We woke up to catch an early breakfast since someone was picking us up at 9:00am to take us to the Hard Rock Hotel for a tour (and an unexpected sales pitch). We got to the hotel and were instantly amazed at everything we saw. We were led to the area where we would get our "sales pitch." I could describe this hotel, but it would have to be a whole new post. Let's just say that the tour inspired My. Hubby and I to visit one of their other all-inclusive locations in Mexico next year:) We decided to hear the sales pitch to the end. We were at the hotel for 3 hours before we could finally leave and head back to our resort and start really enjoying our vacation. We go on a tour of the hotel and listen to the representative explain the member/timeshare program. She takes us to their office where a sales rep. comes by and tries to sell you the big package. Of course, we turned that down. I mean, it was the price of a good used car, and the monthly payments were essentially a car payment for that used car. And since Mr. Hubby and I could use another car well.......so then they bring in the boss who has a much cheaper offer. We deny that and she takes us to the check out to receive our free gifts. Well, of course the check out person has one last ditch offer to give us. We declined and just got our 2 free excursions and the ride back to our resort. We did manage to snap a few shots of the hotel. The one with the swimming pool is actually a huge guitar!
We got back to our hotel and decided we wanted some lunch and to spend the rest of the day in the pool. Since we didn't have anything planned for the next day till 1:30, we were able to enjoy a bit of the night life. We posed for a quick selfie before dinner:
Did I mention how much I love that hat!? Since we didn't have reservations, we went to our good stand by Colonial Buffet. After dinner, we decided to go to our room and play some cards until the show later that evening. The show was dancers doing all kinds of Latin dances. They had some cool costumes and performances. We really enjoyed it.
The next day we woke up to get some breakfast and spent some time reading by the pool. Yes, even Mr. Hubby read! I finished a book that I had started on the plane. We had some swim time before lunch.
Thursday was our anniversary. We decided that afternoon after pool and lunchtime that we would do horseback riding on the beach. I mean, doesn't that sound like a romantic way to spend your anniversary? Yeah, we couldn't have been more wrong. Don't misunderstand, it was a great experience. It's just not one I think I would like to do again. I really think I wanted to do it more for the experience and pictures anyway. It was hot and long. We took an open bus to the ranch. While we are driving in an open vehicle at around 60mph, Mr. Hubby's hat flies off his head and gets ran over by a car. Luckily, we had a nice driver and guide. They backed up and retrieved his hat. The bill was broken, but still wearable. We were with a young family from Canada. I loved getting to meet people from all over the world on this trip! The ride was only supposed to be for an hour, but I know it was way longer than that. It was really hot, long, and uncomfortable. Just when I thought we might be coming up on the ranch again, we headed in a different direction. When I thought we were finished, I was told it was a break. During our break we got to see some locals and how they make cigars, coffee, and other natural herbs. I didn't want to climb back on the horse, but I did. The guide told me not to worry because we only had another 10 minute ride back to the ranch. I could do 10 minutes! I swear my horse was stubborn! He kept wanting to run, and I was so not OK with that! I'm a slow and steady rider. I hadn't been on a horse in 10 years! Trust me, I was totally feeling it later in the day and the next day. We rode through some forest on a trail to the beach. The horses ran along the beach. We even had to cross a natural fresh river! That was so scary. We had to do it coming and going. There was a photographer going with us the whole way snapping shots. He put them on a CD and was trying to charge us $50 for it. The other couple wasn't having that price, and neither were we! We managed to get it down to $30. You have to have pictures of stuff like this, and it wasn't easy snapping your own with your phone....especially if you have a horse that doesn't follow directions! So here are some shots of me and Mr. Hubby riding horses on the beach:
The scenery is stunning! The pictures turned out really well, too. You will see a pic of me and Mr. Hubby trying to slow our horses down as the galloped along the shore line. After our ride, we came home to shower and relax before our dinner reservations for the evening. This was one of 2 nights we were able to actually get and keep our reservations for dinner. We ate at the Hibachi restaurant for some Asian food. It was delicious. In keeping with our anniversary tradition, we took our annual "anniversary selfie" this year with the beach as a backdrop:
We had a great anniversary, despite being sore from the horseback riding. Since we paid for the horseback riding, our next 2 days were our free excursions we got from listening to the sales pitch. We will save those for the 3rd and final post. Stay tuned.....
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