A day at Las Hadas

When I tell people I’ve booked a week in Mexico at the same all-inclusive resort that I’ve been to twice before, I get looks of disbelief. It seems too slow & easy and same-old, same-old for me. But if I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that occasionally I need to slow down. It’s a concept that’s difficult for me, but once I’m there, I’m pretty good at doing almost nothing.

It’s never hard to convince Ben to go on a week of R&R, and luckily his parents Jo&Henry have been willing companions as well.

I’m not sure how much to tell you about Las Hadas because part of me wants it remain my secret. It’s not your typical all-inclusive; no activities, no entertainment which leads to the best thing… no loud music, no yahoos and no having to run down early in the morning to save a seat at the beach. The amazing thing about Las Hadas is that it always feels virtually empty. And while that emptiness and the quietness that it brings may make people think it’s sleepy, what that does bring is amazing service, made-to-order meals and best of all, front row seats at the beach every day.

Las Hadas probably best know as the resort where the movie “10” took place. Most people give me a strange look when I mention that, like they have no clue what I’m talking about. But maybe this image will refresh your memory:

In its day, Las Hadas was a celebrity hot spot. You can still experience the beauty of the resort, even though the rooms are a bit dated.

The way I adjust to moving slowing down and doing “nothing” is through routine, and I love my Las Hadas routine.

On the first few days of being there, because I haven’t adjusted to the 2 hour time change, I wake up as the sun is rising and trek out to enjoy the magical sunrise.

I love feeling like I have the whole resort to myself.

My morning starts with a coffee. Henry and I have gotten around bad in-room coffee by going down to the restaurant in the morning and getting a carafe filled to bring back to the room. I like to spend the first hour or 2 in my day writing or photo editing while catching the morning sun.

When hunger gets the best of me, I begin my most arduous task of the day, (applying my first coat of sunscreen) and then head down for breakfast.

The breakfast restaurant sits behind the pool but I’m not a pool person, so this is as close as I get to it all day.

This is my favourite meal of the day on the resort, although I was a bit sad that there wasn’t as many Mexican choices as I’d seen in the past. But how can you go wrong with bacon and eggs with a side of watermelon and papaya each day?

And I love the green juice!

After breakfast, it’s a short walk to the beach where we pick out our seats and Pedro lays out some lounge beds (recámara) for us. Here is where I spend my day.

Seeing that it’s a private beach, the only distraction from my reading is when the servers come by to see if you need anything. Water, limonata, or cerveca… anything you want you can have. Decisions, decisions.

Another tough decision is figuring out if I should go with the fishies now or in 10 minutes.

We used to eat lunch at the beach but through experience, we’ve learned that by leaving the beach to go to the restaurant, we can eat some amazing food.

The most flavourful spinach salad with smoked salmon. I had this almost every day.

Having salmon seemed wrong, but this salad was surprisingly delicious.

Xochitl broth (chicken rice soup) with additions of avocado, cilantro, onion and tomato.

And because we were on vacation, of course we’d have a dessert at lunch.

If you don’t want to leave the beach or if you want something simple or greasy you can order a burger/hot dog/guacamole/club sandwich. The find for this year was simple sincronizada.

My afternoon is a repeat of the morning, where hours are spent reading and sleeping. And of course, there’s drinking to pass the time as well.

After such a strenuous day, the early evening is spent napping. A quick change into a summery dress and sandals and then off to enjoy my other favourite part of the day, Happy Hour. Ok, there isn’t technically a HH, but we usually sit in the lounge for an hour, and it makes me happy!

As I said in the beginning, Las Hadas is very quiet, so a lot of time you get the whole lounge to yourself. Last year the bar was seats of choice, this year another group claimed that area as theirs but we relaxed into the couches without complaint. By now in the day, I’ve slowed down enough that it feels a little taxing on the brain to decide whether or not I want a piña colada, margarita or a sipping tequila. No matter though, the most wonderful bartender Ephraim will make you something special no matter what you order.

In previous visits, the resort put a bit more effort into their theme nights by moving them to different locations around the site. This year, they kept with the theme nights, but all were served in their main restaurant. I’m not complaining though. Dinner at Los Delphines restaurant start with a lime margarita served in a lovely hand-blown glass with time taken to stare out at the water and to be thankful I’m not at the resort around the corner pumping out the loud music. I know I’m somewhere special.