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Esperanza Resort Recap {Part 2}

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Hi, I'm Tina!

I’m the owner of Carrots ‘N’ Cake as well as a Certified Nutrition Coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P). I use macros and functional nutrition to help women find balance within their diets while achieving their body composition goals.

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Day 2 at Esperanza started bright and early with a bootcamp workout on the beach right by the ocean.

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Raphael was our fearless leader and instructor for the 60-minute class. He had all sorts of exercise equipment as well as towels and bottles of water for us.

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And we were ready to get our sweat on!

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Raphael had us doing all sorts of plyometric exercises on the sand, which, of course, made them so much harder. The unstable surface challenged our bodies and really made us work. I was definitely huffing and puffing and feeling the burn! Jump squats on the sand? Whoa. Wicked hard.

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Post-workout with Susi from FitSugar, Kimi from the Esperanza PR team, Sarah, and Amiee, who is a freelance writer for all sorts of amazing travel, health, and lifestyle publications.

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After our workout, we all headed to breakfast at Cocina del Mar where we snagged a table right by the ocean. It was such a gorgeous morning, and I felt great after a sweaty workout. I also loved being able to whale watch from our table. Really! It was so cool. We saw at least a couple of different whales while eating breakfast. Esperanza even provides guests with binoculars, so you can whale watch from your room because whales so frequently visits the waters off the coast of the resort.

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The menu at Cocina del Mar was really great and offered all sorts of healthy and nutritious options as well as clearly-labeled, diet-specific dishes.

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I started the meal with a glass of delicious fresh green juice. (Now that I’m out of my first trimester, green juice is appetizing again. I had no interest in it when I was battling morning sickness. Isn’t it kind of strange that something so nutritious was not at all appealing to me?)

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To start, I ordered the fresh fruit plate, which came with a couple of pieces of pound cake on the side. The fruit was outstanding: so fresh, so flavorful, so juicy!

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For my entree, I ordered the egg white frittata with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, grilled asparagus, basil, and mozzarella. I also ordered a side of chicken sausage because it just sounded so interesting. The homemade patties were made with ginger, basil, and a hint of maple syrup. Mmm… both dishes were so delicious!

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Everyone lingered after breakfast, so I ordered some peppermint tea to enjoy while we all chatted.

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After breakfast, I headed back to my room, showered up, and got ready for a special cooking class with Chef Gonzalo. This one was set up specifically for our media group, but Esperanza offers a ton of cooking classes, some of which are complimentary. You can even customize your cooking experience for a group or based on your taste preferences or diet restrictions that you may have. Basically, there are a lot of different cooking opportunities at Esperanza.

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Chef Gonzalo has the most interesting culinary background. Listen to this… he was raised in Argentina, he was trained at a Swiss and German cooking school, and he now works at a resort in Mexico that caters to a 90% American clientele. How’s that for diverse? Needless to say, Chef Gonzalo’s cooking is definitely something special!

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Chef Gonzalo prepared 3 recipes for us:

  • A green smoothie made with romaine lettuce, celery, pears, apples, lemon, banana, spinach, and fresh parsley and cilantro from the herb garden at Esperanza.
  • A summery vegan salad made with tomatoes, tomatillos, strawberries, fennel, lime, and various fresh herbs.
  • Local seared scallops with a roasted corn puree, which he made in 3 minutes, broccoli, red onion, quinoa, and cinnamon.

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The smoothie was really interesting and definitely something I want to recreate at home. It wasn’t sweet like your typical green smoothie, but it wasn’t like green juice either. I guess it was somewhere in the middle and almost tasted like a cold green soup.

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It was really delicious, and I definitely think the fresh herbs added a little something-something to it. Mental note: add fresh herbs to smoothies and juice.

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The vegan salad was also really interesting, especially the combination of ingredients and flavors. I would have never paired them together myself, but they definitely worked together!

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The flavors of this dish were sweet, salty, and sour all at the same time, and they definitely had my taste buds guessing!

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The scallop dish was my favorite of the bunch. It was just so unique, and it seemed so easy to make, like maybe even I could make it myself. Chef Gonzalo prepared the entire dish in maybe 10 minutes.

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So yum!

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After the cooking class, we had a couple of hours of free time, so we all headed to the pool to relax. (Well, I sort of relaxed. Truthfully, I was not totally comfortable sporting a bikini in public, but the pool area wasn’t very crowded, which definitely eased my worries. Hey, I am still getting used to my new body!)

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Chilling by the pool definitely meant cocktails! I ordered a virgin blended margarita with salt, which was excellent. And I really didn’t miss the booze. Ok, maybe I did… just a little.

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I also ordered some chips, guacamole, and salsa to munch on. Guacamole = love.

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A little while later, it was time for our complimentary spa appointments. (I know, rough life, right?)

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The spa was absolutely gorgeous inside with all sorts of nooks and crannies where you could totally relax and unwind. There were a number of soaking pools (both hot and cold), outdoor showers, and a few different lounge areas.

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I enjoyed a 60-minute massage, which was so, so, so wonderful. It was easily one of the best massages I’ve ever had because it was a nice mix of relaxation and working out knots and other tightness. I love when there’s a balance like that.

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There are 14 separate and very private treatment rooms at the spa, each of which included an outdoor shower, so you could freshen up (and walk around naked) after your spa service.

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After my treatment, I was led out into one of the lounge areas where I read a magazine and relaxed.

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I also enjoyed an “aguas frescas” (Spanish for “fresh waters”) made with guava, peppermint, and lime and a vegetable plate with spices. Snacks after a massage? I was in heaven.

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After my time at the spa, I headed back to my room to freshen up for dinner, which was a special event that the resorts hosts every week:

Mexicanisimo: Every Thursday we feature an authentic Mexican fiesta on our oceanfront patio highlighting foods from various regions of Mexico with live music & a dazzling firework display. An outdoor marketplace is also available, selling souvenirs, jewelry and other crafts by local vendors.”

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There’s an extra cost for this event ($65 per person), but it’s totally worth it.

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The food is served buffet-style, so you can help yourself as many times as you’d like.

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There are also fireworks!

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And live music! And, honestly, it’s just a fun and lively atmosphere, so it would be a nice night out.

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We had such a nice group of women. We had so much fun together!

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Round 1:

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Round 2:

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Dessert round:

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All in all, I absolutely loved my time at Esperanza. What an incredible place! It was definitely one of the nicest (maybe even the nicest) resort I have ever stayed at. Everything from the accommodations and food to the activities and service were all amazing.

And, of course, with any top-notch resort like this, there is a price. Staying at Esperanza is not cheap, but you definitely get what you pay for. Certain times of year, like right now during the holiday season, are more expensive than others, but the rates are a lot more affordable in the summer months, say if you’re planning a honeymoon or special anniversary celebration. (I already told Mal that I want to visit for our 10-year anniversary!) Esperanza is really something special, and I am so thrilled (and thankful!) that I had the opportunity to experience it.

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