Cozumel’s Garden Resort - Villablanca

Written by Bobbi Buchanan


Cozumel’s Garden Resort - Villablanca

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Flying into Cozumel always feels like coming home. I am a long way and another lifetime fromrepparttar place I call home, so this is a special feeling. This particular trip I was discovering thatrepparttar 138463 home of my childhood was reaching out again.

My friend, Lena, and I are traveling alone together, minus family. The first time it is excruciatingly painful to leaverepparttar 138464 kids. This time it is proving to be a wise choice. We are reconnecting to a part of us that is not wife, mother, businesswoman, or teacher. We are simply women. We can sleep in or stay out late with no one to worry about. My friend is a runner and heads out early to seerepparttar 138465 sunrise. I am a reader and watchrepparttar 138466 sunset from my lounge chair. We both like to write and dance and see allrepparttar 138467 sights fromrepparttar 138468 top-of-the-line restaurants torepparttar 138469 hole-in-the-wall hot dog stand, fromrepparttar 138470 big yacht torepparttar 138471 tiny canoes, and fromrepparttar 138472 developed beaches withrepparttar 138473 ever-ready cabana boys, torepparttar 138474 wild rocky shores splashing with rough seas. We rememberrepparttar 138475 past, cherishrepparttar 138476 present, and planrepparttar 138477 future. We challenge each other to greater things, cry and heal together over great hurts, and generally help each other make life changes we have been avoiding. Then, we go home to be better at allrepparttar 138478 roles we hold.

We are heading down to Cozumel for a few days lounging around Villa Blanca, so we are naturally excited. Despite several trips to Cozumel, I could not recall that particular hotel. I asked my teenage daughter (also my computer guru) to do a little on-line research for me. As soon as she heardrepparttar 138479 name she exclaimed, “Mom, that'srepparttar 138480 hotel withrepparttar 138481 shark! You, know,repparttar 138482 one you always want to stay in every time we drive by."

Villa Blanca is onrepparttar 138483 road about a mile south from San Miguel. It is just acrossrepparttar 138484 road fromrepparttar 138485 sea and not too far from a public swimming beach andrepparttar 138486 lighthouse. You notice firstrepparttar 138487 lush tropical hibiscus hedges surroundingrepparttar 138488 gleaming white walls that front it. There's a huge white shark watching overrepparttar 138489 reception area. Every time I drove by I murmured a wish to stay there. And since we drove by about a hundred times over several trips to Cozumel,repparttar 138490 children just rolled their eyes when I said it. Yet more than justrepparttar 138491 beauty ofrepparttar 138492 hotel, there is something calling me, making me feel I had been there before.

We drive up on a glorious Caribbean day. The white ofrepparttar 138493 pillars reflectrepparttar 138494 bright sunshine; a mild breeze blows offrepparttar 138495 sea carrying with itrepparttar 138496 hint of far away places. There are places you go that are nice and then you leave and it becomes just a vague pleasant memory. There are places where you walk in and you know immediately you have come home — a place you would come home to if you could live in a soothing, elegant space in which your every need is attended to. We step intorepparttar 138497 cool ofrepparttar 138498 reception area, check in quickly, then we are given our room number. Juan carries our luggage and in numerous other ways rescues two ladies in distress; he is there with a smile that never wavers despite vast quantities of luggage. While we explore our room, lean over our balcony, and make ourselves at home, Juan sees to our bags and makes sure all was in order. Being copious drinkers, of water that is, we are delighted byrepparttar 138499 large five gallon water jug in our room. Many hotels on Cozumel provide a two-liter bottle each day and charge dearly for any extras. We are cheap at heart withrepparttar 138500 habit of stopping at Chedraui’s (the local grocery) to pick up gallons of water — not much fun to haul around town (we generally walked everywhere). So this is a delightful introduction to our home away from home — an annoying, time consuming and expensive detail avoided.

To See and To Be Seen – The Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs

Written by Kim and Don Tatera


To See and To Be Seen – The Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com

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Having lived in Southern California for over twelve years, I was beginning to think that I would never see anyone famous, let alone live like anyone famous. How wrong I was!

Beingrepparttar oldest child of baby boomers has its definite advantages. I knowrepparttar 138417 songs and movies of days gone by. You know, those classic movies in "black and white" and those songs on vinyl records. I enjoyrepparttar 138418 crooning of Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, and Frank Sinatra. Give me a Doris Day and Rock Hudson movie any time. Having grown up with these memorable movies and music, I feel as if I was born inrepparttar 138419 wrong era.

Fortunately for people like me, there isrepparttar 138420 Ingleside Inn of Palm Springs, California.

Melvyn Haber's Ingleside Inn and Restaurant is a short distance fromrepparttar 138421 famed Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. Behindrepparttar 138422 wrought-iron gates winds a sweeping, tree lined driveway that you could imagine seeing Carole Lombard arriving at in a big black limousine. Withrepparttar 138423 lovely views of Mt. San Jacinto inrepparttar 138424 background andrepparttar 138425 gracious service and privacyrepparttar 138426 Inn staff offers, it is easy to understand whyrepparttar 138427 "in" crowd of Hollywood cherishes this quaint, antique filled, yet aristocratic resort.

Recently, my mother and I arrived inrepparttar 138428 early afternoon. Pulling up torepparttar 138429 lobby throughrepparttar 138430 tree-lined drive was definitely a moment to savor. The vine-covered veranda ofrepparttar 138431 lobby building gaverepparttar 138432 feeling that one might see George Hamilton sitting there relaxing, enjoying a Cosmopolitan. Once we parked and enteredrepparttar 138433 exquisitely furnished lobby with its wood-burning fireplace, Armida (withrepparttar 138434 Inn) graciously checked us in to our suite,repparttar 138435 Floral Room onrepparttar 138436 Fountain Courtyard.

As we enteredrepparttar 138437 Floral Room, we were quick to notice thatrepparttar 138438 title ofrepparttar 138439 suite was very appropriate. The plush, bright azure carpeting complementedrepparttar 138440 beautifully matching floral patterned chairs, bedding and drapery. This rich texture and color was improved upon byrepparttar 138441 well-appointed antique furniture and marble mantle ofrepparttar 138442 wood-burning fireplace. Imagine pullingrepparttar 138443 drapery betweenrepparttar 138444 sitting room andrepparttar 138445 bedroom area closed after a night of romantic dining and dancing with that someone special. I am sure that Lily Pons, who visited for a weekend and ultimately stayed 13 years inrepparttar 138446 next-door suite, must have appreciatedrepparttar 138447 same thought. The large bathroom withrepparttar 138448 walk-in marbled shower with bench seat was beautifully lit with shimmering crystal sconces. The double French doors inrepparttar 138449 bedroom led torepparttar 138450 bougainvillea covered, semi-private patio with chaise lounge chairs in which to relax and enjoyrepparttar 138451 well-maintained grounds.

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