by Dorothy Aksamit

ccording to the chronicles of Bernal Diaz, Montezuma, the ruler of Mexico City at the time of the Spanish conquest, chose his dinner each day from 200 dishes brought by runners from the four corners of his kingdom. I think Montezuma would have felt at home at the Karmina Palace Resort. I had been nervous about the food selections at an all inclusive resort, but I felt like Montezuma as I stood in the dining room on Fiesta night, surrounded by heavy clay pots bubbling with everything from pozole to a most delicate chicken mole. The featured meat was a suckling pig, but there was also beef barbeque, shredded pork and fish fillet.

… a secluded grotto under the waterfall with lounge chairs and a passing parade of piña coladas.

The sumptuous feast was accompanied by beer, wine, and, of course, margaritas, plus a twelve-member mariachi band with a fervent young singer who stole our hearts. We dined on the terrace overlooking the open-air theatre where, each night, energetic young actors recreated myths and dances.

Our seventh floor premium room on two levels was a welcome oasis with comfortable overstuffed furniture, glass top tables, two TVs, a huge marble bath and a balcony. Central air conditioning and spotless housekeeping kept the room as fresh as a sea breeze.

From the six-story vaulted lobby, marble stairs flanked by flowing water (think Chichen Itza) led to lush palm-shaded grounds with interconnecting lagoon pools. For those avoiding the sun there was a secluded grotto under the waterfall with lounge chairs and a passing parade of piña coladas. At the small beach we swam with tropical fish and waved good-by to scuba divers and kids on banana floats.

We expected the poolside palapa restaurant, Habaneros, to have hamburgers, hotdogs, tacos and pizza, and it did have all of those, plus a ceviche bar that became our noontime hangout.

For evening romance, the terrace restaurant “Carioca” put us in the middle of a circle of twinkling lights from the bay where we enjoyed lobster and steak with Chilean wine.

It was tempting to relax into Mexican time and not venture outside our luxurious surroundings, but we did take a one-day hotel tour to Comala, the capital of Colima state. Along the new highway were glimpses of an agricultural paradise. Coconut and oil palms reached for the sky, sheltering banana trees with long stalks of bananas. Dense green orchards blushed with pink tinged mangos and heavy green fruit hung from the trunks of jackfruit trees. In road stands we found limes, coffee, sugarcane, tropical fruit candies and coconuts. Where the road hugged the coast we spied frigate birds, pelicans, storks and egrets.

At the picture-perfect, palm filled Central Plaza in Colima, we tasted tuba, the slightly fermented coconut drink, saw our first pre-Columbian artifacts in a small museum in the Governor’s Palace, and shopped on the pedestrian only street for a clay replica of the fanciful dancing dogs of Colima that were found in the nearby archeological sites of El Chanal and La Campana.

The last stop on the tour was the festive plaza of Comala where locals and tourists spend Saturday afternoon drinking Tecate and eating free snacks, botanes, accompanied by enthusiastic mariachi groups.

Montezuma’s palace had pools, a zoo and an orchard. I think he would be happy at Barcelo Karmina Palace with a golf course, tennis courts (shared with Las Hadas), three restaurants, a fitness center, scuba tours, lagoon pools, a spa, a beach, and lively entertainment each night.
I know I can hardly wait to return.

Barcelo Karmina Palace Resort: tel. 800/227-2356; www.barcelo.com.

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