Life's a Beach | Expat Life in Playa del Carmen

A few months back, as you may recall, I took a day trip to Isla Mujeres with a nice gentleman named Frank. The purpose of our trip was to look at Casa Ixchel as a possible investment opportunity for him and a group he had put together back in the States. Well, it turns out that Frank did buy Casa Ixchel and we closed on it just recently. This sale, above all others, was bittersweet for me. I really enjoyed having the sale of the hotel as an excuse to visit the island and had grown quite fond of the staff, particularly Miguel who was always there to welcome us and kept Casa Ixchel in tip top shape. I wasn't sure exactly what Frank and his partners had in mind for the future of this beautiful little place.....secretly hoping he wouldn't really change a thing. As luck would have it, Frank likes Casa Ixchel just the way it is and with the exception of turning over the kitchen to a professional chef and opening an intimate restaurant onsite, doesn't plan on making any drastic changes. Even Miguel is staying on in his capacity as manager. This is good news to all the people who visit Casa Ixchel every year for a bit of solitude and rest. One such person is Misty Tosh, TV producer, food writer, photographer, wanton wanderer and student of the world and all of its mysteries. Her blog Big Sweet Tooth is one of my very favorites. Her adventures in Mexico and around the globe keep me enthralled for hours on end. In years past, under previous ownership, Casa Ixchel had been the location of choice for the PURE Pilates Retreat organized by Misty and some of her friends. I was delighted when the following email from Misty appeared in my Inbox this morning.

Hi everyone! Hope you guys are ready to head to Mexico, because our PURE Pilates Retreat is heading back to Isla Mujeres in 2009!!

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This next PURE retreat will shake down from January 27 - February 1, 2009 and once again, our favorite beach-side inn, Casa Ixchel, is hosting us! We can't wait to go back to the lovely Isla again and see all our old friends, check in our volunteering situations, learn a bit more Spanish (we've added a Spanish 101 class to the package),

pound out some Pilates by the beach,and eat our way around the island (we've added a foodie tour of Isla Mujeres to the package, as well).

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We've also added some other goodies to the package, so we really hope to see you all there in January

Space is limited, so please see website for all the details.

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And, in other good news....

We cut the fee a bit, so for $1699 (single) or $1199 (share), you get:

5 nights/6 days accommodations at Casa Ixchel

2 invigorating Pilates classes per day

Homemade breakfast each morning

An indigenous cooking workshop (with cocktails, of course)

A snorkeling excursion to Isla Contoy, an uninhabited bird sanctuary

A Learn-the-Basics Spanish 101 class

A guided foodie tour of Isla Mujeres

A full day of volunteering

All pilates mats and equipment are provided for your use and

A one-on-one Matt & Jen evaluation is also included in the fee.

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And, of course, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

See ya soon (hopefully in Mexico),
Misty