We got back a couple of weeks ago but it's been a bit hectic. I got the stomach flu the day after we got back and I'm still helping my dad a lot during his rehab from knee replacement. We didn't do a whole lot on this trip. We were so busy doing "nothing" we didn't have time to do "anything". And we enjoyed every minute. It was great seeing old friends and meeting new ones. And as usual Vallarta was wonderful!
Jan 31 2009 to Feb. 14, 2009
Sat: Our plane landed about 25 minutes early after a wonderfully uneventful flight. We zipped right through Customs and baggage claim, got the green light and off we went. Grabbed a taxi, $23, and headed to Plaza Mar. We got changed and headed to Marazul for lunch. Wonderful seafood burro and good fish tacos. We also had mango, shrimp ceviche. It was okay but nowhere near as good as El Andariego. After lunch we went to Burro’s Bar for a couple more beers and people watching. After that, our condo was ready so we got all checked and and changed for the board meeting at Café Roma. It was a fun evening but we were pretty tired after such an early start so we left early and hit the bed early too.
Sun: Fred slept in but I got up early and went for coffee. When he finally got up we went to Café de Olla for breakfast. It was very good. We had juice first from the vendor right next door. It was wonderful and so fresh. After breakfast we headed to Mass and then to Vicky’s for tamales. Then we came back, changed and headed to Los Arcos and got a day pass. It was a great afternoon with shrimp burgers there for lunch washed down by a few beers. Then we decided we better go get some groceries so we headed to Rizo’s and stocked up a little. Now we’re getting ready to watch the Super Bowl and eat the tamales for dinner.
Mon: We rode the bus to and from Walmart and got supplies/food. 55 pesos each. Also went to the ATM and got money. It really did work!! Lol. And it showed up online immediately! Amazing. We had breakfast in the condo and lunch at Peter & Carmen’s taco stand. We ate dinner at Coco Tropical. We both had ossobucco and risotto with spinach salads and bread. Very good but next time we’d skip the salads. Then we walked the malecon and got flan from a vendor.
Tues: We bought a beach umbrella today so we can just sit where we want and take our own drinks to the beach. Burro’s Bar service was just awful. We went to a fish market and bought fresh shrimp and I fixed shrimp linquini for dinner with Italian garlic bread made with bread we got at The Deli. We explored about an 8 block radius all morning finding all sorts of little shops and restaurants. We went to Café Roma and bought a litre of his house tequila. We’ll get another one before we leave. After dinner we walked along the malecon and then came back and watched the Indians dance.
Wed.: Breakfast in the condo again. PopTarts! One box, $64p! Bought some chairs for the beach to go with our umbrella. We went to a hardware store and bought an adapter for the electrical outlets so we could use the alarm clock. $10p and he understood what we wanted which we were surprised by. We went to Marisco’s Polo’s for dinner. It was good, but we didn’t like it well enough to go again. After dinner we went to Café Roma and had a drink and listened to some live music. Danny and Steve I think?
Thurs.: We got up and had breakfast in the condo again. Fresh avocado on tortillas/toast. Very yummy! Went on boat tour to Las Animas, Los Arcos and Quimixto. We skipped the Quimixto part and just hung out at Las Animas. Beautiful beach and a pretty good tour. We went on the Bahia Alegre boat. It was only 250 pesos each for a great day. After we got back to the condo and cleaned up we watched the sunset from our balcony. Then for dinner we went to CyC’s. Fred had shrimp fajitas and I had Swiss enchiladas. He loved his and mine was good too.
Fri: Breakfast in the condo again. It’s so great to eat here on our balcony and watch the waves rolling in. And watch all the boats going out and the guys fishing from the beach. And of course always on the lookout for whale sightings. I didn’t sleep at all last night so we’re taking it pretty easy today. We hung out on the beach all day and then went to Langostino’s for a late lunch/early dinner. Fred finally got his red snapper! After that we met Joyce, Dave, Ellen, and Ellen’s cousin Dick and his wife Cathy at Burro’s for a sunset drink. It was great seeing them again and meeting new friends. I crashed at 8:30 and slept 10 hours!! Wow, I needed that.
Sat.: Hung out on the beach most of the day then went to Cuadrano’s Taco Stand for a late lunch. Pork tacos and quesadillas. They were very good. Then we went to Casa Isabel for the meetup. Ellen, Dick and Cathy sat with us to eat and then we all walked back DOWN to our condo. We ate dinner at Casa Isabel’s. Fred had mahi mahi and I had a scrumptious chili relleno. Very different from any other I’ve ever had but very good. Very reasonable prices and wow, the view! Service was great too.
Sun: Had a light breakfast in and then headed to church. The waves were huge today and the surfers came out in droves. After church we stocked up on Vicky’s Tamales and headed back to the condo to drop them off. Then we went to Rizo’s and picked up a few things before meeting Ellen, Joyce, Dick, Cathy and our new friends Diane and her niece Sarah. We all got on the bus and went to Paso Ancho to La Huerta, a Mongolian BBQ (in Mexico?) Half of us just got the shrimp instead. They had a 9 piece mariachi band and a young boy who did a routine with a lariat. It was all very good. Then we all walked back to Diane and Sarah’s condo at Vista del Sol for sunset drinks. After we left there we wandered around looking for a cheeseburger but finally gave up and I heated up tamales for a snack while Fred ate Pop Tarts. Later on during our trip we found great cheeseburgers at the little Italian place behind Marazul’s right on the corner of Olas Altas and B. Badillo.
Mon: Woke up early to a moon set over the bay. It was beautiful. Then we went to Fredy Tucan’s for breakfast. After breakfast, we walked into town and explored new areas. We ended up at Ley market. It’s better than Walmart for stocking up on groceries for the condo but I think Rizo is more convenient. We grabbed a bus home. Our feet were getting pretty tired by now, lol. We also went to the internet café and called Scott’s tours to try to set up a fishing trip, but didn’t have much luck. In the afternoon Diane met us on the beach and we just hung out down there drinking beer and watching people. We watched 2 whales out in the bay and one of them fully breeched. I also bought 2 whale tail pendants and a chain and an inlaid bottle opener. After that we all got cleaned up and went to El Andariego for dinner. We shared guacamole and shrimp ceviche and Fred ordered red snapper filet, I had shrimp burrito and Diane had a Mexican combo plate. And of course our tequila shots for dessert, lol. It was all delicious! Then we walked back home along the Malecon.
Tues: Finally got a fishing trip scheduled with Capt. Pete on the Dos Amigos. We go Friday. After breakfast we started walking south through Amapas and went as far as we could go without going up to the highway. Coming back we angled down to the beach and walked back on the beach. Then we went to Epoca for Bloody Mary’s. Diane joined us and I bought another necklace from a vendor. We decided to take the bus out to Chico’s Paradise for lunch and to watch the rock divers. It’s about a 35 minute bus ride and lunch was pretty good. Watching the boys dive was the best part. And watching the zip liners flying over your head while you’re eating is pretty cool too. Then we grabbed the bus back and headed over to Diane’s condo for a beer. By this time her husband Steve made it back so we met him and 2 other friends of theirs; Kathy and Ralph, also from MN. Then we came back to our condo for shrimp with angel hair and pretty much called it a night. We did go up on the roof and watch the Indian ceremony at the park but we went to bed early. We’ve walked a jillion miles in the last week I bet.
Wed: Ate in and then headed out for our morning walk. We walked east on Lazaro Cardenas, past the Pharmacia about 4-5 blocks to the veg/fruit market and across the street from there to the little strip mall type market with the butcher shops, restaurants and little stores. Then we walked north a block and came back down that street. So much to see and so little time to see it. Then we headed to the beach around 11 a.m. just chilled all afternoon keeping the vendors happy. I’ve bought more stuff on this trip than any other! Fred went and got a cheeseburger from Taste of Italy, right behind Marazul. It was wonderful!! Best cheeseburger we’ve ever tasted in Vallarta! And I finally got my camarrones on a stick. I think they call them bruchetas. Very yummy! Dianne and Steve joined us for a little while and then we joined them on their balcony for Palomas. They were a new treat for them. Then we went to Red Cabbage for dinner. It was very good. I got Beef Picadillo, which I’d order again in a heartbeat. Fred got Poblano Mole. He liked it but is not sure he’d order it again. Steve got fish with zucchini blossom, which was excellent and Dianne got Pollo Pipian. She said it was good. After dinner we just walked around the vendors at the park and then along Olas Altas looking for Key Lime pie, but no luck there so we headed back to the condo.
Thurs: First thing we walked up to the malecon and did some exploring. Then we took some laundry to get done. We also went to Café Roma and picked up some tequila to take home. When we picked up the laundry we got some posole soup next door at Restaurant Mi Suegra and brought it back to the condo for lunch. Steve and Dianne stopped by so we shared with them. They’d never had it and really liked it too. We had a few beers on the balcony, then we headed to the beach for the rest of the day. Later we grabbed a bus and headed to Pitiallal to Mariscos Tino’s for dinner. OMG!! It was just as good as we remembered!! We also took a bus back. Wow, what an experience, but very fun. We also heard the disturbing news of the incident at La Palapa condos. Very sad news. Our hearts go out to their friends and family.
Fri.: We went fishing today. It was a wonderful trip! We each caught a fish and brought them back to one of the vendors we met for his family. He gave me a lovely pair of earrings for Valentine’s Day as a thank you. He’s a very sweet man and friend. After we got back to went to Langostina Loca’s for a shrimp on a stick lunch and ran into Steve and Dianne there. Then we just hung out on the beach the rest of the afternoon. For dinner we went to Roberto’s and had a great meal of lobster and scallops. Everything was very good and it wasn’t busy at all. I’d highly recommend this place! Tomorrow we have to go home and we’re totally NOT ready. But reality rears it’s ugly head and brings us back to earth. I think I prefer the fantasy life of vacation. But we’ll be back next year, if not before.
Sandy & Fred's Feb. 2009 Trip Report
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Last edited by sjl330 on Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sandy And Fred's Trip
Reading your report was a good way to start the week ! 
In my opinion, it depends on what you're looking for. We've usually done that at Burro's in the past but this year it was totally different. Los Arcos sells day passes and the cost of the pass goes towards any food or drinks you order. You get a chair, umbrella and use of their pool and rest rooms for the day. We only did that 1 time this year but last year we did it quite a few days. Since we were there so long this time we just bought an umbrella from a vendor and chairs from Rizo's and took our own beer down in an insulated bag I happened to bring. We gave the umbrella and chairs to Ellen and Dave when we left so they didn't go to waste when we were done with them. I've stayed in condos that had beach chairs and coolers available in the unit to use and we used them. The condo we had this time did not. Any of the bars along the beach will usually let you sit there as long as you're ordering. And if I'm there for the whole afternoon I give a really good tip to the waiter at the end. I also tip along the way so they stay interested.
Where are you staying?
Where are you staying?
WOW - great trip their Sandy and Fred... you know that Lorrie would have loved to have been there with you... but sadly enough you know that Lojo's new job... oh well... We leave in just 10 days now... but only for one week, we are hoping to got again this summer and stay up in the mountains at a friends house, and then go again this fall.... but we will be down to see you guys soon as well.. I have our usual Memorial Day Trip planned at the Raphael, and then we will back down for Irish Fest too... and maybe a few other times too... who knows....
I am so happy for you and fred enjoying your time in Vallarta like this... this is just fantastic and great... can't wait to see the pictures this year too.... later
I am so happy for you and fred enjoying your time in Vallarta like this... this is just fantastic and great... can't wait to see the pictures this year too.... later
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travelbug_jp
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sandy you know we have empty luggage hon... the GCP has all our clothes all ready, we are just bringing down some dress clothes for the evenings and some presents for the staff and kids...sjl330 wrote:I sure hope so Joyce. If we can wait that long. I'm trying to get Tom & Lorrie to stow me away in their luggage, lol.
