It has almost everything that you are looking for with a sun vacation. Great weather (sunny everyday!), good golf (not that I would know but my father/brother loved it), fun and unique stores, excellent restaurants and bars! The beach was the only sour point because there were no waves and it was crowded (i.e. obnoxious people were harassing you and trying to sell you crap all day long) but the private beaches seemed nicer.
Over Christmas break, my father rented a villa in Mismaloya which is one village south of Puerto Vallarta. It was gorgeous and we spend two weeks just relaxing by the pool and hanging out and eating. Considering this is my last year in school and my brother just graduated, this was our last three week break before we become working adults. I went with my father ("Big J"), my brother Johnny, my boyfriend Peter, my dad's girlfriend Debbie and her daughter Lauren.
One of the most happening places in PV is the Malecon which is a boardwalk with restaurants, bars, and clubs. We spent a few nights eating out here and walking around. It was our favorite place to hit the bars at night because they were close together. Other clubs (like Christies) are closer to the airport and situated by themselves. It felt very safe and cabs were easy to find. It was full of tourists but there were also a number of native families strolling on the boardwalk (especially on Friday night).
Another place we loved was Old Town PV which is also the gay area and close to the center of town. Debbie is an artist in Philadelphia so she spent one day walking around and looking at all of the galleries in Old Town. The art is bright and fun and colorful and not ridiculously expensive. There are also great restaurants and bars in this area. Our favorite bar was Andale and the music was good oldies and "wedding songs" (i.e. Shout, Twist and Shout, etc.) which made the entire family rock out on the dance floor.
I would recommend both Daiquiri Dicks and Vista Grill for dining options. Daiquiri Dicks lives up to its name and serves great frozen drinks (love the Miami Vice - half pina colada and half strawberry daquiri). It is less formal at lunchtime. Vista Grill is expensive (and somewhat overpriced) but I would say that the view is worth it! It is on the top of a mountain cliff and looks over all of Puerto Vallarta. We went there at night on Christmas Eve and the view was unbelievable.
Pictures are below!
Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is a beautiful cathedral in the center of town - not the best picture to capture its beauty but I can assure you that it is gorgeous. I love to visit different churches around the world and this is my new favorite. We went to Christmas Eve mass here and it was packed. The mass was beautiful (even in Spanish) as were the Christmas carols.
Having some technicaly difficulties here - I cant get this pictures to load facing upward! At the beach, they sculpted the entire manger scene in sand. The three wise men are above!
The view of the sunset from the roof of our villa. My brother and I always harass our old Dad for his love of sunsets but its definitely been rubbing off on me in recent years. I always try to capture sunsets for him wherever I am.
Flower by the pool
This is the view from the third floor of the villa. The rocks are called Los Arcos and are right off the coast of Mismaloya. We went snorkeling in between the rocks one afternoon. It is a private eco-reserve but it was pretty crowded with different fishing and snorkeling tours.
My favorite dinners were served on the third floor with the view of Los Arcos.
The ocean was visible from the right side of the house - and the jungle was to the left!
Big J needed some relaxation time.
Peter and I at HiLo which is a club located on the Malecon. All of the kids bar-hopped several nights while we were there. We started on at Carlos and Charlies (typical spring break Mexico style place) and moved on from there. Zoo Club was another hit - all decked out in animal fabrics and decor and played great music. (Although I might not drink there as I am pretty sure the frozen margarita at Zoo Club is what made me sick) HiLo was another hit until my little brother upset the Mexican regulars and we were "politely" asked to leave. And we ended both nights at Senor Frogs!
Apparently the male to my right is a movie star - his name is Alan Estrada but he only has two entries on IMDB so I'm thinking "movie star" is stretching it.
My little brother was not thrilled to be out at bars in Mexico with his sister....
A creepy clown at Carlos and Charlies made these for us.
One day, Peter, Lauren and I decided to go on a canopy tour i.e. ziplines. It was about $80USD and they also took us on a tequila tasting at the end of the day. I am deathly afriad of heights so I was not looking forward to this adventure but I ended up having a great time! Unfortunately, we could not bring cameras on the zipline so I do not have any pictures from this day other than the restaurant above. It was very fun and its treehouse style was Swiss family Robinson-esq. We were picked up in the town of Mismaloya and driven about 45 minutes through the jungle to the site.
The hiking between the platforms was not not exactly easy - I wouldn't recommend this for anyone who was not in decent shape or have any serious medical conditions. But the ziplines itself were fun, high, and fast. I believe there was 13 in all - the first two were the smaller "test drives". The tenth run is the longest and highest. There were two safetys on the line so there was no way you could fall off the zipline.
The guides are all young guys and are hilarious. They definitely make the day more enjoyable. There is a dvd that is taken of the trip and is available for $40. I'm sure the dvd was cute and fun but not something I would watch more than once or twice so I opted not to buy it.
http://www.vallarta-adventures.com/canopy-tour/index.html
Peter on the rock slide
Snorkeling by Los Arcos. From the beach, there are a number of men who run snorkeling tours. Our villa manager set us up with a reputable tour guide and he took us to the rocks. I believe it was around $65 USD without tip but you can haggle with any of the guides. There were a number of different fish and the water was very clear - perfect conditions!
My family on New Year's Eve!
I have never been to a bull fight before. I was so excited to see it and I dragged everyone there - the other girls HATED it and could not watch the bull. Its definitely not for the feeble minded. I was impressed by the pagentry and tradition (even if I did want them to just kill the bull and stop making it suffer!) and the boys all loved it.
The first part is what I would call the "teaser". The bullfighters force the bull to chase them around the stadium jumping behind the wall mili-seconds before the bull charges into them (i.e. the dance). They then proceed to use lances to stab the bull and continue the dance. Later they use streamed darts to stab the bull between the shoulder further weakening it. The bull is finally exhausted from chasing the matadores and is visibly suffering. The final blow is then given with a sword and they parade around the stadium dragging the bull.
You can catch the bullfight every Wednesday at 5pm at the Toros Plaza (close to the Maritime Terminal and airport).
Good-bye bull.
