Ahhhhh. . . Russ and I just returned from the most relaxing vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This was our first trip by ourselves *without children* since said children have been alive. And it's a trip we probably wouldn't have taken if it hadn't been free. (Well, mostly free anyway; we had to get there). You see, shortly after Evelyn was born, I entered into a travel agency's Facebook giveaway for a free vacation, and I WON. I was so excited, but also not sure if we would actually be able to use the free trip since it was for an adults-only resort and we had a less-than-one-month-old. When I inquired with the agency, they told me not to worry, that I would have an entire year to use the certificate, meaning it would expire November 1, 2013. As summer wore on, Russ and I decided we should definitely take the trip, as a kind of second honeymoon for us! So we booked our airfare and started planning.
Our flight took off at 6 a.m., so Grandma Cheryl graciously agreed to come stay the night so we didn't have to wake children as we left at 2:45 a.m. It was beautiful watching the sunrise from the airplane.
We flew United, and they use these itty-bitty, 53 passenger planes even for international flights, I was surprised to find out. Makes me wish Southwest flew to Mexico.
It became apparent when we were getting close to Puerto Vallarta because of the gorgeous mountains rising up.
Told you the plane was tiny. . .
Looks like we made it!!
With such an early flight, we were actually at our resort, eating lunch by noon -- couldn't have worked out better!
The view from our lunch spot the first day.
The gorgeous lobby. This resort was brand-new a year ago February, and everything still sparkled.
There were no paper towels anywhere at this resort. All cloth towels in these high-end bathrooms.
Our room! Everything was so fancy.
The beautiful view from our balcony.
It didn't take long for us to find our swimsuits and a frozen drink to relax in one of the pools.
The first night for dinner we ate at the Himitsu, a pan-Asian restaurant. We actually ate there twice, the first time at the Japanese steakhouse part and then much later, we went back for some sushi. It was all so yummy!
More of our room. . .
After dinner, we caught a bit of the sunset. How pretty is this?!?
We determined that no-one woke up at this resort (other than the staff, of course) before 9:00 a.m. Everything was so peaceful in the early morning.
From the beach, these are the views looking both left and right. The main city of Puerto Vallarta was to the left and the airport is to the right. I just love how pretty the land is here with mountains and ocean all together.
The last time we were in Mexico, I was pregnant with Violet and I remember Russ writing "Calvin, Oliver, Violet" in the sand. It was the first time we had ever written Violet's name and I was so excited about having a baby girl! So Russ decided to write all of our kids' names in the sand this time, which was a bit tricky considering how big the waves were at times.
And the waves washed them away, again!
We got pretty good at the self-portraits by the end of this trip. . .
More hard work of relaxing poolside. The "Bob Marley" was the drink of the day our second day, very festive and fruity!
Russ generally kept to the Modelo Light, the closest thing to Coors Light the resort had. The label was a complete knock-off of Coors Light, even using a "cold indicator" to let you know when your beer was cold.
It seemed like we were the only ones at the resort at times; October is definitely the time to go! We spent one morning relaxing on these outdoor beds. There was a nice breeze and SO comfortable.
Our room was on the 2nd floor, so we decided to see what the view would be from the 15th floor and WOW!
The second night for dinner, we tried the gourmet French restaurant, Bordeaux.
I had the salmon and Russ had the rack of lamb. It was some of the most delicious food I've ever eaten!
Our waiter had asked us what we were celebrating and I told him "a second honeymoon of sorts." This was the dessert he brought us!
The service at this place was second to none.
That night we watched the "Rockin' Circus" show and it was quite possibly the most unique, entertaining show I've ever seen. I can't even quite describe it, so interesting it was. Here are Russ and I after the show with the band/circus members.
One morning, we decided to go into downtown Puerto Vallarta to see the recently renovated Boardwalk and Pier areas. The paved walks and all of the sculptures were so nice!
There were Farmacias everywhere. I love how they are quick to point out, "You don't need prescription." No work for me to do here!
Look at that sand art!
Walking over the river that fed into the ocean; how peaceful.
The pier:
Not sure these pelicans are qualified to captain this boat!
We toured the beautiful "Our Lady of Guadalupe" church.
Back at Secrets, we found yet another place to relax.
More walking on the beach and fun in the pool before dinnertime.
We got a picture out front before eating at the Italian restaurant, Capers.
I had the sea bass this time. All of the seafood was delicious!
After dinner, while walking we saw this pirate ship and I knew the boys would think it was too cool!
The weather was just beautiful the entire time we were there. Not a drop of rain, temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s, a slight breeze. We were even able to sleep with the door to the balcony open. There's nothing like listening to the crashing of the waves while falling asleep!
Gorgeous sunset!
Heading to the entertainment, doesn't that sky look incredible?
The Mexican Fiesta night! Complete with all of the Mexican fanfare you'd expect.
They showed Thursday night football in the disco. Russ and I were the only ones there! (Except for the blow up players, of course.)
The disco area was just beautiful, like everything else at the resort. I couldn't believe how good the service was. The bartender would actually come out from behind the bar to take our drink orders! (I'm sure this had something to do with how un-crowded the place was also.)
We loved taking late night walks on the beach. One evening they still had flowers out on tables from the "romantic" dinners they try to sell people. We didn't buy this dinner, but we could pretend, right?
After dancing at the disco, we sat in the lobby bar for a bit where they also had live music. It's always important for your drink to match your dress. (The chocolate martinis were de-lish!)
Beach yoga in the morning was yet another way to relax. The instructor was excellent, and again the sound of the waves made for a wonderfully relaxing experience.
We ate at the Oceana for lunch on our first day and our last day. We had the same waitress both times.
When she found out it was our last day, this was the dessert she brought us! ("Have a nice trip")
It was such a wonderful vacation! The weather was perfect, the resort was beautiful, and I got to spend 4 days with my love! I'm so thankful for our wonderful family who were willing to keep our kiddos for us while we had our once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Grandmas Cheryl and Jo kept the girls for 2 nights each, Aunt Joy kept the boys each night, and Aunt Sara helped out during the day as well. I don't know what we'd do without such loving family; I don't even think our kids missed us!
Whenever I begin to get stressed out with the day-to-day stuff, I'm going to try to find my happy place by thinking back to this:
Whenever I begin to get stressed out with the day-to-day stuff, I'm going to try to find my happy place by thinking back to this:
