Wisconsin, you take the cheese!

Wisconsin, known for their cheese and love for beer is somewhere Nick and I love to visit each year.  Between the nice people, and miles and miles of uninhabited land, make it for a close little getaway that helps reset our mind and calm us from the hustle and bustle of city living.  Nick and I, along with four of our dear friends, took a quick weekend trip to Merrimac, Wisconsin to stay at "the cabin" owned by some great friends, Jodi and Rich who are so kind in allowing us to use it from time to time.  We stopped by Woodman's Market, an employee-owned massive supermarket.  It is based out of Wisconsin, but has a few locations in Illinois.  They had items from Simple Mills that I always love.  Being based out of Chicago, I have really enjoyed watching them grow.  Their dessert mixes and crackers are always a go-to for us! Woodman's has a good amount of gluten-free foods, so we stocked up on goodies and headed up to the cabin.  They also have ANYTHING else you may need....they have EVERYTHING.  Craziest thing I have ever seen.

This is our dessert from Driftless Glen. 

We headed up from a crazy, icy winter in Chicago, for an even more snowy and icy environment in Wisconsin.  We figured the cabin would be super cozy and perfect.  It was absolutely gorgeous seeing the snow covered ground only interrupted by the footprints of animals living in the wild.  It was very serene and just what we were hoping for.

We did not feel like cooking on Friday night, so we headed out to a "supper club" in Portage, Wisconsin.  Those are so intriguing to me.  We never really had those back in NC.  Well, google stated that the one we were going to was open, but upon arrival at Trail's Lounge Supper Club, they were closing.  We were super bummed.  The man that came out to talk to us was extremely kind.  I was looking forward to their less than $5 wine.  Oh well, maybe next time.

                                       

We scooted down the street to Tamarack Pizza.  They are well known for their pizza, steak

sandwich, and burgers.  I ordered a steak sandwich ($8.95) without bread and a side of chili after the server said the chili is made from scratch by the owner.  The chili was delish!  The first bite of steak immediately stopped me in my tracks.  I asked them if there was a marinade.  She confirmed my fears and stated it was Worcestershire! I knew I was hosed.  Always be careful with Worcestershire sauce.  Often times when Malt Vinegar and/or Soy Sauce is present, the meal is going to contain my nemesis, gluten.  Laura ordered a burger ($4.95) sans bun and I had a bite and it was DELICIOUS!!  They charged extra for lettuce and tomato ($.55) which was frustrating since you are paying for a bun you are not receiving, but the flavor was so good, that I ordered one of those.  I could not eat the fries since they are fried with everything else.  The boys ordered pizza and I made sure to steer clear.  They had Tito's vodka and wine that I knew I was safe drinking, so what could have been a disaster turned out just fine and left me with a belly full of happiness!  I also should add that they have penny slots which are super fun except for the fact I lost $10 in 2 minutes, but who is counting?! I walked back to my seat with my head hanging low and sipped my drink in defeat.

Their prices are AWESOME!

This was my JAM!! 

My chili from Tamarack.

Stay away from this steak,  it has a gluten marinade.
Remember to ALWAYS ASK!

The Jambalya

The next morning, Mike made a tasty breakfast in which we included mimosas.  He made a sweet potato hash that was delightful.  I definitely need that recipe.  For a late lunch, we headed to Driftless Glen Distillery located in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Nick and I had been there a couple of times prior and wanted to make sure to introduce our friends to one of our spots.  They have the BEST S'mores Moonshine!! As for GF food options, they have salads just like most places, but also have a GF jambalaya ($13).  Laura and I split the entree sized Greek Salad ($11), which had the perfect balance of ingredients.  Their balsamic is some of the best I have had.  They carry flavorful, unique olive oils from Reneè.  They have samples set out for you to try.  We highly recommend it.  The jambalaya was ok.  Not the best jambalaya I have had, but I did like the kick that stemmed from the Andouille sausage and spicy Creole rice.  I feel like it needed more shrimp that had a little more of a juicy flavor.

The Bee's Knees Martini

Oh how could I forget?  MY DRINKS!  I started out with a lovely Bee's Knees Martini ($10).  It was the Bee's Knees, lemme tell ya!  It is made with 114 PROOF Gin that they call Navy Strength Gin.  The use Reneè's Honey-Ginger White Balsamic which I know sounds odd, but trust me...you have to try this.  They add their own honey and lemonade and BAM...it was so tasty that it basically evaporated from my glass. I am a sucker for their S'mores Rivershine Moonshine, so after lunch, I was in a food coma and getting sleepy, so how could I turn down a cocktail that included their magnificent S'mores Rivershine and some much needed espresso? I couldn't, so I ordered their Snowdrift cocktail ($8).  Well I guess it did not "technically" include the S'mores Rivershine, but yet their regular Rivershine Moonshine, so I asked the sweet server if I could substitute and she said it is common for people to do that, so I was happy as a pig in "insert common word used in the old saying here"!

Rivershine S'mores substituted in the Snowdrift
Cocktail

Isn't she lovely?!

DG Spirit Flight ($10)

One of the neatest things about their whiskey is that it is derived from 100% corn, so I can actually drink it, so you have nothing to worry about with their Rivershine line or their Bourbon. They do have a Rye Whiskey I have to avoid.  I was in the mood for more chocolate, so I had to order a dessert, right?! They have a Rivershine Flourless Chocolate Cake ($6) that was to die for...literally.The presentation was gorgeous and was glazed with ganache. The plate was beautifully decorated with a crème anglaise and raspberry coulis.  I can't say enough wonderful things about this place!  You should definitely make time to eat, drink, and do a distillery tour.

They are also down the street from the circus museum called, Circus World. Nick and I have not been there, but do plan on it when we head to Wisconsin for our next little getaway.  I recommend going to both when the weather is nice.  You can go to Circus World for a couple of hours and then head on over to hydrate and eat while enjoying the outdoor patio nicely located over water at Driftless Glen.  For dinner we made ribs while enjoying Poker and Clue (the original version)!

                 

         

My winnings!

The ORIGINAL Clue

Our delicious ribs

  

Herky getting in on the action.  

On Sunday, Sarah and I made breakfast which consisted of grits, over medium eggs, and bacon.  I wanted them to get a taste of some southern cooking.  Runny eggs mixed with grits is already

delicious, but when you decide to dip you crispy pieces of bacon into it, it is like striking GOLD! 

We wish that our fun little getaway could have lasted longer, but any time away with great company is a winner for me. Having the pups and dear friends was just what we needed and I could not have asked for a better time...well except that supper club being open later.

Hiking to the Falls.

My FAVORITE set of TWINS!

My handsome husband and our daughter, Pretty!

Laura with handsome little, Porthos.

Al practicing how tired he is going to be starting in April
when he becomes a DAD!

Stay tuned for my next trip as I discover gluten-free in Phoenix and Tempe.  We are heading there for some Cubs Spring Training and the Innings Festival.  I cannot wait to see Eddie Vedder.  He has always been one of my all time favorites, so seeing him will top the cake.  See y'all soon!

An Apple a Day, eh? Well Cider is made from apples, soooo?!?!

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE cider!  I mean hey, I grew up with the motto of," An Apple a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away"! Well, fear not Mama, I still have apples...often...just in the form of juice, a spiked juice that is not sweet(at least the ones I go for) and they have a crisp and delicious flavor..."Kinda-Like-A"(inside joke with mi madre) vitamin juice!

Cider Summit is something that my husband and I always look forward to.  This was our 3rd year in attendance.  Cider Summit is located at Navy Pier in their gorgeous Aon Grand Ballroom. If you haven't been to Navy Pier lately, definitely check it out.  They have done a ton of remodeling and it looks fantastic, although construction is still underway.  This year Nick and I were joined by four of our dear friends for a cider exploration!  Oh the delicious ciders we would taste!

I consider myself to be a "cider snob".  Most folks hear cider and think of a super sweet, more like a kool-aid type drink.  That just makes me think of a hangover and headache and could not be further from the truth...the fake sweet part that is.  The hangover and headache depend on consumption. Ciders range from being super dry, like a brut, to extremely sweet.  For someone who cannot have gluten, I tend to lean more towards the "dry" side because I like to be able to have a few of them without feeling sick and consuming all of that sugar.  It is refreshing to see stores now selling more than just the typical, Smith & Forge, Angry Orchard, and Woodchuck.  I do have to add...Angry Orchard and Woodchuck are trying to change it up a bit with adding ciders more on the dry side of things.

I guess that will lead me to start with Woodchuck.  I actually tried Woodchuck's Pearsecco (6.1%ABV) and I have to say, "WOW!" It was dry, bubbly, and clean.  The crisp, dry pear flavor added a nice refreshing aftertaste.  I was pleasantly surprised. I may or may not have gone back a couple of times for a sample!  I tried their Rose as well, but the Pearsecco took the gold! 

After departing from Woodchuck, I could not help but stop at Schilling Hard Cider, visiting from Portland, Oregon.  Schilling Hard Cider holds a special place in my heart because Nick and I visited their tasting room, Schilling Cider House a few years ago and had the best time! They won me over with their $12 cider flights and their 100% Gluten-Free Kitchen!!!  You can't get better than that!  Nick and I are touched with a bit of nostaligia when we sip out of the glass we purchased from there.  When I saw their booth, I told the nice guy working there about our experience and I was filled with such joy.  Something I did not know is that they have the most ciders on tap...NATIONWIDE! They pride themselves on making "clean" ciders meaning, no additives...just fresh pressed apples.  Their variety of ciders and GF kitchen, are fantastic reasons to make the journey to Portland.  While in Portland, also check out Cider Bite Cider House.  Although not as many, they have 32 ciders on tap!  The adorable ambiance at Schilling Cider House won me over with their rooftop and string lights!  Since I had already tried MANY of their ciders in the past, I cashed my ticket in for a sample of EXCELSIOR IMPERIAL, which hails as the highest ABV in a 6-pack in the Nation at 8.5%!  It is labeled semi-sweet, but I honestly did not get that out of it.  Semi-sweets usually are too sweet for my liking, but this was right on point! If this helps to describe how scrumptious it tasted, I can't really describe the flavor because I downed it soooo fast! I will definitely be on the lookout for it since it is now in stores. 

My next stop was to Ramborn Hard Ciders out of Mompach, Luxembourg!!!  I tried the Original Medium Dry Cider and their Perry (Both 5.8%ABV).  I cannot choose a favorite because they were BOTH outstanding.  Sometimes dry ciders can have a little "sour" flavor.  Not this one.  It was the perfect balance and was soooo smooth.  Their ciders offer such full flavor and are extremely easy to drink.  I did not try their Cascade Hopped Cider since I am not a fan of hops, but I did hear it continued the tradition of amazing flavor.  I cannot wait to go to Luxembourg and see where it is made.  Nick and I actually tried to go to Luxembourg in November and every single hotel/bnb was booked!  We thought we had a hotel lined up and they emailed me stating they forgot to mark online that they were completely full.  We were so disappointed, but I have to say, if everything in Luxembourg tastes as delightful as their ciders, their rooms being completely booked, makes a ton of sense.  I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Mike Ansay, as well as his son-in-law, Kevin.  Mike's company is the US distributor of Ramborn Hard Ciders.  He was such a hoot and an absolute joy to be around! His passion for his products were so transparent.  I really hope that we cross paths again.  If you are looking for a distributor to really love your product as his own and treat it with the utmost respect, you should reach out to him.  Here is the website I have for Anslay International, so I am sure if you put in your contact, someone will be right in touch.  Here are a couple of pics I snapped with Mike.  

                      

I continued my little journey to visit with Ria from Cider Chat.  Cider Chat is fantastic podcast that talks about all things cider.  Funny story....a few years ago, a friend and I were having dinner at The Northman, located in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago.  Ria was there doing her podcast since it was the week of Cider Con in Chicago.  She asked me if I would be interested in talking about cider on it, and we all know I love to talk, so I am sure you can assume my answer!  I talked about dry vs. sweet ciders and how being GF is tough, so having a dry cider out there is so wonderful because the past was filled with over sweetened, diabetes in a bottle, "ciders".  When I saw that she had a booth at Cider Summit, I reminded her of when we met and she remembered right away!  Her business has really grown.  If you are looking to do a cider tour in France or in California, you should check out one of her Totally Cider Tours!!  I can't wait to keep in touch with such a kind-hearted soul!

After hanging out with Ria for a bit, I headed over to Prima Cider, based not too far outside of Chicago in the beautiful town of Long Grove, IL.  Interestingly enough, within my first 2 weeks of living in IL, I headed up to Long Grove for their Annual Apple Fest!  It was such a wonderful and darling festival.  I cannot wait to get there next year.  When I found out that was the home of Prima Cider, it made me want to scoot up there even sooner!  I really love their ciders and their mantra of changing the way people view cider.  I am on the same train tooting the same horn!  I fell in love with their Prima Brut (6.9% ABV).  I mean apples + champagne?! Yes please...is even a question?!  It was crisp and refreshing and super tasty on my cider-lovin' palate!

The hilarious folks that run the family-owned, Prima Cider

I cruised on over the Farmhaus Cider Co. after leaving the fun guys of the Bertsche family.  Farmhaus sparked my interest when I saw their names.  The ciders I sampled were, Trocken Dry (6.9% ABV), Sweater Weather (6.7% ABV), and Brunch (6.9% ABV).  Trocken Dry is crisp and dry, which are usually a win-win for me, but I have to say, once I tried their Brunch cider, the verdict was changing for my favorite Farmhaus Cider.  I mean, it tastes like French Toast in a can, so how could I not fall in love?!  It had the perfect dash of cinnamon and the perfect amount of maple syrup.  Well folks, the story doesn't end there.  My ears perked up when I overheard the employee use the word, "Chai"when mentioning, Sweater Weather.  I literally could not resist.  I was at Cider Summit after all.  Holy moly, I wish it was offered all year, because although made with chai and spice, it would be delicious anytime in my book.  Since it is only sold in the Fall and Winter seasons, make sure to pick some up if you see it in any store around you...you won't regret it!

The booth with the most variety, meaning cider from the most places, would have to be Winesellers, Ltd.  I met with Jonathan, they Midwest RSM.  What a fun job that would be!  I really liked their ciders from Herefordshire, UK.The first one I tried was Dunkertons Dry Organic Cider (6.9% ABV).  I mean, dry AND organic?! Yaaaas!  It was more tannic than some ciders, but I really like the dry, mild bitterness flavor.  I also tried the Dunkertons Organic Perry (6.9% ABV).  That was my favorite from Dunkdertons.  Within seconds of the first sip, I could get hints of fresh pear with a little sweet kick that ended with a smooth, dry finish.  Thirsty yet?!  I am!  

After meeting Jonathan and soaking in his remarkable knowledge of his European Ciders, I hopped on over to visit with Shelton Brothers Importers.  At this booth, I met with Lauren.  She was extremely kind when I kept trying more of the Peckham's Boysenberry (5.7% ABV)!  It is probably the cider that traveled the furthest coming all the way from NEW ZEALAND!! Can you believe that!?  It pours red and is made from real boysenberries.  That is such a fun word to say for some reason! Ha!  The berry flavor was really forward, but the cider itself wasn't too sweet and had somewhat of a tart finish to me. I kept cashing in my tickets for more!  Lauren explained it Peckham's Boysenberry comes from a tiny run family farm in New Zealand.  I would LOVE to visit it sometime in the future.  Nick and I have talked about going to NZ for our one year anniversary, maybe this can be one of our stops?!  Here is a pic of me trying a different cider.  That Peckham's just kept evaporating into thin air, so unfortunately, no pics.

I knew that Cider Summit would not be complete without stopping to support some of  my favorite local watering holes Eris Brewery and Cider House and The Northman-Chicago's First Cider Pub.

Eris Brewery and Cider House has some of the best Apple Cinnamon Creme Brulee I have EVER tasted!  Nick and I sometimes go there just for dessert after eating dinner at home.  Knowing it is GF makes it that much better!  If you are able to get to Eris for brunch, make sure to order the Shrimp & Grits and thank me later!  They use white corn cheddar grits, add in bacon and a cider mushroom cream sauce, and top it off with a poached egg.  Do not miss out on the bowl of heaven!!! The offer a wide variety of GF options, so if you are in Chicago, you must pay them a visit. As far as their ciders go, I have tried most of them.  I really love their Pedestrian (5.6% ABV). It is a dry cider that has the tartness of a Granny Smith apple, but still has a smooth finish that does not make your lips pucker and your eyes squint from a sourish flavor.  A fun fact about Eris is, it's completely female owned, which really makes my heart smile!  I have only met Michelle, and she is always so kind and wonderful.  She always takes time to talk to people and makes sure everyone feels welcome at Eris.  We cannot wait to make a pit-stop there in the near future!

They never disappoint!

In line at Eris...ready to sip on their Pedestrian Cider

The Northman is extremely special for Nick and I.  Right after Nick got on one knee and asked me to be his wife, we went to The Northman for a drink since it is one our favorite spots in the city.  We always try other ciders they offer, but always come back to the Northman Pub Cider (6.5% ABV).   It is the perfect balance between sweet and dry.  We love sitting outside on their patio when the weather is nice and cooling off when The Northman Pub Cider.  Food-wise, they take home the gold for their GF Fish and Chips.  The crispiness and flavor are impeccable!  My only complaint is, for them to be a Cider Pub(huge GF population) and have a GF fryer and offer some GF flair, their donuts that make my mouth water when I see them, are not GF.  I have had GF donut holes from other establishment and they are the perfect topper to a GF meal.  I will hold out hope that they end up incorporating those into their pub full of greatness.

Right after Nick got on one knee and
he took me out to celebrate!

Cider Summit did not disappoint, yet again.  If anything, it got even better!  They had food trucks (did not get a chance to try one) and more cider booths.  I can only imagine how terrific next year will be!  My only recommendation would be to make the sessions last a little longer because even with VIP, the lines can be pretty long and that can take up lots of time.  There are many ciders I was unable to try and would've loved to have given them a shot.  Maybe I can have a different strategy next time.  With that being said, see ya next year Cider Summit!  CHEERS!

***Thank you Laura for not only being one of my best friends and my travel buddy, but for being the best photographer with that new fancy phone! ❤

All-Inclusive & Monkeys?! Don't tempt me with a good time!

Hola! I hope y'all have been staying warm in your part of the woods.  Here in Chicago we had wind chills reaching the -50's last week!!  It was so cold that my employer put us up in hotels down the street for our safety when coming to and from work.  A little relief from the cold weather was a wonderful trip to MEXICO!  Nick and I joined some friends in Riviera Maya for some fun in the sun and the celebration of their upcoming nuptials.  I was a little nervous with the GF options they might offer since their response to my e-mails were super vague, but it was not as bad as it could have been.

While waiting for our transportation to the resort, we realized the airport had a bar outside where everyone waits.  Brilliant, eh?! Of course I could not turn down a $20 margarita!  In all fairness, it was listed in pesos, so I did not calculate USD and was just so happy to be in warm weather!  I did make sure that it was with 100% Agave tequila (always a GF friendly liquor option). He asked if I wanted Don Julio, in which I responded, "Don't tempt me with a good time!" haha!

The drive to the resort was about 1 hour and 20 minutes, but that did not matter since we had our drinks in tow.  We stayed at Luxury Bahia-Principe Sian Ka'an.  The check-in was seamless and they met us with a glass of their house sparkling wine!  It was DELICIOUS!  It was called Mirabelle Brut.  It did not bother me at all in my digestion, so I knew I was at least able to drink that for my trip...and boy I sure did!  My only issue with check-in was that Gluten-Free had not been added to our reservation, so that was annoying since I had emailed them twice to make sure it was done.  Also, a little side note**Download the app ahead of time and book your dinner resos in advance because most places are full and booked when you arrive! That was annoying!!

They upgraded us to a PENTHOUSE! The pictures did it NO justice! It was lush and beautiful! Instead, here is a pic of us with our new friend, Sarah! Below you will find out about her home!

Our friends arrived after we did and since we were famished, we went to the buffet.  They immediately brought me GF bread once I told them I was GF.  They then sent me to the ginormous buffet with one of the head chefs.  He made sure to tell me ingredients.  I do have to say, he, as well as a lot of his peers, kept saying I could not have certain things because it had ,"leche".  Thatcould have, so I made sure to go over the ingredients on the "approved" items one more time.  I had salad, fresh tuna, salmon, grilled calamari, and ice cream.  It was just enough to hold me over before we had a late dinner with friends at, Maiko.
is "milk" in Spanish and that is NOT gluten.  That made me start second guessing the items he told me I

Maiko is one of the Japanese restaurants that Bahia offers.  It is on the Sian Ka'an property.  We were greeted with a Sake Cocktail! It was fresh squeezed juice with sake(typically GF friendly).  I did not know what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Salud!

For dinner, I ordered the Niguiri Assortment.  It did not disappoint.  I had already gobbled it down before I realized I had not taken a picture.  I promise to get better about this.  I finished my meal with the Oriental Ice Cream Fantasy.  I mean, how could I not say, "HECK YES" to this?!  As you can see...I hated it.

BEFORE...

2 MINUTES LATER!!

After an AC freezing debacle in the middle of the night in our room, we were moved to another one just to be able to take a nap and unfortunately missed breakfast and the beach for Saturday.  We were, and still are, super bummed.  We woke up in time to get back to our room and get ready our visit to the Akumal Monkey Sanctuary & Rescued Animals.

Anyone that knows me well, knows my nickname given by my parents is, MONKEY!  They are my spirit animal and I'm obsessed!  I am literally wearing monkey socks as I type this! This place was WONDERFUL for several reasons.  They rescue animals, take in donated ones, rehabilitate those that can go back into the wild, and plant seeds into the minds of people about environmental education .  It is wonderful!  It is about $65ish to go there, but so very worth it. Oh, they also have Mayans who live on the land and help take care of the animals.  They make sure the animals live their BEST life!! At the end of the journey around the sanctuary, we were given traditional pineapple water and a Mayan Corn Cake...that was surprisingly GF!!  It was delish!  Here are a few pics from our journey!

Rubbing "Mimi". 
She is an older monkey that looooves attention. 
She prances around with a lot of sass.

"Sarah" was obsessed with Nick!  

We were obsessed with Sarah.  

Those faces.
I really wanted to keep them!

He's an amputee that they are nursing back to
health before reintroducing him back into the wild.  

Me enjoying my Mayan goodie!

Giving Little Sarah some treats & love

My heart exploded when she
sat on my shoulder!

Super friendly!! They were rescued from a
bad home environment. 

Be still my heart!

For dinner we had reservations at Rodizio Restaurant: Los Corales.  All of the Bahia Akumal properties are within a huge area with shuttles in between.  It only takes about 5-10 minutes to get to where you want to go, so you are able to indulge in all of the restaurants, pools, and bars they all have to offer.

I started out with a glass of Pinot Grigio.  It was awful.  It was the house one.  I swapped to their red wine (a tempranillo) and it was really tasty.  I usually am not a huge fan of reds, but this one was hitting those taste buds in the best possible way.  They gave us a card that is red on one side and green on the other.  They told us to hold onto it until it was "time".  We grabbed a salad from the salad bar and went back and waited for the "time".  The salad bar was extremely fresh.  We made the server aware immediately I was GF.  He brought out an appetizer and placed it in front of me.  It looked SO GOOD!  There was a cream sauce over the potato I was concerned about.  I asked him and he stated it was not GF.  I was wondering if he was confusing gluten with dairy like my last few go-rounds with folks.  Due to a language barrier, he was unable to confirm the ingredients and brought me out one that was sans the delicious looking sauce. Below are some pictures with and without the sauce.  The flavor was sub-par at best.

Sans questionable sauce and GF.

Sauce in question....

For dinner I ordered the Chilean Sea Bass. It was prepared perfectly!  The butter and herbs and freshly squeezed  lime.  Yes, I did have the meat they brought out, but it was devoured before I took a pic.  I HAD to take a picture of this.  We had to leave before dessert because our friend developed a migraine.  I can only imagine the popping flavor that it would have had.

 

Devoured in about 5 minutes.

We topped the night off with a show back at Sian Ka'an before heading to La Hacienda, a bar in another part of Bahia Principe, that we heard had KARAOKE!  Again, don't tempt me with a good time!  The girls may or may not have sang, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"!!  That video will NOT be posted...I mean, what video?!  We danced the night away for quite sometime and headed back in hopes for a good nights rest.  I kept waking up in fear that the AC unit was going to pour ice cold water all over us again from it freezing up.  

Sunday was our last full day at Bahia Principe.  The group was planning to go to Tulum to see the Mayan Ruins.  Nick and I decided to sit that excursion out and actually get to the beach.  We found a cute little straw umbrella on the adults only part of the beach and relaxed with some drinks.  I had another Maribelle and he had a beer.  The crew showed up after their excursion and held down the fort while Nick and I headed to the buffet at Bahia Coba called, Kukulcan.  It was wonderful!  I had a salad, sashimi, fresh tuna roll (sans Soy Sauce of course), and more ice cream!  We headed back to the beach for some fun in the sun with the crew before getting ready for the SUPERBOWL!  

Life is better with you.

Beach life is the Best life

Bahia Coba offered a nice Sports Bar where they aired the Superbowl for everyone to see.  The Superbowl was extremely unappealing, so I ran back and forth to watch The Lion King Musical that the resort had at their darling little theater!  It was the highlight of my night.  That Superbowl definitely was not.  I also made time to run over to the same buffet, Kukulcan to grab a quick bite.  I met a sweet guy that worked there named, Jesus.  He brought me out some delicious GF bread!! He was THE BEST and had a heart of  the purest gold.  Afterward, we went and had some drinks outside and listened to a live band play some popular covers.  I danced and danced and finally needed a breather!  The group sat around, had some good laughs, and decided to head back for a farewell nightcap.

Such a fun group!

Cheers to the FABULOUS couple!

All in all, I have to say that Luxury Bahia Principe Sian Ka'an had more ups than downs.  I felt comfortable with their food options, as well as, their cocktails and spirits.  If you are looking for a safe bet while on your own gluten-free journey, I would recommend them.  Again, just make sure to confirm with the actual resort about being gluten-free and also make resos at the restuarants ahead of time.

My next getaway will be a quick little Wisconsin retreat next weekend.  My favorite restaurant, The Barn, burned down recently and we are all heartbroken. Join me as I hunt for another GF favorite.  I also plan on travelling back in time to my recent trip to Europe at the end of 2018. 

Adios for now amigos!