Happy New Year my loves!

I hope that this year has started off on a peaceful and kinder note than last. We took a serious beatdown last year.  To think we are coming up on the one-year mark of the pandemic shut down is surreal.

Anyway, as 2020 wound down, I had this overwhelming need to see 2020 exit and 2021 begin on different note.  Some time back in November I started toying with the idea of going away from New Year’s Eve.  Now being Latina from a fairly large family this would have been unthought of during pre-Covid times as we always do the holidays big!

But being that things were different this year and it has always been on my bucket list to go away for the holidays, I thought this would be the perfect time to welcome the new year in a different place, in a different way, solo.

And off I went.  I chose Tulum, Mexico because I had taken a 1-day trip there long ago and was left with the urge to go back.

As part of starting my new year differently I decided to book an eco-friendly hotel rather than stay at some fancy resort.  I stayed at an eco-friendly hotel which is off the main road a little bit separated from the center of town but close enough that you could walk or bike in.

Now I am not going to lie when I arrived at the hotel, I was sure it was a set up and that I would end up on an episode of Dateline or something.  It was quiet. One could say desolate. LOL.   Cabañas with thatched roofs nicely spaced out among the most beautiful foliage.

The hotel features cabañas that house two units.  I was happy that I was on the second floor and a skip and a hop away from the pool.   The unit is one large round room with a four-poster bed with sheer curtains, a settee, one nightstand and closet, and of course the bathroom.  When I tell you bare, it was bare minimum.  Nothing like the travel experiences I’ve had.  

The staff were so helpful and sweet – I was thrilled I chose it.

I wanted to share with you some cute places to visit while in Tulum especially on a budget.

I had the best avocado toast at Sole Cantina, small café and bar on Avenida Tulum.  My breakfast (avocado toast, two eggs, bacon and coffee) cost me less than $8.00.

You guys know I love Hookah and of course I found the cutest hookah bar with a balcony overlooking the main road.  I got to sit up there and smoke while people watching- perfect combination.

Want great pizza? Go try La Estancia Jujena, also located in the center of town on La Avenida Tulum.  The very best margarita pizza I’ve had and super inexpensive with lots of happy hour deals.

If you want to get glammed up and you don’t mind sitting in 45-minute traffic please go check out the Boca Paila strip.  Lined up and down with chic eateries, cantinas, cabañas catering to the yogi in you and also leads to a natural preservation where you can witness deep sea turtles lay their eggs.  Each year between June and November, sea turtles land on Mexico’s beaches to nest, and hatching usually occurs during the months of August, September, October and early November. 

You can also find the cutest boutiques selling crocheted swim cover ups, handmade jewelry and unique gifts to bring home.  I ended up at the Puro Corazon bar and restaurant that features a rooftop and is known for the most amazing sunsets.  Go have a margarita and watch the sky burst with color as the sun sets.  One of my favorite places in Tulum.

One thing you should know, which I didn’t is that the holidays are high season in Tulum.  I expected a little less people, but I can say there were tons of quiet spaces in Tulum if desired.

So that’s it for information about Tulum, I will put together a more thorough Tulum Guide in the future. 

For now, what I really want to talk about is why I chose to ring in the new year alone.  A lot of my friends were like WTH! You can’t leave us!  We’re coming.  I stood my ground.  I said absolutely not.  It’s like I can’t even explain it.  The wanderlust needed it. I needed some solitude and time with my thoughts.

I spent a lot of time walking around and sitting in outdoor cafes, reading or in my thoughts.  I thought a lot about the year that ended and what I wanted for myself in 2021.  I didn’t journal or anything like that. I just did a lot of thinking and reflecting.  I did some mental purging.  I went over mistakes I’ve made, people I’ve hurt and I asked the Universe for forgiveness and I forgave myself as well and I shelved it.  So many times, we just keep going over and over things or regretting and its such wasted energy.

I rested, I read, I laid in the sun, I walked.  When I got home on the 4th, I felt lighter and freer and ready to tackle the year.  I set some intentions for the new year and I jumped right into 2021, instead of being exhausted and hungover on the 1st and deciding to start drinking all over again because it’s the first day of the year and I had day off.

I started a dry January, signed up for online workout classes, am doing yoga a couple times a week and recently started looking to go back to work and job searching.

Listen I love to travel with friends and family, but I also like to travel with myself.  I am pretty good company I have to say and I’d travel with myself over and over again.

As I have said before, traveling solo is so empowering.  It forces you to become more comfortable in your own skin.  It helps you love yourself.  Makes you braver and it really just gives you the opportunity to observe everyone and everything around you.

I am ready for 2021 and hope you all are too. I wish you all some solo travel this year.  Self-love.  Self-care.

May 2021 bring you health, peace and joy.


I am a 50-year old Latina divorcee who has been on a spiritual journey for, yikes, a really long time. Though I am not where I want to be, each day I do get closer to who I am meant to me.

I co-raised two young ladies and am a grandmother of two spunky, smart and funny kids – Max and Esme.

Education has been my niche for the last 20 years and I don’t know why. I wish someone had given me a career survey in high school or college to realize that #1- I am NOT a morning person and #2- I don’t really like kids, not even my own. So, I am searching for my passion. Not sure what that is yet. But there are a few things I am exploring, writing being one of them (that’s why I am here).

I have issues with commitment, not so much relationships but committing to my goals, putting in the work and seeing things through. But I did commit to making my 50’s the best decade ever. So far so good. I love yoga, traveling and writing; but mostly wine. Yes! I love wine.

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