Vacationing in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

It was time for our Spring Break trip to Puerto Vallarta! 

I initially considered canceling our trip because Alex and Inna had come down with the flu, but they convinced me to continue since they were feeling much better. I contacted Costco Travel to double-check the severity of my penalties. If I canceled the trip, I would lose 60% of the hotel fees and pay $375 to reschedule with Alaska Airlines. Next time, I will purchase trip insurance.

Since Inna and Alex were feeling well enough to travel, I set the alarm clock for 5:00 a.m. Friday morning for our early flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Los Angeles (LAX) on Alaska Airlines flight #1930. Once we woke up and dressed, I ordered UberX (which was unusually expensive – i.e., $75) for the 35-minute ride to SFO. Our UberX arrived at 5:45 a.m., and we arrived at SFO's International Terminal at approximately 6:25 a.m.

Since our flight was destined for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, we thought we might need the Alaska Airlines booth at the International Terminal – but we were wrong. I checked my flight status, and the Airbus departed from Terminal 1, Gate 47. We took the inter-terminal shuttle to Terminal 1 but could not find an Alaska check-in booth. We walked over to Terminal 2 but were a bit confused. Our flight was operated by Alaska Airlines, a Virgin America Subsidiary. First, we tried to check in at the Alaska booth but were told we had to check in at the Virgin America booth instead. We walked to the Virgin America booth, but there were two separate lines: one labeled "International" with a Puerto Vallarta sign, and the other labeled "Full Service."

At first, we followed the Puerto Vallarta sign. Still, the Virgin representative eventually said that since we were flying to Los Angeles first, we had to use the Full-Service line for domestic flights (the automated booth told us it could not be used). This was quite frustrating, as we waited in three separate lines before we found one that processed our tickets. Thankfully, our flight to Los Angeles was delayed to 8:50 a.m. (due to a runway closure at LAX), so the rush was unnecessary. We were worried about our connecting flight to Puerto Vallarta. When we landed in Los Angeles at 10:30 a.m., we rushed to the Alaska #218 Flight (which was delayed by 40 minutes) that was scheduled to depart at 11:15 a.m. We made it to the flight on time, with 30 minutes to spare.

The flight to Puerto Vallarta was uneventful, except that Alex had a severe migraine due to his cold, and Inna was also unwell. We landed in Puerto Vallarta around 3:15 p.m. and proceeded through Mexican customs, which were relatively fast and efficient (much quicker than US customs!)

Walking out of the airport, we eventually found the Costco Travel rep (Grey Line), who immediately put us in a car and sent us to our Villa La Estancia Beach Resort and Spa in Riviera Nayarit, in vo Vallarta, Mexico. We arrived at Villa La Estancia in about 30 minutes. Our amiable Mexican taxi driver provided lots of stories about the area. He showed us a whole family of coats next to our hotel.

We arrived at our Villa La Estancia hotel at around 4:00 p.m. We waited to check in and then walked to our room, 1704B.

Our reserved deluxe room was quite spacious, but it was missing a bed for Alex. We told our bellman to order us one (but nothing happened). We called the service multiple times and spoke to the front desk (which often would not pick up the phone). Eventually, the second bed for Alex was delivered, but it was disappointing that so much effort was needed, especially since the hotel knew that 3 persons were staying in the room.

Villa La Estancia Report Card

Positives

• The beach is beautiful and sandy, without any weeds (unlike some beaches in Cancun) 
• SUPs and Kayaks are free to rent for one hour at the sister property (Villa del Palmar Flamingos) 
• Beach towels do not require deposits (like in Marriott on Maui)
• Beach umbrellas are free, but you have to ask to get one set up
• Employees are amiable 

Negatives

• The breakfast buffet is highly overpriced (400 pesos/per person) at the La Casona restaurant
• The pool closed at 6:00 p.m. (way too early) on some days (other days, it stayed open later)
• Only two restaurants are available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (though the nearby sister Villa del Palmar Hotel has an additional El Patron Mexican restaurant) 
• La Casona restaurant requires dinner reservations (and is highly overpriced) 
• WiFi is really slow and only works reasonably well in the lobby and the pool area (not in the room)
• The key to the room does not work reliably. It often took many tries to open the door
• The bathroom has no separate door for the toilet, so multiple people cannot use it at the same time 
• SUPs and kayaks are available only between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. 
• Boogie boards were only available for one hour (and were frequently out of stock)
• No sailboats or catamarans to rent (though a separate company rents them for $60/hour) 
• Customer Service is very inconsistent. Sometimes it takes multiple calls to resolve an issue. 
• No Ping-Pong, billiards, or other table games (like at other resorts like Marriott and Grand Wailea) 
• Food quality is mediocre (though prices are high) 
• The on-site ATM at Palmita Market was frequently out of cash
• Housekeeping comes in at odd hours; one day, they started housekeeping at 6:00 p.m. 

We walked to the beach for a quick swim, but could not swim in the pool because it closed at 6:00 p.m. When we arrived for dinner at La Casona Restaurant, we were told we might have trouble since we had not made a reservation.

All went well, and a table was found for us near the piano.

We were entertained while we ate by the piano players, who performed many pop standards, though the food was not particularly delicious. The menu prices were relatively high for Mexico. (We later discovered that we could eat at many fine restaurants in neighboring Bucerias for 40% less, with drinks included and better-quality entrees).


Saturday, March 31, 2018

Exhausted from our travels, we woke up relatively late and decided to relax on our first full day in Mexico. At first, we went to breakfast. Like our dinner experience the day before, we were a bit underwhelmed.

Since we did not purchase the all-inclusive package (to avoid paying for meals we did not need), we knew the much higher cost of most entrees. Inna ordered the Eggs Benedict, which was delicious. Alex selected the breakfast buffet at 400 pesos per person, which was average. He had to wait in line to get an omelet, which looked average.

After breakfast, we went for a swim in the ocean, which was so pleasant and warm, and then we met with our Grey Line representative to arrange our departure time and schedule all our activities.

We met Louis – our Grey Line rep – at 12:45 a.m. and reviewed the options. We decided to purchase 3 separate activities, one of which was offered free (as part of a promotion).

1. Las Caletas Beach Hideaway (Sunday)
2. Ecotours Swimming with Dolphins in the Wild (Tuesday)
3. Outdoor Zipline Adventure (Wednesday)
4. Rhythm of the Night - Savia (Thursday)

After scheduling these, we returned to the ocean and the pool and decided to have lunch by the pool.

The lunch was of average quality but overpriced, as usual. Inna found an excellent place to get a $20 beachside massage and decided to try it while I rested and Alex enjoyed the hot tub.

For dinner, we decided to head to Bucerias – the nearby small town – to try one of the highly rated restaurants there. For some reason, I thought Louis had mentioned Karen's Place, so I booked dinner there for 7:45 p.m. We ordered a taxi from our hotel and stopped by HSBC Bank (to pick up pesos) before heading to Karen's Place restaurant.

Inna and I really liked Karen's Place. In addition to the band, the restaurant was on the beach with multiple lights installed in a very romantic way. Inna was pleased.

We had a fantastic dinner there, with coconut-crusted shrimp. The chips, guacamole, and all the other dishes were first-rate and inexpensive. We also liked the nearby band playing popular favorites and the whole beach scene.

After dinner, we quickly found a taxi and returned to our hotel. Why didn't we leave the resorts earlier? We found that food quality increased and prices decreased once we left the hotel sanctuary. We returned and tried the other highly-rated restaurants: Adauto's, Mar Y Sol, and The Fat Boy (Mariscos El Gordo).


Sunday, April 1, 2018

It's not April Fools' Day in Mexico, but it is a day for a time change. Thankfully, Louis warned us about this upcoming event. Our phones automatically adjusted, so I did not have to do anything.

After breakfast at the nearby El Patron Mexican restaurant in Villa del Parmar Flamingos, we boarded our taxi for a short ride to Vallarta Adventures.

I wrote a separate blog entry about Las Caletas Beach Hideaway. After returning from Las Caletas, we quickly washed up and scheduled dinner at Adauto's at 8:45 p.m.

What seemed like another dinner turned into a mini-adventure when we decided to stop by HSBC to withdraw a few pesos (many restaurants only accept cash). The HSBC terminal was out of money. We tried the other ATMs, but they were all out of money! Easter weekend in Mexico! Luckily, I still had some US dollars to pay back the taxi fare, but it was a bit unnerving. Also, luckily for us, Adauto's was one of the few Mexican restaurants in Bucerias that accepted credit cards!

Dinner at Adauto's was very delicious and relatively inexpensive. The Margaritas were giant, and Inna quickly got a little drunk.

We sat on the beach, drinking our delicious margaritas and snacking on guacamole and chips. I ordered chicken fajitas and was very happy (though they came served differently than in the US). Alex selected the Bolognese pasta, but he was not feeling well (due to motion sickness from the taxi ride). He watched movies on his iPhone while the taxi was doing all sorts of maneuvers in Bucerias.

After dinner, we had another small adventure trying to find a taxi (in the late evening). We passed many small outdoor shops selling delicious food. Eventually, we found a place to pick up a cab and returned to our hotel.


Monday, April 2, 2018

In the morning, we decided to skip breakfast and head for the famous surf town of Sayulita.
I wrote another separate blog entry about surfing and dining in Sayulita.


Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Inna was looking forward to swimming with dolphins in the wild, and she scheduled a half-day session with Mexican Ecotours for Tuesday, April 2.

I wrote about our dolphin encounters in a separate blog entry.

We decided to head to "The Fat Boy" restaurant in Bucerias for dinner. We were seated on the beach, where there was a lot of activity.

Multiple bands were playing, and many vendors were selling their wares. We ordered chips and salsa and strawberry margaritas for Inna and me.

The portions of food and drink were enormous. I ordered jumbo coconut shrimp, Inna ordered jumbo scallops, and Alex ordered a whole lobster!

We barely finished half of our entrée, and I struggled to finish my shrimp. Alex finished his red lobster and even helped with the shrimp.

Unlike Adautos, The Fat Boy only takes cash (though Yelp indicated it also accepts credit cards).

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Although we had another adventure planned, we were too tired to travel. We decided to skip it and have a relaxing day at the beach.

In the morning, Alex and I went stand-up paddleboarding on the calm waters of the Bay of Banderas. Afterward, we also tried to catch some waves with boogie boards.

We really wanted to try jet skiing, but the ATM at the Villa del Palmar Flamingos Hotel was out of cash (and the jet ski vendor only accepted cash).

We decided to try the well-rated El Dinamita restaurant in Nuevo Vallarta for dinner. After stopping by to use the ATM (to retrieve Mexican pesos) at the local Bancnorte ATM, we were dropped off at El Dinamita.

For an appetizer, we ordered chips, guacamole, and salsa. They were all quite delicious, especially the tomato-based dip. We also ordered two strawberry margaritas and a lemonade.

For an appetizer, Inna selected the delicious Seafood Dynamite. Inna and I chose seafood molcajetes (in a sizzling lava pot) for entrees, pictured below. They were delicious! I haven't tried this specialty before, but I will try it again.

We also selected a Seafood Casserole for a dish to share. It was also expertly prepared, but not as delicious as Molcajitas.

Alex was recommended a steak – Banderas- and enjoyed it.

We had a fantastic time at El Dinamita and hope to come again (and try the sister restaurant – the Fajita Factory).


Thursday, April 5, 2018

In the morning, we decided to try jet skiing on the beach. I rented a jet ski for 30 minutes for 1100 pesos (USD 60). We had a lot of fun riding the Yamaha Waverunner in the bay! Afterward, we picked up two boogie boards and rode the small 2- to 3-foot waves on our beach for another hour.

We had a lovely, relaxing time. Inna even managed to get another full-body massage on the beach – all for USD 20!

In the afternoon, around 5:15 p.m., we ordered a taxi to Nuevo Vallarta to watch the fantastic show Rhythm of the Night - Savia. I wrote about it in a separate blog post.


Friday, April 6, 2018

In the morning, we woke up early and started packing. It was disappointing to leave Puerto Vallarta. We could have easily stayed another week!

To save time, we decided to skip breakfast and try kayaking. After a short kayaking excursion with Inna, Alex, and me, we rented two boogie boards and spent an hour boogie boarding.

We decided to have lunch on the beach and ordered guacamole and chips around 11:00 a.m. (just when La Parilla poolside restaurant opened). After lunch, we packed our bags and tried the Tatewari Spa. It was priced at $17 per person. Since we were wet from spending time at the beach (and had already checked out of our room), we decided to rest at the spa before catching our return ride to the Puerto Vallarta airport for our flight to Los Angeles, then on to San Francisco.

Tatewari Spa exceeded my expectations. It was mostly empty, clean, and full of well-run treatments. The recommended order of treatments was as follows:

1. Dry Sauna (for 10-20 minutes) 
2. Quick shower
3. Steam Room (for 10 minutes) - this was excruciatingly hot
4. Quick shower
5. Whirlpool (for 10 minutes)
6. Overhead waterfall (in an enclosed room)
7. Rest and relaxation
8. Final shower

I spent an easy 90 minutes at the spa and really enjoyed it. It was such a pleasant surprise. Inna also really liked the spa and would love to come back (though their treatment and massages are incredibly overpriced - $150/hr for a massage when you can get a $20 massage on the beach!

After completing treatments, Inna and I returned to the lobby and waited for our ride to the Puerto Vallarta airport. At around 2:25 p.m., we were picked up for a short taxi ride there. We arrived on time and checked in for Alaska flight #273 to Los Angeles.

The flight to Los Angeles proceeded on schedule, and we landed at LAX around 6:00 p.m. There, we had to go through US Customs, which went exceedingly fast (usually takes 1-2 hours in SFO or Oakland). We had to retrieve Inna's bag and pass it on to our next Virgin America flight to San Francisco.

We already had tickets for our Virgin America flight to San Francisco, but were not assigned seats. Due to storms in San Francisco, Virgin America flight #1945 kept getting delayed (and its gate kept changing). It was supposed to depart at 8:20 p.m. but was delayed by 4 hours, and we left Los Angeles at midnight (exceedingly tired). Once we picked up our luggage, we ordered a taxi home. UberX and Lyft had crazy fares indicated at 2:15 a.m. I was not sure what was happening, but fares were increasing rapidly. We decided to take a regular taxi, but that was a mistake. The taxi driver initially quoted $ 160 (overly high), but when we arrived home, he said the meter, which showed $120, had to be increased by 50% for anything 15 miles beyond the SFO boundary. We ended up paying $195! What a ripoff. However, we were exhausted. We will never take taxis from SFO again.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay in Puerto Vallarta and would be happy to return.

The key learnings from our stay in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico:

1. Don't pay for an All-Inclusive resort; there are many cheaper and better-quality restaurants nearby
2. Bring plenty of pesos (as most Mexican shops do not accept credit cards)
3. Don't take a taxi from SFO. Use ride-sharing like UberX/Lyft or park nearby at the Anza Parking lot.