Trip report March 14 – 21, 2009
Mar. 14: We were up at 3:00 am for our 6:20 flight. We were on United Airlines from Des Moines to Denver and then onto PVR. Both legs of our flight were on time and good flights. There was a plane from Chicago that arrived just before us and another plane right behind us when we arrived in PVR. The flight attendants had stressed to everyone make sure you have your paper work filled out correctly or you will be sent to the back of the line. Apparently, we had some people on our flight that didn’t know how to follow instructions and learned the hard way. We got through with no problems and then it was off to find the luggage. That is one thing they can improve at the PVR airport is doing a better job of marking baggage claim carousels. Once we figured out which one was ours, then it wasn’t too long before it appeared. Then it was off to the red light/green light game. I pushed the button and got the green light. Then it was fight our way through the time shark tank. Everyone was yelling at us and we told them that we lived down there and kept right on going. We had booked our transportation from the airport to the GCP through puertovallarta.net. Tom handed the gal our coupon and another gal handed us a couple of cold waters. We had to wait a few minutes for our vehicle but it was very nice. It was a white Malibu LT that was very nice and clean. We jumped into the air conditioned vehicle and off to the GCP we went. As our driver attempted to pull up, it was a mad house with lots of people departing so Security and Carlos the bellman came to greet us. There was a group of 120 checking out at the same time we were trying to check in. I have never seen it so packed in the lobby. We grabbed our swimming suits and went to the hospitality suite to change and then to see Antonio at the front desk to get our bracelets. We told him we would be back later to check in. Then we were off to greet everyone with lots of hugs and kisses. It was great to be back home. Tom was hungry so he grabbed a bite to eat and I was out looking for Paco with the Sunbusters. After being Sunbusted we took a nice walk down to the Holiday Inn. They have blocked off the Pittial river so you don’t have to worry about going across it and being too deep. We checked into our room about 4:00. When we were getting ready, we happened to be out on our verandah and out in the bay was a whale ith two calves playing away. It was great to watch them. We had 7:00 dinner reservations with Carlos at Salvadors and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Then we went to the pub bar to have an after dinner drink before the show. We ran into a wonderful couple from Lincoln, NE (Lauren and Darrin). We chatted for a bit and asked them if they wanted to join us at for the Disney show. Off to Club Nitro for more hugs and kisses and the show. Even though we have seen the show several times, it is great to see it once again through the eyes of all the kids at the CPC. Finally decided about midnight to head up to bed as we had been up for 21 hours.
March 15: Up by 7:00 am and over to Wal-Mart for our daily doughnut run and then back to the resort to deliver them. We had 9:00 massages at the resort. They were absolutely wonderful and felt so good after the long travel day on Sat. Then it was time for breakfast with Poly. Then off to Sunbust and go for our daily walk along the beach. Back to the resort to enjoy the beautiful weather. After lunch we were moved from 2601 to 1703. Took some people up to the room so they could enjoy the view with us and had a few cocktails. Then it was time to clean up and get ready for dinner. We were meeting Myrna at 8:00 at Si Senor’s. We didn’t know it but the Malecon was closed because of the holiday so it was a zoo getting down there. We arrived right at 8:00 and it was great to see Lalo and the gang. Myrna wasn’t so lucky and got there about 8:30 but we still had a great time getting chatting with her and getting caught up. We got back to the resort about 11:30 so we headed up to our room to relax and sit in the Jacuzzi.
Mar. 16th: Up at 7:00 for our daily doughnut run and then back to the resort to have breakfast with Poly. Janet, Andres and Janet’s Grandma were picking us up at 9:00 am to go to Sayulita for the day. We had a wonderful time. They are working on the road into Sayulita. It will be really nice when they get done. We had tamales and pastries from the beach vendors and shrimp, ceviche, gaucomole from El Costeno,along with beers and margaritas. We went for a couple of walks along the beach. It was very busy that day because of the Mexican Holiday. We got back to the resort about 6:15 and quick showered and then headed over to Rachel’s for our party with the Activities Staff from the CPC and the GCP. We had planned to have our usual “taco party” but the lady that makes them was closed so we had a pizza party instead. We got back to the resort about 11:00 and headed up to enjoy the verandah and Jacuzzi.
March 17th: Up at 7:00 for our daily doughnut run and then back to the resort for our 9:00 massages. Then it was time to have breakfast with Poly. Then off to Sunbust and our daily walk to the Holiday Inn. Then back to the resort to enjoy the beautiful day. We had 7:00 reservations at Teatro Limon. Rachel from Activities and her 5 ½ year old daughter Sophie joined us. Bruce, Julia, Ya Ya and Joe took very good care of us. We had the 5 course dinner and it was excellent. Bruce made Ravioli pasta for Sophie, Filet Mignon for Rachel and myself and lamb for Tom. I really enjoyed the shrimp in mango sauce. Julia and Rachel are both from England so they had a great time chatting. They enjoyed themselves so much that they plan to take her Mom there when she comes to visit in May. We got back to the resort about 10:30 and decided to go down to Andales for a couple of drinks. We met a couple of really nice brothers, Chris and Alec (Andale and Alice virgins) and they decided to go downtown with us to Andales. Of course, we know the staff there so they greet us with hugs and kisses and then we ordered our drinks and headed upstairs to listen to the music and watch all the crazy drunks down below. We had a great time and got back to the resort about 1:30.
March 18th: Up at 7:00 am for our doughnut run and then back to have breakfast with Poly. Then it was time to Sunbust and go for our daily walk. Got back to the resort and was wondering how Chris and Alec were doing. As it turned out, Alec had some sort of reaction and his lips were really swollen up. I took Chris to the front desk and Antonio calls the Dr. for us and he was there in 5 minutes (truly). He thought maybe he had a reaction to the sun and/or the sushi he had the night before. Anyway, he spent the day in his room. We did an interview with the Mexican Tourist Bureau at 3:30 about the safety in Puerto Vallarta. It’s really too bad that the news is sensationalizing things way too much and scaring tourists off. We had dinner that evening at Paradise with Poly. Then it was off to see the new show at Club Nitro. Chris, Tom and I decided that we were going down to Andales again so we headed out about 11:00. King David got us all hooked up with beers and seats upstairs. I think we got back to the resort around 2:00.
March 19th: Up at 7:00 for our doughnut run and then back for our 9:00 massages. Then we had breakfast with Poly. Then off to Sunbust and our daily walk along the beach. Got back to the resort and ran into Chris and Alec and invited them up to our verandah to enjoy the day and have a few cocktails. The Dr. had told Alec to try and stay out of the sun and to take it easy on the alcohol so the 4 of us headed up to our room. We ordered room service and hung out for the afternoon and had a great time. We got cleaned up and headed to Dave and Ellen’s about 5:30. They were so kind to have us over for cocktails and catch up. After awhile, we decided to go to dinner at La Dolce Vita. They had a margarita pizza, Tom had calzone and I had lasagna. It was all very good. Left there about 9:30 and Dave and Ellen headed back to their condo so we decided to take a walk down the Malecon. Chris and Alex were supposed to be meeting us at Andales between 10:00 – 10:30. We got there right at 10:00 and got some chairs upstairs and ordered our beers and proceeded to wait for them. As it turned out, they didn’t show up so we left about 12:30 for the resort.
March 20th: Our last full day in PVR. Up at 7:00 for our daily doughnut run and then back to the resort for our 9:00 massages. Then breakfast with Poly and then off to Sunbust and our daily walk along the beach. We hung out on our verandah most of the day soaking in all the sun we could get. Tom decided it was time to pack so he worked on that so we didn’t have to worry about it that night or in the morning. We decided to have dinner our last night with Carlos at Salvador’s. Then we ran into Darrin, Lauren, Chris and Alec. We had a cocktail at the Pub Bar and then headed over to Club Nitro for the show. We had decided that we were going to head back to the room after the show and get a good night’s sleep since we had to head home in the morning. Well, the 4 of them convinced us (imagine that) that we should go to Andales. Darrin and Lauren were Andale and Alice virgins so we just had to go. We had planned to go for just a couple. We arrived and got our beers ordered and got our seats and proceeded to people watch. It is great being up above watching all the drunks below. Janet arrived about 11:30 and we proceeded to party and have a great time. Before we knew it, it was 2:30 am. Yikes. So much for going for a couple and getting to bed early. Got back to the resort after 3:00 am and headed up to bed and crashed for a couple of hours.
March 21st: Up by 7:00 to do our final doughnut run and finish up our last minute packing. Had breakfast with Poly, said our good byes to Chris and Alec as they were headed out on the Sierra Madre tour and then went to check on our flight home. Well, it had been delayed due to “servicing of aircraft” so we hung out and chatted with the staff. There was no way we were leaving the resort until we knew our plane was in the air. As it turned out, it left an hour late so then we said all of our final good byes and headed to the airport. We were very fortunate as there wasn’t much of a line for our United flight so then it was off to security. That went smoothly as well. As it turned out, we could have stayed at the resort longer but you just never know. We figured it would be crazy with all the spring breakers. We left PVR an hour late. Unfortunately about 50 minutes from Denver, we hit some serious turbulence and we had non-stop up and down and side to side for a solid 40 minutes into Denver. Everyone was looking for their air sick bags. I would say at least ½ the plane got sick. Not fun at all. Finally landed in Denver and then it was time to get our luggage and clear customs. We had purchased some booze in the PVR airport so we had to check that before we could proceed. Then it was back through Security and then off to find our departure gate. Our 3 hour layover was now a 2 hour layover. We had planned to grab something to eat in Denver but neither of us felt very good so we decided to pass. We get on our flight to Des Moines and the flight attendant comes on and tells all of us that we are in for a very bumpy ride from Denver to PVR. Tom and I look at each other and aren’t sure if we are going to make it but the pilot was able to get out of it this time so we only had about 5 minutes which wasn’t bad at all. We arrived back home about 11:15 Sat. night.
We had a fantastic time and the only complaint we had was that a week isn’t long enough when you are used to going for 2 weeks. We can’t wait to go back as we miss everyone at the GCP and CPC!! They are the best!!
Lorrie
a/k/a Mrs. Crown
Trip review March 14 - 21, 2009 - GCP
Moderators:admin, Moderators
1001 times
Just teasing you - but the Sunbusters are vedors on the beach that apply our suntan lotions and potions each day, and then give us a small gentle massage right there on the beach. We have been using them for over 12 yrs now. I got fried the first time i met Paco's brother Martin. I wasn't sleeping, and neither was lorrie. We got to talking and he said he would give me a treatment to help heal my burn, and if i slept that night we would talk in the morning, and if i didn't sleep, i owed him nothing. Well we slept great, and from there on we have faithful followers of the Sunbusters.mikeypv wrote:I know that you have probably been asked this a thousand times, but what is Sunburst?
They start off with a spritz of rose water to just refresh and open your pores and senses. then they go with tortuga cream (turtle cream) to soften the skin, then more with aloes, or carrot, etc.. then coco oil... then they take care of the tips of your ears or nose, or sensitive areas that will burn... and then a gentle massage... you then go for a walk along the beach to let the lotions soak into your skin (about 30 minutes)... and then you are good to go.. when you get into the water, you are like a greased pig, or a simonized car with one heck of a wax job, the water just beads off of you... and your skin stays protected and so soft too... for us it is well worth it....
enjoy...
yes you were missed Sandy... it sure would have been fun to have you guys with us when we went to Sayulita... oh it was a party, and the tamale lady remember us from last time too... good times had by all.. but you know what... a week is not long enough... so looking into some time in June maybe, and then again over thanksgiving...sjl330 wrote:Great report Lorrie. The only thing missing was US!!! Maybe next time, lol.
see you Memorial Day Weekend... Raphael is booked.... LOL
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teatrolimon
- PV Guru
- Posts:273
- Joined:Sat Oct 27, 2007 3:57 am
- Location:puerto vallarta
turtle wax
hey tom i just talked to the guys from the beach and they told me they used garlic oil on you!
no wonder i just cant seem to find garlic these days!!
the young lady you brought in with the chls was very fun
we have sinc loaded up on our reagan rocks
bruce
no wonder i just cant seem to find garlic these days!!
the young lady you brought in with the chls was very fun
we have sinc loaded up on our reagan rocks
bruce
Re: turtle wax
Well that explains it then... Vampires were steering clear of me then HA HA HA.... Thanks, Rachel and Sophia were very impressed with Teatro Limon as well Bruce. Rachel has plans on bringing her mom and family to your restaurant as well in May... Rachel's family and Julia have a lot in common besides being from England...teatrolimon wrote:hey tom i just talked to the guys from the beach and they told me they used garlic oil on you!
no wonder i just cant seem to find garlic these days!!
the young lady you brought in with the chls was very fun
we have sinc loaded up on our reagan rocks
bruce
Kewl, glad the Reagan Rocks have been restocked....
Tell Ya-Ya, Joe and espcially Julia hello from Lorrie and me.... see you soon...
Tom
Mr and Mrs Crown
Nice report Lorrie - it was great till you told me about the barfy flight home ! 
Funny about Bruce and the garlic ! Nice trip Tom and Lorrie . 
Funny about Bruce and the garlic ! Nice trip Tom and Lorrie . Thank you everyone for the comments. We definitely cannot wait to go back.
Sandy: We definitely missed you and Fred, especially the day we went to Sayulita. We tried to get Andres to be our "surfer dude " but no luck.
I have to say of the meals we ate off property, my favorite was Teatro Limon. The others were very good but Bruce, Julia, Ya Ya and Joe went out of their way to make our night a very enjoyable one. Rachel and Sophie had a great time and I'm sure they will be back in May. I'll try and work on Mr. Crown to see if we can get the pictures posted. I think about the only pictures we took were at Sayulita and Teatro Limon.
Lorrie
Sandy: We definitely missed you and Fred, especially the day we went to Sayulita. We tried to get Andres to be our "surfer dude " but no luck.
I have to say of the meals we ate off property, my favorite was Teatro Limon. The others were very good but Bruce, Julia, Ya Ya and Joe went out of their way to make our night a very enjoyable one. Rachel and Sophie had a great time and I'm sure they will be back in May. I'll try and work on Mr. Crown to see if we can get the pictures posted. I think about the only pictures we took were at Sayulita and Teatro Limon.
Lorrie
we actually enjoy the beds Ronald. granted we are only in them for minimum of 3 hrs to maximum of 6 hours depending on whether we go to Andale's or not....ronald wrote:What video?
Is it of the plane ride?
PS: Do you guys find the beds a little hard, or did you even spend enough time in them to notice?
the video is of us being interviewed by the Mexican touism bureau...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg2dj-Ub ... re=related
you are on holiday Benito, adrenilan... racilla... i don't know... we just do it... it is crazy... and here it is 910 CDT, and i am ready for zzzzzzzzzzzzbenito wrote:7 am donut runs, no matter what happened the night before? how do you do it?
must by the air, the water, the surroundings of Vallarta... LOL
