Bienvenidos a Puerto Vallarta

Get ready to party in PV!

Alrighty babes, let’s get into Puerto Vallarta. So you can just fly in and park it right in Puerto Vallarta and be done with your travels for your stay in Mexico. Puerto Vallarta is a relatively large town in the Mexican state of Jalisco. We took up our stay in la zona romatica (old town) and it was truly beautiful. There are some other options when choosing to stay in PV like the hotel zone or centro (where the malicon is), Marina Vallarta is the upscale zone, and the South zone is beach and resort focused (quieter and out of the way). Staying in la zona romatica we were able to still walk down to town and enjoy all of the sights and sounds of the malecon.

Lodging in La Zona Romantica

We stayed in a cute little boutique hotel equipped with 3 rooms and a family sized dining table and an adorable (that’s a quaint word for small) kitchen. We also had 3 bathrooms which were very, very nice. It’s almost like having 2 master bedrooms and another bedroom available as well. The hotel had a rocking gym, oh yeah don’t you think I’ll be letting you slack on your gains during vacation (I’m watching). And they had a sauna and spa area. Additionally, they had a multi-tiered pool with a bar right next to it. Oh yeah, and they had some chipping and putting available which I took full advantage of to work on some chipping. So if that sounds like the place you’d like to be, check out the Marcela Resort & Spa in La Zona Romantica!

Looking for a Gent?

So something I most definitely did not know about Puerto Vallarta, but I do now, is that there is a large gay culture here (right on). But only really gay men. Plenty of gay bars and shops and even gay restaurants but again, only for the men. I’m not sure if they had any lesbian bars, but if so they were far outnumbered by the gay bars in town. So, gents if you’re single and ready to mingle PV may be the place to be. Or it seemed like a lovely place to be as well if you are coupled up in a cutesy relationship as well (ahhh someday).

Always a party!

Simply, there is so much to do here. Like so much. Plenty of beaches and parasailing and pools and clubs and farmers markets and chocolate shops and fiestas (oh my). Soooooo, if you’re looking to get out for a day and go into the countryside for some elite tier relaxation here’s what I recommend: Antonio. Yeah, call him up. He has his own business and will hook you up with the best there is. Bright and early in the morning he picked us and several other people up and took us out towards the mountains to a glorious hot springs owned by 32 of the local families in the area. We got to go to a tortilleria and to a market and pick out our fruits and veggies for him to cook for our lunch. Along the way he dropped off some pinatas for the Christmas celebration for some of the local kids in the remote town to have for the celebration and even offered a ride to one of the local nurses who was walking to the next town to service them.

A dip in the pool, a trip to the spa, a day in my shades, the whole world according to muah!

The pools, ahhhhh yes the pools were glorious. There were too many to count honestly but with the 8 of us we got to use two pools while we were there, and let me tell you it was fantastic. Antonio made us some lemonade and fruit platters while we got to mingle and relax in the hot springs. Some of the lovely people we were with decided to opt in to getting face masks (for an extra cost of 50 pesos per person). This was not for me as I hate the feeling of clay drying on my face, but the other people LOVED it. The clay masks are so rich in minerals and have many benefits for glowing skin. After hours in the hot springs Antonio had whipped up a lovely lunch for us with tortillas fresh from the tortillaria we visited that morning and with meats and veggies that we got to choose from family style.

And if you think that a day of pools and first class service sounds relaxing, just wait until you get your massage on the beach. Yeah, I said it. The day ends with a glorious one hour massage on the beach. So, if you’re asking what I think of the experience it’s a 10/10. You do need to prepare for it to be an all day thing however. And you will be on a slightly long car ride so be ready for an all day adventure filled with culture, countryside, hot springs, and massages. Truly it can’t be beat.

Check out the hot springs here!

And if you’re on IG check out pv.trailblazer.love

License to Chill

Okay, after some exploring we just chilled. A day by the pool was much needed, followed by a day at the beach which was also much needed. I would highly recommend getting to the beach early to secure yourself some prime real estate otherwise it’s you and 98 bazillion other people just chilling on the beach. However, unless you are sleeping or pretending to be, at the beach you will be approached and offered to buy everything and anything which is a bit less relaxing. I can however say that if you can’t sit still I’d highly recommend parasailing. Why not! It’s right there. For about 5-10 minutes you can parasail and see the beautiful views of the Malecon from up above! Truly stunning.

And well, that was it for my trip to Puerto Vallarta. But there is SO SO much more to do. From farmer’s markets to dancing and night clubs to the Malecon, Puerto Vallarta is a place that can be explored again and again and again and again. I guarantee if you make it out there you will understand that there is so so much you can do.

Signing off xoxo,

Annika

Take a look!

Explore the sights and colors of vibrant Puerto Vallarta