 objectives for us on this part of our getaway:
- Relax all afternoon at the pool
- Gamble
- Win some money
It’s a 3 1/2 hour drive from New Orleans to Lake Charles and we arrived close to 2 pm. Check in is at 4 pm like it is for most hotels but who really abides by that rule anyway. Well this place does. They actually charge you if you want to check in “early”! I can understand if you want to check in at 8-9 am but it was freakin’ 2 pm. We chose to wait and everyone behind us did as well. About 45 minutes later, they texted us that our room was ready.
Our room was on the 20th floor and we had a super sweet view of the pool, lazy river, and golf course from our balcony. We quickly changed into our bathing suits and made our way to the H2O Pool and Bar.
H2O Pool and Bar
We were quite impressed with this pool complex and loved the layout and design. After laying claim to our lounge chairs under the shade of the bar, we ordered our drinks and settled in nicely. The scene and vibe around the pool was one of relaxation. Here is a short list of what’s available when you visit this part of the resort.
- Cabanas
- Daybeds
- Fire pits
- Hot tubs
- Waterslide
- Lazy River and Pool Heated for Year-Round Enjoyment
- Lake Charles Beach area with Craft Beer and Burger joint bar
My wife and I napped, read, drank, and people watched. We had met our 1st objective ✅.
Dinner at the Golden Nugget
There are 9 restaurants on the property. Being from Houston we had eaten at 5 of them before so we wanted to try something new. We decided on the Claim Jumper. It serves your traditional American cuisine and the food was good. TBH this was not our first choice. We really wanted to try out the Chart House “TOP-OF-THE-CATCH SEAFOOD RESTAURANT” but this is the only restaurant that is not directly connected to the hotel. You have to walk a little ways to get to it and we just didn’t feel like it.
Casino time
Felt like Las Vegas to be sure. This was my wife’s time to shine! She loves to play her slot machines and for good reason. She’s usually lucky with them! Like an athlete getting ready to compete, she has her own pregame rituals, superstitions, and strategy. It’s only weird if it doesn’t work right? I played for just a little bit but was quite tired and went up to our room early on this evening. We have a mutual understanding when we’re at casinos, basically it’s that my wife plays until she tires out 🤣. I was asleep by 11 pm.
Around 1 am I hear the door opening. “You awake babe?”, she asks while standing over me by the side of the bed. I knew she had won. There were only 2 reasons she would be waking me up at that hour and they both involve getting lucky. I raised up and turned on the bed lamp. She immediately went into telling me all about her gambling saga. How it started, the ups and downs, how she battled, and then the climax at the end (her winning $800). It’s actually quite cute listening to her tell me all the details. She gets so into it.
We had completed all 3 of our objectives. Which now unlocked our 4th objective. But I won’t be writing about that one 😜.
DUBLIN AND GALWAY ROCK ADVENTURE!
Our Dublin and Galway rock adventure started in the rowdy Irish capital and took us cross country to the vibrant city of Galway on the west coast. Castles, scenic coastal cliffs, and a rock concert by one of the biggest bands in the world would make this vacation a magical one for us. It was made more memorable by what we had to go through to even get to Ireland! That is where I’ll begin our story.
U2 Superfan
I need to give you some background and context for this trip. My wife is a huge fan of the rock band U2. A super fan if you will. She has all the cassettes, all the albums, all the CDs, and also all the songs on Itunes. She also doesn’t miss any shows when they tour and perform in Houston (except that one time I screwed up and didn’t buy the tickets in time 😩). Yes she still brings that up to me.
Given her level of fandom, when U2 announced they would be touring for the 30th anniversary release of their iconic Joshua Tree album, I quickly subscribed to their fan club to get early ticket sales codes. When they went on sale I bought the Houston tickets but then I wanted to surprise her so I bought the Dublin show as well. Okay full disclosure, it wasn’t just for her. I wanted to visit Ireland for the first time (she had already been) and this was the easiest pitch in the world.
Me: Babe, let’s go to Ireland for vacation this summer.
Her: It sounds expensive. I don’t want to spend too much money on travel this year.
Me: I bought tickets to the U2 show in Dublin already. But I can sell them if you don’t want to go.
Her: OMG! Are you serious!? We need to go so you can experience Ireland. We can afford it 😁.
Was easy like Sunday morning. I then found a steal of an airfare deal, booked it, and was quite satisfied at my planning thus far.
Travel Day – So about that steal of an airfare deal…
Flying to Europe is an expensive affair if you’re traveling during the summer peak season. It cost even more if you don’t live on the east coast. I’ve known this for some time, so when a start-up Norwegian airline was promoting super cheap flights from NYC to Dublin non-stop, I jumped on it. I couldn’t believe the deal that I had just landed. I would use my United miles to get us to New York and the super cheap flight on the start up to get to Ireland. Man that was easy, I thought to myself at the time.
Our departure date arrived and we took off from Houston without any hiccups. The drinks at the airport were going down right and we didn’t experience any delays on this leg. Speaking of those expensive ass airport drinks, they just taste so good when you’re traveling for vacation don’t they? You know the prices are jacked up to ridiculous levels and it doesn’t even matter. Hit me again please!
Our excitement was ramped up a notch when we landed in New York. We were one step closer to Dublin. A 6 1/2 hour flight was all that stood between us and and stepping foot on the Emerald Isle. The layover was going to be about 3 hours so as the plane made it’s way towards the gate, the conversation was about where we were going to eat. And then, we turned our phones on. 😭
Your flight has been cancelled
What. In. The. Actual. Fuck. No freaking way is this happening to us. It was approaching 7 pm, we still had to deboard, get our luggage, and try to find another flight. My wife was in shock and I tried my best to reassure her that everything would be okay and I’d figure it out.
I honestly thought either it was a mistake or I could just call the customer service line and get on the next flight. Wrong on both counts. The rep on the line told me they had no crew, there were no other flights with them that night, and next one would be in 2 days! She basically said, “best I can do is give you your money back” like they say on those pawn shop shows.
Finding a plan B
We quickly got our laptop out and started to frantically search for new flights. The clock was ticking and the concert was in 2 days. It was getting close to 8pm and things were looking bleak. Every single flight on other airlines were either sold out or charging an arm & leg. I called United’s customer service line since I was a platinum member at that time and explained the situation. She listened and empathized with us. She would be our last hope. “I have 2 seats left on the last flight out tonight. It leaves in 1 1/2 hours so you need to buy them now and get to the gate in a hurry!” Charge it please.
Ready, Set, Go
Now the mad dash began. Of course the damn terminal and gate would be as far from us as possible. My wife and I were on the move like those race walkers in the Olympics. At some points we were borderline jogging like you sometimes see people do. I remember I used to always talk shit about people running through the airport looking crazy. Muttering ignorant comments like, “that’s why they should have left the house earlier”. Well now we were those people and never again would I judge those running to a gate.
We finally made it to Dublin! – Best area to stay
In short, the best area to stay in Dublin is anywhere close to O’Connell Street. You want to be as close to the city center as possible. There are tons of lodging options available for every budget level so it shouldn’t be hard to find something you’re comfortable with. So here’s the part where I’m supposed to tell you where we stayed and a link to it, etc… Well the honest truth is I don’t remember the name because I didn’t take any pictures with the name listed anywhere!
See picture below and maybe one of you can help me identify this hostel. All I know is that it was close to the Liffey river, near the center of Dublin, and a very short walk to the Guinness Storehouse. It was also very clean, safe, affordable, and well run. If I ever figure out the name I’ll come back and edit this post with the information because I would stay here again and recommend it.
Guinness Storehouse – Day one
After checking in to the unnamed hostel (I’m sorry but this shit makes me laugh. How the hell do I not remember the name of where I stayed?) we showered, ate, and took a 2 hour nap before heading out to visit the Guinness Storehouse. This place had to be stop #1 for us. The Guinness beer/brand is known worldwide and the dark ale is instantly recognizable by it’s dense creamy head (insert that’s what she said joke).
Guinness Tour
We went on the self tour but if you want to go on a guided tour or a combination tour that includes other Dublin hot spots then I highly recommend checking out the tours available at Viator. We learned quite a bit about the Guinness beer making process as we walked from room to room and floor to floor. There’s cool art pieces, old machines, and one of my favorite rooms was the grain room where you could actually grab and hold the grains. It reminded me of back in the day when grocery stores had the pinto beans out in a big bin with big scoopers so you could fill your bag. I used to love running my hands in the beans and burying the scoopers so people had to find them, lol.
This piece made me laugh.
Guinness Tour – Gravity Bar at the top!
The last stop on the tour is the super chill Gravity Bar at the very top of the building. Here is where you’ll finally get to drink the world famous Guinness pints. And let me tell you, they taste so much better there at the source. Just take a look at the picture I snapped mid-pour and you can just smell and anticipate that malty sweetness, the slight hoppy bitterness, and the notes of coffee and chocolate. It’s 7 am as I type this and now I’m craving one!
The Gravity Bar also has some great 360° views of Dublin. If you’re lucky to have nice clear skies when you visit, the views go on for miles. We spent our time here downing pints and taking in the views from every vantage point. We also met lots of chill people as we mingled among the crowd. Everyone was having a good time and after 3 pints each we were ready to head to our next stop.
Temple Bar – day one
The next logical place to visit after drinking at the Guinness Storehouse is Temple Bar. So this is an area and not one single bar (though there is a pub with the name). We were guilty of thinking it was one establishment that made it famous when people would tell us, “you have to party in Temple Bar” prior to my wife’s first visit. Think of it kind of like the French Quarter in New Orleans, but cleaner. So many bars and restaurants to choose from and you really can’t go wrong in picking. Expect good vibes and an awesome street scene as you go from bar to bar. Here’s a few pics we took before the sun went down and the real shenanigans began.
The Library of Trinity College Dublin – Day 2
Just an incredible place to visit is how I will describe this 430 year old library. This was high on my wife’s bucket list and I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect. But once we arrived on the campus and made our way towards the library and entered. OMG! I could probably google some fantastic synonyms to use but I won’t because OMG captures my initial raw reaction when I saw the long room of this most beautiful library.
Take the Book of Kells guided tour. You’ll learn lots of great historical facts about the library and what this cultural treasure has meant to the people of this region. We very badly wanted to grab some of those old books to open them up and get a physical feel but weren’t allowed. The entire library was beautiful and the tour was well paced. There’s nothing worse than a tour that is too long or too short.
Jameson Distillery – Day 2
After getting our fill of culture and history at Trinity College, it was time to get our pre-concert drinking on. We stopped by the Jameson Distillery for some Irish Whiskey drinks. They offer a whole tour there as well but we didn’t have the time. We had a couple of drinks here, bought some things, and then had to leave to get ready for the big U2 concert. It was a fun place and it’s worth at least a short visit when you visit Dublin.
U2 Concert at Croke Park Stadium – Still Day 2
It was now time to go to the main event. We took a cab to the stadium and the driver dropped us off as close as he could. What struck me as we were walking towards the Croke Park entrance was that this stadium is literally next to a neighborhood. There are houses that back up to it. Hell you could barbeque in your backyard in those houses and hear all the concerts.
We arrived very early so we hung out by the beer area and made small talk with fans from all over the world. As the stadium started to fill in you could just feel the energy building up, and when U2 hit the stage it was pandemonium! They played all the hits and of course the Joshua Tree Album. My wife was over the moon and I was happy I could give her this special moment. She more than deserved it. 💓
Malahide and Caislean Castles – Day 3
It should go without saying that this day got off to a very late start. After the U2 concert we of course partied with everyone and their mother in Temple Bar. We had a full Irish breakfast around noon and this helped with the hangovers. There was only one thing on the agenda for today and that was a visit to Malahide and Caislean Castles. The weather could not have been more perfect for a day outdoors. We finally got good weather on this trip!
To get to these castles you need to take a train at the Connolly station. Trains from Dublin Connolly to Malahide depart every 20 minutes and cost between $7 – $9. It takes 27 minutes to get there so it’s not bad at all. The castles were cool and all but this day called for being outside.
After touring the castles we went into town and had a simple lunch. We grabbed some fish and chips, found a nice spot on the open grass, and had ourselves a picnic. A lazy Sunday in Ireland with my beautiful wife and perfect weather to boot. It was a fitting end to our Dublin leg.
Road Trip! Driving across the country to Galway! – Day 4
We actually drove across the entire country from the east coast to the west coast (west side!), lol. Okay it’s not exactly driving from New York to LA but it’s still a cross country road trip 😎. I rented a car from the airport and made the whole trek to Galway in under 2 1/2 hours!
We had booked a room for 2 nights at a bed and breakfast and I have to tell you that I don’t know the name of that place either because (again) I didn’t take a freaking picture of the name! Anyway, it was a cozy place and located in a good spot where we could get in and out without issues. Again, if you recognize this place, send me a message so I can link to it. Thanks in advance.
The city of Galway – Day 4
Galway is a fun city with a history that goes back some 800 years. If you’re visiting Ireland and wanting to tour the west coast, making Galway your home base would be ideal. I found the city fascinating and vibrant. We could only stay 2 nights because of commitments back home. We had to be back by the weekend and had to make the most of it. After checking in and dropping our luggage off at the B&B, we had breakfast in the city center, and headed straight towards the cliffs.
Dungaire Castle – Nice little stop on the way to the Cliffs
Along the route to the Cliffs of Moher is a nice little pit stop just 37 minutes outside of Galway. Dungaire Castle should be on your list of spots to visit as you travel south. It’s almost the midway point between Galway and the cliffs and is definitely worth a couple of hours of your time. We took the tour and had a good time taking pictures of the castle during the low tide. You can see the waterline in one of our pics below. I’d recommend you look up when high tide is for your visit and try to go then. There are some spectacular pics online of this place at high tide.
Cliffs of Moher
One of Ireland’s top tourist attractions and it’s not hard to see why once you get your first glimpse of the rugged coastal features. Technically you don’t have to pay to see the cliffs but you do have to pay for parking. There is an official parking lot and then there is a family owned one a very short hike away that charges less.
There are three main viewing platforms at the Visitor Experience. The main platform, and one North & South. You can also view the Cliffs from the top of O’Brien’s Tower. Entrance fee is included with your admission ticket
We couldn’t wait to make our way towards the edge. We were also fortunate that the weather was decent which allowed us to have a clear view. Some unlucky visitors get overcast, rainy, or foggy weather on their day. So check those weather forecasts!
The Wild Atlantic Way – Scenic route back to Galway
Leaving the cliffs, we wanted to take a scenic route back to Galway that hugged the coastline so we made a detour and took the Wild Atlantic Way to The Burren. I had read up on the area prior to our trip and we wanted to have a look at the moon like landscape ourselves. You can see our route there on the interactive map I shared at the beginning of this post. We left our car at the visitor parking area and began exploring.
Galway Nightlife
At night this city really comes alive but is much less rowdy than Dublin. The people here are more chill and in control as opposed to Temple Bar which was wild AF. We had dinner and beers in the town center and the only available table was a little crooked one outside. We didn’t mind at all as being outside was where all the action was. Good beer, good food, and good people watching.
El Primo Raul!
After dinner and drinks we wanted to hear some live music so we went to one of the bars in the center. It was a great atmosphere and we quickly struck up conversations with the group sitting next to us. The live band was jamming and the hookers had me feeling good (the beers people, geez😜). Speaking of the band, one of the dudes looked just like my primo Raul from Laredo, Tx. I mean really looked like him.
So much so that I called him to be sure. No answer. I then called his wife and asked for him and she said he was working out of town! No freaking way. This would be the ultimate small world/coincidence/twilight zone shit if it was really him. I asked where at and she said some town in Texas. It would have been some story had it been him.
Visit Medieval Athenry – Day 5
This day was a rainout all morning and had gloomy overcast skies in the afternoon. We stayed in and rested until the rain stopped and then made the 30 minute drive to Athenry. Athenry is a medieval town known for its town wall, castle, priory, and its 13th century street layout.
We found the Priory to be eerie and creepy. Maybe it was the time of day and the ominous skies above us or just the fact that we were walking through a graveyard! The castle was small but there was a nice creek outside the walls that gave it a nice touch. We wandered around the town for a while but It was getting dark on us and we felt the sprinkles coming on. I didn’t want to drive in the dark (especially in the rain) so we made our way to our car and drove back.
Last day in Galway – Souvenir shopping and drive back to Dublin – Day 6
Our final day in Galway was spent in town walking around, shopping, and getting lost taking all the various side streets. We didn’t have a game plan for this day. All we knew is that we’d be driving back in the afternoon, returning the car rental, and staying at the Holiday Inn Express near Dublin airport that evening. The weather was better as we wrapped up our Dublin and Galway Rock Adventure.
For a trip that almost never got of the ground, it sure turned out nicely for us. Ireland is such an amazing country and in 6 days you can only scratch the surface. But if that’s all you have, I hope our experience demonstrated that you can definitely see and cover a lot of ground. And if you’re lucky, maybe your favorite band will be playing during your visit as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read about our Ireland adventure. If you enjoyed this post and would like to receive my future publications as soon as they’re published, please subscribe at the bottom right of the page. They will be sent to your mailbox automatically. For our most recent travel experience in Europe in 2022 click here to read about our epic Madrid trip. There are 3 parts to it. Enjoy them and thanks again!
FLAMENCO AND SOCCER – MADRID IS FULL OF PASSION!
Madrileños are a passionate people and this is on full display in Madrid’s flamenco and soccer culture. One cannot visit this vibrant Spanish metropolis without experiencing the intense and dramatic dance that is flamenco or hear the chanting and roar of the Real Madrid fans. Our final days in Madrid took us to the world famous Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and the Cardamomo Flamenco Madrid Theater.
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
Being a huge soccer fan, there was absolutely no way I was going to visit Madrid and not attend a Real Madrid game. At the very least I wanted to tour their legendary stadium. Mother Nature had a huge role in making the decision for us. We had been monitoring the weather ever since we arrived to Madrid and had to switch our plans around due to rain moving in our direction. Our intention was to watch Real Madrid vs Getafe in Getafe (about 30 minutes away) the Sunday we went on the Avila and Segovia tour. We had to switch days to take advantage of the perfect weather.
I had to scratch “watch Real Madrid play in Spain” off my travel bucket list. A tour of this soccer cathedral would have to do. We bought our stadium tour tickets on their website and the process was fairly simple. After paying you get sent a bar code for each ticket purchased and you save them on your phone for scanning later. You can purchase match tickets and merchandise as well from their site.
The stadium is located just north of downtown Madrid and is only a 17 minute drive from Puerta del Sol. We took 2 taxis to get there because of our odd number traveling party , there were 5 of us. We had to take separate ones. It wasn’t a big deal as we were following each other and got there at the same time. Once the stadium came into view we were excited to get inside and see it up close.
Under Construction
We were aware that the stadium was being renovated prior to our visit so we weren’t bothered by all the construction. The remodeling had started in 2019 when that season had ended and renovation works had been ongoing since then. The work is expected to be finished by the end of 2022 so if you’re planning to watch a game there or take a tour, keep that in mind.
Until that time, only limited tours like the one we took are offered. Full tours let you walk into the locker rooms and more importantly, take you to the field where you can hang out on the sidelines! But that would have to wait for us. We made our way to the section below the “cheap seats” (Yeah there is nothing cheap about this place 🤣) and took our seats. It was super neat sitting there and looking at the manicured field. I mean it was flawless. Have a look.
Real Madrid C.F. Museum
Part of this limited tour is the Real Madrid C.F. Museum. This was actually a pretty cool part. You walk through the museum, which houses all sorts of memorabilia, including this super long trophy case. I mean this thing was huge. Do you know how many tournaments and championships this team has won!? They had these interactive video machines that we enjoyed using along with other touch screens that went over just about everything Real Madrid. They ranged from current players, past players, and different team pictures and videos to … well you get the idea.
Towards the end of the tour they have these options to take pictures with holograms of your favorite RM players. We all declined and took a family pic instead. It ain’t that serious for us, lol. And of course, what is a tour without a visit to the gift shop? The whole tour is designed to prime you up and get you ready to spend. They do a hell of a job I tell ya.
The Gift Shop
Okay I’m not going to lie, the gift shop is legit and has some unique merchandise that isn’t available back home. I wasn’t expecting to spend what I did in the store that day. For starters, my wife and daughters have never even seen a Real Madrid game. I had assumed that they would pick out something small as a souvenir and be done with it. Nope, not these women. Jerseys, pull overs, and hoodies were the order of the day. When I told them that they don’t even know any Real Madrid players, they responded with “we know the good looking one, Ronaldo”. “He doesn’t even play for them anymore!” I objected. But it was a losing battle. I shook my head and paid the bill.
Drinking with your kids 😂
After the stadium tour, we had lunch and went back to our apartment to rest up. We decided that on this particular evening we would all go Tapas and Wine restaurant/bar hopping. Even 15 would be allowed to partake and have a couple of beers or wine accompanied by us, her parents. No harm right? We all got ready and headed out around 10 pm.
I should have known from the very first restaurant we went to that this night would be a wild and silly one. At stop one, my 21 yr old son was drinking his beers pretty fast and my wife and I told him to slow down because we had several more places to make stops at. Our plan was a drink & tapa at each place and keep it moving. Stop two was more of the same. My son was now feeling good and telling us “don’t worry dad, I outlast all of my friends in drinking” and “I’m always the last one standing” and talking all kinds of funny shit.
My daughters 20 and 15 were drinking much slower and were starting to get their buzz on. So far, so good. We were all having a great time and everything felt perfect. I was completely happy at how the evening was going. “Y’all ready to check out the next place?” I asked them. “Yes, let’s do it” was all I heard.
Kind Old Man
Restaurant bar 3 was such a fun stop. Here we decided to stay for a while. The vibe was just right, it was located at a busy intersection so there was plenty of action going on all around and we were all now feeling good. I hadn’t laughed like we did that night in a while and we were just carrying on without a care in the world or aware if anyone was watching, but there actually was someone watching.
The kind old man (as my kids labeled him) was sitting at a table alone near us. Glass of red wine in front of him, he looked like a retiree just enjoying the beautiful crisp night. To be honest, no one even noticed him or paid him no mind. Sometime during our sitting, when we were just about to order another round, our waitress was there with a fresh round. “This one is on the gentleman in the wheelchair over there” she politely said.
Surprised and also curious as to what brought on this generosity, we turned to him and said thank you and asked him to join us. We widened our circle at the table and made room for him to maneuver his wheelchair in place. And after introductions, it was almost like he was reading our minds, “you’re probably wondering why I bought you this round?” be began.
You remind me of my family
He told us that hearing us laughing and enjoying each other’s company reminded him of the family that he used to have and it made him happy. One of my kids asked what happened and my wife was quick to shoot an unapproving glance to the question. “They’re no longer here” was his simple response. We all quickly pivoted to more pleasant conversation and before you knew it, he was part of our crew for that stop.
The old man had lived some life, I remember. He had traveled all over the world due to him being in the military when he was young and we traded traveling stories. It really felt like we knew him longer than what we did. He was charming and charismatic and a very good story teller.
My son excused himself during this time to use the restroom. He asked for the apartment keys because “he had to go and needed privacy”. We were slightly concerned because the dude had been pounding his beers but the apartment was literally on the same street half a block down. Off he went.
Madrid 3 My Kids 0
We continued conversating with the kind old man for a good while when 15 and 20 excused themselves to head to the restroom. This was the beginning of the end to their night. Upon returning 15 sat down and then told me “I think I’m going to throw up”. “Wait, go back to the restroom!” my wife said frantically. Too late. I was able to position an empty wine glass under her mouth and then another. I did my best to avoid the full on mess on the floor and mostly succeeded.
It was time to take them back to the apartment. Our new friend insisted on picking up our entire tab. We protested but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Not only had we reminded him of family but he also had another story to add to his life experience, lol. And we had one as well. He is now part of our family’s Madrid vacation memories.
They can’t hang 😂
Back at the apartment when we turned on the lights we were surprised to find someone laying on the sofa! It was Mr. “I can out drink all my buddies”. We had forgotten that he came back to use the restroom. He woke up and said he felt good now. Boy go back to sleep, his mom told him. 15 went straight to bed and then we heard 20 crying. “What’s a matter baby”, we asked her. The old man’s story is so sad. He was so nice and he has no family she sobbed.
After calming her down and putting her to sleep, my wife and I still had some energy and went to a few more bars across the street. It had been some night. We had one pass out asleep, one throw up, and one get emotional. That night still makes me laugh and I find my self smiling as I think back on it. These kids couldn’t handle Madrid.
Rain Rain Go Away
The following day, our good luck with the weather finally ran out. Forecast called for 2 straight days of rain and it was a much needed break. It was cold, windy, and wet the majority of the day and we took advantage. We woke up late, stayed in our pajamas and watched Netflix. We napped and also read with the steady rain as our backdrop.
My wife and I did go out before the rain started to come down to buy some souvenirs in Puerta del Sol and covid tests from the pharmacy. We paid and scheduled a doctor to watch us take the at home test the following day. More on that experience later in this post.
It seemed that everyone in Madrid had the same idea and tried to get all their shopping in before the next round of storms.
Other things to do in Madrid when it’s a rainout.
Make it a museum day. Madrid is world famous for its art museums. The Museo del Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza are all located here. Spanish art of the past 500 years – Goya, El Greco and Velázquez art can be found in these museums. Links to each is below.
Catch a movie or play. Madrid has many movie theaters, art houses, and even Broadway shows.
Plan the next day’s activities. For us that would be booking our tickets to watch a flamenco show!
Flamenco Day💃- Last Night in Madrid
Our vacation would be ending on a high note. My wife researched the best Flamenco theaters and shows in Madrid and the consensus was that the Cardamomo Flamenco Madrid was one of the best, so we booked there. We had never been to one of these shows and didn’t know what to expect. We were definitely not prepared for the amazing performances we were about to see live.
One of the things I loved about staying near Puerta del Sol is you can pretty much walk everywhere you need to go. The Cardamomo Flamenco Madrid was a short walk from there and along the way we stopped to have dinner before the show. It sprinkled on us the whole way there but we all were prepared with umbrellas. Pro tip – Always take a small umbrella with you on your trips.
We arrived early and hung out in the waiting area. There is plenty of wine for you to drink while you wait and some Ipads to keep you entertained as well. Our first impressions of the theater was that it was small and cozy. This makes the experience that much more personal and intimate when you’re up close. As the show start time approached, everyone was seated and the waiters really started pouring the wine. You get one free glass of wine with your entrance fee. After that, you’re on your own.
The Performances
Intense and Dramatic are the first words that pop into my mind to describe flamenco. It is fiery and emotional and the dancers perfectly convey this passion in their movements and facial expressions. Combined with the rhythmic gypsy beats, chanting, and guitar players who fervidly matched the emotions of the dancers, it all comes together in a powerful and sensational manner.
For our show there were 3 dancers and each had separate solo sets. Then they all dance together at the end for a fitting and grand finale. The singers, chanters, and instrument players also had their own set. The whole show was well put together and we couldn’t have been happier with this production. I highly recommend this place and promise you won’t be disappointed.
Last Call in Madrid – Prepping to go back home
Walking back to our apartment after watching that incredible show, it was great listening to our kids talk excitedly about what they saw. They were all still pretty hype about it and went on about what parts were their favorites. I felt like a proud dad. My life long dream of taking all of my family to Europe had been fulfilled. Mission accomplished. We left our kids at the apartment with instructions to pack and be ready to go in the morning. It was time to leave Madrid.
My wife and I decided to have a last call. Why not? We hit a couple of pubs that were close by and enjoyed our last night. Our 7 days here were quite eventful and we covered a lot of ground. The memories and family bonding were priceless. Until next time Madrid!
The End
In conclusion, 7 days in Madrid is the perfect amount of days if you want to hit all the highlights. However if you have more time, there is still plenty to do that I didn’t get to in our week here. I will be putting together a Madrid travel guide that summarizes all 4 of my posts down to just the basic information and suggestions. If you are new to my travel blog and this is the first post you are reading and want to read about the beginning of this trip, here are the links. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog to get the latest travel posts as soon as they are released. And thanks for the support!
