Take an unforgettable trip along the Mexican Riviera in Holland America's Pinnacle-class cruise ship, MS Koningsdam, for a chance to visit the romance nest of two American movie icons together with charming Sierra Madre villages. Chocolate clams, anyone?
Adios, Australia! It's the worst of pandemic times when I fly to North park to board a cruise bound for Mexico. As I tell family and friends my plans (over the phone, because I'm isolating so that you can board my flight), I imagine raised eyebrows. You're cruising? Really?
Yet after i queue to board Holland America's ship MS Koningsdam, with negative test results in hand (passengers may also test in the terminal), a sense of calm finally washes over me. I'm going to enter what feels like a secure little bubble for just about any week – and I can't wait.
Travelling feels completely new again – including new cruising protocols. In the Lido Market (buffet area) are machines that appear to be just like a mini-carwash. Another passenger and that i laugh once we insert our hands to wash. It's ticklish and fun: he states he'll return for doing things 20 times a day.
Other things, like the thrill of the sunset sail-away, haven't changed whatsoever. I stroll to the stern once we farewell North park, bound for any trio of ports strung out across the Mexican Riviera. The sky is ember-orange where the sun's sinking in to the ocean; behind the city skyscrapers is really a wash of pastel pinks and purples. Below, the odd seal frolics. At eye level, seabirds shepherd us from the bay. I forgot how good this feels.
Set sail for adventure
Spirits are high on night one. I explore the background music Walk, where you can hear a rock band, duelling pianists and soul music at venues so close you just hop in one to the other. Some couples are kicking up their heels, however the cruise director pounces on anybody who forgets to mask up. He is doing it in a light-hearted way, though, dancing up a storm using the person left around the oasis until their masked-up partner returns. It's somewhat surreal – however this is cruising in 2022. Safety and health have utmost importance but protocols are implemented with techniques that don't dampen the vacation vibe.
MS Koningsdam is probably the cruise line's larger-capacity Pinnacle-class ships that could carry over a couple of,650 passengers (add another 500 whether it's in maximum family mode). About this cruise, only a quantity of kids are aboard. As I'm going to discover, these ships work best with cruisers who love good food, good wine and happy times.
First, though, I have to book my shore excursions (you can do this with the Navigator app, however would rather visit the excursion desk). Water-based activities abound in vibrant Cabo San Lucas, a resort city around the toe in the Baja California Peninsula, however select a trip to Todos Santos. We zip past the region's iconic cardon cactuses to achieve the oasis town.
Lunch reaches your accommodation California – spruiked because the place that inspired the song. Sadly that isn't the situation but regardless, the town oozes charm. We have an intriguing history as an 18th-century mission and boasts architectural gems such as the Teatro Manuel Marquez de Leon movie theatre. I duck into Oystera – a grand new building built to seem like a crumbling ruin. Inside the light-filled, gorgeously tiled atrium is definitely an oyster bar where I spy almeja chocolata – chocolate clams – on ice. If only I'd slurped these local delicacies (along with a glass of bubbles) in my lunch. Returning to the ship, we catch sight – from your bus seats – of whales breaching offshore.
At Mazatlan, I additionally skip town towards visiting three mountain villages within the Sierra Madre ranges. In Malpica, I attempt a flaky sugar-stuffed pastry called coyota (female coyote). In Concordia, If only I'd several pesos in my pocket to join the cops flocking to some food cart offering tacos dorados de camaron (crispy tacos with prawns). After lunch within the jungle hideaway of Copala, I steal from my group to admire colourful memorials inside the cemetery.
Tour de force
My favourite excursion is at Cabo san lucas. Billed as “hidden beaches by speedboat with horseback ride”, our small-group tour begins with boarding a inflate speedboat to attain Yelapa, where we splash via a river on horseback and again before visiting Horsetail Falls. The cascade is not remarkable however the day improves using a quick snorkel before reaching a seaside that feels truly hidden (perhaps it's the possible lack of hawkers asking if I'd like to pose utilizing their iguana). After we recover across the bay, nearby humpbacks put on a whale of the show. I can not stop grinning at how magical everything feels.
Puerto Vallarta’s Hollywood love nest awaits you
Sixty years ago, two screen legends arrived in Cabo san lucas. Richard Burton was starring inside the John Huston drama, The evening in the Iguana. His Cleopatra co-star Bette davis came along because the lovebirds couldn't bear to become apart.
Both were married with others; their affair was scandalous. Burton arranged for Taylor to be Casa Kimberly – a casita (little house) across using their own (pictured right).
To avoid prying eyes he built an arched bridge, modelled on Venice's Bridge of Sighs, together. In 1964, he gifted Casa Kimberly to his violet-eyed love for her birthday, just weeks before they married. Today, this famed love nest in the city's charming Zona Romantica neighbourhood is really a nine-suite hotel having a restaurant and tequila bar. Astonishingly, you can pop inside and stroll over the romantic bridge – known as Puente del Amor – if you are not a guest.
Holland America offers an excursion which includes a peep at Puente del Amor within the residential area nicknamed Gringo Gulch. The ship spends about 12 hours in Cabo san lucas and, basically had time over, I'd book an early on dinner here (offered by 5pm) or play for just about any tequila martini. I'd love to see Huston's 1964 classic screened aboard the ship.
I are in possession of two sea days to fill. Cue ticking off all of the ship's specialty restaurants. The best dish could be the flavoursome and amusing clothesline candied bacon (the strips arrive dangling from hooks like laundry) within the Pinnacle Grill steakhouse. Within the Italian restaurant, Canaletto, loved-up couples enjoy their lasagne and spaghetti alle vongole at tables for 2 but there's always the opportunity to make new friends if you're feeling sociable. When I'm not within the mood for formal restaurants, the poolside wood-fired pizza becomes my go-to.
My stateroom is several floors underneath the gym and spa however the only way Sometimes off these calories would be to always take the stairs. That's the way i notice the tempting sea-day spa specials. Before Yes, it, my teeth are whitened, my body system massaged and my face slathered with scented potions. I also squeeze in 2 Mexican cultural classes, learning how to make paper flowers and papel picado – paper banners featuring decorative cut-outs. I'm not good to go – not with a long shot – whenever we slide back to Hillcrest. I didn't even find time for the wine-blending class. As I trundle for that exit, another passenger wonders aloud, “Where's the table offering grief counselling?” We swap sad smiles. Amigo, I am not ready either.
Katrina Lobley was a guest of Holland America Line.
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