sitting in the shade at the beach! It was HOT while we were there
In June of 2023 we were finally able to visit a more tropical location so Stefan could snorkel! He's always wanted to do this, and with a friend's help (if you know, you know!!) we were able to spend a beautiful but hot week just outside of Puerto Vallarta. It was very cheap for us to fly (direct from Abbotsford!) and when we were dropped off by our Uber we realized why - this is not tourist season. It was roughly 90s-100 each day and when I say humid, I mean...I've never felt humidity like this before. Thankfully we learned how to cool off (shade, looooots of liquid, not really doing anything between 2-5), and we enjoyed our stay immensely!
one of the best restaurants we ate at - the service was incredible!
There are two restaurants we really remember and the one above was one of them. The other one we ate at 3 different times! It was in our neighbourhood and only two 'walls' and a roof over top. It was amazing food, and the staff were so lovely.
Our first full day we spent going on a snorkel/beach tour that was an all-day affair. We were on a boat that had at least 7-10 staff and about 40+ passengers. It wasn't too long before I noticed....a third of our boat was getting sick. Although the weather was pristine, the wind and water were ROUGH. I have never gotten sick on a boat...until that day. Lukka and I were absolute toast on that day (I'll spare you the details), but we were still able to snorkel which was....spectacular. Truly...one of the best experiences we've (all 4) have ever had on a vacation. We even saw a poisonous water snake (and then quickly got out of it's way)! There was 'glitter' everywhere in the water which we found out later were baby jellyfish everywhere!
The boat took us on a 90+ min ride out to a National Park on the Islas Marietas, which is only available for things like boat tours - only birds and other wildlife live here, and you are not allowed to even touch the islands (so, only snorkelling here) because germs could decimate the ecosystem. After that, we toured around to another part of an island where there was a 'beach paradise' with water sports, bathrooms, lounge areas under shade and neat climbing structures. Lukka and I could just lay down and recalibrate here, sadly. The final 'tour' was to endangered bird watching from the boat...we were slowly sipping agua fresca at this point and trying to just maintain churning stomachs. I have no recollection of seeing the birds!
Even though it was quite an experience...Lukka still said, "this was one of the coolest things I've ever done", and that was when he was a shell of a human getting so sick! It really was that worthwhile.
Our first full day we spent going on a snorkel/beach tour that was an all-day affair. We were on a boat that had at least 7-10 staff and about 40+ passengers. It wasn't too long before I noticed....a third of our boat was getting sick. Although the weather was pristine, the wind and water were ROUGH. I have never gotten sick on a boat...until that day. Lukka and I were absolute toast on that day (I'll spare you the details), but we were still able to snorkel which was....spectacular. Truly...one of the best experiences we've (all 4) have ever had on a vacation. We even saw a poisonous water snake (and then quickly got out of it's way)! There was 'glitter' everywhere in the water which we found out later were baby jellyfish everywhere!
The boat took us on a 90+ min ride out to a National Park on the Islas Marietas, which is only available for things like boat tours - only birds and other wildlife live here, and you are not allowed to even touch the islands (so, only snorkelling here) because germs could decimate the ecosystem. After that, we toured around to another part of an island where there was a 'beach paradise' with water sports, bathrooms, lounge areas under shade and neat climbing structures. Lukka and I could just lay down and recalibrate here, sadly. The final 'tour' was to endangered bird watching from the boat...we were slowly sipping agua fresca at this point and trying to just maintain churning stomachs. I have no recollection of seeing the birds!
Even though it was quite an experience...Lukka still said, "this was one of the coolest things I've ever done", and that was when he was a shell of a human getting so sick! It really was that worthwhile.
Ani rifling through the sand for shells (in the shade of course)
Another day we did something that I felt a bit conflicted about - but it was one of their favorite experiences, ever, as well. We let them swim with dolphins and a sea lion. They have trainers in the water the whole time and the kids were just with one other child.
They basically had an encounter where they swam with the dolphins under water (the dolphins pulling them - ripping them through the water, truly! they are so fast), and then bobbing through the water and getting kissed by a sea lion.
They basically had an encounter where they swam with the dolphins under water (the dolphins pulling them - ripping them through the water, truly! they are so fast), and then bobbing through the water and getting kissed by a sea lion.
gorgeous view of the waterfront properties from a large walkway that juts out from the coast
Two other things the kids and I wanted to find were local-made churros (unreal), and elote - a tiny little kiosk cart we found on our last night. Aside from those big beach-related excursions, we had a lot of downtime cooling off watching movies or shows in the evening, and making drinks! It was a delightful trip! Thanks again, friends, for your hospitality.
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