Vlllas Vallarta Trip Report

[cee_ceegirl]

Well here is my trip report, better late than never. Ray and I visited PV from March 12 - 19 and stayed at Villas Vallarta by Canto del Sol. Now bear in mind that I've never been anywhere so I had nothing to compare it to, but as far as I'm concerned it was fantastic.

When we arrived on Saturday afternoon the weather was perfect. In fact the weather was great the entire week, with the exception of Tuesday afternoon which was overcast and slightly rainy. I had no idea that there would be a nice breeze all the time. This also fools you into thinking its not as hot as it really is. I had an unfortunate encounter with tanning oil on Wednesday and got burnt pretty bad. I had to stay out of the direct sunlight for the rest of the week but it didn't matter, it was great anyway.

Considering all the information I read on the web and all the preconcieved notions I had about the Villas I was extremely impressed. I was hoping for clean rooms and adequate service. What I got was an immaculate hotel with tremendous staff and service. Our room was spottless everyday, and the common areas were always clean as well. The pool was clean, the towels were clean.... everything was clean and nothing grossed me out at all. What made this hotel so nice was the staff. Everytime I sat down somewhere there was immediately someone at my side, offering me a drink, foood, etc. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that we tipped, but regardless, they were exceptional. It was interesting to see how all the waiting staff were men and all the cleaning staff were women, but I suppose that's the nature of the culture. The other amazing thing about the Villas was the full access to the Canto del Sol which is right on the beach. And I do have to admit they had better restaurants and dare I say the buffets were better there too. However, it was spring break when we went and the Canto was packed with rowdy young people, although there were nice and friendly. It sure was nice though if you didnt want such a crowd to head back to the Villas. This is where most of the families and quieter couples were hanging out. OK enough about the hotels, I didn't spend ALL my time there.

I found the town of PV to be full of interesting things to see. I liked how it wasn't super touristy in my opinion, not like I think Vegas and Hawaii are. There were tons of shops, restaurants, and artsy things to see. I loved the Malecon. I wish I could transplant that and put it here in Canada. I loved how you were right at the beach and all the people walked slowly hand in hand, children running around, it was awesome. I really enjoyed learning how to barter for goods with all the vendors. The one thing I could complain about leaving the hotel was all those time share folks. Sometimes it was irritating to have to be polite and say thanks but no thanks. It's true, almost every corner we turned someone was offering us something. Other than that, the town was great.

We also went on this tour to Las Caletas, I'm sure regular PVers know what that is. It was a picturesque beach with kayaking, snorkeling, a spa and lunch buffet. I thought the best part of that was the open bar boat ride to and from! Another highlight was some of the wildlife we saw. Beautiful parrots, a hawk and this cute litlle monkey. The little monkey was something special allright, when he climbed on Ray's back he started "playing" with himself! It was pretty entertaining.

As I was a first time holidayer, I took 122 pictures! (what a geek) If anyone wants to see, email me cee_ceegirl@hotmail.com and I'll send you some. Thanks to everyone on the site who posts their opinions and tips. It was helpful to read through the posts. I have to say that I plan on making PV an annual ritual!

[randyintucson]

I have a feeling that you will be back to PV before long. Glad you had a great trip.

[randyintucson]

I have a feeling that you will be back to PV before long. Glad you had a great trip.

[smitty]

Thanks for the trip report Bubba . Nice to see PV through the eyes of a first time visitor. I liked the part about the monkey - something you will never forget .

[rcjust]

We will return from our trip April 30th. Expect another firtstimers report!

[backwoodsgrrl]

how cool!!! a group of myself and 4 friends are going to PV may6-13 am really excited ....I will also report back