Puerto Vallarta

As the taxi approached our hotel, Sunset Plaza, the man at the gate checked off our names and quietly instructed the driver to slowly approach the front of the hotel so we can be greeted by an employee of the hotel.  As we opened the door we were greeted by cold towels for our faces by a friendly employee of the hotel.  As we check into the hotel, glasses of Champagne began to flow... I thought to myself, "wow, is this how it feels to be a VIP and pampered?" The bell boy brought us up to our room and informed us that our personal butler will be up in the morning to introduce himself.  Was this a dream? No, it was Puerto Vallarta.

This is what I wrote to myself while on we were still on vacation in Puerto Vallarta.  I actually giggled while re-typing it onto the blog post... because even though the trip started off very luxurious with the flowing glasses of Champagne and personal butlers...  the majority of the trip was anything but luxurious.  Don't get me wrong, the hotel was beautiful and the staff did a great job of making sure we were taken care of.  But we weren't there for all the luxurious things... we wanted to soak in the culture and explore Puerto Vallarta outside of the confines of the tourist traps.  The entire experience was amazing and eye opening.  We explored the touristy areas of Puerto Vallarta like the Marina and the downtown areas, but we were also able to venture into the county sides where we did see very skinny animals and children walking around without any shoes.  I must say though that the consistent thing I did observe was that the people in Puerto Vallarta are extremely hard working and their hospitality is top notch.  Below are some highlights of the trip and of course... food photos because the food was amazing...

our view from our balcony 

a little something we found on our bed

view from the hallway.. if you look closely.. on the right hand side you can see the birthday girls shadow

the beer of choice for the weekend

beach side

the hotel gave us wristbands, we felt like super heros!  

the most amazing salsas from El Arrayan! A MUST stop in PV. A smoky chipotle, spicy red and mild green salsas.  

Beef Barbacoa from El Arrayan

Duck Carnitas... my favorite of the whole trip!!! Duck had crispy skin, moist meat and an amazing mole sauce! 

one of the national landmarks in PV, the caves.  Our guide informed us that you would be able to kayak to the cave! 

View from the Botanical Garden

flat tire while ATVing

yay! going through the water! 

the rest of the ATV crew 

Agave plants! 

very smooth and delicious tequila!  

ceviche from Ochos Tostados: not what we expected but not too bad

Seafood Stew from Ochos Tostados: exactly what you expect seafood stew to taste like.. sooo yummy!

Salmon 

Sangria from Buenos Aires Argentinean Restauarnt

Caprese Salad

Flank Steak  

Prime Rib

Steak Salad

Continental Breakfast before a long day of Ziplining 

The photo that caused 3 people pain.. literally 3 people, including myself, wiped out on this very slipper rock! You can't see it, but their is pain in our eyes. :D BUT on the upside... this day was filled with amazing Ziplining considered to be one of THE best moments in my life.

Much needed drink and food after Zipling and getting abused by a rock

nursing my wounds... notice the empty drink... 

complementary Guacamole from Pipi's 

everything is big here at Pipi's, including the margaritas! 

queso con chorizo 

complementary quesadilla filled with sauteed vegetables and gooey cheese

I wasn't kidding about the portions.. this is ONE order..  

he ordered the Macho Combo... but when it arrived.. he didn't feel that macho anymore

shrimp fajitas 

chicken tostada salad

finally started clearing up on the day we were leaving!