By Lon Owen
In this installment of the Intrepid Traveler Dispatch, Lon shares the details of a two-week vacation with his family and friends in Puerto Vallarta and Sayulita. After a rough patch with an airline, it was smooth sailing once they arrived in Mexico. Except when they were without electricity and water for one day in Sayulita.
The Trip: 8 days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 9 days in Sayulita (as planned).
Who: Trish my wife, three kids (Mike, Daniel and Emily), and me. Mike turned 20 during the trip and this looks to be our last big family vacation all together. The last week we were joined by our friends Bruce and Dawn who brought the boys’ friend Travis with them.
Pina Drink Vendor in Los Ayala
Why: I had been to Cabo San Lucas about five years ago, but otherwise we had never been to the Pacific side of Mexico.We had been to Cozumel three times together and were originally going to go to Costa Rica for a change of pace. The airfares were going to be quite high and we saw the bargains available through Vivaaerobus to PVR, so cheap that we just couldn’t pass them by.
The kids and I were looking forward to trying surfing in Sayulita. I figured we would spend every day in the ocean on boards, grow our hair long and walk around saying “braugh I am toadily stoked at the bitchin waves”. While the kids would have gone out every day, I found that old bones and muscle tell you no most emphatically. Plus they had more fun on boogie boards.
When: June 11-28, 2009. The start of the rainy season. (I love the rain).
Getting there was: Agonizing. Unfortunately for us, Vivaaerobus decided to stop flying out of Austin eleven days before our flight and canceled. A quick scramble to get another flight through American ensued. (Of course, we had pre-paid our lodging, with no prospect of getting a refund). All it took was twice as much money and a layover at DFW instead of a direct flight. Okay, roll with the punches, smile and adapt.
Delete extended rant about having the flight out of Austin canceled and spending two days of our precious vacation time in a not quite charming Best Western in Irving, Texas. This is about Mexico, right? Breathe, relax, smile, adapt. Okay, I’m better.
I was really surprised when: They explained about turning left on divided highways in Mexico. Uhh, you want to run that one by me one more time. Mas despacio, por favor.Trish – The Sierra Madres so close to the ocean. It was as if there were two scenic vacation areas side by side. The misty mountains couldn’t be captured, you just had to be there.
I realized I would love it when: After exploring Puerto Vallarta, looking for bargains and searching for the recommended restaurant named Polo’s that happened to be closed that day, the waiter in Espresso saw our sweaty, bedraggled condition and said “here is our coolest table”, cranked the AC to eleven, put on his parka and asked for our drink orders. Trish – When we went out to the Romantic Zone at night and strolled and window shopped and went into the most charming store where I bought two crosses.
The best place I stayed was: I was flabbergasted with the opulence of Penthouse A at Vallarta Shores. If we tripped in our living room, we could have fallen into our pool. While the building is showing its age, it was amazing and luxurious. Trish- Casa Sofia in Sayulita, other than the “bed”. The authentic art, the rustic furnishings, stunning brick ceiling, the architectural details with the bright colors, the view from our balcony combined to enchant me. I certainly wanted to stay longer.
Sunset in Puerto Vallarta
One part that could have been better was: The day without electricity or water in Sayulita. It was miserable without fans or the ability to cool off with the shower. The breeze was good but I was sore from my surfing lesson and wanted to spend some time in bed contemplating my agonies.
If I had to do it again I would have: Not left. I have some serious thoughts of getting the last kid out of school and packing my wife and pets up and giving the expat scene a try.
The one piece of advice I have about visiting Puerto Vallarta is: Work on your Spanish. It pays off invariably.
on Jul 5th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Yes, get rid of the last kid and come on down. For good. That’s what we did and have never regretted it. Next trip think about a place that’s not so gringoized. In Mazatlan most of the gringos stay in the far north part of town, where we don’t go anyway. A few of us others are sprinkled out through the Mexican neighborhoods. We know very few gringos and most of our friends are Mexican.
Work on the Spanish, but it’s not a do or die thing. Mine isn’t too good, but we manage to get it done. Life is good!
Larry