Mar Del Plata: Day 4 - Tanning at the Beach One Last Time

Day 3 wasn't a complete bust thanks to Hell's Pizza. We also had the chance to rest in our room and relax. This is something that's nearly impossible to do at home in Cordoba City because of our horrible neighbors. But our vacation was almost at an end and we couldn't pass up the chance to enjoy the beach and pool one last time.

Luckily the weather in Mar del Plata was absolutely amazing on January 2nd. Not only was the sky cloud-free, but it was breezy enough to keep the heat from overwhelming us. 

Throughout the day, I kept thinking, "Man, I wish this was my life every single day." The view of the beach, the sky, and even the people was so refreshing to my eyes and mind. I actually felt safe here, which is something I never feel when I'm in our host province of Cordoba. 

I didn't want to leave and there was a moment when I actually contemplated swimming towards the ocean and never coming back. That's how badly I didn't want to go back to Cordoba. But I still had 24 hours to go and I didn't want to focus too much on leaving. So, I tried my best to enjoy every moment.

After we were done with the beach, we went looking for a place to eat. No. Antares was not an option. There was no way I was going to wait almost two hours for our food to arrive like I did in day 2. Fortunately, there were other options to choose from near the beach.

We settled on this outdoor restaurant, whose name I can't remember.

Although they say you should never get in the water right after eating, we headed for the hotel's private outdoor pool.

The hubs joined our friends in the pool and tossed a ball around for about 30 minutes. I, on the other hand, decided to sit in a chair and relax.
 

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to relax. We agreed to dine in the hotel restaurant with our friends later that night. The only problem was that the hotel restaurant we wanted to go to didn't have many appetizing options. Also, they were pricey AF. So, we decided to go for a stroll around town to look for a place to eat, and we found one called Torombolo.

As much fun as this trip was, my anxiety level was rising as the night came to an end. We would have to leave the next day and I wasn't sure if I could handle that.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Mar Del Plata: Day 3 - A Rainy Start and a Slice of Hell's Pizza

It was January the 1st and the hubs and I were looking forward to another beach day in Mar del Plata. But when we went down for our morning ritual (aka the hotel's breakfast buffet), we noticed through the dining room windows that it was raining.

We assumed it was just a morning drizzle. We were wrong. So, we consulted with the rest of our group to see what else we could do in Mar del Plata besides the pool and the beach. 

Hotel Costa Galana had an internal pool, but what we wanted was to walk on the sandy shores of the beach. So, we started searching on our phones for things to do in Mar del Plata and only a few options popped up. There was a casino and some museums in the area, but we needed a cab to get there. We weren't sure if they were even open on the first of the year. We tried calling a couple of places but no one was picking up. In the end, we felt there wasn't much of a point in spending money on a cab ride to places that might be closed. So, we chose to stay in the hotel and relax in our rooms.

The only problem was that the hubs and I were hungry. Then we remembered that we had seen a McDonald's near the hotel and decided to grab some lunch.

We couldn't resist getting this at McD's

But before we came back to the hotel, we took some photos of the not so sunny start to the new year.

By nightfall, our group risked it and took a cab to the casino. It had been a few years since I'd been to one. The last casino I visited was in La CABA, and it was pretty cool. So, I was excited to (hopefully) make a little extra spending money.

As the cab rode through Mar del Plata, I noticed a lot of people walking around but there was virtually nothing open. Sadly, by the time the cab got to our intended destination, we discovered that the casino was closed too. So, we asked the driver to take us somewhere that was lively and had restaurants and shops. 

Well, when he dropped us off, there were only a handful of stores, none of which I found interesting. 

Everything else was on the verge of shutting down for the night, except for some restaurants and coffee places.

Then we stumbled on Hell's Pizza, a NY style pizza joint that was on our tiny list of things to see and do in Mar del Plata.

It was packed and with good reason. The food here was amazing! In addition to different pizza toppings that you won't find in Argentine pizzerias, Hell's Pizza also offered chicken wings and mac and cheese. 

Now if you're from the States, you're probably thinking B.F.D. But when you've been living in a country for over a decade that doesn't know how to make a decent pizza or chicken wings or mac and cheese, you learn to appreciate restaurants like these.

Hell's Pizza also got kudos for their "hellish" decor.

Of course, we've found restaurants that have offered these types of food in the past. Most of these restaurants were in Buenos Aires, and some of them went out of business because of the pandemic. (Rest in peace, Chicken Bros.) Uggi's in La CABA made a decent pizza but they didn't offer pepperoni as a topping. The pizza at Chicago American Bar (gone but not forgotten) in Cordoba City was okay. So was the pizza at PIBI Guemes, but Hell's Pizza in Mar del Plata is by far the closest match to actual NY style pizza.

Once we were done stuffing our faces and taking photos, we walked around a little more, but by this point, it was 10 p.m. Naturally, the mall and pretty much everything else you can imagine was closed except for an ice cream shop. 

Looks can be deceiving! This mall was actually closed.

This made me wish we were back in New York because you can always find something open in the city that never sleeps.

So that's how we spent day 3 of our vacation in Mar del Plata. Would we get to see the beach again on day 4 or were we headed for another rainy day? 

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

Mar del Plata: Day 2 - The New Year's Eve Party!

It was 8:45 p.m. and the hubs and I were running 15 minutes behind schedule. But that was okay because so was the rest of our group.

With one member still unaccounted for, we went into the hotel restaurant to grab a table. We soon learned that the hostess already had a table assigned for us. There was only one problem. She had us down for a party of eight. How was that possible? I thought. I asked her to check again, and she confirmed that the reservation was for four adults and four children. 

WHAT?!?!

Then our friend arrived and cleared things up. He had made the reservation for eight because he was afraid that the hostess would seat us with other people.

Eventually, the hostess found a smaller table near a window for the four of us. It was actually pretty nice. We couldn't see the beach as much except for the foamy waves crashing on the shore. But we were hopeful that we would get to see some fireworks later that night.

So, after taking selfies, we went and helped ourselves to some food. I wouldn't exactly call it a buffet, but it was all you can eat. You just had to ask the servers to put what you wanted on your plate. It was easy as that.

Speaking for myself, I was still full from our late lunch at Antares. It had only been a few hours since we ate. This, of course, did not stop me from trying everything they had to offer.

The food and conversation were enough to pass the time before the New Year. Oh, and the alcohol helped too. But the servers kept refilling my glass with wine.

It was almost magical. My empty glass was full moments after I set it down. That's how efficient the staff was. Unfortunately, I hadn't drank this much in my life and I was starting to feel tipsy.

It might not look like it, but I was on my fifth glass of white wine by this point. That's probably why I was smiling so much. Anyone who truly knows me is well aware that I rarely smile unless I've had alcohol. But I switched to coffee and desserts to avoid a hangover.

Halfway through my second cup of coffee, one of the servers came by and filled our glasses with champagne. I was like "Uh-oh! Here we go again." Then I realized they were serving us the champagne because it was almost midnight.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

While the crowd inside the restaurant was cheering, clapping and laughing, it was virtually silent outside. I did see a small group of people gathered across the street from the hotel. But where were the fireworks? Then we heard what sounded like fireworks, only they weren't quite what we were expecting.

The fireworks could've used a serious dose of pizzazz! At this point, we were starting to wonder if we would see any real fireworks.

Then...

About thirty minutes later, we took a midnight stroll to burn off some calories. Only three of us went. Number four decided to call it a night.

There wasn't a whole lot to see except for a couple of people celebrating outside, drinking, and in some cases, dancing. So after taking a couple of selfies, we headed back to our room to follow one final New Year tradition.

We used our TV to link up to the internet, so we could watch the ball drop in Times Square. For us, the New Year wasn't officially upon us until this happened. This is something we've been doing since we moved to Argentina, and we didn't feel like this year should be any different.

Well, now that we had officially welcomed 2023, we decided to rest and prepare for what was supposed to be a fun day at the beach. But Mother Nature had other plans for us.

To Be Continued...