June 30: Decadence Deluxe

Let's see, we were at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale when I ended Monday's blog. And I was saying something about savoring a decadent day that felt like a mini-vacation by the sea. Gwendolyn and I were in one of the Ritz's new Oceanfront VIP Cabanas that are set up immediately below the pool deck. As we sat there, I could slowly feel myself beginning to relax, little by little to let go of the urge to "do something." Shouldn't I be working? Shouldn't I be exercising? Shouldn't I be going somewhere? No, I shouldn't. We didn't even bother turning on the private flat-screen television in our cabana or playing music on the Bose stereo system or anything else. We sat and talked and looked out at the gorgeous view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Things along the beach were bustling with tourists. Dive boats were coming and going, as were tour helicopters and parasailers. When I sat back in my chair, though, I couldn't see the many swimmers in the water. At moments I could imagine I was on a ship sailing somewhere into the east, nothing below me but a broad expanse of ocean.

After an extended period of chilling this way, we asked our Cabana Captain, Jason, to bring lunch. Wow. He and a colleague returned with an 18-inch platter of iced seafood: huge shrimp, mussels, clams and crab claws. And they brought a basket of fresh bread, a tray of cubed meats and another large tray of veggies. Oh yeah, and cheese fondue. We just laughed as we tucked into that excellent food. "How are we going to eat all this?" Gwendolyn said, smiling. The amazing thing is that we ate, well no, not most of it - but nearly all of the seafood at least. Mmmmm. As we sipped on our Veuve Clicquot champagne, our hostess, Glenda, brought still more food. An amazing plate of chocolate desserts including something that seemed a cross between mousse and ganache in a chocolate cup with fresh berries on top. Whoa, see what I mean about "decadence?" Delightful, deluxe decadence for sure. Once we'd killed the champagne, we stretched out on our circular lounger to relax after all that relaxing, taking in the fresh sea breeze and the sounds of the sea below us. We really did feel as if we'd been on a one-day vacation - that's how removed this seemed from daily life. You can find out how to do the same thing yourself or to sample one of the other VIP Cabana packages at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale by calling 954-302-6466. They're available to the public as well as to guests, with or without so much food and champagne. As for us, we enjoyed it all. Thoroughly and totally. Every once in a while, a taste of decadence probably isn't such a bad thing.