Life at Trilogy is about so much more than simply award winning amenities and green homes….it’s about having new adventures and connecting with new friends. Follow Gregg Snyder’s chronicle below of the recent Trilogy Member trip to Ixtapa.
Saturday Afternoon, Nov 14th 2009
Trilogy Members Arrive in Ixtapa!
On Saturday afternoon, Trilogy members were greeted at the local Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa airport by some of the wonderful Club Med G.O. (Gracious Organizers) team, Kevin Batt (my buddy from Club Med Miami), Sparrow (from Canada) and myself.
Once they passed through Mexican immigration, the members were taken to two awaiting buses, their luggage was loaded, and they were on their way to the “Village.” During the bus ride, as we were being told about the amenities and offerings that awaited us at the resort, I could tell that everyone had only one thing in mind: FOOD!!!
The members cheered as we pulled into the resort. They were greeted by the entire G.O. team and were given cool, scented hand & face towels and cold drinks as they listened to a short speech from the resort manager.
The Trilogy members & friends were then whisked off to their rooms, where they changed into beachwear and – in a matter of minutes – were headed to the beach for a quick dip before enjoying lunch at the Miramar restaurant.
All I can say is that this is paradise…
Saturday Night, Nov 14th
Cocktails and Dinner
The wonderful G.O. team organized a very nice Mexican Cocktail party to greet our group at the bar terrace on Saturday evening. From there we had a gorgeous view of Ixtapa’s amazing sunset before heading on to dinner.
The group is ready for a great week of fun in the sun, with many added highlights that the G.O. team will organize for us throughout our stay. The members are already talking about the next trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic in June of 2010.
The group on this Trilogy trip includes members from Vistancia, La Quinta, and Redmond Ridge, as well as family members from many other parts of the country. Great memories and new friendships are sure to be made over the course of the week.
Sunday Nov 15th 2009
Full Village Tour & Day to Play
On Sunday morning, after their first night in Ixtapa, the members awoke to the sound of the Pacific and the appetizing aroma of a huge Club Med breakfast prepared by our chef de cuisine, John Black, and his team.
At 9:00 am, Leon, the reception manager, gave us a tour of the entire resort. He then filled us in on the highlights of the week, which will be organized exclusively for our Trilogy group. These highlights include two special cocktail parties and dinners, sports lessons and tournaments on the beach, morning eco walks, and a day excursion, to name just a few. There will be many other surprises thrown in throughout the week, as well.
When the tour was finished, members had the entire day to play. Some went to Zumba class and water aerobics, some went sailing, some hit tennis balls with Fernando from Mexico City, and some went back to the beach and enjoyed doing “nada” (Spanish for “nothing”).
Meanwhile, I was running around the resort making sure that everyone was having a good time, answering any questions that arose, and setting up for the first group cocktail party and dinner of the week, which would be held at the Luna Azul down by the beach.
The atmosphere of the cocktail party on the beach was simply beautiful, and it lead into a fabulous dinner with world class cuisine from John, Tony, and Xuana, who took very good care of us.
Between the food, the service, the drinks, and the setting, we couldn’t have asked for more. Bravo and thanks to John & the Cuisine team!
Sunday ended in the Village center with a Brazilian night that was full of energy. Members danced with the G.O.s, Brazil’s national cocktails flowed, and music filled the air.
Now we’ll look forward to tomorrow night’s Trilogy beach party! Wow!
Monday, November 16th
Eco-tour and Walk
Monday started out with our own personal ECO-walk & tour, which was a great chance to sweat out the wonderful dinner & drinks we had at the Luna Azul on Sunday night.
A group of 25 out of the 65 total Trilogy members, friends, and family gathered at the reception area to meet up with Guga (from Brazil), who is the Club Med sports manager. Guga, my buddy Sparrow, and my wife Lu gave out bottles of water and got us all stretched out before we attacked Ixtapa’s government-funded Eco trail by Fonatour.
Lu & Guga set the pace at the front, and Sparrow and I pushed everyone from the back; so it was really a foot race to see the crocs, alligators, iguanas, and birds of all sorts. Once we reached the mangroves, Guga described the wildlife that surrounded us, members took photos, and then it was yet another foot race to return to the “Village” resort for yet another meal!
Monday Nov 16th 2009 11:00pm
Vistancia & Friends Go to the Beach!
Yes folks, that sunset is what we see each night, and it just gets better!
The Team of G.O.’s showed the members a great time with a “Jungle” themed evening on Monday. We had another wonderful buffet and a show in the theater, and then it was off to the beach for a large bonfire, a movie screen with surf videos, a limbo contest, beach volleyball, more food, and fresh whole coconuts, with or without rum.
The members had a great time and it’s only day #2!
Tuesday Nov 17th 2009
Eco Walk, Day 3
We start every morning with an Eco-Walk, and by this morning’s walk, our group had shrunk from our original 28 to 18. I think they’re starting to relax!
Anyway, this morning we walked down to see the crocodiles once again, but took a turn to Playa Linda. We took in the sites and sounds of the famous surf spot of Tronones and watched the local fishermen at work. The group walked for about an hour and a half before returning to the village for a day full of events and highlights for our Trilogy group.
Tuesday, Nov 17th
Trilogy Cooking Demo
Chef de Cuisine John Black & Sheik from Mauritius Island organized a cooking demo using fresh caught fish and lobster from the Pacific. The members loved the class, and they also loved sampling the fresh raw caveice, lobster potato salad, and BBQ’d shrimp!
John had it all set up like a cooking show that you’d see on the Food Network, and everyone was given the recipes to take back to the states!
Tuesday, Nov 17th
Trilogy Goes to the Circus!
For part of the day, the group went off and did their own thing. But at 3:30pm, they all went to practice the flying trapeze without telling me, even though they had a special hour set aside for them at 6:00 pm (with a wall climbing as well). I know Patsy, Colleen Brownworth, Claudia Richards, Noreen & Roger Francis, and a few others took on the challenge. Bravo!
Later, at 6:00 pm, some members came back to do it all over again – and this time I got it on tape! Visit www.youtube.com and search for KivaClubVistancia. The video is called “Trilogy goes to the Circus.”
Tuesday, Nov 17th
Trilogy’s Mexican Folklore Evening
The theme of this evening’s festivities was “Mexico,” and the club had flown in a singer to perform for the resort guests. While the performer was singing “Happy Birthday” to Bill (a Vistancia member), other members were enjoying the local art market, which was set up around the pool, and the Tequila tasting session, with many different types of Tequila from all around Mexico.
At dinner that evening, a live Mariachi band was playing at the restaurant (and would be playing at the folklore show later in the night as well). Dinner included fresh Mexican food from all the different regions in Mexico. It was amazing! Everything was delicious – and the flank steaks, in particular, were to die for.
After dinner, we were treated to a Mexican Folklore show, which you can view in the video named “Mexico 100%” on YouTube.
After the show was over, the G.O. team organized a poker tournament for the members. Brownie (Vistancia member) showed up wearing a dollar-sign jacket and a chain, and he had two girls by his side when the tournament began. The jacket didn’t stay on too long, as Joann from Vistancia was the big winner.
Wednesday Nov 18th 2009
Morning Tennis Tournament
It was yet another fun-filled day in Ixtapa for those who wanted to participate in the planned events, as well as for those who wanted to lay back and relax.
It all started out at 8:00am with the daily eco-walk & tour. Today, they had only 10 people show up! So, we’ve gone from 28 to 18 to 10. I think they’re really starting to relax now!
At the same time, the tennis group had a little surprise down waiting for them at the tennis, where a continental breakfast was set up and a tournament was organized exclusively for our group. Thanks Tennis Team!
Wednesday Nov 18th 2009
Dinner and Dancing
On the night of Wednesday Nov 18th, John Black and the cuisine team organized a private dinner at the Argentine Steak House called the “MiraMar.” During the dinner, the members listened to cool jazz music and the sounds of the Pacific floating in from the beach.
The steaks were huge the sauces that came with the meats were outstanding…and of course, the service was 5 stars! When we finished our meals, the group was treated to a Trapeze Show performed by the circus team in the village. After that, we all went to the main bar to do a little dancing. Wow! Can Mike & Patsy Dance!
Thursday Nov 19th
Sports Day
Today is Sports day and the G.O. team has set up a day of organized archery tournaments, sailing regattas, power walks, and other activities from around the village.
My wife, Lu, and I took a group of eight down to see the crocodiles by Playa Linda, then we walked the Playa Linda Beach towards Troncones and back to the resort to get our heart rates up.
Chuck Clark & Ron Cook went out deep sea fishing early this morning and came back with 2 large sailfish. Ron’s sailfish is going straight to tonight’s buffet! They both told me that they had a great time.
The Archery Tournament at 11:00am had a great turnout and all the scores, photos and video will be uploaded later. Have a great day and Go Vikings!
Afternoon of Thursday, Nov 19th
Our afternoon started off with a sailing regatta organized by the Beach Team. We had five teams take part in the Trilogy II Mexican Cup, in which teams had to sail out and around buoys placed in the Pacific by the sailing team. Back on the beach we had a number of Trilogy cheerleaders.
After making their way through a little obstacle course on the beach, the teams pushed their cats out to the water and off they went. The winds seemed to pick up as they headed west, and once they were out to sea, the all-female team of Peg Bamber & Linda Henning took off like there was a motor at the back of their vessel!
First place went to Peg & Linda, followed by Stewart & Linda Helfrich in second place, and Noreen Francis & Dick Gilbert in third. Other teams were Mike & Patsy representing Vistancia, and Mike & Dick representing Vistancia & Redmond Ridge.
After the race, Luis, the beach chef, had all the members return to the beach shack where they were served fresh coconuts, sangria, soft drinks, and fresh fruit.
It was then time to head back down the beach to watch the ever-so-beautiful sunset of Ixtapa, and to get ready for yet another fun-filled evening at Club Med.
Other events that took place today were salsa and samba dance lessons and a Club Med tee-shirt tie-dye party!
Night of Thursday, Nov 19th
Our evening started off at the bar with cocktails & hor d’ourves. When the entire group was accounted for, we headed to the main restaurant for another wonderful dinner.
Once seated we were notified of a few birthdays and celebrations in the group, so the G.O. team brought over cakes to wish both Dick and Bill a Happy Birthday, and to celebrate some wedding anniversaries in our group. The interactions between the G.O.’s and the members made the evening extra special.
After dinner, the members were treated to a fun comedy show called “Music Factory,” and they all went wild. The G.O.’s got the group involved from the beginning until the end. Once the show was finished, the G.O. team had our group participating in the ever-so-famous “crazy signs” & local dances.
Now it’s off to the bar for a nightcap before calling it a night!
Plans for Friday, Nov 20th
Tomorrow is Friday Nov 20th and the team has planned for a French-style Bocce Ball Tournament called “Petanque” at 2:00 pm. During the rest of theday, the group is free to take part in all the activities that they’ve enjoyed throughout the week, or to try out a new activity that they haven’t yet given a shot.
At 6:00 pm we’ll take our group photo, which will be followed by cocktails. Then, on the Miramar beach terrace, the sports team will hand out the sports awards before we all head to yet another wonderful Club Med gala dinner.
