C'est le Brie

Best Affordable Hotel and Tours for Your Spring Break Getaway to Cancun, Mexico

Published on March 30, 2016April 1, 2025 by C'est le Brie1 Comment

By Natalie Anne ❤

My close friends and I have decided to indulge in a yearly adult Spring Break excursion to celebrate the coming of Spring. Last year was LA and this year was Cancun, Mexico- a destination I put on the table since I have been dying to travel to Mexico and see the Mayan ruins.

We are all young working professionals who are on tightish budgets and wanted to get the most bang for our buck. We ended up booking a great deal for a resort through a Cyber Monday deal back in November. We got a food & drink all-inclusive, three night/four day stay at the Flamingo Cancun Resort. The resort was right on the beach and in the heart of the hotel zone. The Expedia deal also included airfare to and from Dulles in DC plus the 3-night stay for around $700 a person (there were six of us in two double bedrooms). The reviews of the hotel seemed mediocre at best, but I was just so excited to go, I didn’t really care about the hotel that much.

When we got there however, the Flamingo exceeded my expectations, especially for our cheap deal. It had multiple pools, bars, and lounging areas, plus the staff was incredibly attentive and sweet. The hotel had spa music lightly playing in the background at the pool in the center of the hotel courtyard and the entire area was kept spotless and smelled tropical and clean. The breakfast had a nice spread with an omelette bar and Mexican-inspired cuisine, but did get a bit redundant by the fourth morning we were there. The bartenders were more than happy to give you any kind of drink you wanted and were very generous on the tequila shots, which we definitely were not complaining about!

The beach that the hotel sat on was also quiet and serene and shaded lightly by palm trees closer to the hotel. The resort had chairs and umbrellas set up on the beach for us to use, free of charge. One outside pool even offered a picturesque view of the ocean with a bar right beside it.

We knew we wanted to do excursions, and we booked them directly through the hotel once we arrived. We arranged both of them through our hotel for $135 per person after a bit of haggling. I recommend taking a tour that includes Chichén Itzá and a cenote swim. GetYourGuide has this tour that includes multiple stops and a stop in Valladolid like we had done. Our similar tour included a stop at the magical Cenote Hubiku for a quick swim, buffet lunch, and a small tequila museum/tasting, along with a brief pause in Valladolid, a historical city in Yucatan with a beautiful cathedral. Our informative tour guide was bilingual in both English and Spanish and gave a great overview of Mayan history and culture. Although the 2.5 hour bus ride was a bit daunting, it was fun traveling outside of the tourist Cancun bubble and getting into Mexico to see the ruins and explore the area a bit more.

Our second excursion to Isla Mujeres was canceled due to the windy weather but instead we booked one at the last minute to go to a beautiful private beach in Playa del Carmen where we went snorkeling and were served chips and beans and salsa while being serenaded by two Mexican musicians beside the stunning Maroma beach. See here for a similar tour with snorkeling and lunch!

Overall, our trip was relaxing and Cancun was even more beautiful than I imagined. I only wish we had stayed longer to spend even more time lounging on the beach and enjoying the free drinks!

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Restaurant Review: Restaurant Matylda in Prague, Czech Republic

Published on March 15, 2016April 3, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

We were starving by the time we got off our train coming from Wroclaw, Poland and finally arriving in the much-anticipated destination of Prague. It was quite a tumultuous train trip that almost resulted in us being stranded in the Czech countryside for a few hours. Luckily enough, we made it to Prague, and we all needed to stuff our faces with food and libations.

Restaurant Matylda was our savior. A strawberry daiquiri was exactly what I needed, and the Czech comfort food was impeccable. It’s interior transports you back in time with stone fireplaces and a rustic feel. We were hungry for anything and ended up ordering the Spaghetti alla Carbonara con Spinaci, Pork Robs with Honey Marinade, and a Quattro Formaggi pizza.

We couldn’t skimp on dessert so we indulged in the Creme Brulee and Baked Banana with Whipped Cream and Chocolate Sauce.

tofu pad thai on a plate with a margarita on the side

Easy & Delicious Peanut Pad Thai Recipe & Tamarind Margaritas

Published on March 12, 2016April 3, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

by Myles Katherine ❤

I’ve been wanting to make pad thai forever but I always found it a bit intimidating. It seemed like I would need so many ingredients and I was worried that it just wouldn’t taste as good as it does at restaurants. I ended up surprising myself though, and it was one of the best meals I’ve made in a while! I prefer my pad thai sauce with a little extra peanut flavor, so I created my own peanut pad thai sauce. The recipe I adapted it from was super easy, especially if you have a Vitamix blender. I threw all of the ingredients in there, and voila! A dual use recipe as a dipping sauce for my fresh vegetable rolls (I’ll be posting these tomorrow!) and a pad thai sauce. I also made vegetable spring rolls & had sticky rice with mango for dessert, but I’ll create a post tomorrow about those. 🙂

Pad Thai Ingredients:

(serves 2-4)

Sauce:

½ cup smooth peanut butter, preferably natural
3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk or cream
1 ½ tablespoons lime juice, more as needed
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated ginger root
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon sriracha or other hot sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
¼ teaspoon plus a pinch kosher salt, more as needed
1/3 cup tamarind concentrate – This is what really gives it the pad thai flavor, so add more as needed for that tangy flavor that pad thai is known for! I purchased it at a local asian food market, along with the pad thai noodles used below.

Dish:

1 package extra firm tofu
1 TBSP sesame oil
2-4 servings of noodles, prepared as needed
1 tsp coconut oil
1 Egg
Cilantro, for garnish
Lime, for garnish
Fresh bean sprouts, about a cup
Crushed peanuts, about 2 TBSP
2-3 green onions, chopped

In a food processor or blender, combine peanut butter, coconut milk/cream, 3 tablespoons hot water, lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, rice vinegar, garlic, sriracha, tamarind concentrate and a pinch of salt. Purée until smooth. Add more lime juice and or salt to taste. Scrape into a bowl.
Sauté the tofu in a pan with the sesame oil until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Prepare the noodles as labeled on the package. I purchased fresh noodles from a local market so they didn’t require pre-cooking.
Add onions and garlic to the pan and sauté with leftover sesame oil and a tsp of coconut oil for about 2 minutes over medium heat, until fragrant.
Add in the tofu, cooked noodles, egg and peanut sauce to the pan and sautee over low heat, just until warmed and egg is cooked thoroughly.
Serve! Garnish with cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedges, crushed peanuts and chopped green onions.

Tamarind Margaritas Ingredients:

(adapted from Flaming Tortillas – 4 servings)
- 4 ounces tequila
- 2 ounces Triple Sec- or any orange liqueur
- 1/3 cup tamarind concentrate
- Sparkling water (optional)
- Ice
- 1 lime (juiced), plus wedges for garnish

1. Fill glasses with ice.
2. In a cocktail shaker (or blender) with ice add the tequila, triple sec, tamarind juice, and lime juice.
3. Pour into the salt-rimmed glasses (I’m not a salt fan, but most people are!) and top off with sparkling water and lime wedges, if using.

Tip: I like my margaritas pretty sweet, so I added extra Triple Sec and tamarind concentrate!

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment below if you’ve tried the recipe, and let us know what you think!

❤

Asian Fusion Chicken Curry Noodles

Published on March 9, 2016April 3, 2025 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

By Natalie Anne ❤

This is probably the tastiest dish I have ever made, and I want to eat it over and over and over again.So you should make it and love it too.

I used the following ingredients from my Japan and Thailand Try the World boxes:

Akagi Soba Noodles, Massaman Red Curry Paste, Umami Ponzu Soy Sauce, Nori Seaweed Sheets

The recipe was adapted from Table for Two (serves 3-4):

Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup of water
1-2 tablespoons honey (I like it a little sweet!)
1 tablespoon of (dark) brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated ginger

Dish Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken strips cut into pieces
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 egg (optional)
chopped cilantro
2 Seaweed sheets

Boil the Soba noodles in lightly salted water for 5-6 minutes (I used the 9.5 OZ package of noodles) and drain.
Mix the following sauce ingredients all together in a bowl and set aside.
In a pan over medium heat add 3 cloves of minced garlic, chopped red onion, and a tablespoon of coconut oil. (Optional additions: carrots and mushrooms)
After simmering for 5 minutes, I scrambled in an egg to the mixture for two minutes and then added the chopped chicken. Cook until the chicken is completely cooked through.
Add the sauce mixture over everything, stir well and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
Toss the Soba noodles and shredded seaweed with everything.
Top with cilantro leaves (maybe even bean sprouts and/or peanuts) and enjoy!

Japanese Matcha Shortbread Cookies

Published on March 7, 2016February 27, 2026 by C'est le BrieLeave a comment

By Natalie Anne ❤

I’ve been so obsessed with my Thailand Box from Try the World that I accidentally neglected my Japan Box, which has so much to offer. So yesterday during a lazy Sunday, I decided to get out my Japan Box and make a recipe. I saw one for these Matcha Shortbread Cookies and knew I had found my answer. My mother gave me a Totoro rolling pin for Christmas I had been dying to use so this was the perfect recipe!I cut the recipe in half, since I was low on butter and didn’t need want to tempt myself with 24 cookies in my apartment.

Be sure to use our code CLB20 for 20% off your first order at Try the World and learn more about Try the World here!

I followed the recipe, with one small twist of using half brown sugar/half white sugar for the sugar portion of the recipe. Other than that, I followed the same ingredients and directions from TTW’s recipe and they turned out so cute and delicious:

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
2 Tbsp. matcha green tea powder
½ tsp. salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
½ cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the flour, matcha, and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, beat the butter until creamy, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Gently stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated.

2. Place a piece of parchment paper on a work surface and dust with flour. Roll the cookie dough to ¼-inch thick. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut out cookie rounds using a cookie-cutter and transfer to the baking sheets. Gather, roll, and cut out the scraps once more. Chill until firm, about 10 minutes.

4. Bake until a knife inserted into the middle of a cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Pad Thai Ingredients:

Tamarind Margaritas Ingredients: