Ringing in the New Year at Las Alamandes

Las Alamandes is a tiny resort on a large tract of land in the middle of nowhere on the Pacific coast of Mexico. To get there to launch our five-night stay, Ed and I flew into Puerta Vallerta where we were met by a car that took us south for 2.5 hours. I'm generally not one to get carsick, but the winding roads nearly did me in. Many of the uber-rich guests fly into the private airstrip on the property, and I was able to understand why as my stomach flipped over for the umpteenth time.

The fountain at the center of the developed property - most of the inland area has been left wild

Upon arrival, we were handed margaritas and ushered into our small, attractive casita. The weather was overcast, and by the time we'd gone on a quick tour of the grounds, returned to our room, and dressed for dinner, it began to rain. It rained on and off every day that we were there. Apparently, this kind of weather is unheard of in this part of the world, though the fact that Ed and I still had a great time speaks volumes about how great the resort is.

The casita we shared with a host of geckos. We had a little patio with a couch, two chairs, and a table, and a rooftop deck that, alas, we did not get to enjoy due to all the rain.

Beach-side breakfast

The resort has only sixteen accommodations, so even though the property is huge there are never many people there. We ate our breakfasts and lunches under a palapa (a patio on the beach covered with palm thatch) and dinners in the one restaurant on the property. I worried that we'd grow tired of eating at the same place every night, but I was pleased to discover that the menu, while small (three appetizer options, three entrees, and three desserts each night) changed each day. There was always a wonderful ceviche option. We heard that the chef was very open to making just about anything one could want, but we found no reason to stray from the menu. Meals could also be ordered to be delivered to one's room or set up on the beach. The grounds and the service were impeccable.

The center of the property. The palapa where we ate so many meals is in the thick of the palm trees to the right. The swimming pool is on the other side of the hedge.

This is the beach we biked to

After our first breakfast there, Ed and I headed out on a pair of mountain bikes. The dirt roads were often steep, very rocky, and covered in places with thick mud many inches deep. It was hot and sunny - for the only time during our trip as it turned out. (Of course we would embark on our single strenuous physical activity of the trip during the "heat wave"...) Pedal as I might, my wheels often spun in place until I lost momentum and had to leap off the bike. I pushed it up many hills and rode the breaks on the descents. This was my first real mountain biking experience, and conditions were far from ideal. Finally, on one particularly steep downhill slope, I somehow lost control and crashed headfirst into a thorny bush, coming to rest at last in a patch of mud. I emerged with only a few scratches on my face and neck, my left arm having taken the brunt of the damage somehow.

This was unpleasant, obviously, but I very much enjoyed the long stretch of deserted beach that was our target once we finally arrived. Ed swam and I walked up and down the beach, watching crabs and strange tadpole-like creatures that were new to me.

How often does one get to say that the only footprints on a stretch of beach are their own?

Other adventures included an evening trip to a local artisans' market, a jog along the water, and horseback riding on the beach. I'd always wanted to do this, and I envisioned cantering through the sand with salty air whipping through my hair. My horse, however, did not share my vision. He seemed to be about 50 years old. After about thirty seconds of insistent nudging, I managed to persuade him to a reluctant trot for a few steps, but he quickly relapsed into a trudge again and I decided to just enjoy watching the pelicans diving into the water. Ed's horse had a bit more spring in her step, but not much. They were the perfect mount of tourists with little behind-the-reins experience.

The following day we arranged to have lunch on the same beach we'd ridden to on horseback. It was really quite lovely, despite the overcast and somewhat chilly weather. 

 

Enjoying one of the hammocks. In the background, you can see our umbrella and mat set-up by the water.

An employee dropped us off in a car and told us he'd be back in two hours, and then we were on our own. The driftwood furniture under the palapa there was covered with white cushions, and hammocks had been hung between beams for us.  

Ed and our feast

We ate lunch, then headed for the beach where straw mats and towels waited for us under a single pink umbrella.

I enjoyed taking pictures and poking around huge boulders on the shore while Ed went boogie boarding. I was about to join him when a wave flipped him headfirst into the bottom so that he came out with a scraped, bruised forehead no longer in the mood for boogie boarding. We relaxed on the mats, enjoying the solitude, until it began to rain, and our ride arrived to collect us shortly after.

New Year's fiesta in the palapa

There was a large New Year's Eve celebration with a huge dinner and tasty beverages, with a bonfire on the beach and fireworks at midnight. It was a wonderful end to our trip, though I was sorry to see it end, both because I was reluctant to go back to the real world, and because the forecast called for clear skies beginning the day we were to leave and continuing for the foreseeable future. Go figure. Oh well. It was rather nice not to have to worry about sunburn.

It wasn't the beach get-away Ed and I had envisioned. The weather was too cool for lying on the beach even when it wasn't raining, and we spent a lot of time under cover. Still, it was a lovely place to relax for a few days, and, while cool, still a whole lot warmer than New York. I came back no more bronzed than before, but with a renewed zeal to perfect my ceviche-making skills and lots of great memories.