Feliz Cumpleanos Senora Mobley

Last week, my beautiful mother-in-law celebrated her 70th birthday with a fun-filled family fiesta south of the Border in Sayulita, off the Mexican Riviera.  When you are a woman as well traveled and as special as Melinda Mobley, it's very hard to find the perfect gift.  But sometimes, the best gift in the world is simply precious time spent in the company of family.   So the Mobley family devoted a whole week to celebrating such an amazing woman.

My sister-in-law, Jennifer, booked an awesome rental house for the entire week and it was the most breathtaking architectural masterpiece in the entire town of Sayulita.  The home came complete with 4 brightly colored bedrooms, three different floors, an outdoor kitchen and living room with views as far as the eye can see, a hot tub, a separate pool, two hammocks and unlimited little nooks to curl up and read a book (in the sun or in the shade).

I've been to a few places in Mexico, but Sayulita is a unique little town. Located just a 35 minute drive away from Puerto Vallarta (or 13 minutes or so away from Punta De Mita), it is reminiscent of a little surf town saturated with rich Mexican culture and delicious food.  Most of the locals walk around barefoot with boards under their arms, and there are people from all over the world who are either visiting or have opted for a more simple life in Mexico.  We met locals from Canada, Seattle, Southern California, even people from Finland!  There aren't any resorts in Sayulita, and the beach isn't peppered with vast hotels complete with cabana boys, but where they are lacking in that sense, Sayulita more than makes up for it with the culture and personality of the city.  

And the food, OH THE FOOD in Sayulita...wow.  JUST WOW!  I'm deprived of Mexican food in New York, so I couldn't get enough fish tacos, shrimp quesadillas, guacamole, fresh salsa and essentially anything in a tortilla.  Our first night we ventured out do a quaint little restaurant called Sayulita Fish Tacos, and it quickly became my favorite restaurant in town, and we ended up eating there a total of 3 times total over the week.  Outside of their addictive fish/shrimp tacos and delicious margaritas, SFT had a selection of over 250 different types of tequila, it was one of the most amazing sights I had ever seen.  There was even a bottle locked up in a cabinet for $400 per shot....not pesos people...$400 US DOLLARS.  Dios Mio!  

Even though we had such wonderful options down the street from our hilltop home for the week, Jennifer and I made one of the best decisions of the week in hiring a cook!  Our wonderful Sophia came over every morning and made us authentic Mexican breakfasts, with eggs, chorizo, casseroles, and of course fresh tropical fruit on a daily basis.  On the nights we opted to stay in, she came back for dinner and treated us to even more Mexican feasts.  If I could bottle up Sophia's peanut mole sauce...I could be a millionaire in New York.  And if I could eat her mango guacamole every day for the rest of my life, I would die a happy woman.  Everything she made went over famously with the whole family, and my favorite part....she made dessert with every dinner!  We had flan, flour-less chocolate cake, guava cheesecake, and deliciously tropical sorbets.  Divine....absolutely divine.  And after our bellies were full and happy, she had the kitchen spotless and all the dishes cleaned and put away so that no one was inconvenienced with the clean-up.  I'd highly recommend that experience to anyone traveling to Mexico, and if you decide to see Sayulita, Sophia is a magician!

Outside of the eating, which I've talked about at length, there were a few highlights from the trip that I wanted to share.

The sunsets and sunrises every day were something you just couldn't miss.  A few mornings I woke up to the sunrise and started the morning with tea and yoga overlooking the Pacific Ocean.



Every night, regardless of what happened that day, or how bad my heat rash was (sensitive subject....), all 6 of us convened at the top level of the house for cocktails to watch the sunset.


Some nights we opted for tequila on the rocks, and sometimes there we just a few cervezas.  But without fail, every night, we had happy hour for sunset.  

Another highlight for everyone what the level of relaxation we were all able to assume for the entire duration of the trip.  I know all six of us have a hard time finding time to chill during all of our busy lives.  But aside from a few driving episodes (which can be stressful in any country), everyone was absolutely in a state of zen. I think Mike even finished a book....GASP!  

At one point, I even felt TOO relaxed and had to spice up the day a bit with a little zip lining!  Mike was "head ropes course instructor" at Lawerenceville, so it wasn't his first time doing a zip line tour, but it was mine...another FIRST for me in 2012.  The views were breathtaking and we got to zip line through the jungles of Mexico on a private tour with just the two of us and our amazing guides.  Definitely a highlight for me.  

The shopping was so much fun and the pricing is somewhat negotiable, which makes it even more fun!  And the Sayulita culture embraces "Los Muertos", so it felt like Halloween in every store.  Mike was not satisfied until I let him buy everything he wanted.  

But sadly, I didn't not let my husband leave the country with the wall sized painting of a Mexican skeleton.  But we did come home with bags of jewelry, artwork, pottery and some treats for the DuPont family and our friends of course!

But the best night of the trip for me, was Melinda's actual birthday where we all enjoyed a family dinner on the water while a Mexican cowboy serenaded us with some famous Latin tunes on his guitar.  

It is amazing how quickly the week goes by when you are relaxed and enjoying yourself.  If only a normal workweek could feel like it flew by just as quick.  Before we knew it, all 6 of us had to say adios to part ways and head back to our perspective states.  While I was so happy to come home to my wiggly bulldog, it was hard to leave the Mexican retreat that had become our home for the week.  I know it was a memorable and enjoyable trip for me, and I hope that it was everything that Melinda could have ever wanted for her special day.    

If you want to check out the full album from our Mexican getaway, peruse the album here.