Puerta Vallarta - Better the 2nd Time Around

We loved it last year...we fell in love with it this year. Puerto Vallarta was all we remembered it to be and more. The weather was fabulous, the food was spectacular, and the sunsets were memorable.

This year we vacationed with Gail and Graham, our daughter-in-law's parents. We are extremely fortunate to have not only gotten a wonderful daughter, but parents who have turned out to good friends to boot! The two weeks went quickly but we all got some serious relaxation time and caught up on a lot of reading that we just don't seem to have time for when we are at home. I think Graham read 5+ books and Gail and I weren't far behind that number. Most mornings we all did our own 'thing' and generally met for lunch.

We walked the Malachon the odd day, shopping and sightseeing and went downtown a couple of nights to see it all again under the stars. A couple of side trips were particularly memorable. The first week we did the 'Pirate Ship' in the evening and had so much fun. It included a full night of entertainment, free drinks and dinner. The ships is an replica of an old Spanish galleon but had some hidden places, such as a lower deck to feed 100 people. The staff were also the entertainers and there was rarely a minute that they weren't keeping everyone occupied. It was great.

The second outing was a 45-minute boat ride to an isolated spot on the bay that used to be owned by Director, John Huston. After free drinks, we arrived to the dock where torches had been lit along the path to the area where we were served a wonderful dinner. There were voltive candles everywhere and it was all very romantic. The show that was included was the highlight though--it was a very, very professional depiction of a Mayan wedding and it was fabulous.

We are already looking at spending a month at Los Tules next year. Wayne and I really love the location and it never feels crowded as opposed to some of the other resorts in the area. The issues around the violence in the Acapulco area don't put us off...Puerta Vallarta doesn't seem to be big enough yet to have attracted the problems that Cancun and Acapulco have.

We came home to a really cold spell and a few hours on the internet resulted in a last-minute deal on a 2-week cruise through the Panama Canal. So far, retirement is great!