Sunday at the Gorgeous Rojo Lounge on North Ambergris Caye, Belize

The weather on Ambergris Caye continues to be beautiful.  Warm (and getting warmer), windy and lots and lots of sun.  Apparently, for the past few weeks, the terribly beach-chic Rojo Lounge has been opening on Sundays for a bit of a Sunday fun day celebration.  (Rojo is a favorite on all sorts of international best bar lists.)   But only this week did I see the announcement…

posted by the bar manager with the mostest, Finn.  Man on right on floatie.

Time to head up there…to just soak in the gloriousness that is the Rojo Lounge.  Finn snapped a picture of me soaking it in.  Can you imagine better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon?

Our original plan was to rent a pair on hobie cats to sail up there but the wind was deemed too high so we bought tickets on the Coastal Express Water taxi conveniently headquarter in the middle of town.  Faster for sure…

The taxi service has shuffled through owners in the past 5 years.  When I first arrived, there was another service, the Island Ferry…and then John McAfee decided to open a rival and run them out of business.  Yes, THE John McAfee of hooking up with teenage girls, injecting himself with testorterone, crawling across international borders, shooting dogs and possibly humans infamy.  (Oh yes…and some anti-virus software.)

Now there is a brand new owner (who I hear plans to reside in the states and run this business – NO JUDGEMENT!).  Let’s just stick to the fact.  Here is the dock.

 

About 20 minutes later on a full boat and a few stops, we got off at the Rojo dock.

Just beautiful…

though I can’t quite place this one.  Aristotle?  Or was it my great grandpappy?

Honestly…the lounge couches and the pool and the view are amazing.

Adam from Casa Picasso Restaurant lounging…And then again but now with Susie aka Brown Bear in front.

Fun times.  Gorgeous cocktails.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying the mango caipirinha most of all.

No, no…none of this.

A very classy bucket o’ Belikins.

But let me concentrate on my department, food.  And a myth that I can now dispel properly.  This food is not really expensive.  First, it is DELICIOUS.  DEEE-Licious.  Everything we tried was really really, worth coming back for, good.

The prices might look a bit steep but the portions are for 2 or even three people.  You get tongs with your dish…it is one to be shared.  Not for just one person.

Spicy Rice Noodles.  Big enough for two very hungry people.

My sweet spicy cilantro-y pork carnitas tacos on homemade tortillas were DELICIOUS.

I had everyone tasting the pork to ID the secret ingredient…tamarind?

And the kale salad was shockingly delicious.  I like a 1:1 ratio bacon to greens.

I’m talking REALLY GOOD food.   Each of these dishes stand amongst the top on the island.  And then you get a beach lounger sofa, good music and the view?  I mean PLEASE.

Happiness!

 OH!  And some more happiness news.  Chef Jeff, the owner of Rojo and the creator of the food, is opening a cafe in town…at the Zen Arcade…with similar offerings.

Here is my recent post about the Zen Arcade wellness center.

 

So…if I was the type to tell you what to do (and I am so CLEARLY not), I’d get my butt up to Rojo Lounge.  It’s absolutely fabulous.