TRAVEL The infinity rooftop pool at Tina and Javier’s condominium is the ideal spot to contemplate nothingness. We have been traveling all around the world for decades, so when Tina and Javier Avila, the owners of Casa Tina and Pan y Vino restaurants in Dunedin, asked us to visit them in Mexico we asked, “When?” Once the date was set, we arranged to fly through Miami to the Cancun International Airport, where they picked us up and drove us to Cancun’s bullring. Fortunately, we were not going to see one of the weekly bullfights, but rather to dine in La Guada, a typical Mexican cantina operated by their friends Ricardo and Sylvia, who joined us with their grown son and daughter. Our meal there was very authentic and delicious. From there, we headed south for the 45-minute drive to the city of Playa del Carmen, where Tina and Javier have their beautiful three-bedroom, three-anda half bath condo overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, which has a large hot tub on the balcony. Naturally, Tina has decorated it beautifully in her usual good taste. They also own a second neighboring unit in the Terrazas Luxury Condos that has two bedrooms and two baths. They rent both of the condos through Airbnb when they are not using them. You can make reservations through facebook.com/tinascondos/ by pressing the “Book Now” button on the top right-hand side of the screen. The condos’ recently completed premium building has a full-time concierge in the lobby, a pool on the top floor and secure below ground parking. 158 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 Wonderful Mexican food enticed us wherever we went. That evening, we walked the half block to Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue), a pedestrian-only, 40-blocklong boulevard lined with restaurants, bars, hotels, boutiques, shops and entertainment venues. After a few blocks, we arrived at one of Tina and Javier’s haunts, Tropical Playa del Carmen, in the state of Quintana Roo. We chose some typical dishes from Yucatan such as
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