Whoa, Mexico! Sounds so simple I just gotta go....
James Taylor knew what he was talking about!
I took my first trip to Mexico this fall with a few of the best girlfriends one could ask for. The four of us flew into Puerto Vallarta from Denver, and were met by a driver to take us the rest of the way by car to the resort town of Punta Mita in the Riviera Nayarita area on the Pacific coast.
Jen had found our house, which was an absolute knock out. It was just a few minutes from the resorts, had it's own beach access and infinity-edge pool facing the sunset. We knew right away we'd be set for a fantastic weekend!
We were greeted by Molly and Freddi. They take care of the house and would be around every day to take care of the place. They were awesome! They helped us unload all the groceries we'd bought on our way out of Puerto Vallarta, and immediately offered to make us some frozen margaritas and guacamole - si, por favor! They were both so nice and patient with our attempts at Spanish. Molly was an angel and helped us call for a taxi and give directions - can't imagine what that call would have been like without her. Ha ha! We were so, so happy to have them around over the weekend.
We explored the house, picked bedrooms, unpacked our bags and immediately got ready to jump in the pool. Have I mentioned that it was hot? Yeah. So hot. There were coconut trees and birds of paradise bushes around the back yard. The pool wasn't super cold - just the right temp to be refreshing, but not jarring. Molly and Freddi had our snacks ready and even served them pool side for us! Not gonna lie: it was absolutely delicious. None of us could stop smiling! We'd opted to have a chef come make us dinner on our first night. He was amazing.
Saturday we drove into Punta Mita and met up with Omar, our guide to Las Islas Marietas for the day. He and our captain, Armando, loaded us, another couple and half a dozen paddle boards on a boat, and took us just about 15 minutes off the coast to a group of islands that make up a national park called The Marietas Islands. We started our adventure by driving by the cliffs watching the Blue-Footed Boobies and Frigate birds fly around. Then Armando steered us to as peaceful a cove as he could find (it was a little choppy) and we got to go snorkeling. There were lots of beautiful fish, blue and green corals, and sea urchin. We swam around for a bit, ending up on a little beach to take a breather and take in the view. Chris had become quite sea sick on the boat, so the beach was a welcome reprieve for her to find a little peace on dry land.
Sunday was our last full day and Jen was very excited to show us the town of Sayulita. It was about a half hour north, on the opposite side of the peninsula. It was a hot day. Google said it was 94, but it felt like 104. We had a rather "American" lunch (burgers, beer and football) and then got to the business of shopping! There was a great little market down one street, lots of cute boutiques down another, and fun bars along the beach. We found lots of fun things to bring home. Jen and I indulged in chocolate-coconut covered frozen bananas - they were so yummy. Our driver showed us a huge tree full of wild iguanas! It was a super fun, little town and I'm so glad we got to experience it.
That night we tried our best to use all the leftover food we'd bought. Megan took charge and made us each a mouth-watering quesadilla with lots of cheese, veggies and marinated chicken. There was more pool time with drinks in hand - our last sunset in the pool.
Monday morning our masseuses came back, Elly and Esperanza. Elly makes her own beautiful beaded jewelry and gave us all a piece! They were really sweet ladies and very good at their job. It was the perfect send off to a wonderful weekend.
I took my first trip to Mexico this fall with a few of the best girlfriends one could ask for. The four of us flew into Puerto Vallarta from Denver, and were met by a driver to take us the rest of the way by car to the resort town of Punta Mita in the Riviera Nayarita area on the Pacific coast.
Jen had found our house, which was an absolute knock out. It was just a few minutes from the resorts, had it's own beach access and infinity-edge pool facing the sunset. We knew right away we'd be set for a fantastic weekend!We were greeted by Molly and Freddi. They take care of the house and would be around every day to take care of the place. They were awesome! They helped us unload all the groceries we'd bought on our way out of Puerto Vallarta, and immediately offered to make us some frozen margaritas and guacamole - si, por favor! They were both so nice and patient with our attempts at Spanish. Molly was an angel and helped us call for a taxi and give directions - can't imagine what that call would have been like without her. Ha ha! We were so, so happy to have them around over the weekend.
We explored the house, picked bedrooms, unpacked our bags and immediately got ready to jump in the pool. Have I mentioned that it was hot? Yeah. So hot. There were coconut trees and birds of paradise bushes around the back yard. The pool wasn't super cold - just the right temp to be refreshing, but not jarring. Molly and Freddi had our snacks ready and even served them pool side for us! Not gonna lie: it was absolutely delicious. None of us could stop smiling! We'd opted to have a chef come make us dinner on our first night. He was amazing.
On our first day we had arranged for massage people to come to the house. Elly and Esperanza came just after breakfast. They set up on the back lawn in the shade. It was a truly luxurious experience - beach-side massage.
Later that night the taxi that Molly had help us set up arrived and we had a reservation at the St Regis just up the road. This was an amazing dinner. Cocktails with smoked pink salt, tuna civiche, scallops seared on rock salt and fresh vegetables was what I had, but each of us was just over the moon with our meals. The service was incredible as well.
Saturday we drove into Punta Mita and met up with Omar, our guide to Las Islas Marietas for the day. He and our captain, Armando, loaded us, another couple and half a dozen paddle boards on a boat, and took us just about 15 minutes off the coast to a group of islands that make up a national park called The Marietas Islands. We started our adventure by driving by the cliffs watching the Blue-Footed Boobies and Frigate birds fly around. Then Armando steered us to as peaceful a cove as he could find (it was a little choppy) and we got to go snorkeling. There were lots of beautiful fish, blue and green corals, and sea urchin. We swam around for a bit, ending up on a little beach to take a breather and take in the view. Chris had become quite sea sick on the boat, so the beach was a welcome reprieve for her to find a little peace on dry land.
Once we were back on the boat we drove out to a different island. Now it was time to try this paddle boarding thing all the kids were talking about. Jen had done it before, but the rest of us were newbies. Megan and Jen were able to stand, but I was happy on my knees. We paddled around for about 5-10 min before I looked back and realized we were paddling with the current and the boat was way far away! I headed back... against the current. What a work out! Chris met me at the boat, and we hung out in the sun with Armando for only about 20min or so until the rest of the group joined us to head back to the mainland. It was a gorgeous day and all of us, the sea sick included, had a memorable and (mostly) wonderful experience. (If you wondered: yes, there are jelly fish in the area.)
Sunday was our last full day and Jen was very excited to show us the town of Sayulita. It was about a half hour north, on the opposite side of the peninsula. It was a hot day. Google said it was 94, but it felt like 104. We had a rather "American" lunch (burgers, beer and football) and then got to the business of shopping! There was a great little market down one street, lots of cute boutiques down another, and fun bars along the beach. We found lots of fun things to bring home. Jen and I indulged in chocolate-coconut covered frozen bananas - they were so yummy. Our driver showed us a huge tree full of wild iguanas! It was a super fun, little town and I'm so glad we got to experience it. That night we tried our best to use all the leftover food we'd bought. Megan took charge and made us each a mouth-watering quesadilla with lots of cheese, veggies and marinated chicken. There was more pool time with drinks in hand - our last sunset in the pool.
Monday morning our masseuses came back, Elly and Esperanza. Elly makes her own beautiful beaded jewelry and gave us all a piece! They were really sweet ladies and very good at their job. It was the perfect send off to a wonderful weekend.
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| Adios! |
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