Hola! It's been a while but I wanted to get our Puetro Vallarta blog out there.
Day one, October 7th:
We set out to Puerto Vallarta early in the morning from DIA with a quick layover in Houston. We went to the United Club in Houston for a couple drinks and snacks and then it was just a quick flight from Houston to PV.
When we arrived at the airport, temperature checks were taken in the customs/immigration line. We quickly made our way out of customs, only to be bombarded by a dozen airport workers trying to sell various excursions. Eric got sucked in to one offering free margaritas and shots of tequila. We ended up agreeing to attend a timeshare presentation instead for a ride to our hotel, bottle of tequila, and an excursion that included snorkeling and horseback riding. More on that later!
It was a quick taxi ride to our hotel, the Marriott Puerto Vallarta. The hotel was pretty nice and our room had a great view of the ocean (pictured below).
After settling in, we changed clothes and walked around the hotel property to get the lay of the land. We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening lounging by the pool and having some drinks. It was nice and relaxing.
Our hotel was all-inclusive and we discovered a Japanese restaurant within the hotel. This place was amazing - so amazing we ate dinner there all but 1 night of our stay. The sushi was fresh and tasty and the service was top-notch. I would stay at this hotel again just for this restaurant.
Day two, October 8th:
Day Two was a full day of relaxation (after sitting through the timeshare presentation at a different hotel that was had agreed to attend. That itself was quite boring). After this was over ... we headed out to the pool area of our hotel, where we set up shop for most of the day. The pool itself was very large and had a cool swim-up bar that we frequented a few times. It was a nice afternoon.
Day three, October 9th:
Day Three we set out for our full-day excursion. We took a taxi to the port and waited to board our boat. We were given a small breakfast on the boat while we set out for our destination. The boat ride itself was pretty fun, the host was very entertaining, telling jokes, playing games, and there was an open bar and everyone was given various cocktails such as tequila sunrise. We went snorkeling in a really cool area that kind of reminded me of the Phi Phi islands.
After snorkeling we docked at a large island and walked up a hill where our donkey ride would begin (most other people had horses, but we were given donkeys). It was a fun donkey ride up to a waterfall. The donkeys stopped maybe 1/4 mile away from the waterfall, we walked the rest of the way until we got to the top. It was a very pretty area with a bar built into the side of a cliff which was neat. We spent some time up here enjoying the scenery, having a drink, and Eric jumped into the water once or twice. We had a late lunch at a nearby outdoor restaurant before boarding the boat back to PV. For dinner that time we again went to our very Japanese restaurant.
Day four, October 10th:
Day Four was another full day at the ocean and pool. We went jet skiing, hung out by the pool, had some drinks, bought some souvenirs from a beach vendor, and ventured into town for a bit where we got a couples massage. For dinner this night we changed things up a bit and went to the hotel's sports bar, where I had an interesting but tasty pasta dish (pictured below).
Day five, October 11th:
We bid farewell to PV on Day Five. We had a delicious chilaquiles breakfast at the hotel's breakfast buffet, hung out on our patio for a bit, before checking out around 11am and hanging out in the lounge area of the hotel for a bit before catching a taxi to the airport. We had a smooth and easy direct flight back to Denver.
Overall, PV was a nice COVID getaway and fun little trip! We didn't have much planned as we had to cancel Cancun at the last minute due to the hurricane there and flew to PV instead; however, it was still a good time and we made the most of it. Until next time Mexico!
