Beach on a Budget

This morning’s breakfast at the hotel did not live up to the online promises, since it was comprised of bagels, toast, Danish, waffles, cereal, and yogurt. Notice I did not list eggs, bacon, or hashbrowns which, though not specifically promised, are definitely implied in the term “full, hot breakfast” as opposed to “continental breakfast.” Interestingly enough, we have stayed in hotels that promised only the latter, yet delivered the former (much to our delight); however, if a place promises the former and delivers the latter, it is problematic in my book. Still, I was determined not to allow my disappointment in breakfast to color the rest of my day. After all, I am on vacation.


A couple of cups of coffee and some yogurt later, I felt ready to hit the beach; so we packed a cooler with drinks and snacks, picked up the beach blanket, the kite, and sweatshirts, and headed for the sand. My son spent most of our beach time actually in the water (cold!) with his boogie board, while I combed the shore for small shells and interesting bits of quartz. Jeff was content to “guard” our belongings by alternately dozing on the blanket and trying to get his stunt kite in the air. (Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough wind today.)

After about five and half hours of relaxing to the sound of the pounding surf, we decided the grittiness of the sand in our bathing suits was just more than we could tolerate and headed back to the room for warm showers, family games, and a lunch of sandwiches and chips with s’mores over the mini-grill for dessert. As we seared the marshmallows, Jeff mentioned that the idea of s’mores always sounds better than the reality, since the graham crackers tend to overpower the combination. After one round of the traditional campfire treat, we all opted to just toast the marshmallows and eat the Hershey bars separately.

After some recuperation out of the sun, we decided a stroll through the local mall would whet our appetites for dinner. I think this little ritual is a holdover from the years we lived in po-dunk Arizona towns where a K-mart was the height of retail experience. These days we have ready access to every chain store imaginable, so we don’t really need to go to a mall while on vacation, but old habits die hard. Though I must admit we had some fun checking out other patrons!

Eventually we wound our way to Islands, an upscale burger joint, for dinner where the boy ordered a standard bacon cheeseburger with barbecue sauce, Jeff ate a Hawaiian burger with grilled pineapple slices and teriyaki sauce, and I munched on grilled veggie tacos. These puppies were simple and delicious! The corn tortillas were filled with grilled mushrooms, zucchini bites, and bell pepper strips, and then topped with roasted corn, black beans, and fresh avocado slices. A lime wedge and some pico de gallo finished off the tacos, which I will definitely be making once we get home. These lovely veggies came with a non-mayo based cole slaw. The dressing was quite tart and smacked of red wine vinegar with a hint of lemon pepper. While my son, who usually adores cole slaw, did not care for this version, I found it interesting and tasty. Our dinner was a bit of a splurge since we were tired and wanted someone to bring us food and clean up when we were done with the total coming in at $40 for three meals, tax, and tip. (I suppose that is about median priced these days unless you’re eating fast food.)

Tomorrow’s adventure will include exploring a local mission and historic district in town. We’re hoping to eat at a lovely little teahouse, if space is available. (Don’t worry – I’ll take lots of pictures.)