Friday, January 7, 2011

Three Kings Day - The Finale To Christmas in Mexico

Three Kings Day is on January 6th.  It is the
final day of Christmas celebration in Mexico,
celebrating the 12 days of Christmas from
December 25th to January 6th.

Welcome to Capella on Three Kings Day.
Capella is a new development in Cabo San
Lucas.


You enter huge gates and travel through
this tunnel lit by chandeliers down the center
and gas fired lanterns along the sides.



(Chandeliers that run down the center of the tunnel.)

Driving through the tunnel itself was quite a treat.

After traveling through the tunnel that runs
through the mountain at Pedregal you arrive
at this stunning site.



I don't know if this tree stays lit during the entire
year or just for the holidays but it was very
impressive to see at the end of the lantern lit tunnel.

We were supposed to be on the plane back to
snow and cold but today was Three Kings Day in
Mexico, the 12th and final day of their Christmas
celebration, when they give gifts and I received
a fabulous early birthday gift -
we got an email saying that our flight was cancelled
and that they had rebooked us on Saturday!

After some quick checking with babysitters,
I saw this as something wonderful - two extra
days of sun and surf.  Fortunately we didn't have
any renters coming to the house and had a
place to stay. 


I am going to share our wonderful experience at
Capella with you.

Here is another tree that was lit for the holidays
at Capella.  Everywhere you looked there were
beautiful lights and lanterns.



We went to their signature restaurant, Don Manuel.
I just love how magical it felt under
the lights on the outdoor patio.

Because of the warm climate, seating is offered both inside and
outside.  We chose inside.


I just had to include a night time photo of their pool and
swim up tables.



The table was set with traditional oversized ceramic
plates and hammered flatware.


I just love this napkin ring.



Notice the elaborate presentation at the table with
the butternut squash soup.


It was garnished in the center with a scoop of goat cheese,
a crouton and two tortellini.


I got the salad which also had a fantastic presentation
on a platter sized plate.  It was a hearts of palm salad
and featured  two jumbo shrimp and
a cannoli filled with a flavored cream cheese.


We ended our meal with
 "A Study of Mexican Chocolate",
a dessert board with various deep dark and incredibly
smooth Mexican chocolate offerings.  Artisan chocolate
is a new happening in Mexico with an emphasis on creating
smooth rich chocolate, a change from the traditional
more gritty Mexican chocolate.  It was wonderful. 

I may have to try my own version of this at home, served
on a board in like manner to contrast with the
 elegant chocolate treats. 

Truly, it was a wonderful celebration to end the
holidays.  I really  liked Three Kings Day.



I will end with a photo we took at the Puerto Paraiso Mall in
downtown Cabo where The Three Kings sit (with shopping bags
from the mall) and little children come and tell them their wishes,
much like we have children visit Santa at our malls.
(They were a friendly trio!)

I will be sharing this with

Jacqueline
Jacqueline

Chocolat - French for Chocolate. I adored chocolate from a young age when I had to sneak in the cupboard to find where my mother had hidden the Nestle's Chocolate Chips. Having read about the famous chocolat shoppes in Paris, when I finally got there I was determined to try a chocolate from every Paris shoppe. I invite you to share my adventures in creating, in travel, and in life.

36 comments:

  1. I like the name of Three Kings Day instead of Epiphany. It sounds more real. I loved your photographs, too.

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  2. What a fun way to extend the Christmas season! I have always wanted to be somewhere where they celebrate Lost Tres Reyes. Love the pool -- swim and eat! I also love the hanging ornate lights. Welcome back -- baby, it's cold outside! Joni

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  3. What a great tunnel..and the trees:) Oh that dining experience must have been heaven..I'll read up on the area..you have stirred my interest!
    Thanks so much for sharing..

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  4. I am so incredibly thankful for you sharing this. The food looked wonderful, the lights, oh the lights are so magical and the three kings were a hoot!!! Happy Birthday a day ahead.. I wish you good flights, little hassle and friendly skies!

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  5. Thank you for sharing the tunnel with the lighting - fantastic!
    I had to go back and read the two posts I missed - a beautiful area of Mexico you stayed in and with two extra days - lucky you!

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  6. Wow ... love all that glamour and sparkle! What a beautiful trip you've had and the food looks oh, so delicious! Happy New Year!

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  7. fantastic photos - thank you so much.

    glad your holiday lasted a little bit longer!

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  8. That's it, I'm definitely booking a flight. Cabo for Christmas sounds just too perfect. Thank you for sharing such wonderfulness!

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  9. Gorgeous! Love the Three Kings Day version of Jan 6th. I'm sure it was absolutely no problem to have your flights changed. :-) So glad you could stay for this lovely experience!

    The Mexican chocolate sounds divine. I love the pomp and ceremony of being served Mexican coffee...the cinnamon, whipped cream, etc. Do you make that?

    Happy Birthday!
    Pat

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  10. The food looks amazing! What gorgeous photos. Your blog always has beautiful eye candy. :)

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  11. HAPPY B-DAY Jacqueline! Hope it's a great one! Beautiful pics!
    My co-worker got stranded in Florida for days during an ice storm in Philly a couple years ago...
    You got stranded in Cabo...
    The only place I've been stranded is in a ditch when my car slid off the road during a blizzard!!! GOTTA work on my luck:@)

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  12. Happy Happy Birthday Jacqueline!
    I enjoy stopping by to visit you and all your fantastic ideas. Hope you have a lovely day.....pamper yourself...enjoy yourself with all your loved ones.
    xoso Sandy

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  13. Stunning photos, as usual, and....

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!

    :)
    Patricia

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  14. Looks like an awesome time!!!
    I hear it's your birthday;) So HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Hope you have a ton of fun:)

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  15. Just popping over from the Red Couch, to say Happy Birthday from Vancouver Island.

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  16. Hope today will be an extra special birthday! Happy Happy Birthday.

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  17. Happy Birthday! Of course if you love chocolate you are right at the source with the study of Mexican chocolate. Very neat!
    Sherry

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  18. Jacqueline, thanks for taking us along. Looks like a beautiful celebration. Love the idea of a study of chocolate. Enjoy the rest of your stay in sunny Cabo.

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  19. Shh! this looks all so beautiful...that tunnel, those trees...and that food...all looks like a good place to be "chilling".
    Have a happy week!
    Shel x

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  20. Stopped by your sister....had to come back to wish you a very happy birthday for yesterday.
    Blessings
    Shel (again) x

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  21. Oh my! That food looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

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  22. Jacqueline, this is just fascinating!

    What gorgeous lights and trees! And I loved the floating lanterns in the pool. The food! Oh, it looked fabulous, and now I am starving. LOL!

    I think that is such a wonderful tradition about the kings. Too bad they don't do that here.

    I haven't been to Mexico in years, but I loved it when I visited there in my teens. As a matter of fact, I fell in love with Mr. Magpie in Mexico City when our language classes from high school took a ten day trip there. It was heaven.

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  23. Oh, and I almost forgot...

    Happy Seasonal Sunday!

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  24. Happy, Happy Birthday!
    What a treat!

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  25. wonderful photos! hope you had a great birthday, i am so glad i found you and your sister! anne

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  26. How wonderful that you got to stay and enjoy this fabulous celebration! Your pictures are so pretty, and what beautiful food presentation! Thank you for sharing this pretty post for Favorite Things. laurie

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  27. Happy belated Birthday : ) The photos look great, especially the soup!

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  28. Stopping in to wish you a happy belated birthday! Hope you're having a great time on your vacation :)

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  29. Gorgeous Blog!!! Just beautiful. I'm visiting by way of Red Couch and Polka Dot. I shared a link with polka dot to a cake tutorial I made. I'll hope you'll stop by and check it out.
    http://liliannagrace.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-bake-professional-looking-layer.html
    Looking forward to reading Purple Chocolat!

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  30. Happy Birthday Jacqueline!!! How WONDERFUL that trip looks and I LOVE those lights!!!
    Thank you SO much for bringing us along, and I'm Hoping you'll be sharing the treasures you brought back!
    Hugs, Donna

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  31. Wow, Jacqueline!!!

    This is so cool! I didn't know what it! Thank you for sharing it.

    Anyways, I'm just dropping by to wish you a really wonderful week!

    xo


    Luciane at HomeBunch.com

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  32. Such stunning lights! Just beautiful! Lucky for you to get an extra two days:)

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  33. The Mexican chocolates on the board is such a neat idea, and looks absolutely yummy!

    Hope you had a Happy Birthday, btw!

    Nancy

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  34. Sometimes cancelled flights are just the right thing, and it sounds like this was the case for you. Another day in Paradise appears to have been quite special.

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  35. Everything looked wonderful and your photos are great!

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  36. How neat. Looks like an absolutely devine meal.

    Thanks for being a part of Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

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