Overseas Chinese Web Guide

Tag: Mexico

  • Las Caletas or Las Marietas Eco Discovery

    While trip planning, I could not decide between Las Caletas and Las Marietas Eco Discovery. Both sounded similar in that they were boat trips with the option to snorkel and kayak. However, these adventures were completely different.

    Sea Sick. Las Marietas is located in Banderas Bay, and the journey out there can be unpleasant for those who get motion sickness and have not taken dramamine. The crew were handing out plastic bags to those who were sea sick at the tail end of the ride out to Las Marietas. In contrast, Las Caletas is a smooth, enjoyable ride along the coast of Puerto Vallarta.

    Activities. If you have young children, Las Caletas is the perfect destination. Between the burro ride, ziplining, and floating on an inner tube off the beach, the little ones were absolutely delighted. Las Marietas offers kayaking and snorkeling. If you get sea sick on the way to Las Marietas, you’ll probably be spending your time on the beach.

    Food. With a full kitchen, Las Caletas offered a better assortment of hot food and cool desserts. For Las Marietas, the lunch offerings are sandwiches and salads.

  • Las Caletas

    Of all the tours offered by Vallarta Adventures, I enjoyed Las Caletas the most. Like the other tours, we started with breakfast at the Nuevo Vallarta center before boarding a catamaran. The ship proceeded to Marina Vallarta, where it picked up additional passengers, and then headed straight to Las Caletas. The ship traveled parallel to the coast and the journey was not rough at all, unlike the ride to Las Marietas.

    On the way to Las Caletas, we passed by Los Arcos, which are giant, arched rocks in Banderas Bay. We could see people snorkeling around the rocks in the morning.

    As we approach Las Caletas, we receive a wave and a warm welcome.

    Las Caletas has two beaches. The first one you pass is the quiet one. The catamaran that transported us to Las Caletas is in the background.

    Las Caletas is the perfect destination for young children. Vallarta Adventures has a program dedicated to kids (four and up) that includes face painting, a visit with ducks and monkeys, a ride aboard a burro to the hilltop, and a zipline ride back down the hill.

    During your stay at Las Caletas, drinks are complimentary, unless you want some fresh coconut juice.

    The most important sign at Las Caletas. The water sports end at 1:00 PM. So, after lunch, there is no returning to the beach for more kayaking or snorkeling.

    At the second beach, you can snorkel, kayaking, swim or float in an inner tube. The kids really loved the inner tube.

    Lunch is a delicious buffet that offers food both familiar and foreign. For Chinese kids who are not too experimental, you cannot go wrong with rice.

    I really liked the handmade tortillas, especially with the cactus.

    Good bye Las Caletas.

  • Las Marietas Eco Discovery

    The Las Marietas Eco Discovery tour starts with breakfast at Vallarta Adventures. And, depending on your susceptibility to motion sickness, this may or may not be a good idea. If you require dramamine, picking it up at a local pharmacy in the United States would be a good idea because shops are far and few between in Nuevo Vallarta.

    After breakfast, you depart from the Vallarta Adventures marina aboard a catamaran.

    On the way to Las Marietas, you might spot some pelicans looking for some hand-outs.

    Your captain might also take you to see some wild dolphin swimming in Banderas Bay. We spotted wild sea turtles during our adventure as well.

    For those that got seasick, a quick ride aboard a motorboat takes you to a secluded beach out in Las Marietas. The hardier guests can snorkel or kayak near the catamaran.

    After a few hours, the captain and crew collects all the guests for the return trip and lunch aboard the boat. Food choices included rolls, cold cuts, tuna salad, and pasta salad. You can also drink to your own delight at the open bar. The trip back was much smoother than the ride out.

  • Puerto Vallarta v. Nuevo Vallarta

    If you are not sure if you should stay in Puerto Vallarta v. Nuevo Vallarta, consider this Nuevo Vallarta panorama.

    A bit difficult to see, so I’ve added a scrollable version below. You can see construction cranes working on new developments, as well as large expanses of space between the different resorts. Don’t be fooled by the riviera moniker because Riviera Nayarit is nothing like the French Riviera. The region is not walkable or developed at all.

    Nuevo Vallarta can be nice, and I enjoyed my stay at Villa La Estancia. But, understand that while the food and transportation in Nuevo Vallarta can be American in price, the level of infrastructure and development is not commensurate with the cost.

  • San Sebastian del Oeste

    San Sebastián is a historic mining town located in the mountains almost two hours from Puerto Vallarta. I joined the bus tour that departed from Vallarta Adventures after breakfast. The road to San Sebastian passes through rural Mexico, where you will see abundant fruit trees, horses, cattle and the like.

    While Puerto Vallarta in June is quite hot and humid, San Sebastian was cool and comfortable in contrast.

    The first stop was at Hacienda Jalisco, the pre-revolutionary home of the mining bosses, as well as an escape for Hollywood luminaries in decades past. You can walk around the grounds looking at the historical documents, maps, artifacts, and celebrity memorabilia left behind.

    After the Hacienda Jalisco tour, we head back to the bus and ride into town. The next stop is a small coffee plantation, where you can sample and purchase the local coffee. The farm also featured many fruit trees scattered throughout. We then proceeded to walk down the street to lunch, followed with a walking tour of San Sebastian.

    You can visit the local church and learn about Saint Sebastian.

    The other stop is the home / museum of Doña Conchita Encarnación, where you can view historial photographs of San Sebastian and learn about the three families whose history are intertwined throughout the fabric of San Sebastian.

    On the way out of San Sebastian, the bus stops at the tequila distillery where you can sample various tequilas and mixed drinks. The tequila almendrado, or almond flavored tequila, might appeal to those with a sweet tooth.

  • Nuevo Vallarta Taxi

    For some reason, I was expecting Nuevo Vallarta to be like Waikiki. It wasn’t. Instead of a dense and compact tourist destination, I saw large resorts scattered along the coast, sometimes with large gaps between them. Even if you want to take an evening walk, there was no place to go. Seems incredible that large resorts can exist without tourist shops and restaurants nearby, but that was definitely my experience. You can see for yourself on Google Maps.

    I thought I would be able to walk from Villa La Estancia to something nearby, but I didn’t see anything within walking distance outside of other resorts. I went to Puerto Vallarta once, but most of the time, I travelled back-and-forth between the hotel and Vallarta Adventures.

    Where Should I Stay in Nuevo Vallarta

    If you are staying at an all-inclusive resort and do not plan to leave the premises, then location should not make a big difference. However, if you want to take advantage of several of the journeys offered by Vallarta Adventures, then the cost of transportation may be a factor.

    As you can see, a trip from Vallarta Adventures to Villa Del Palmar (which is next to Villa La Estancia) costs $110 for 1-4 passengers and $220 for 5-8 passengers. After a couple of trips, that taxi fare starts adding up quickly, so let this Nuevo Vallarta taxi rate sign be your guide. If you plan on joining some Vallarta Adventure tours, it would be smart to stay somewhere closer to them than at the northern end of Nuevo Vallarta, or even further away.

  • Villa La Estancia, Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit

    I recently stayed at Villa La Estancia Beach Resort & Spa, located at Paseo de Cocoteros 700 Sur, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit 63732, Mexico. I had booked the reservations through Costco Travel, which is currently offering a stay four nights for the price of three nights promotion at $279 per person, with a $300 resort credit included, which runs to $1,674. The credit could be applied to food, beverages and other services, excluding tips. While at the resort, I had encountered another guest that had booked their travel through a LivingSocial deal that included all meals, beverages, and unlimited massages for $1,630. Despite, the $300 credit, the $1,630 promotion is a better deal if you plan on taking all your meals on the premises. I had never thought about booking travel through a group buying website, so that was an eye-opener.

    The resort itself is spectacular. Located on the beach, the facility looks and feels new. Based on the layout of the buildings, all rooms should provide at least a partial ocean view from the patio. The resort’s palette featured an abundance of warm, earth tones.

    Housekeeping even provides a daily supply of L’Occitane Verbena Products, which like most items from France, is quite pricey.

    For dining options, the resort has an outside swim-up bar by the pool, as well as a steak house just off the resort lobby.

    I has one dinner at La Casona. While the service and ambience was refined, the food did not exactly knock me out of my socks. More on that later.

    The best meal I had at the resort was at the Bella Vista restaurant located at the sister property–Villa del Palmar Flamingos–next door. The savory shrimp fajitas were absolutely delicious.

    1. Location. The resort is located at the northern end of Nuevo Vallarta, and quite distant from any outside shops, restaurants or other amenities. If you have an all-inclusive deal and you plan on spending your entire time lounging around the pool, this should not present any problems. However, if you want to get around the Puerto Vallarta and the other cities along the Bahía de Banderas, the transportation costs could add up quickly. Relied on the taxi service during the entire week. I did see numerous Turibus stops along the main Nuevo Vallarta drag, but I only saw that bus once. That Turibus does not operate with as much frequency as you would think.
    2. Beach/Pool. While the resort is located on the beach, I didn’t see too many people in the water. The waves can get quite rough, particularly in the afternoon when the winds pick-up. The pool itself is not that deep. I would guess that it is about four feet deep at most. The pool has an extremely shallow wading section for toddlers where the water cannot be more than a few inches deep.
    3. Internet Access. Wi-Fi available for free in the lobby. I could also access the Wi-Fi connection from the corner of the patio closest to the lobby. The room had an ethernet cable and port, but the AirPort Express that I had brought along was not configured correctly to create my own personal wireless access point. I either need the AirPort Express to be configured correctly before I leave home, or I need a way to reconfigure that device from an iPad. So close, yet so far away.
    4. Kitchen. I liked the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower better. Absolutely inefficient to make short-term guests purchase their own cleaning supplies, as well as some ingredients that are almost always sold in bulk, like sugar and salt.
    5. Laundry. I am absolutely sold on the in-suite washer and dryer. However, like above, ResortQuest provided a daily box of laundry detergent, but Villa La Estancia did not. So, I had to buy a month’s worth of detergent at the supermarket to use for the week that I was there.
    6. Timeshare Salesmen. No one at Villa La Estancia pitched me on purchasing a timeshare. However, the salesmen at the adjoining property were quite assertive, though not in an overly aggressive manner. Basically, the routine would be to strike up a conversation, offer a few helpful tips, and then begin their sales pitch. So long as you know it is coming and remain persistent in dodging their offers (that is if you are not interested), you will be fine.
    7. Food. The food quality and quantity was uneven. Food pricing was even–evenly expensive. I get that at a remote resort, the seller has a near monopoly power to ratchet up prices. To be more expensive than local Mexican restaurants is expected. To be more expensive than restaurants in the United States, well, I did not see that one coming. That credit evaporates quite rapidly when fruit punch for the kids goes for $6 a cup. Not pesos, but US dollars. I dined at Bella Vista twice–once for dinner and another time for breakfast. Both times it was an all-you-can-eat buffet of decent quality. At US $20 for breakfast and $30 for dinner, I thought the cost was about double when I would pay in the states, but both meals were satisfying. I ate at the Villa del Palmar Flamingos outdoor restaurant once. Seriously, I’ve made better pizza in my life. And, the fish tacos were a bit shy on the fish. The big disappointment was the La Casona restaurant, home of the $6 fruit punch mentioned above. Between the extremely dry chicken breast in the shish kebab and the overly salty Portabello mushrooms, the meal had disappointment written all over it. The crisp calamari appetizers were good through–breaded and fried with three different accompanying sauces. Just did not realize that we had hit the high note so early on in the meal.
    8. Atmosphere. While Villa del Palmar Flamingos and Villa La Estancia are neighboring properties, the vibe of each location was different. Villa del Palmar Flamingos offered more activities, had more people in the pool, and provided better dining options. Villa La Estancia focused secluded tranquility. Despite the size of the premises, I didn’t see that many people around the resort or in the pool. You have the resort pretty much to yourself.
    9. Market. If you are looking to prepare some of your meals in your own suite, the Palmita Market at the Villa del Palmar Flamingos offers some basic provisions. A larger supermarket is nearby, just off the highway. The vegetables were not the freshest, but no worse than what I’ve seen at other markets in Bucerias and Puerto Vallarta.

    So, I loved the resort overall, despite the misses here and there. I probably would have liked it even more if I had skipped the La Casona dinner. If you are going to charge $30 for a main course, you better bring your A game. I would return if the surrounding area was developed and offered alternate places to dine. I also thought I spent too much time and money on transportation. The next time I travel to Puerto Vallarta, I might look for a more centrally located property.

  • Mexico Travel Warning

    Last month, the U.S. Department of State issued a new travel warning for U.S. citizens travelling to or living in Mexico. If you want to get multiple perspectives on travel safety, you can also read what other English-speaking nations have stated about travel to Mexico.