Our First Day at StayBridge

Aloha Everyone,

Woke up to loud sounds of thunder and a heavy downpour. Weekday breakfast hours are from 6:30 am to 10:30 am. 

Interested in seeing what’s on today’s menu, J.J. and I went down to the lobby only to encounter the entire dining area full of people. Speaking loudly in Mandarin, they appeared to be a Chinese delegation here to attend an Expo event. We waited an hour and returned. The restaurant was now empty.

During the pandemic, breakfast is not a buffet. A staffer takes your order and delivers food to your table. Scrambled eggs with pepper, toast, fruits and a cup of coffee for me.

The next thing on our agenda was to do our laundry. The laundry room, located on the ground floor, has washers and dryers. The use is free for hotel guests. You can use your own liquid detergent or in our case, we purchased two pods from the receptionist for 15 pesos (US$ 1.50 ) each.

Use of the hotel’s other amenities are currently modified including pool, exercise room, sitting and reading area. Their afternoon socials are also unavailable during the pandemic.

Overall a very good day. After finishing my 5 miles walk and my other practices, I went to bed listening to another thunderstorm. J.J. placing a heavy blanket on our bed also helped me fall asleep quickly.

Aloha -- Cathi

STAYBRIDGE Suites, Guadalajara Expo

Aloha Everyone,

After spending a month and enjoying the sights, sounds and wonderful food in the Centro Historico neighborhood, the two of us moved to another neighborhood called Expo. As the name signifies, this area was developed to host conferences and exhibits.

STAYBRIDGE Suites, one of the business hotel concepts of the InterContinental Hotel chain, is located adjacent to the open area shopping center called the Plaza Del Sol. It is only 7 miles drive or 33 minutes from here to Revolution Square, my favorite plaza in Centro Historico. Here we see no church domes or old historical buildings surrounding many parks with mature trees.

Indeed this is a world away but this area will be less congested and easier for our daily walk.

According to the hotel’s website, there are over 100 “suites” spread out on 9 floors. The two of us are happy with our new accommodation of 1 bedroom King-size bed suite with views of distant mountains and the Plaza Del Sol shopping mall below.

Attached is a quick souvenir photo J.J. took of me with a couple of helpful staff of GAMMA Hotel before we bid them adios.

Aloha -- Cathi

Debates on Masks

Aloha Everyone,

The rules and guidance for wearing face masks and covering are confusing. Depending on who is issuing the guide, words are muddled as they are very carefully crafted by legal experts to protect not the mask wearers but the person or organizations who issue the guidance.

As of this writing, residents and visitors in Mexico are required to wear masks or face coverings indoors. This usually means in a restaurant setting until your food is delivered to your table. Your masks can be removed while you are consuming the food. However, preference is that you recover your nose & mouth when paying the bill.

Now then comes what kind of face masks or coverings would be most effective. J.J. and I went to a Farmacia Guadalajara outlet in search of better masks. The best we found was KN-95 which is being retailed for US $1.50 a piece. A package containing “US cotton face masks were a throw back from the WWII era. J.J. had a good laugh when I put a pair on. The ribbon ties are to be secured on back of your head twice. One set looping above your ears and the second set below.

In less than 10 minutes of trying one on, I started to perspire and when I tried to untie, they were so tight that I had to cut them off with a pair of nail clippers. J.J. has a challenge breathing with masks but he will tolerate a 3-layered disposable surgical mask for short periods.

For some sage advice, please read: What are the rules and guidance for face masks and coverings? - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51205344

Aloha -- Cathi

Hotel Housekeeping Under Pandemic

Aloha Everyone,

Hotel stays are usually associated with business trips, holidays, break from daily routine and no housework. Therefore, when Hilton Hotels announced that in the U.S. (and now most of Hilton properties around the world) will not do daily housekeeping, but done only upon request, would be paying guests were miffed...

At GAMMA Hotel, we received daily housekeeping services including bedsheet changes every other day plus fresh sets of towels daily. We also received 4 small bottles of water. I am not sure if the level of service is the norm or if J.J. and I are receiving better service as long staying guests. We also gave generous tips to the housekeeping staff once a week.

Our new accommodation offers daily cleaning except on Sundays. We also ask for fresh sets of towels and supply of water and bathroom amenities (soap, shampoo & toilet tissue) when needed.

J.J. did a quick math and commented that US  hotels are not discounting their rates because of the diminished services. At Extended Stay America in Torrance, California, where we have been using their facilities for several years, the quality and quantity of their services have diminished. Yet claiming pandemic, lack of housekeeping staff and need to do extra cleaning of guest rooms, their rates have increased while we literally get no housekeeping for a week. One has to discard one’s own rubbish by taking it to the rubbish room.

We are seeing hotel stays and getting service as “pay as you need.”  In a retrospect, our accommodations at Mercure Accor Hotel in Quito and two hotels in Guadalajara are extraordinary.

Aloha -- Cathi

Focus on Positives & Be Mindful of Your Health

Aloha Everyone,

Our temperature is checked, we get goops of jelly hand sanitizer as we step into a wet foot pad soaked in, we assume, some sort of antibacterial solution. People are required to wear masks. But is that enough or does one need to remain Isolated?

The current situation is reminiscent of two dark and disturbing novels I read, Station Eleven and Night. They were English class assignments of my granddaughter two years ago.

Our family and friends scattered around the United States and the world are expressing various options of what we should be doing. Some question why are we in Mexico where COVID numbers are spiking and not enough people have been vaccinated.

Fortunately, our two sons approach the Covid variants using available data and reliable facts. They believe there are risks, but it is minimal since J.J. and I are vaccinated. We adhere to current CDC guidelines as the situation changes.

Please focus on positives and be mindful of your surroundings but do not put hold on living your life.

Aloha -- Cathi