Free Salsa Lessons and Cheap Margaritas On the Beach: Perfect

Edited by Jennifer L. Price

If icy cold margaritas, swaying coconut palms and aquamarine waters lapping white sand beaches make you want to break out your dancing shoes then La Zebra Beach Cantina & Cabanas in Tulum, Mexico is the place to be with their free beach salsa lessons and sultry Sunday night fiesta set to live Latin fusion music.

From Thursday to Sunday starting at 6 pm, La Zebra's outdoor hardwood deck overlooking the beach heats up with the sounds of sizzling salsa music and hip-shaking dance moves. The hour-long class is led by instructors Emmanuel Tabares, whose passion for the art inspired him to pick it up on his own, and Lisa Hodges, who has studied dance her whole life and specialized in salsa at a top dance studio in Brighton, England. It is open free of charge to anyone and everyone - including the general public, many of whom stop to watch the show from the beach. Two-for-one margaritas from the traditional Mexican cantina and a wide variety of tropical fruit drinks and dozens of the country's famed alcohol distilled from the blue agave are on tap to whet thirst at the tequila bar.

"La Zebra is known for its laidback, welcoming attitude, and free salsa classes on the beach really represent what our relaxed vibe is about," explains manager Heather Froeming. "It's so great for people to be able to walk up from the beach and join a class in progress that has hotel guests, La Zebra staff and kids all having a great time learning the art of the dance."

And Sunday nights after the class, the entire cantina is transformed into a high-energy salsa fiesta with live Latin fusion by musical entertainers Pocos Pero Locos and The Bohemios setting the mood until 11 pm. Party-goers feast on succulent dishes straight from the fire of the brick-lined pit roast: juicy beer-marinated lamb slow cooked in banana leaves, cochinita pibil pork roasted in the pit with Mayan spices, and lamb tacos served with La Zebra's famous five fresh salsas.

For beach-goers who want to start the party early, La Zebra's colorful lounges on Tulum's best beach, hammocks strung strategically from shady palms and DJ salsa music piped into outdoor speakers provide the ideal backdrop. The pit roast menu is available all day Sunday and beach-side service from the cantina ensures guests can soak up the sun and set the mood for the fiesta that follow.

La Zebra Beach Cantina & Cabanas reopened early this year with a fresh, new concept, authentic cantina restaurant and bar, and nine renovated rooms that revived the rustic, traditional Mexican beach vacation once found throughout Tulum. Check the website www.lazebra.com.mx and reserve at info@lazebra.com.mx or call +52 998 112-3260.