We'll start with the Disclaimer –
Yes, we did receive complimentary excursion, but this just means we're able to
offer you a chance to tell you all about it!
While most in Canada were celebrating a White Christmas with
lots of snow, I was celebrating Christmas in a different part of the world. This year I spent Christmas at the Las Brisas
Resort. Las Brisas is located in
the region of Huatulco in the province
of Oaxaca in Mexico. Last year my Brother and his family spent the Christmas Break
there and this year my Mother and I joined them for their return trip to the
resort. I am still dreaming of the warm
sun as I am writing this post. Everyday was around 30 degrees Celsius (day or
night) and there was not a drop of precipitation in sight, making it the
perfect destination to escape from the cold temps we experience in Canada.
Did you know that Huatulco is a direct flight from Toronto? When
our flight touched down, a pre-arranged shuttle picked us up from the airport
and brought us right to the lobby of Las Brisas Huatulco. Because we have been
on the plane for several hours, we headed to the buffet right after check
in. They had a delicious selection of
both local and international favourites as well as libations to refresh our
palate. After that quick meal it was
getting close to dusk so we did a quick tour of the resort. Being that the sun was going down it was the
perfect temperature to walk around the area.
What Happened in Huatulco
We went back to our room to unpack and freshen up for the
evening festivities which included another trip to the buffet, some resting in
the lounge and an evening show.
The next day we got up as the sun was rising to go on a bird
watching tour that is provided for free to those staying at Las Brisas
Huatulco. My Mom loves bird watching and
was able to find a few new birds to write in her bird book at home. We also got to see many of the different
plants located on the grounds of the resort. Once returning we booked our four A LA CARTE restaurant choices for the
week.
I also found a screen listing all the activities available during
our stay and I took pics so that I always had the schedule handy, but you could also download an app that list all the different things to
do. While we didn’t attend all of the
activities, between myself and the 5 others in my family we covered most of the
choices.
In addition to the ones listed you could also snorkel, kayak,
and paddleboard on the selected beaches (they have 3 beaches for different
levels of activities) or head to the squash, tennis or basketball courts near
the pool area (there is a main pool, a sport pool and an adults’ only pool on
the grounds). Plus, they have a full soccer field on site (which was used for a
different purpose on Christmas Eve, which you will learn more about below).
They were even in the process of creating a pickleball court for an upcoming Canadian Tournament that would be
happening soon. All of these activities were free of charge for the hotel
guests. The majority of the activities mentioned
had activities staff participating along with you so they could help you along
the way. They are very friendly and the
more activities you attend they start to recognize you. In fact, one night after the activities staff
performed the evening show, they sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY song to my Mom in both English
and the Spanish.
Between the shows, cooking lessons, sports, dancing and
experiencing all the different restaurants on site, you will also find time to
wind down and relax on the beach or near the pool. Doesn’t that sound like a
fun vacation? Well that’s not all that happened while we were there.
My Green Christmas in Huatulco
We had big plans all day on Christmas Eve. It began with offsite
excursion by SUNWING (please note excursions are additional cost). This tour was called THE REAL MEXICO. Our tour guide Saul took us to the local
villages to learn about the local culture.
It began at a Botanical Garden where the owner and Saul guided us through
the various paths showing us all the different berries, fruits and herbs that
the use to stay healthy in that area.
Many items are made into a tea, but what I loved most was the LIME-MANDARIN
fruit that they made into a refreshing juice.
We also learned how to press tortillas. As you can see in the video below, my tortilla
making skills could use some work.
Then we had black beans and tortillas for lunch along with
homemade salsa sauce to fuel up for our next stop.
After we left the garden we headed to a local artisan
workshop where the owner created woven tapestries from sheep’s wool and used local
products to create dyes for the wool. Once
the wool is prepared the weaver creates these pieces of art with the help of a
manual loom. My brother’s family really
enjoyed this as they have a family loom in their home. To commemorate their day, they purchased a
table runner that represents the TREE OF LIFE.
Our last stop on the Sunwing Excursion
was at a Cactus plantation. There we learned
what kinds of cactus are best for eating.
We tried raw cactus and then we were treated to a cactus themed lunch
that included tacos and cactus salad.
Each one of these places had a little area to honour their family
members that passed just like the story in the COCO
movie. On the way back to the resort we stopped at the LOOKOUT to see the beautiful
scenery. We could even see Las Brisas
resort in the distance.
After dinner the activities staff performed a Christmas show
which included OLAF coming to sing about what snowmen do in summer! It was such
a cute touch for the Green Christmas I was experiencing. They go all out to make sure your Christmas
Eve is memorable. Santa even came by to visit
the children. Many people come back to
Las Brisas year after year for their Christmas celebration. We met a man and his daughter who were attending
the yearly event for the SIXTH TIME!
After we were full from dinner and tired from dancing we
went to bed and when we awoke on Christmas Day I had a surprise for my
family. I gave them all BABSOCKS
for Christmas. Many of our readers know
that we are the co-chairs for MOVEMBER
KW and on Movember 1st this year I was at the BABSOCKS popup. This year BABSOCKS partnered with Movember
and I thought this would make an amazing gift for my family members that would
easily fit in my suitcase. We can now
say BABSOCKS made it all the way to the beaches of Huatulco Mexico!
Boxing Day meant that my holiday was coming to an end. My flight back to Toronto had me surrounded
by snow once again, but my heart is warm with memories of Las Brisas Huatulco!
Want to see all of my pictures? Click the image below or visit https://www.facebook.com/lisamcdonald122/media_set?set=a.10159745906065481.1073741901.760270480&type=3
Have you been to Las
Brisas Huatulco or plan to go? Leave a comment below so we can chat about it!
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The Las Brisas Huatulco really knows how to entertain their guests! My son would flip over the bird watching, he may even see a sun-condo with the warmth. How wonderful that they sang Happy Birthday to your mom honoring her day. The excursions sound wonderful. I love seeing the locals and I can't press a tortia well either. My cousin has a press and I've tried but for me just give me them with some blank beans and rice I'll be good.
ReplyDeleteIt was such a fun time. I'm glad I was able to video the tortilla making process
DeleteHi Lisa! We are planning to stay at Las Brisas in Huatulco later this winter. Do you have any advice or are there things to watch out for? Would you stay there again? How are the beaches? Thanks!
ReplyDelete