Louise was not well this morning. It was entirely self inflicted so I left her to it and went down to the beach alone and secured a cabana there.
As I was putting towels on the beds and settling in a French couple were loitering and watching me. It was a bit weird as there were several other cabanas available. After a few minutes they managed to communicate to non French speaking me that they had left two towel pegs on the beds of this cabana and wanted them back. Maybe they thought that had somehow reserved it but I didn’t even see them. Anyway they wandered off and later I saw them lying in one of the many other available cabanas.
Louise came down around 10.30. I had to nip back to the room for reasons I won’t explain. On the way I came across this bad boy near the lift.
I flipped him over hoping to save a life. Whatever it was, it was alive. I’m not sure the size of it comes across in these photos.
We just lazed on the beach having avoided death by insect and then had lunch at 12 at seaside grill. Soup and steak for me. Salad and burrito for Louise.
Back to the beach. At some point in the afternoon Louise became quite ill and all I will add is that there followed a traumatic restroom experience.
After going in the pool briefly we once again returned to the beach. Louise went back to the room at 4.30 still not feeling great. I stayed till 6 enjoying a beach golden hour and reading. Showers happened and Louise was still not well so we opted for room service and watched Your Friends and Neighbours on Apple TV followed by an early night.
Awake around 8 and I went down to the pool solo to secure a cabana. We tried a different one on the other side of the pool today as it’s important to make every day different on these holidays.
Louise joined not long after. No brekkie today as we weren’t really hungry. Who are we? We then really enjoyed doing nothing all morning apart from a bit of reading.
Lunch was needed on the stroke of midday at the market cafe. Of the two buffet restaurants here, this one doing breakfast and lunch, it was a much better buffet than the other we tried the other evening. I had a large salad and some nachos.
After lunch we had to go to the shop again for yet more sun cream and after sun. At this point I think Louise may have been drinking it as we were going through so much of the stuff.
We went back to our cabana and enjoyed the fact that it was very hot. We therefore spent a long time in the pool.
Nearby, a Brummie guy had started talking to yet another group of loud Americans. The culture clash between UK folks and Americans always amuses me. Many topics were discussed. Eventually they got onto the pandemic and the horrors of having to wear masks. I was eye-rolling so much I almost passed out. I think the quality of the discussion can be summarised by the Brummie guy telling them that he had the “PeeFizer” jab. I found that equally funny and depressing all at the same time. The US folks had brought their own Bluetooth speaker to the quiet pool which was obviously appreciated by everyone who had chosen to go to the quiet pool that day.
We went into the main pool for the last hour for a couple of drinks amidst another huge wedding party who were about eight hours into an unlimited free bar. I know it might sound like I don’t like other people and I’m really unsociable? That couldn’t be closer to the truth.
To the room around 6 and we were ready and out at 8. We returned to the Asian restaurant tonight and on the way walked past a wedding meal/party in full swing.
Spring roll and pork something for starters.
I also went crazy and ordered two California rolls. Louise was not keen so I had all of them.
I did manage to get her to try a large blob of wasabi which prompted a funny reaction and some spitting.
We both had beef stir fry. Tasty but only just warm.
We wandered to the Piano bar and managed to secure a couch. Prime real estate in piano bar terms but it was pretty empty tonight for some reason. We waited for the music and tonight it was a Sax player at 11.
I secured our cabana around 9. I say secured, but there was never any pressure or rush to get beds of any kind which was right up there with my favourite things about this resort.
I bagged a different one today looking for more shade having returned to the room yesterday more pink than I may have liked.
My big toe was at extreme risk here.
I know this looks lovely, and that is because it was.
I had dragged a spare brolly alongside the cabana for extra, extra shade today.
No breakfast as such today. However, we did devour some Pringles instead. During our time round the pool yesterday a member of staff came round surveying guests, asking what they could do to improve our stay. We said it’s be handy to have some cover from the rain on top floor balconies, but didn’t expect them to do that immediately at least. We did mention that at the other Secrets we had been too we loved having snacks in the room and the lady made a note. About an hour later I went back to the room for a bodily function and there were a load of snacks waiting for us. Excellent service.
During the morning I watched some football on my phone and Louise lay in the pool. We ordered a beer each which was soon delivered and then we went for lunch at the Seaside Grill. Chicken burritos and salad for both. Fruit platter to finish.
Back to our beds and some time in the pool. At some point I had a micro nap and generally did very little. I nipped back to the to room for more functions of the body and a maintenance man came to fix a broken bath plug I had reported via the app a few hours earlier. Turns out it wasn’t broken and we are idiots who cannot operate basic applicanes.
Some loud Americans came to play volleyball, loudly, in the quiet pool. They were very loud with one especially vocal person sounding just like a loud Seth Rogen. Did I mention that they were loud.
Up to room at 5.45, readied and out at 7.30. We tried did the other Italian tonight. Chicken soup for me caprese salad for Louise.
Steak and Lasagne which were both decent.
The Piano bar was far too busy so went to lobby bar for one drink and then to the amphitheatre for the Rock show. To bed after that as we, well mainly I, are massive lightweights.
I was awake around 8. I readied and went down to get a cabana, and I was sulking about huge weight gains. You will know that over the years my weight has often featured in all my posts. Having been a very fat kid, there is no doubt some deep lying psychological damage at play, and when I do manage to shift a few pounds, I do get very tetchy when my body betrays me and adds some pounds back after eating and drinking shite.
One of the things I really appreciated about both Secrets resorts so far was the fact that they had scales in the bathroom. I know that sounds counter intuitive but believe me, my mind will convince itself that I have gained thirteen stone in a daaaaayyy, and then usually when I get home I find it’s nowhere as bad as I thought, and I could have enjoyed myself a lot more.
So being able to keep a daily eye on things was a good thing for me. Apart from today when for some reason several pounds had come from nowhere and I had a cob on. They would come off again and go on again a few times during the trip with me returning home just a couple up on my pre departure fighting weight. However, today I was still in a mood about it.
So I had no breakfast and instead went for a huge walk around 11.20 all the way to the end of the bay.
It was a hell of a walk taking about an hour each way.
To put it in context, that tip of land you can see out to sea is our resort.
I was a big ball of sweat when I got as far as I was going to walk. So I stripped down to my shorts and went for a welcome dip in the sea.
I could have carried on this way….
But I turned for home, noticing a brand new resort being built at this end of the cove.
Once I got back to our resort I had clocked 7.5k in total. What do you mean I have a mild eating disorder?
We immediately went for lunch at the Seaside Grill. Chicken Burrito starters (oddly with chips) and a Cuban sandwich for both of us. Very good and filling.
After lunch there was lots of resting and reading. At around 4.30 we went into the main pool and its bar, for drinks. We watched some volleyball taking place on the beach and then returned to our cabana.
There was more golden hour action as we watched sun go down behind one of the hotel buildings.
Once the sun had left us we went back to our room at 6.15. We watched a couple of weddings from our balcony.
We didn’t make it out till after 8. Tonight we were going to give the buffet a try at the World Café. Whilst everything was fine, this was not a standout meal of the trip. It was a little but “buffet slop” of the kind that had for years put us off all inclusive trips.
It was all freshly made and of decent quality but just not “five star”.
I do take full responsibility for my very poor plate presentation skills here which does not reflect the food in the best light!
We ended the night in the piano bar after waiting for a seat as it was very busy tonight. We felt sorry for the poor piano player. There were far too many people with main character syndrome who would not leave him alone to perform and constantly badgered him to let them join in etc. In the end he hardly got to play but to his credit he didn’t glass anyone. We left, frustrated at having to listen to amateurs murder some classics. Bed at midnight.
Mkingdon's Blog 