Vacation all I ever wanted, vacation time to get away.

Posted on | September 7, 2011 | 52 Comments

five years ago Scot and i went to Puerto Vallarta for our honeymoon and absolutely loved it. we vowed we would come back the next year. well five years, one kid, a few jobs and lots of tax returns later, we actually made good on that promise. it only took us a little extra time to make it happen, but we did it.

not only did we go back to PV for our 5 year anniversary but we went to the same exact resort. i actually got all emotional when we arrived (total sap). it had been five whole years but being back there felt like no time had passed whatsoever. sitting there looking at the same view we had a few days after our wedding, but thinking of all that had happened since there was crazy. sure, we could have branched out and tried a new city or even a new country, but it was awesome showing up and knowing what to expect and feeling comfortable in our surroundings. next time (in another five years when we can afford to escape again) we will go somewhere else. maybe.

we went to the same place again (Dreams in Puerto Vallarta) because it’s gorgeous, secluded and all inclusive. i cannot express enough how nice it is to go on vacation and not have to worry at all about food and drink. we booked this vacation in March and once it was all said and done, we didn’t have to worry about saving money for the actual trip. when i say all inclusive, i really mean it. this resort has 5 restaurants, 24 hour room service, mini bar in your room restocked every day, and 3 bars including a swim up one. all of it is already paid for with your room. SERIOUSLY.

August is the rainy season in PV. why would people from Seattle choose to go somewhere rainy for their vacation? because for the most part is only rains at night, the rain is WARM and the temps are still in the upper 90′s everyday. oh also? it’s dirt cheap to go and the hotels are nice and empty – no fighting for a lounge chair or waiting to eat. plus you get to see some awesome storms, many from the comfort of your balcony or the open air bar whilst you sip a martini or some fancy tequila.

sunset beverages from our favorite pre and post dinner bar.

PV is located in a big horseshoe shaped bay (Bahia de Banderas) and our resort is near the south end of it at the base of the Sierra Madres mountains, so out the front is the ocean and out the back is the jungle, essentially. so you can go fishing or para-sailing one day, and take a canopy tour or go hiking through the forest the next. Scot and i are not very adventurous – i mean we are if we have to be, but this vacation was for serious relaxing – so we actually didn’t leave the resort once. but we made a few friends who actually did leave to do things and they said they had lots of fun swinging through the jungle and swimming with dolphins (we actually did do that on our honeymoon and LOVED it). but this time, all of our time was spent sleeping, eating, lounging by the pool or ocean, sitting at the swim up bar, napping, eating and more lounging. seriously? it was heaven.

the food was amazing. if ever there is a time to throw all sense out the window and eat until you come home 10 pounds heavier, it’s at an all inclusive resort that has good food. with 5 restaurants, we always had plenty of choices and tried as many things as we could fit in our bellies. favorites were the Argentinian flank steak, spicy ceviche with shrimp and scallops, bacon wrapped filet mignon, the mahi mahi and sea bass. room service was 24 hours a day and we partook in “second dinner” quite a few nights. nachos, flautas, tortilla soup and yummy sandwiches delivered to your air conditioned room at any time of day or night? YES PLEASE. the mini bar has mini coronas, bottled water and coke products in glass bottles, and was refilled daily. we were never hungry or thirsty, that is for sure.

everywhere you turned there were butterflies, geckos, iguanas and gorgeous flowering plants. quite a few large lizards called this resort home and we could never really figure out if we were seeing the same ones over and over or if they were new ones. we ended up taking our nice camera and a point and shoot. the olympus stayed in the room the majority of the time (easier to slip the point and shoot in our pocket and take it places) but one morning we set out to walk the whole property with the Pen and got lots of cool shots.

one of the coolest things we saw while we were there we weren’t able to get a photo of. sea turtles come and lay their eggs on the beaches of PV and this is the season for it. Dreams actually has a conservation program because they are the only resort in the area with a completely private beach. other resorts in the area gather eggs that are laid on their beaches and they are sent to Dreams, where they are properly incubated and then released within 24 hours of hatching. another perk to going in August is that almost everynight you have the opportunity to release tiny baby sea turtles into the ocean. we were lucky enough both five years ago and this time to get to release some babies.

one night we left dinner and were walking along the beach and an employee of the resort came walking by quickly, with a large flashlight, telling us “la tortuga! la tortuga!”. we followed her over to find a giant sea turtle digging her hole for her eggs! we sat on nearby chairs for a good half an hour, about 10 feet from her, while she dug out her hole, laid her eggs (anywhere from 70 to 150! ladyturtle must have felt so much better afterwards), and covered them up. when she was done she went around in a few circles, coming within 5 feet of us, then slowly took off towards the ocean. one large wave and she was gone. it was seriously one of the most amazing things i’ve ever seen and the fact that we just happened to be walking by at the right time is awesome. nature! goulet!

so, that was our vacation – a much needed, long awaited, not soon to be replicated vacation. yes, we left the nugget with my mom (judging!) and she had a BLAST. yes, we missed her A LOT. we could not get home to her fast enough. she had so much fun (they even took a few days and went over to Scot’s parents house in eastern washington – dueling grandmas! sugar! bubble baths!) and we had an amazing time reconnecting as a couple, even though we talked about her to anyone who would listen. we even made some new friends! who of course live far away (i’m pretty used to it by now). we had a complete blast.

today Scot is back to work. he took a few days off after the trip to recover and man do i miss having him around. it was the longest we had spent together since, well our honeymoon, and it was nice. i loved seeing him so relaxed with no work stress in sight. if you need to get away, want to try Mexico and like swim up bars and such, i really really recommend Dreams. NO, absolutely no one is paying me to say that. i just know that many of you are in the same position we are – not able to afford a vacation very often. if you don’t mind a little warm rain, PV in august is very affordable and super gorgeous. i can’t say enough good things about it. i’d also be happy to answer any questions in the comments about it. Mexico is a great place with very friendly and hospitable people, in our experiences.

thanks for enduring the longest post ever made on this blog.

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