Excellence Playa Mujeres July/Aug 2017 - We're here!!!

Day 1! - long long day!!! We were up at 3.30am ready to meet our friends Fiona & Marcus Keeble at 5.15 for the drive to Gatwick.  A fairly speedy check in and I headed straight for duty free (got not one, but two 22% discount vouchers and a £5 off voucher) happy days!!!!

We then headed to Jamie Olivers for breakfast - we get No 1 club lounge in with our premium tickets but I hate it!).  The boys had 'The Full Monty' breakfast, Fiona and myself had lighter bites washed down with prosecco - somehow drinking alcohola at 7 in the morning seems ok on holiday!!!!

Our flight took off 15 minutes late - and was exactly 9.5 hours!!! Can't beat the Dreamliner!  I'll do a full Dreamliner report on the blog later.

After seeing Jill & Dale Bradley behind us at Immigration, Kevin was busting a gut to get to EPM before them!!! We hit the Red light and after taking a cursory look at our 7 bags (yep 7!!!!) we were on our way!!!

Carolina greeted us with a huge hug at checkin, and Fiona & Marcus arrived 5 minutes after us.

Then the loooooooong wait for Dale & Jill lol!!!! We were on our 4th glass of fizz when they turned up!!  Seems like Blue Bay had forgotten to book their transfer again! Third time!!! No such problems with our fab booking and fantastic TA - Nic at Beaches 4 Less.

On arrival at our room, I was pleased to see that All of our room requests were granted, the room looked lovely with champers on ice and our welcome home gifts.

We had a Quick unpack, nap, then we headed to the martini bar then what was my least fav restaurant - Agarve - not any more! Fantastic meal of garlic mushrooms, and a stuffed chilly pepper dish - fabulous!!! 

The fantastic female mariachi singers were there to serenade us.

We drank at least 4 bottles of red between us - it was now 3am uk time, and I was really feeling it! So early night where I slept through to 6.30mx time! Looking forward to today!!!!!

Busy doing nothing...........

So, not much to report! We're making the most of this lazy holiday by doing not very much!

We've had a walk into muro the day before yesterday, an hour + stroll each way, in over 35degrees in mid-day sun..........just to visit a deluxe shopping centre, newly built on our last vist three years ago, but which has since closed down........however we did see a hugh deck chair on the way, so not a completely wasted journey.......

Yes, weve been back to Rancho chicos! Another lovely evening, and, we're off there again tonight!

Last night after dinner, Kevin wanted to walk to Puerto d'Alcudia.  A short stroll says he......1.15hrs later, in new heels, along the sandy promenade, I could have killed him!!  But it was lovely.  Alcudia has lots of canals and inlets rinning from the sea into little reservoirs and lakes.  So we took the scenic route, along one of the canals, then we walked along the sea front promenade where lots of people stroll every evening.  

It was a beautiful evening, and it was lovely to watch children and families enjoying the last of the evening sun right up to 9pm on the beach.  

Peurto d'Alcudia is a bustling marina of luxury yachts, surrounded by shops, cafes, restaurants and bars.  Most of it was closing by the time we got there though.....wonder if Kev planned it? Lol!  But we found a little sea front cafe where we revived ourselves with alcohol and the best dish of ice cream we'd had in ages! We shared, so it wasnt too naughty!!

We're by thepool today, its supposed to be 37degrees, so Im going to be under the parasol for much of the day, sipping mohitos.

My view for the day! Its 10am, Suns just coming over the hotel, and its gonna be a hot one!

Its a tough job, but someones got to do it!

Why Alcudia?......

This is our 8th time to Majorca, the 7th to Alcudia.  Why do we like it? Its one of those places that is opposite to all our other holidays destinations.  Its a very busy, family orientated resort.  Great if youre a family with children on a budget.  Beautiful beaches, bustling harbour and main strip filled with restaurants and bars offering meal deals and happy hour prices all day.  

Shopping, well in the main, its tourist souvenirs, theres some boutique shopping in old alcudia and down futher in muro - a new shopping complex, but for the rest, not anything you really need or want. 

So, not really the sort of resort that would suit an older childless couple?

However, Palma is just 1.5hrs from Gatwick, and my favourite restaurant in the world, just one hour away from Palma.  Rancho Chico's (the name doesnt nearly do the restaurant justice) is set on the edge of the hotel area of Alcudia.  You have to know its there, to find it.  Its popular with locals, ex pats, and tourists who have tracked it down via Trip Adviser - it has a very high rating.

Entrance to the restaurant is through an arch of green hedge, which opens out to a tiny courtyard, with a seating capacity of approx 10 tables.  Booking is advised as its very popular and gets filled quickly.  The little courtyard is surrounded by hedges and planting of roses and verbena, whilst overhead hang grapes and olives from the terrace pergolas.  Gently background music, sometimes jazz adds to the ambiance, but doesnt intrude.  Its the perfect setting to while away a couple of hours, talk, and relax.

The restaurants owner Jose, is welcoming, and greets us like long time friends.  When Im here, like EPM, I feel instantly at home, that I can relax and know Jose will take care of us.

The food.  The food is excellent quality and fresh.  Kevin experiments with some of the more adventurous dishes, like Lamb Frito - a sort of this stew made from lambs intestines (!) - I like the lamb chops.  Perfectly grilled on the outdoor swinging bbq, served for me with a simple salad or tomatoes and onion.  And being English, Jose knows I like my lamb with mint! Lol!  

Its the small touches, a basket of fresh warm crusty bread, served with the most garlicky aioli and the best olives Ive ever eaten to start.  Fresh cut iberico ham, shaved wafer thin mounded over perfectly ripe melon, delicious home made deserts, including the wonderful cheese pudding and the perfectly zingly refreshing lemon ice with vodka! Yum.

And the wines! Oh the wines.  Jose has picked wines for us over the years that we've loved.  Local Mallorcan reds, rich and deep.  Wines to be sipped and savoured.  Wines, that I remember from one three year vist to the next.  

We finish our meal with brandy, baileys and coffee, then leave sated till the next time.

So thats why we love alcudia.  Not the beaches, not the shopping, not the hotel, thats just a means to get to Rancho Chicos.  We love it because of this restaurant, and every couple of years, we feel the need to go see Jose.  😉

Sunday Stroll!!

Bright, clear, beautiful, hot Sunday here in Majorca!!  Our first day, so we set off to Alcudia old town for some shopping and a little tapas lunch.  We love this old walled town, beautiful cobbled streets with winding alleyways which show glimpses of shuttered windows, geranium pots and local life.  

Overhead, hundreds of paper garlands flutter, providing a moving canopy, shielding us from the worst of the sun.  Its quaint and pretty, but Sundays it throngs with both tourists shopping for souvenirs and locals who shop for locally produced produced foods.

The food market is wonderful, bright, colourful piles of fragrant fruit and vegetables.  The smells, of the smells.  Mouth-watering fresh fruit smells.  The peaches, so large that you'd need two hands to hold them! Heaps of cherries, and tiny tomatoes on the vine perfect for roasting.  Stalls selling cured meats and dried sausage, local cheeses and olives.  Perfect tapas ingredients.  Its hard not to feel jealous of all the sun ripened fruit that the locals buy that put our  anaesthetised packaged tasteless fruit to shame.  

This lady was making doughnuts by hand, literally 'pulling batter into her hand, making the hole with her thumb and dropping into hot oil!

However, I was a woman on a mission, I needed to buy some fans for friends back in the uk, so off to a few of my favourite boutiques, looking for some hand painted ones. Heres the ones Ive purchased so far.

 Ive got a number of fans, a collection started when I was about 8 and given my first fan by my grandmother, who travelled to spain, back in the 60's.  I rarely go anywhere without one, so its normal for Kevin to buy me a couple when we visit Spain.  This time it was a funky hand painted fun fan 

and a beautiful hand painted designer fan which Id looked at longingly, but would never have paid the asking price.  Kevin, just picked it up, and said to assistant 'we're having this one please!' Gobsmacked, and chuffed to bits. Im hoping it will go with my wedding outfit for Fiona and Marcus's wedding next month 😉

After shopping, it was lunchtime, so we headed to a little tapas restaurant we know.  My tapas platter included the best lemon Aioli ever! Meats, cheeses, freshly baked bread and olives, plus cerveza! Delicious sunday lunch! 

😉

Sunny hot Majorca!!

After an abysmally wet summer in the UK its lovely if a little shocking to arrive to dry sunny weather in Majorca - pure bliss!!

Here's our predicted weather for the next week!!  Tomorrow looks a bit iffy, but it brightens for Saturday!! Lol!

We arrived Saturday, via Gatwick which has undergone a major overhaul of their security system - very comforting in view of all the troubles that are taking place across the world.  I had a full body x-ray, I think my bracelets set the security off! - would have loved to see the image! - and no need for the usual 'pat down' by the security guard because my underwire bra usually set off the beepers - shame as I look forward to the pat down as a start to my holiday........

We hit duty free next - I had a long list of things I needed, Kev had just one thing in mind, his whisky - took him over twenty minutes to choose a bottle!

The flight was very quick, just 90 minutes to Palma, Majorca, then an hour ride to the hotel in Alcudia.

Now, about the hotel, the Platja d'or.  This is a super cheap hotel, we've stayed here 6 times, and we use it as a base to get out and about.  Its all inclusive, adults only and a very british octogenarian clientele!  We're probably amongst the youngest residents!!  There's not a lot of anything going on here, its not glamorous like the Excellence hotels, however, its super clean, has all the amenities for a relaxing break, the foods good quality and very fresh, and its very near our favourite restaurant, Rancho Chicos so it has everything we need!  Since our last stay, the bedrooms have been refurbished as well - so very happy!!

We unpacked, napped and met up with some of the lovely hotel staff over dinner and a bottle of wine.

😉

That's all folks! - Live from wrap up

So that's it, 21 fabulous nights at EPM.  If you've been following my live from on Trip Advisor and or the blog, then I think I've pretty much covered everything we've seen, done, eaten or drunk!!  So it's just a quick wrap up from me and I'll be writing my review and posting during the week.  If you have any questions re EPM or anything else, then feel free to PM me or leave a comment on the blog.  I'll be carrying on the blog in the future with other travel related stuff, love you to follow me if you enjoyed this one.

I would like to thank so many people for coming to see us off on our final morning -  the wonderful Nelson and Aldo, big thanks for all you did for us making sure we enjoyed every moment of our holiday.  To Lirana, our maid, who bought me a beautiful personal keepsake on our last day, thank you Hun for all your hard work, smiles and little touches in our room.  To the great team of hostesses and servers, who all managed to pop by for a hug - Angel, Alberto, Freddy, Lizeth, Shehily, we're both going to miss all of you and to Eric Cervantes who personally came to say goodbye, and to chat with us before we left.

So that's it, except my final staff member of the day - dedicated to all 780+ team members, who work so hard to make sure guests enjoy all the facilities at this wonderful resort.  I can't name them all, but here's a big shout out to:

the plumbers, electricians, painters, decorators, pool staff, beach staff, maintenance team, stone masons, laundresses, gardeners, cleaners, IT Support, administration, kitchen assistants, chefs, bar staff, room service staff, hostesses, maitre d's, waiting staff, concierges, maids, receptionists, bell hops, customer services officers, the sommelier, all the managers - thank you very much for making our vacation so special and we look forward to spending time with you again very soon.

Mandy & Kevin Webb ;-)

Our last full day..............

Thursday, Our last day at EPM, was everything and more that we could wish for, the perfect end to a fabulous holiday and a memory that will keep us going until the next time.

We woke to bright sunny sky's, a beautiful blue morning.  We toddled off to Toscana to spend one last leisurely breakfast with the team there, Angel, Marcos, Lizeth & Shehily especially.  I took down my little pocket LG photo printer and printed off photos for all the staff that we had taken over the three weeks we had been there, well they all loved them and we then had to take photos with them and print more so they could have keepsakes of all of us - such a little thing but all of the team loved them and there were so many exclamations, laughter and smiles over the little photos!!

So we then went and rested up by the revive bar until lunchtime and then strolled around to the grill, Angel set us up facing the sea, and we have a really leisurely lunch, no rushing and excellent service as always.  For lunch I had my favourite chicken wraps, with some cold Sauvignon blanc and Kev had the burger with a few pacificos.   We just spent nearly two hours chatting and watching the world go by with a perfect turquoise sea in front of us and the sounds of the musicians drifting up from las olas. 

After lunch we went back to the revive bar for a couple hours more, then retired to our room to start the gently art of throwing things in the suitcase for our trip home!!!  Lol!!

A little while later, Nelson arrived to give us a little tour of some of the resort we missed, including some of the more select rooms - well you have to dream don't you! We then finished the afternoon at the excellence club Chocolate Tasting with one of Ceasars seriously fabulous chocolate mint martinis! Oh my! Liquid after eights! They were so so good!

A little rest before dinner, then I dressed up in a new dress I'd been saving for the last night (yes I actually had clothes to take home that I hadn't even worn in the three weeks!!! Lol) and for once, my hair went perfect! (Told you it was a good day didn't I? Lol!!! It's the little things ain't it!!!! )

A final French martini at the bar before dinner and then off to our favourite restaurant, chez Isabel for the last time, and oh what a meal! Señor Pedro, Christian and the lovely Martin (with a more than a little help from Aldo!) ensured our last evening was truly memorable.  A beautifully decorated table, then starters of pear and blue cheese salad for me and bouillabaisse for Kevin - Christian had warned us to keep the starters light as the chef had prepared us a special main.  The pear salad, with thinly sliced small pears, frisée lettuce, little gems of Roquefort cheese, a delicious dressing and then literally teeny zings of orange, was delicious - every mouthful just burst with flavour.

Kevin had decided he really wanted a Monte Xenic red wine for our last meal, Martin had introduced us to this wine the last time we came to EPM and it's still one of our favourites.  So we relaxed with a glass until Christian came with our three main courses.......

The chef had prepared us a main course each of Duck Confit on a bed of herby potatoes and delicious braised apple and cinnamon.  This was accompanied by a sharing dish of Filet Mignon, cooked in a red wine reduction, with lobster sans shell.  Oh my, where to start - well for me, it was the duck, which was butter soft, melt in the mouth Devine and the accompanying cinnamon apple, even now I'm salivating! Both Christian and the chef knew duck was my favourite and they had conspired together to surprise me!   Seriously seriously delicious!!!  And the third main -  rich, deep, steak, with delicious soft buttery lobster.  Kevin was in his element!

We had said we would skip dessert, but Christian - the little devil - had let us relax for a time with the wine before bringing out another gorgeous surprise - the best one yet!!!  Two Chocolate baskets made from white and bitter dark chocolate, filled with soft dark chocolate mousse, complete with candles, and large blackberries, and 'happy anniversary' iced on the side with chocolate.  So whilst I was full, one taste and there was no way I was leaving it!!! They were so delicious and right up my street!  

One last surprise, Señor Martin brought us both over a special liqueur each which he thought would go with the chocolate dessert.  It was delicious as always - You can always trust Señor Martin to choose something perfect.  

Finally, our meal was over - we were fortunate enough to visit Señor Martin's wine cellar before we left and have a chance to spend a little bit more 'one to one' time with him, then a very quick au revoir to both Señor Martin and Señor Pedro as I was getting a bit teary by this time.  Until next time my friends 😘

After dinner a quick bye with Caesar and we retired back to our room to sleep - or so we thought! Nelson had arranged a romantic send off, rose champagne, a Marble slab of delicious chocolates, fruits and tarts, rose petal strewn floor and a rose petal strewn, foam bath jacuzzi.  Told you it was a perfect day, didn't I!!!  

Now, I'd like to finish with a romantic story, about how we both enjoyed the jacuzzi, sat sipping champagne whilst gazing into each other's eyes and how it was all so perfect..........but as you all know, Kev has a history with this jacuzzi, so this is what really happened.......

I thought it would be good to get a photo of him in the tub for the blog, Kev said, no, I'll take one of both of us using the timer on the camera.  So we both put cozzies on (no topless photos of me on the internet peeps!), moved the little side table into position, I gingerly got in (well I had had quite a bit to drink and didn't want to slip and beak my ankles on holiday again - long story!!!!........) and proceeded to pose so he could check the angles of the camera.  

Everything set up, choccies and champagne in the foreground, me ready with a glass of bubbly, smiling like a nutter! Kev then pressies the timer and literally leaps for the tub, does this mad flip, dive bombs and hits the water, which leaves the tub at 50 miles an hour straight up, then down on my head, drowning my 'perfect hair, champagne, chocolates, walls, towels etc.  Then, the camera flashes.  I took one look at him, then at my 'bubbly covered' champagne glass in my hand, then at the foam covered chocolates and literally fell back in the water laughing my head off!! You can take the boy out of the east end, but not the east end out of the boy!!!  

So that was our last full day, great or what?!!!  ;-)

Nearly at an end............

Ok with our holiday nearly at an end, we started yesterday by the revive bar, in 'our' spot.  We love this spot, we spent our last holiday there and with the exception of our days out and the one day at the beach, we've spent the last three weeks there - PJ we well and truly have these loungers under control - beaten into submission more like!!! Lol!

As usual the wonderfully attentive Emiliano looked after us, moving me gently through the day from sparkling water, to sparkling water with menthe, to mohitos, to strawberry mohito (a real surprise that one but yummy!) a gentle transition over many hours I should add! Lol!

Lunchtime saw us at the grill with Angel, my favourite herby chicken wrap for lunch, for Kevin mixed fajitas.  Gonna just comment about the salsa - I love the fresh salsa - lots of teeny pieces of tomato, onion and coriander -  it's delicious! but I especially love it in Toscana at lunchtime where I sprinkle one of the little dishes of it over my salad! Yum!

So after lunch we wandered back to the pool until 4.30ish, and then went in for a cool down and rest.  Kev to sleep, me to sit in the hot tub watching re-runs of friends and the Big Bang theory and again, I do mean the comedy show! Lol!

So last night saw us sipping Caesar's finest French martinis and g&Ts for Kev.  Caesar served Kev a drink up in a slanted glass - he thought he'd drunk too much at that point!! Lol!

Off we went to the flavour market for dinner - and oh what a dinner! We put ourselves in Luis's capable hands as the chef Señor Rafael wanted to make us something special and oh my, he did himself proud!!

A beautiful cheese and fruit platter to start, then a dish each with the famous steak and blue cheese topped with a grilled prawn, scallops on soft creamy risotto and lastly the most delicious price of Chilean Sea bass that actually melted in the mouth - everything tasted so good!!! Really well seasoned, and cooked to perfection.  Dessert was the little round chocolate ganache cakes, so good, but I really could do them justice !

This little restaurant is fabulous and we've loved every mouthful we've eaten there. The service bu Luis and the team, together with the ambience has put this restaurant at a close second to my favourite Chez.

Before we started dinner, Señor Martin had sent down a little Tempranillo for us to try - very dry, very aromatic with spices and a deep chocolate smell.  He then picked us out a delicious Merlot to go with dinner, he said it's a fairly new addition to the wine cellar and it was the perfect accompaniment.  I have to admit to learning so much from Señor Martin, were by no means experts, but everything he's chosen for us has been delicious!  Perhaps it just I'm a lush? Lol! ;-)

So a nightcap of brandy Alexander, then as we strolled back across cafe Kafe to our room there was a cracking salsa band playing, so I risked the mossies to sit and enjoy the late night music.  Perfect.

Ok staff member of the day - has to be Señor Rafael - perfection on a plate is all I have to say - and the foods good as well!! Lol!