Palapas on the beach

The beach at Playa del Carmen is clean white sand and clear, turquoise sea. The sky is blue with fluffy clouds every so often, the sun incredibly bright and scorching. The palm trees and palapas - the thatched sunshades - rustle in the breeze.

Our hotel, Las Palapas, prides itself on its rustic charm with rooms in separate cottages, or rather, cabanas. Some were right on the beach, others in the garden area along with the restaurants and bar, while others were in a more private part of the grounds, reached by winding paths and surrounded by lush vegetation and with a feel of the jungle. We were in the latter zone. No television or radio, but a nice big verandah with hammocks and comfy chairs for relaxing, screened by various palms and purple bourgainvilleas. Idyllic and an ideal setting for a lazy get-away-from-it-all holiday.

A very lazy time was had by all but we also put in some solid graft too. I'm most proud of my little hand-painted treasure chest - all me own work! One of the 'activities' available was to sit in the shade by the pool and paint various ceramics which were taken away and glazed over-night. It took ages to paint the chest, tongue sticking out in concentration trying to get it just right. Lots of mistakes on it but I'm pleased! And, luckily, I got some new, shiny 10 peso coins to put in my little treasure chest in lieu of pirate doubloons!

There were a lot of bright, colourful ceramics available in town (and virtually everywhere) so I bought a little sun to hang on the wall to remind me of lazy days on the beach...