Garza Canela Hotel in San Blas, Mexico

Nothing about my stay in San Blas, Mexico has been quite what I expected, but that's not to say the town hasn't exceeded my expectations.

In fact, I wish I could pass another day here. Part of the reason I'd like to stay longer is the hotel where we've been staying.

The Garza Canela Hotel is run by just the nicest, cutest people ever! It's owned by the Vazquez family.

The family's four sisters Josefina, Doris, Betty and Diana all take a role in running the place, as does their mother, Dora, who must be in her 80s (or older), and their four dogs, who greet every single customer to pass through the doors.

Betty is a rock star chef who trained in Europe but returned here to little San Blas to set up shop inside her family's hotel. Betty's food is amazing! Eating one of her meals is a luxurious experience.

Or, as she told us herself, eating one of her meals is a memory for the heart. You can not re-eat a great meal, she said, but you can remember how it made you feel forever.

Yes. And something else I will forever remember about my stay at the Garza Canela is what was waiting for me inside the bedside drawer in my room -- a copy of the New Testament and a copy of The Teachings of Buddha.

And you know what? There was nothing remotely strange about that at all (well, okay, at first I thought it was strange). But after staying there and experiencing the welcoming warmth of the Vazquez family (and their dogs) first hand, it seemed perfectly natural.