A Mexican Minute in Puerta Vallarta

It was another extraordinary adventure for us and friends, John and Jan Flora.  Puerta Vallarta was very hot and humid in this off-peak season, but it only rained during the night when it flashed its lightning splendor to those who might have awakened mid-hour.  Also, September allowed us to be first in line almost everywhere because the place was not inundated with hordes of those who visit during the Minnesota winters.

That night we ate at an Italian restaurant at the Grand Mayan Resort in Neuva Vallarta because it had air conditioning.  It was very very hot and humid.  The meal began with fancy cheesy breadsticks.  Then I ordered beef carpaccio and Allan had lasagna.  Good food.  Pictured above is the entrance to the Grand Mayan, where we stayed for the entire week.

We left Minneapolis at 1:40 p.m. on Sunday, September 20th — American Airlines — and arrived in Puerta Vallarta at 7:30 p.m.  There was one plane change in Dallas.

This fountain and view is what we saw when we waited for a taxi in front of the Grand Mayan.  We were up Monday morning at 7:45 in order to visit the Villa del Palmar and get a free breakfast.  It consisted of eggs, beef tips, sausages, cold cuts, fresh squeezed orange juice. 

Then at noon we put on our suits and walked down to one of the  pools for water, sun, and margaritas. 

The Grand Mayan is located right on the ocean so we walked down to the beach, me with my camera.

The waves got bigger and bigger.

But nobody seemed to mind very much.

The waves tried to reach me on shore but they didn’t.

Then the three in the ocean were caught off guard and they toppled over and Allan lost his glasses.  Here it was our first day in Puerta Vallarta and Allan wouldn’t have his glasses, so I prayed they would be found, and those little skinny wire frames appeared in the sand after a few more waves went in and out.  Amazing.

Then we sat in Flora’s deck pool for a while and took pictures.  Each of us had our own private suite and deck pool.  The water automatically emptied every night and filled every morning.

Jan picked them out of the sand for Allan before they got lost again.

This yellow tropical bird enjoyed sitting outside our window.  That Monday night we went to Samba’s for supper, also a restaurant at the Grand Mayan.  I had a Greek Salad and Seafood bisque.

Our suites were huge and spacious.  This view is toward the dining area, kitchen, and front door ...

… with this view as we’re standing in the kitchen itself.

This is a view from the very spacious double-sinked bathroom, shower, and Jacuzzi tub area …

… with our deck pool just on  the other side of the bedroom sitting area.

I sat outdoors in this lounge chair every morning with my coffee.  On Tuesday morning, September 22nd, the four of us toured the Grand Mayan complex and got another free breakfast — eggs, bacon, omelet, orange juice and green juice — that was quite good.  The green juice consisted of celery and spinach with an orange and pineapple juice base.

We walked the beach for a while after the tour and then met Flora’s at noon at the front pool.

We sat in inner tubes for two entire loops around the Lazy River, once with the wave activated.  Very fun and relaxing.  We had lunch at the nearby snack bar at the Grand Mayan.  Allan and I shared a turkey club, the Floras had burgers. 

Then we played in the pool a while longer to help even out our sunburns.  I mean our suntans.

At 5 p.m. that Tuesday evening we took a taxi to a nearby marina  (above) for a boat ride to “Rhythms of the Night,” billed as the most popular and spectacular show at Puerta Vallarta.

John and Jan are poking fun at me because I always tell the person with the camera to be sure and get our feet as well as our heads in the picture.

The boat ride was absolutely wonderful, definitely a highlight of our trip to Puerta Vallarta.  It was a gorgeous comfortable evening with fantastic scenery of the coast.  I’ll let my pictures speak for themselves.

I think this is where Allan and I stayed on our first trip to Puerta Vallarta several years ago with Plochers and Geskes.  We’d watch the whales each day from our high balconies.

When we landed on the other side of Banderos Bay, at Los Caletas, we were greeted by drums and noises of the night as they might have been in the ancient days of the Mayan Indians.

The show was too long and the drums too pounding but then we were led to another nearby cavern in the woods where dining tables were nicely arranged and where the food and company was very good.

It started sprinkling a little bit as we waited to board our boat for the return trip to the Grand Mayan.  We didn’t mind because we knew it rained every night during the rainy season and so we were prepared with compact umbrellas tucked into our purses.  What came next?  Click below.

Not the end …

Click here for Mexican Minute Part Two.