I am feeling suddenly exhausted by the trip. The surrounding is beautiful, and I honestly need to get some rest.
Armando my suite butler has opened the door to what is going to be my paradisaical hideaway for the next 10 days.
The handsome wrought-iron gate with a heavy wood door opens to a beautiful and spacious entrance decorated with rustic large terracotta pots filled with tropical plants. At the left hand side of the room my attention is captured by a charming set of a blue and white ceramic bottle with small cups. Several containers in the same material align waiting to be opened with a surprise one after the other.
The task is elegantly performed by Armando before curious, I have the time to ask or touch anything.
” Mr Maslaton, before I show you the properties of our amazing in- room- welcome Tequila Clase Azul, our distinctive spirit drink offered to you by our director Lionel Alvarez, let me introduce you to your personal housekeeper Maria, who among taking care of the suite needs will make sure that all ingredients required will be daily replaced in those cups for you to experience one of the finest tequilas in the world . It’s quite a ritual!
He explains then, that the tequila is produced by the fermented juices obtained from the heart of Blue Agave, which was personified by Mayahuel, the goddess of fertility since Aztec‘s times.
Production sometimes spans 12 years from the moment Agave are first planted to the time it is first bottled using the traditional and artisan methods like cooking in stone ovens. Before sunset I will certainly taste it following the instruction annexed to the intriguing set on the table.
I listen to the small lecture while I look around the rustic hand-crafted style suite, Armando doesn’t waste time. I am offered fresh fruit in a typical colorful bowl, and I am told that everyday they are replenished according to my personal taste , more important I do not have to worry about washing them as they are pre-washed with bottled water for health reasons.
In front of me like magic a corner glass sliding doors frames a breathtaking and unspoiled ocean, the Sea of Cortez , a pristine white sand garden, a golf and a beautiful beach. I can’t wait to finally relax, chilling in the expansive patio plunging after into my private infinity-edge pool.
The 1600 sqf suite is accented with fresh flowers, colorful Mexican tiles, intricately carved cabinets and hand-painted detailing .The king size bed headboard of inlaid pebbles lays just in front of an adobe Terracotta wood-burning fireplace, a luxuriously appointed Hacienda– style bath follows and on the other side a fully equipped kitchen with a Nespresso machine.
From the patio with a large Jacuzzi, I will apparently, says Armando, be able to watch the whales and dolphins by day and stargaze by night with my own telescope wearing who knows my sexy lingerie.
The CD player is on , a guitar solo from Paco de Lucia is playing while Armando and Maria quietly unpack my suitcases and arrange meticulously my clothes in the large but cozy walking closet.
The wireless internet is on and I decide to quickly call on Skype all my beloved to let them how much I love them and that I I will be out of reach, probably in Paradise for the next 10 days for them not to worry about anything.
Finally left alone , Armando puts a colorful bead necklace on the door knob for privacy promising to come back later. I decide to enjoy this life’s gift starting by taking a long fresh shower.
I must chose between the indoor or the outdoor shower which I believe is directly connected with the outside patio and pool, and that’s a lot of work for today.
The Bulgari soap, bath salts and fresh towels lay on a japanned wood bench. Two small indigenous plants in flower , an agave, a white rock, neatly trimmed sand and a small curved desert tree are my silent companions to this long and rejuvenating outdoor ritual.
The sky is dark blue, the breeze gentle, the distilled fragrance of the flamboyants trees the noisy waves of the ocean,
the smell of the sand, the noise of a small desert squirrel are making me feel alive. I breath deeply released.
With the robe and slippers sized for me especially and my polarized desert gold Ray-Ban‘s aviator’s I lie
on the patio’s lounge chair carved in a beautiful local wood in the shape of a fish. It’s almost 6 in the afternoon and the moment of savoring Las Ventanas‘ flavor of Mexico has come. I grab the small blue and white ceramic tray to a small table near my chair under a parasol and read attentively the ” manual instructions” kindly sent to me by Mr Lionel.
” Chocolate comes from Cacao a gift from our Aztec forefathers to the world. Agave is the source of tequila, the ultimate Mexican beverage. Their imprint on Mexican history and imagination has been huge. Cacao was once even a currency of our country, while Agave has been an economic mainstay since ancient times.
To start..Awaken your taste buds by enjoying several dried pumpkin seeds with chili powder. Then..take a small sip of tequila and savor its flavor. Rather than gulp shots all at once, drink it slowly using only the tip of your tongue initially.Then let it cover your entire tongue and run smoothly down your throat.
Your taste buds will really come alive now! Next…take a small pinch of salt, choosing your from your favorite from the selection of different salts. Follow…with the juice from a slice of lime, the perfect companion to the salt and tequila.
After that eat a few spicy almonds. Finally..enjoy a piece of dark chocolate, letting the silky chocolate flavor marry the soft taste of the sipping tequila.
Dizzy by the intensity of the emotional and physical mix of experiences running through my brain and veins, I put on a short white kaftan and on my knees on top of a stone table in the patio, I close my eyes in a meditative state…Maybe slightly drunk, maybe just blessed I source quietly for images resembling to a bright sun in the void of my imagination. Nirvana, Kundalini, awakening, bliss or paradise, I quite don’t know, it’s my first time.
Armando calls me and takes me out from my distant travels in the realms of other dimensions…” I am sorry to disturb you Miss Maslaton, I came to bring you the bed sheet menu for your to decide which linen you would prefer Maria to set your bed tonight. I strongly suggest you sense their texture. Linen, Silk, Satin or 900 counts pure Egyptian cotton”
I pick linen, I agree to have my fire burning just before dinner and the aromatherapy of my choice for tonight will simply be ” Sunset Calming”, a soothing journey with Lavander, Pettigrain and Melissa. ‘ Spiritual Balancing” with orange and sandalwood will probably tomorrow’s choice. Tomorrow anyway is another day.
My spa and dinners itineraries lie on top of my pillows, the room is quite, the sun is setting, the fire is playing its mystical role, while looking around me, I am not quite sure anymore that ‘ God is Brazilian’ who knows.. He is possibly Astek.
In any case, this small enchanting oasis in the middle of the desert evokes my senses independently of God’s country of origin.
After all if I am in paradise is because I deserved it . Salud!
Joelle’s Tips
The Drink: Tequila Clase Azul