Day Of The Dead Special Fall Culinary Package Luxury Halloween Excursion To Riviera Maya & Merida

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FALL CULINARY PACKAGE
DAY OF THE DEAD SPECIAL
LUXURY HALLOWEEN EXCURSION TO RIVIERA MAYA & MERIDA
Six days/seven nights
October 27 - November 4, 2006
Join us on this spooky (but luxurious!) adventure to Mayan cemeteries . . . . Then feast on a meal that will lift the spirits!
• Did you know that Hanál Pixán (Feast of the Spirits) was an autumn rite celebrated by the Maya of Yucatán for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish? It coincides with the more modern Day of the Dead and Halloween.
• Did you know that the Maya celebrate this time of year by cleaning out old bones from family crypts and repaint-ing the crypts in bright colors?
• Have you ever eaten mucbilpollo, the rich and indescribable giant tamal cooked, fittingly, underground as an offer-ing for the spirits?
On this special adventure, we will meet in the glamorous Riviera Maya on the Caribbean side of the Yucatán pen-insula. The main focus of our stay (other than relaxing poolside!) will be to visit Xcaret. Part water-theme-park, part eco-reserve, part Mayan archaeological site, Xcaret will welcome you with a swim through a natural underground river, a spectacular coral reef aquarium, and most important, an architectural marvel known as The Mayan Cem-etery. Individual crypts – each a work of art formed of mosaic, carved wood, shells, even old car parts – climb their way up the sides of a man-made hill. Deep within the interior of the bee-hive shaped hill is a soaring stone cross surrounded by a grooved spiral on the floor that receives a flow of water from above. A masterpiece that must be seen to be believed! After two nights in luxury accommodations on the Caribbean we will head for Mérida, where we will join the Hanál Pixán celebrations in full swing. Whipped chocolate, marzipan, the regional liquor xtaben-tún (an anise-flavored alcohol brewed from honey), and so much more are prepared as offerings to the deceased and spread lavishly on homemade altars. Accommodations will be in the small luxury hotel Hacienda Xcanatun – a restored 18th century hacienda. Our culinary Workshops will include time in the Los Dos kitchen making a version of mucbilpollo and other seasonal dishes, as well as trips to the Plaza Principal to see the concurso de altares, a com-petition of altar-making. And on November 2, we will make an excursion to the otherworldly Mayan cemetery of Hoctun, near Izamál, to witness a twilight Mass and the procession of living souls who bring offerings of food and flowers to their dead.
This special Day of the Dead Package has been planned in conjunction with Luxury Mexico and Virtuoso. Space is limited! Enroll today!

Tour's Schedule

Friday, 27 October • Arrive Cancun International Airport
• Transfer/check in at Blue Parrot Suites – “Casual Tropical Luxury – just steps from the beach!”
• Welcome dinner at John Gray’s Kitchen, Puerto Morelos – “Excellent food by former Ritz-Carlton chef”
Saturday, 28 October • Continental breakfast at hotel*
• Transfer to X’caret eco-park for natural day in the sun. Activities include river ride, snorkeling, lunch, dinner, and evening theater presentation
• Return to hotel
Sunday, 29 October • Continental breakfast at hotel*
• Chauffeured drive to Mérida; stop at Valladolid for lunch
• Arrive Mérida; check in at Hacienda Xcanatun – “Small luxury hotel located in restored 18th century hacienda”
• Transfer to the cooking school in Merida for welcome reception
• Tour of Mérida en Domingo – the festive and colorful Sunday street fair
• Dinner at regional restaurant
• Return to hotel
Monday, 30 October • Transfer to the cooking school; continental breakfast on the terrace
• 9:00am – 4:00pm Cooking instruction in the cooking school kitchen featuring Hanál Pixán specials
• Stroll to Plaza Principal to see the competition of Hanál Pixán altars
• Return to hotel; free evening
Tuesday, 31 October • Continental breakfast at hotel*
• Morning tour of Hacienda Sotuta de Peon – a working henequen hacienda
• Lunch at Hacienda Teya – a restored 17th century restaurant with the finest authentic Yucatecan cuisine
• Afternoon tour of D’Aristi – producer of the local liqueur xtabentún
• Return to hotel
• Free afternoon
• Dinner at Trotter’s – “Steak, Vino, Tapas” in a trendy tropical setting
Wednesday, 1 November • Transfer to the cooking school; continental breakfast on the terrace
• 9:00am – 4:00pm Cooking instruction in the cooking school kitchen featuring Hanál Pixán specials
• Return to hotel; free evening
Thursday, 2 November • Continental breakfast at hotel*
• Excursion to Izamál – Yucatán’s “golden city”
• Lunch at Restaurante Kinich Kak-Moo
• Visit Hecho a Mano – the best Mexican handcraft shop in the peninsula
• Evening mass at the cemetery of Hoctun; local villagers bring votive offerings to ancestors
• Return to hotel
• Dinner at Néctar
Friday, 3 November • Continental breakfast at hotel*
• Excursion to Uxmal – one of Mayaland’s most beautiful architectural sites
• Stop at Santa Elena to visit traditional Mayan home
• Lunch at Hacienda Temozón
• Tour of Hacienda Yaxcopoil
• Return to hotel
• Farewell dinner at Casa de Piedra, Hacienda Xcanatun
Saturday, 4 November • ¡Adios! Transfer to Merida airport

This Tour Includes:

Does Not Include: