I booked myself a package holiday to Cancun the other week. Part of me wants to laugh at myself about this. But first let me tell you the situation: I spend enough time in South Florida as it is (family ties), so I’m kinda over Miami and Fort Lauderdale. And for a beachy weekend getaway from Chicago, there are really only two tropical places you can easily get to on United Airlines, my airline of choice because of my miles. (Haters, don’t be hating.) The two places you can get to easily via a direct flight from Chicago most days of the week are Cancun, Mexico and San Juan, Puerto Rico. I do really like San Juan — especially the old Colonial part — but I like shrimp tacos better. (Although shrimp tacos are technically more a west coast of Mexico thing.) So Cancun it was. (I also toyed with Panama but it’s a longer flight. Some other time, perhaps.)

Anyhow, because it’s August in Mexico, you can get some pretty good deals. (British friends, take note. Because all the currencies are still in your favor.) So I ended up flying business class to Cancun and staying on the Club floor at The Ritz with food and booze all included — as long as I wasn’t expecting filet mignon or anything — for what I personally considered to be a decent deal. (Not a steal. A deal.) Other things for me to consider: I was by myself and I didn’t want to feel like I was interloping on anyone’s honeymoon — always a risk in a lot of Cancun hotels. So my options were fairly limited: the Westin, the JW Marriott, or The Ritz.

The Ritz it was it. And let me tell you…this place is OLD SKOOL. Pink marble everywhere, oil paintings, woodwork, brass. WOW. It all felt pretty weird and out of place in this very beachy, touristy town.

But…the beach out back was pretty fantastic. Really an awesome beach. I spent a lot of time in the water. I miss salt water.

And the SERVICE. The service was fantastic. Any time I turned around with the slightest thought of “Maybe I should…” someone was there to get me a drink or offer me a menu or bring me a cool towel.  When I left, one of the staff members HUGGED ME and in a nice way and not a creepy way.

The shrimp tacos poolside were awesome, if expensive.

And the Argentinian sparkling Chardonnay Malbec in the lounge was interesting and different and, well, it helped to pass the time as I read book after book after book and tried to figure life out. (Still working on that.)

Ohh…and there were BABY TURTLES waiting to be hatched! Everywhere! July – September is turtle season in Cancun.

The Ritz Carlton Cancun is about to undergo some major renovations, so I would stay away from here in the near-term. But come November or December, if you’re looking for a nice place to relax with classy service, this is a good choice. You could do worse. (Note that it’s not technically all-inclusive. But if you go for the Club Floor, you can definitely make three meals a day out of things.)

The post The Ritz Carlton, Cancun first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

I was in Mexico City for work back in September and somehow never got around to writing about it. I ate really well in the DF and the service was some of the best I’ve encountered in any country during my travels. And to make a sweeping generalization — only because of all the people who warned me to “Be careful” when they heard I was heading south of the border — I did not get kidnapped. So that was awesome. Heck, I even tempted fate by WALKING from my hotel to dinner one night and nothing happened to me! Imagine that!

While in Mexico City, I stayed at the Hotel Nikko, which I really really liked. I’d recommend it. The gym was great, room service was great, and the service was great. (Except for the maid who tried to get into my room at 8 am on a Saturday morning, but the more I travel, the more meaningless I find “Do Not Disturb” signs to be. Someone in the New York Times commented on this recently, how in a lot of countries, Do Not Disturb seems to mean more like, “Yes, please do disturb me. While I am naked. And bring twelve of your co-workers and the vacuum with you.”) The wifi was only free in the bar area, forcing me to drink some very lovely Mexican Chardonnays and Verdejos, so that was a bit of a bummer. But otherwise, I survived.

For lunch one afternoon, my co-workers took me to an inexpensive taco joint called El Lago de Los Cisnes that served up cheerful service AND cheerful tacos. And guacamole. And quesadillas. I rolled out of here pretty happy. I’m not sure if A Life Worth Eating’s write-up is of the same exact El Lago de Los Cisnes that I went to, but check it out for more details. The Verdict: Recommended for a cheap, filling and delicious lunch.

The next day, we hit El Refugio for a late lunch. (Well, a normal lunch for my Mexcian colleagues. A late lunch for me.) After the previous day’s joyous taco fest El Lago de Los Cisnes, I was really looking forward to this. But I was sadly disappointed. The mole was sweaty and the whole place smelled like someone’s damp basement. Now that’s a MAJOR turnoff. Plus, we asked for the bill at the end of the meal, and even my colleagues couldn’t believe how long it took for it to arrive. Slow slow service — apparently even for Mexican standards — and only average food. The Verdict: Not recommended. Apparently, it’s in all the guidebooks, so watch out.

And then even though I had just finished eating a few hours earlier, I took myself to Pujol for dinner. People of the world, Pujol is exactly why you should NEVER sit in your  hotel room alone on a business trip. This was one of the most beautiful meals of my entire life, from the service — THEY GAVE ME THE PASSWORD TO THEIR INTERNAL WIFI!!! — to the beer list (all Mexican and a HUGE list that made me want to come back just to drink beer) to the gorgeously gorgeous tasting menu. If you are in Mexico City in 2012 and assuming nothing changes in their kitchen, you MUST MUST go here. You can see all the photos over here on my Facebook fan page.  Maybe become a fan while you’re at it. I’d like that.

So despite one miss during my short sojourn in Mexico City, I had two tremendous hits, and my hotel was lovely too. I can’t wait to go back and explore some more!

The post Sleeping & Eating in Mexico City first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

The post Hello, Mexico. You’re beautiful. first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

I decided kinda last minute to go to Cancun for the weekend last weekend. I was miserably pale and — although I’m not a beach person — I really just wanted to be by the water. Being a Starwood member, I could have gone to the Westin for free with all my points, but I was sucked in by this idea of an all-inclusive resort and the #1 place on TripAdvisor. So I booked Le Blanc in CANCUN of all places. (Cancun being terribly touristy.) Sadly, there are only two places in the Caribbean you can get to via a direct commercial flight from Chicago in August — Cancun and Puerto Rico. (There are plenty of charter flights from Chicago, but I’ve heard too many horror stories.)

My initial 24 hours at Le Blanc were like a comedy of errors. Firstly, everyone on TripAdvisor talks about the Le Blanc Cadillac Escalade that picks you up at the airport. I just assumed this is what I had, but ended up in one of those terrible airport vans that drops people off at umpteen different hotels before you get to yours. For the record…I don’t do airport vans.

Upon arrival at the hotel, a member of staff greeted me with a cool glass of coconut milk…a very nice touch. Only problem? He had two. And wanted to know where my husband was. Then, upon check-in, the woman at the desk couldn’t tell if I had paid or not. At one point, she handed me a receipt that said twice the amount that I owed. Umm…I think there’s been a mistake. So she had to undo everything and we basically agreed I would pay any balance when I left because she wasn’t sure if they had already charged my card or not. This shouldn’t happen at what’s supposed to be a five star resort.

Then, they take me to my room. There’s a letter waiting for me. Only problem? I’m not Mr. Amato or whoever the letter was for. My butler was perplexed. “You are not Mrs. Amato?” No, really I’m not.

I sit on the oddly short King Size bed and exhale. Trying to relax.

I order room service. Gazpacho and ceviche. A gentleman arrives with my tray. He wants to know where my husband is. My fiance? No friends with me? No one? Really?

Yes, I took myself on vacation. For 2.5 days.

The view from my room was of the lagoon and front pool. And the parking lot and major thoroughfare. At night, I drifted off to sleep to the sound of tourist buses traversing Cancun. When I wasn’t listening to the people on both sides of me knocking boots, that is. (And the wall. It’s the headboard knocking against the wall that drives me insane.)

And sadly for this here Web site, around 6 pm each evening, the complimentary wifi would drag to a complete stop as people returned to their iPads to download movies for the evening. (The resort has in-room DVD players, but didn’t seem to have the ability to rent movies directly from the television.) My dreams of catching up on writing umpteen blog posts? Foiled.

Did I mention this all cost me $575 a night? Sigh.

Things started looking up on Day 2. The pool on the Caribbean was truly lovely. And the service was much better than the pool out front, where I was ignored for an entire hour before finally giving up and going inside. (Note that Le Blanc was pretty empty…August in the Caribbean. So being ignored was pretty painful, considering they had only two other people to wait on out front besides for me.)

The spa helped the resort redeem itself. This is where Le Blanc truly shines. The sauna, steam room, and baths are very well-done. And the 80 minute massage I had was awesome. (And $150 of the $180 cost was included in the price of my stay. Le Blanc gives you resort credits to spend, depending on the length of your booking.)

The gym was also pretty fantastic. Although I think I was one of only three people who used it while I was there. I’m the only person I know who goes on vacation to have time for exercise, apparently.

The breakfast buffet was also good. No one could complain about the selection or availability of any of their favorite foods. That being said, the room service menu had an odd lack of Mexican items on it. To the point where on my second evening, I had to call down and ask them to bring me something — anything — Mexican because I couldn’t find anything on the menu. The chicken tacos they sent up were awesome. Perhaps one of the best things I’ve eaten all year.

I’m writing this as my stay at Le Blanc comes to a close. They haven’t replaced my towels during my stay, despite the fact I left them balled up in a wet knot on the floor on both Saturday and Sunday. And this morning, my butler told me he’d come find me at breakfast to confirm my ride back to the airport. He’s a nice man, but it was an hour and forty-five minutes later when he found me at the pool because I gave up waiting at breakfast after about 40 minutes. He wanted me to get out of the pool to sign my receipt. Call me truculent, but I told him he could find me later. I was too busy relaxing. Sigh.

Vacations shouldn’t be this hard.

The Verdict: Meh. I had a better time and was more well-cared for at the Four Seasons…in DAMASCUS. Yes, Syria.

Book a Cancun Tour

The post Le Blanc Spa Resort, Cancun first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

So I will not bore you with individual write-ups of all the different restaurants I ate in Cancun. I’m going to do a quick round-up of my Cancun dining experiences and overall restaurant recommendations.

Before I departed, I did a lot of research on what blogs and boards were saying about Cancun restaurants. Howard reminded me that I should have checked the OA boards for the real deal given that in hindsight, I found very few Cancun restaurant recommendations online and the restaurant recommendations that I did find didn’t pan out all that well.

First night: Puerto Madero. Everyone on the Intertubes swears by this Argentinian steakhouse in Cancun. I liked the deck area outside. I liked the puffy potato chip “souffles.” But I thought the rest of the food was just grilled meat and veggies with not a whole lot of taste. (I did also like my mashed potatoes.) I feel very snobbish as I say this, but I think people who don’t dine out a lot would like it here. Oh, and I thought the service here was rushed, distracted, and a bit rude about the tip we left. (15%, exactly.)

Second Night: Hacienda El Mortero, as recommended by our hotel concierge. Really nice service. Huge-ass margaritas. Great mariachi band. I thought the food was trying too hard. My dish involved fire, a huge-ass slice of pineapple that I couldn’t have possibly ever eaten with a knife and fork, and jumbo shrimp splayed open on skewers. I did really like the refried beans, however. We actually ate here twice during our visit. The second visit involved WAY too much food. Four small barbecues for about 10 people. We could have done with 2 to 3 bbqss. VERY CLEAN LOOS.

Poloma Bonita: Smelled like dirty mop. And then I saw why. They really need to get new mops. I saw the mops sitting behind the bar and it was gross. Service insisted on dancing with me (mariachi band), which I wasn’t too thrilled about. (He had sweaty hands.) I liked the little touches here…specifically, they put two different types of butter on the table, which appeared to be wrapped in leaves of some sort. They explained both butters, but I promptly forgot. Our starters were served on a huge long plate and they did a very official job of explaining everything. My fajitas were good, despite the dirty mop. Also LOVED the Mexican coffee and the little cups it was served in.

Harry’s: Our first night in Cancun, our concierge offered this up as an option and I declined it because it was an “American steakhouse.” In hindsight, I would have gone here sooner. This place has a trendy vibe that I liked…great loos…it’s like you’re outside, but you’re not. I had a great salad to start–greens and beets and goat cheese. (I don’t normally eat beets. But it just felt right. So I did. And then I forgot about what happens when you eat a lot of beets and then, well, go #1 the next day. Talk about a scare!) My NY strip which was perfect. Loved the assortment of desserts at the end–glasses of cake! This was the best meal of the trip and a very clean and smart place. But remember I am a snob sometimes.

La Parilla: Dirty, dirty, dirty. The loos were awful. The floor was a mess. My enchiladas in mole sauce were overly mole’d. But then again, I am not Mexican so maybe they were the way they were supposed to be. But there was A LOT of sauce. The guac didn’t seem fresh to me.  And the service wouldn’t let up on me not drinking.

OK, so that’s that. I hope my Cancun restaurant recommendations will come in handy to those traveling to the Mayan Riviera in the not-so-distant future. Enjoy.

The post Cancun Restaurant Round-up first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: Thursday, July 26, 2007

The Victim: Mom

The Damage: $140 or thereabouts.

The Background: Have you read my About page? On it, I note that I will shove aside my Ethics policy (not accepting freebies) if Charlie Trotter invites me to dinner. (Mr. Trotter, if you didn’t know, is the proprieter of the eponymous restaurant in Chicago, one of the best restaurants in the U.S.)

Well, after dinner at C at The One & Only Palmilla, I’ll be removing that mention of Mr. Trotter. Charlie, you are dead to me.

The Drinks: We have a drink in the Palmilla bar before dinner. A Margarita for me, and a glass of Chardonnay for mom. The tab? $46. Now wonderful GBP/USD exchange rate aside, this is a rip off. Maybe they’re trying to price undesireables out of the resort, but give me a freakin’ break. $46 for two drinks and some (granted complimentary) STALE pretzels is highway robbery. But the view is nice. Although I get a little seasick, watching the waves crash on the rocks.

The Restaurant: There are large mixing bowls hanging from the ceiling. Well, actually, they look like UFOs. It’s really weird. I like the music though.

The Starter: We go with the Bento box. I ask our servers if that will be enough for two and they seem to suggest that it will not be enough. I am still sort of full from my FANTASTIC meal at Las Ventanas, so I ignore the server’s advice and we just order one bento box to split.

And you know what? It is the perfect amount of food for two people. There is a slice of beef that I cook up on a hot rock. There are two slices of tuna roll. There’s some seafood salad, and there’s some shrimp tempura. (The tempura is undercooked…it’s a wet mess. Delicious, but wet.)

The Mains: I ask the server for his recommendation and he points me to the grouper. It is served as little rolls, wrapped in an onion-y substance and on a bed of mashed potatoes. To be honest, I don’t think they should serve mashed potatoes in Cabo. It’s such comfort food, and it’s 99 degrees Farenheit outside. Give me something light and refreshing! Please! But no, it it mashed potatoes and then some mushroom reduction. It’s very wintery fare. I feel cheated. And very full. And the Grouper is dry.

Oh, and I forgot t o mention that they have Bluefin tuna on the menu. Isn’t this a no-no? Isn’t Bluefin overfished? Hasn’t even Japan agreed to cut back? I ask our server where the Bluefin comes from and he says it’s local, which I don’t think is true, but probably does clarify that they are serving Pacific Bluefin and not Atlantic Bluefin. But regardless, I am a bit disappointed that Charlie Trotter has elected to serve the Bluefin at his Cabo restaurant.

And lastly, my mother’s salmon is partially raw. Words cannot express! And I am too much on vacation to make an issue of it.

But honestly, for these prices? I don’t think so.

The Wine: I order a class of Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, which retails for less than $10 a bottle in the US. It’s on the menu for 230 pesos PER GLASS. That’s approximately $20 a glass. Now I know that shipping wine to Mexico is not the same as shipping it to Chicago so I do expect a little premium. But this seems ridiculous.

But the good news? They forget to put the wine on the check. Being the honest person I am, I point this out to them, and they give me the glass for free. Serves them right.

The Truffles: They bring us two little trays of truffles which are very nice.

The Bill: Now this is the funny part. In the confusion over the wine and the bill and the time it takes to flag someone down to point out the missing wine and whether or not they even take Amex, we get a little confused. My mother has had her AMEX on the table for a while. They come and look at the bill and they give me the wine for free. My mother signs the check and we leave. While I’m in the bathroom on our way out, it occurs to me that there was something wrong with the transaction. We signed a piece of paper. We showed them our AMEX and asked if they accept it. They brought us truffles. They even held out our chairs as we left the table.

But I swear to God that they never swiped the card.

And I am right. I go back out to our server and ask him to check the bill. He assures me everything is fine. But then goes in the back and is gone for what seems like ages. He returns and says he needs our room number. But we are not staying in the hotel! I give them our AMEX again and they disappear with it and finally the transaction is complete.

The Verdict: Not so impressed with C. I have been waiting to eat under the leadership of Charlie Trotter forever. But between the wet tempura, the raw salmon and the dry grouper and general wintery fare, I say eh.

The post Cabo San Lucas: C first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: 27 July 2007

The Victim: Mom

The Damage: Roughly $140 for two for lunch.

The Background: Nick San was fantastic, but I am STILL so mad about Mi Casa that I am looking for ways to eradicate the entire waste of a dining experience from my memory. I decide that we should have a Day of Me (or Mi, as the case might be) and I take us to Las Ventanas for an outrageously expensive lunch.

Las Ventanas is the type of hotel that doesn’t have a sign out front. So we go around and around in a big circle a few times before finally figuring out that that big weird white gate is IT. We are met at the gate by security and I have to give our last name and reason for visiting.

The Entrance: We are met at the front of the hotel and greeted by name. They take away the rental car (a gray minivan…very stylish, just like me) and a member of staff walks us all the way to the restaurant, which is open-air, facing the Pacific. It is beautiful. And I feel very expensive.

The Starters: They bring us some homemade tortilla chips, along with some guacamole, Mexican salsa (the chopped up tomato kind), and regular salsa (the more saucy American kind). They also bring me a huge margarita, and it is so ginormous and so delicious that I ponder it sadly, knowing that I will have to leave the majority behind because I am driving the sexy gray minivan (or people carrier, as the case may be).

Now all this might sound just a little bit not-exciting. Chips and salsa and a margarita? You can get that at TGI Fridays. But it was all in the lovely little details. The explanation of the salsas served, the information about the tequila in my margarita, the way they called my mother "Senorita." It was all just so very nice. Plus, I really want that tablecloth.

More Starters: We get the trio of seafood salad–ceviche, three ways, more or less. And it is unbelievably good. There are four mussels and it’s like they were just plucked from the sea. Never have I had mussels so fat and lovely and delicious. (And you should know that I’ve eaten a lot of mussels in my day. This one time, when I was about 12, my father took us to Maine for two weeks and we visited every all-you-eat-seafood-bar up and down the coast, where they frequently served mussels by the BUCKET. Buckets muy grande.) There is thinly sliced fish served with avocado. And a light seafood salad that we scoop up with the homemade tortilla chips.

The Mains: I order seafood salad and it comes with a whole avocado, sliced up perfectly. The seafood salad itself is amazing. There’s octopus in there and I fall in love with Las Ventanas forever. Honestly, the seafood salad is just so fresh and it’s dusted in just the right amount of citrus juice. I am in heaven.

The View: Amazing.

The Verdict: When can I move in?

The post Cabo San Lucas: The Restaurant at Las Ventanas first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: 26 July 2007

The Victim: Mom

The Damage: About $100 USD

The Background: I am still so very upset about my dinner at Mi Casa. I hate wasting a meal. I hate spending good money on bad food. And I hate that every time I think about my dinner at Mi Casa, my gag reflex kicks in. It was just THAT bad.

So I am nervous about my meal tonight. I don’t want to repeat the same mistake. But everyone on Chowhound says Nick San is good. (But then again, lots of people on Chowhound also recommended Mi Casa.) I am also a bit nervous because we are going to a JAPANESE restaurant in Mexico. Am I crazy? Have I lost my mind?

The Food: Is amazing. We start with soft shell crab and my mother can’t stop talking about how good it is. And I am right there with her. It just melts in your mouth. And it’s just the tiniest bit spicy. Really, it’s amazing. I debate ordering a second platter, but my server assures me the rest of our selections will be just as good. My mouth is watering as I write this, by the way. My mother says she would have eaten all of the soft shell crab in the kitchen if she could have.

We order some gyoza–pot stickers. They are big and beautiful. And they taste even better. Really. Again, it’s all I can do to stop ordering seconds. (Not ordering seconds was made easier by the somewhat ridiculous price tag…150 pesos for four gyoza. That’s about $3.50 USD per dumpling.)

And then up comes the spicy tuna roll and it too is gorgeous and delicious. Mi Casa is now a distant memory. I am taking pictures of my food–something you will note I rarely do because it makes me feel awkward. But there is no stopping me at Nick San.

The only non-standout dish was the veggie tempura, but that’s okay. It’s good, it just pales in comparison to everything else. (My mother says that everything else made the tempura seem "boring.")

The Drinks: Washed down with a lovely Negro Modelo and a Sake-tini. (A martini made with Sake.) Perfect.

The Excitement: My mother gets a little tipsy and "loses" her credit card. The taxi driver races us back to the restaurant, the restaurant staff is just so helpful and concerned. And guess what?

It was in my mother’s purse the entire time. 

The post Cabo San Lucas: Nick San first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: Tuesday, July 25, 2007

The Victim: Mom

The Damage: About $100 USD.

I’m in Cabo for the wedding of Feathers and Matt. You may know them from previous posts. I decide to head out to Mexico a few days early because last time I flew to the west coast, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck for days on end. Jetlag–sometimes it gets you, sometimes it doesn’t.

Being the good daughter that I am, I decide to bring my mom along with me. Also being the person I am, I’ve done a ton of research before heading over the pond, and I’ve booked a few restaurants in advance. The first restaurant is Mi Casa, which comes highly recommended by pretty much every food board and guidebook. And it’s Mexican. And despite last week’s visit to Mercado, I’m suffering withdrawal.

The Entrance: You have to walk through the gift shop before you can get to your table. ( That’s it in the picture.)

The Decor: I can see why some people would like the inside of Mi Casa. I like the lighting…there are really pretty lanterns hanging everywhere. It’s very colorful.

The Food: Is gross. Disgusting. I am so terribly disappointed. I start with the tortilla soup, which a lot of people have raved about. Well, it tastes like Campbell’s tomato soup with Fritos in it, but not as good. There’s some sour cream and a piece of avocado too. But for 55 pesos, or roughly $5 USD, I’m just disappointed.

And my main? UGGGH. It’s a poblano pepper stuffed with seafood. Now doesn’t that sound nice? Fresh and delicious? Well, I don’t think the seafood was fresh at all–my gag reflex is kicking in as I write this, it was so yucky–and the dish was smothered in cheese. Cheese and seafood just don’t seem to go together. Yuk. Yuk. YUCK!

My mother had some sea bass which was nice enough, but it was served with white rice and what looked like Birdseye vegetables. That’s what I call a ripoff at $20 USD. (And a high margin dish.) Now they did deliver some corn tortillas and some salsa, which was a nice touch. I took half a tortilla and wrapped it around some sea bass and thought that was nice. But just nice.

The Bottled Water: A bottle of San Pelligrino set us back 95 pesos, or roughly $9 USD. Now that’s a GRANDE ripoff. (Or is it Ripoff Grande?)

The Loos: Could use a stiff, stiff cleaning.

The Verdict: Yikes. I don’t know why everyone loves this place. I thought it was pretty freaking average.  And $9 USD for a bottle of sparkling water? I think not.

The post Cabo San Lucas: Mi Casa first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: Tuesday, July 25, 2007

The Victim: Mom

The Damage: About $100 USD.

I’m in Cabo for the wedding of Feathers and Matt. You may know them from previous posts. I decide to head out to Mexico a few days early because last time I flew to the west coast, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck for days on end. Jetlag–sometimes it gets you, sometimes it doesn’t.

Being the good daughter that I am, I decide to bring my mom along with me. Also being the person I am, I’ve done a ton of research before heading over the pond, and I’ve booked a few restaurants in advance. The first restaurant is Mi Casa, which comes highly recommended by pretty much every food board and guidebook. And it’s Mexican. And despite last week’s visit to Mercado, I’m suffering withdrawal.

The Entrance: You have to walk through the gift shop before you can get to your table. ( That’s it in the picture.)

The Decor: I can see why some people would like the inside of Mi Casa. I like the lighting…there are really pretty lanterns hanging everywhere. It’s very colorful.

The Food: Is gross. Disgusting. I am so terribly disappointed. I start with the tortilla soup, which a lot of people have raved about. Well, it tastes like Campbell’s tomato soup with Fritos in it, but not as good. There’s some sour cream and a piece of avocado too. But for 55 pesos, or roughly $5 USD, I’m just disappointed.

And my main? UGGGH. It’s a poblano pepper stuffed with seafood. Now doesn’t that sound nice? Fresh and delicious? Well, I don’t think the seafood was fresh at all–my gag reflex is kicking in as I write this, it was so yucky–and the dish was smothered in cheese. Cheese and seafood just don’t seem to go together. Yuk. Yuk. YUCK!

My mother had some sea bass which was nice enough, but it was served with white rice and what looked like Birdseye vegetables. That’s what I call a ripoff at $20 USD. (And a high margin dish.) Now they did deliver some corn tortillas and some salsa, which was a nice touch. I took half a tortilla and wrapped it around some sea bass and thought that was nice. But just nice.

The Bottled Water: A bottle of San Pelligrino set us back 95 pesos, or roughly $9 USD. Now that’s a GRANDE ripoff. (Or is it Ripoff Grande?)

The Loos: Could use a stiff, stiff cleaning.

The Verdict: Yikes. I don’t know why everyone loves this place. I thought it was pretty freaking average.  And $9 USD for a bottle of sparkling water? I think not.

The post Cabo San Lucas: Mi Casa first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.