Friday Day 11 - Barcelona Review

Last night, we headed to Barcelona for a great meal!

Going to say straight up that I hate the new decor, no tablecloths, bare tables, mats and new chairs.  Theres a real noisy canteen feel that I dont associate with elegance at all.  The noise was quite loud and tinny in there, however......the food was really good!

A starter of white asparagas Salad

Delicious tomato soup

Surf and turf - with melt in the mouth short rib of beef

And a chocolate and creme caramel dessert......notice the cinnamon stick for decoration? Well Mrs Bradjolly ate it thinking it was a chocolate cigar wafer! Quick as a flash, Fiona said 'youll be farting christmas later' - literally fell off our chairs laughing!!!

A wonderful meal that more than made up for lasts night spice meal!

😉😉😉

Wednesday - Friday Days 10-12 - busy doing nothing!

So busy doing not much.  Only so many ways you can say we Eat,, Sleep, Drink, Repeat! Lol!

Our days have melded into a routine, lazy river lazing, napping, pre-dinner drinkies, dinner, then bed.  Nothing much changes day to day! Lol!

Ill write a seperate review of the restaurants over the last few days, we've had the good, the bad, and the downright shocking! Lol!

Fiona, Marcus, Kevin & Dale took the jet skis out this week.   Normally theyre $70 each for 30 minutes,  but Fiona negotiated a discount as they had four bikes $50 each for 30 minutes.

Next, just want to comment about two fantastic lunchtimes, Reggae Wednesday, and Rock n'Burger Friday - both at Las Olas on the beach.  Great food, great live bands and the super hardworking Alan who keeps everyone happy with beer and soft drinks!  Seriously good fun both days!

Enjoy!

Sunday Day 7 - re-united with old friends

A lazy day Sunday. Lol! Busy doing nothing!  We wanted to take it easy as we were off to Chichen Itsa first thing on Monday morning.  However, Carolina had arranged for us to visit the Sommelier Martin at the finest in the evening.  

So, 7.45pm, we were escorted across to the finest by Nelson.   Its a short walk, much nearer than I realised, and I was excited to see the lovely Martin, who we had met and spoken to many times in previous years.

Once we walked through the hotel doors, we could appreciate the modern architecture and design of the finest.   There was the usual staircase to a round lit martini bar central to the hotel lobby area.  The furnishings are paired back, comfortable, but stark in comparison to EPM.  However, one of the first things you notice is the noise! The hum drum of children!! Its a bit of a shock to the system seeing so many young people runing around! Im guessing there will be times in the year when it has more of an adults feel, but for the end of july, it was rammed!! Lol! 

Nelson left us in the care of Senor Martin, who had asended the staircase like a gazelle, obviously much practiced daily! It was wonderful to see him, truly.  I had a huge smile on my face as we hugged like old friends.  Its so wonderful to see him back with the excellence group.

Carolina had arranged for us to dine in their only adults only restaurant, Le Petit Plaisir, very similar to food style to Chez at EPM, but the decor is more paired back.  

Before we started a meal we were given a tour of Martins new wine cellar, which takes up a complete wall in the restaurant, a real upgrade from his teeny cupboard in chez! It was wonderful to see him speak about some of the rare wines he now stocks, Martin's obvious passion for wine is inspiring. 

Kevin had bought Martin a little pressie, which is why we wanted to see him, which he gave to him whilst we were in the cellar.  He was really pleased and touched that we'd thought of him.

So, after our tour, we headed back into the restaurant to dine.  Martin had spoken about a lovely argentinian malbec, so we ordered that and a bottle of scrummy prosecco to go with our meal.

I choose duck pate then filet steak.  We shared some rather good cheeses and I finished with a little passion fruit dessert and Kahlua over ice.

At the end of our meal, we had some lovely photos taken with Martin, before heading back to Home.  It was a truly memorable evening and a big big thankyou to Carolina for arranging it.

Friday - Day 5 Wine Celler and Rock n'Burger!

Two more different dining experiences in one day today!!! For lunch we headed down to Los Olas for my favourite hour on the beach 'Rock n' burger' where a live band sets up and plays classic rock music.  Seriously, it doesnt get much better than sitting, sipping a cold one, listening to music everyone knows, and gazing out on a turquoise blue ocean.  Heaven!! And the foods good too! Bugers fries and all the trimmings!great way to break up the day and once again Alan worked his socks off keeping all the guests happy.  Bliss!

This evening was in complete contrast.  We had booked the private dining room at chez - The wine cellar.  For those that havent been before, its a glass room, inside the french restaurant Chez.  A private dining experience can be booked here, the cost is a minimum spend of $100 per couple on wine. (Not a problem for us!)  The sommelier will discuss your wine preferences with you and help you choose a wine to your liking.  The menu is the same menu as chez.  Id advise booking well in advance as its very very popular.  Its a lovely experience and I can definatly recommend if you have a special occasion to celebrate whilst at EPM.

Here are some photos of our evening.

With Raul's help, We choose a delicious crisp white reisling and two bottles of the wonderful Icaro red. Perfect pairings with our meal.

For dinner, I choose the pear and blue cheese salad, the filet mignon and the cheese platter.  Really good food, beatifully presented.

After dinner we retired to the martini bar for a quick nightcap.  Another lovely day.