A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
Since our fabulous trip to Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita in April 2008, we have planned to return to Puerto Vallarta. In 2019, we jumped on a deal to stay at the top-rated Four Seasons in Punta Mita (a famous surfing spot). However, due to COVID-19, we had to reschedule our stay multiple times. . Eventually, we settled on the week of September 5-12, 2021. We…
Read More: Relaxing in Punta MitaSince my first time windsurfing on Maui's North Shore, I have been enamored with wave sailing. Nothing is finer than wave sailing in 15-20 knots of wind at Spreckelsville on Maui. I have also heard of fantastic wave sailing in Mexico, but have never been able to do so.. . When I heard about the incredible waves at Punta San Carlos, I was intrigued and…
Read More: Windsurfing at Punta San Carlos, Mexico
In the late afternoon, we took a short taxi ride to Vallarta Adventures, where we boarded boat #4 for the one-hour sail to Las Caletas for the Rhythms of the Night - Savia dinner and show.. . . . We saw a few people dressed in attractive costumes when we arrived onshore in Las Caletas.. . . . Drums were being beaten, calling us to…
Read More: Rhythms of the Night – Savia
When we finally found a working ATM (not especially easy in Mexico), we took out some extra money for jet skiing.. . Here is a GoPro Hero 4 Silver video I recorded of our jet skiing in Nuevo Vallarta, off the beach of Villa del Palmar Flamingos hotel:. . . . The cost on the beach at Villa La Estancia was 1100 pesos for 30…
Read More: Jet Skiing and Boogie Boarding in Nuevo Vallarta
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. We departed our hotel at 7:50 am for the Puerto Vallarta Marina, where Ecotours is located.. . . . When we arrived there, we checked in and were given snorkeling gear. In addition, we were also shown videos about dolphins and…
Read More: Swimming with Dolphins
In the morning, we decided to skip breakfast and head for the famous surf town of Sayulita. It is renowned as hippie heaven, with lots of surf and yoga shops (at least that's what we were told). Alex and I had plans to surf on the beach (though the surf forecast promised small waves).. . . . The taxi ride from our Villa La Estancia…
Read More: Surfing in Sayulita
After eating breakfast at the nearby El Patron Mexican restaurant in Villa del Parmar Flamingos, we boarded our taxi for the short ride to Vallarta Adventures in Nuevo Vallarta (a 15-minute taxi ride).. . . . After checking in at the Vallarta Adventures lobby, we purchased the additional flyboard activity for Alex ($39 extra) and waited for our turn to board boat #6 for Las…
Read More: Enjoying Las Caletas Beach Hideaway
. . 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…
Read More: Vacationing in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico
After getting a very early breakfast at our Azul Beach hotel, we were promptly picked up at 7:20 a.m. by the Xel-Ha shuttle and driven, for about one hour, to the Xel-Ha eco-park near Tulum, Mexico.. . . . We arrived at Xel-Ha at 8:20 a.m. as the park was opening. We initially considered signing up for Sea Trek - an underwater walking adventure, but…
Read More: Splendid Xel-Ha
How much fun is the new Xplor adventure in Cancun? We were about to find out.. . . . At 8:40 a.m., the Xplor van picked us up from the lobby of our Azul Beach hotel. From there, we drove to another hotel, waiting twenty minutes for other passengers to arrive. The driver almost left, but a Spanish-speaking couple showed up, and after a lot…
Read More: Exciting Xplor
What does an authentic Mexican Cenote/ATV experience feel like? We were about to discover when we embarked on a combined Tulum and Mystic River adventure.. . . . Exactly at 9:00 am, the Mystic River van picked us up from the lobby of our Azul Beach hotel. The driver stopped by two other hotels: Azul Sensatori and Valentin. From here, we drove about an hour…
Read More: Adventures in Tulum and Mystic River
To avoid parking at the expensive San Francisco (or De Anza) parking lot, we ordered UberX from our home to the San Francisco Airport (SFO). The UberX ride was fast and efficient, and we arrived with plenty of time to spare (since I had already checked in online using United's iPhone app). The final cost was $55 - high - but cheaper and more convenient…
Read More: Relaxing in Cancun
Today, we took the shuttle from the Barcelo Maya Palace Deluxe Hotel in Riviera Maya to the Xcaret eco-park in Quintana Roo, Mexico.. . According to Wikipedia:. Xcaret is a Maya civilization archaeological site located on the Caribbean coastline of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the modern-day state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. The site was occupied by thepre-Columbian Maya and functioned as a port for…
Read More: Xcaret, Cancun, Mexico
Today, we took the shuttle from the Barcelo Maya Palace Deluxe Hotel in Riviera Maya to Xel-Ha eco-park in Quintana Roo, Mexico.. . Xel-Ha is a famous Mexican eco-park with many outdoor activities, including snorkeling, zip-lining, and swimming with dolphins.. . When we arrived at 9:00 a.m., Inna and Alex decided to book the 10:30 a.m. session of "Swimming with Dolphins." We put our gear…
Read More: Xel-Ha, Cancun, Mexico
We rescheduled our trip to Barcelo Maya Palace in Mexico (near Cancun) for April 5, 2013 (from the original date in December 2012 due to Grandma's health problems).. . We flew on United Airlines UA1679 from San Francisco to Cancun (direct flight), departing at 8:39 a.m. and landing at 3:02 p.m. . . Once we landed in Cancun, we waited for our United Airlines shuttle…
Read More: Barcelo Palace, Cancun, Mexico
We flew on Virgin Airlines from San Jose to Los Cabos, Mexico, in April.. . We stayed at the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort, which we visited many years earlier. This Hilton has lovely pools and excellent Mexican food. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .…
Read More: Los Cabos, Mexico