Dear Readers,

Viva la Mexico! Just the idea of a Mexico getaway brings up pictures of romance, so we were really looking forward to our trip to Isla Mujeres this month. We've been busy, busy, busy writing the past month so the thought of a few days in the tropics really sounded great.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the tiny island, it is a short ferry ride from Cancun. While it might just be a few miles by water, it's worlds away in terms of atmosphere. Unlike bustling Cancun, Isla Mujeres is perfect for couples who want to kick back and enjoy a small town atmosphere.

We stayed at the Avalon Reef Club, an all-inclusive resort that located on its own little private island, one connected by bridge to Isla Mujeres. The beach here was beautiful: lots of white sand and tempting, calm waters. When we could tear ourselves away, we were just steps from the island's sole community, one that still has some sand streets and a relaxed, laid-back pace.

We spent one day touring Isla Mujeres in a golf cart, a great way to get around and perfect for frequent stops. Our favorite stop was El Garrafon, a park that offers great snorkeling plus a full day of other activities. We watched some travelers enjoying Snuba (we've done it in the Cayman Islands--it's sort of like scuba diving but with a hose connected to the surface instead of a tank on your back). Paris hopped a ride on the zip line for an Indiana Jones-type adventure over the water.

Another day, we traveled to Cancun to check out some more resorts. Avalon has a program which allows guests to spend the day at their Avalon Grand Resort in Cancun; we also walked next door to check out their elegant Baccara resort. More on both of those properties in the coming days.

Since then, we've been back at the keyboards. We were recently interviewed by Austin's KVUE news crew, who came to our house to interview us about international travel. We're also awaiting the showing of our two episodes of "Insider's List" on the Fine Living Network; if any of you see us on screen, please drop us a line and let us know! We don't get the Fine Living Network here yet but we're looking forward to hearing when it hits the airwaves.

Happy travels! Paris and John

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