Cloudy skies? Is there a storm brewing?

So, I intended to take my vegging out VERY seriously today. When I woke up and found all the boys still sound asleep (worn out, no doubt, by all that climbing up and sliding down waterslides and belting out karaoke tunes), I quietly donned one of the hotel’s plush white bathrobes and slippers, and let the kids sleep in while I slipped next door to my parents’ room for coffee.

When the boys finally woke up around 9:30, we all headed downstairs to the Mar Intimo restaurant for breakfast. By this time the drill had become very familiar, and we were on a first-name basis with our hostess, waiters and waitresses. Since I had been overdosing on a steady diet of eggs, bacon, refried beans and chorizo, today I decided that in preparation for the extreme diet I was planning to go on once we hit the States, I’d have something that felt slightly more virtuous–fruit, cereal and yogurt. The kids, however, felt no such compunction. Will ate his usual “truck driver’s” breakfast of hash browns, bacon, eggs and bagels, and Tris and Ben dove into the sugary cereals and sweet breakfast pastries, washed down with smoothies.

We decided to set up “camp” on the beach today rather than the pool; for some reason it was slightly cooler on the beach. (And a bit quieter as well, since we had grown a bit weary of the pool emcee’s relentless Spanish/English banter…) As usual, we chose the back row of chaise lounges, since if we sat in the front row we were essentially sitting ducks for harrassment by the endless stream of Mexican vendors who kept parading past us armed with trunks of cheap silver jewelry, beach cover-ups and other trinkets. We slathered on our sunblock, donned our sunglasses, gave the waitress our drink orders, and settled back to relax and read while the boys ran down to test out the waves.

Today, however, instead of ignoring the vendors hawking their wares, I found myself watching them from behind my enormous sunglasses. Maybe because I knew it would be my last day south of the border for perhaps some time, I suddenly felt an urgent need to at least LOOK at the merchandise they were offering. Who knows, maybe it was just the fact that I hadn’t spent any actual money in a week and the compulsion to shop was growing ever more intense. My pesos were burning a hole in my pocket!

All this relaxation is making me hungry...

So it was that before too long I heaved myself up off of the lounge chair and ambled slowly down the beach to the vendors’ store–essentially just a very large canvas tent set up on the beach, crammed so full of clothing, jewelry and handpainted Mexican-made knickknacks you could barely maneuver around the store. I pushed my way in, smiled politely and said “Hola, Como estas?” to the proprietors, and proceeded to browse my way through rack after rack of colorful beach cover-ups that I had seen many women wearing all around the resort.

After several minutes, I pulled two strapless cover-ups off the rack; one black, the other a bright lime green, both embellished with multicolored sequins, each with a fringed bottom. Kind of gaudy, but also kind of cute, I decided. Each one was the equivalent of ten American dollars–quite inexpensive–but I decided, what the heck, haggling was part of the fun. So I negotiated with one of the proprietors (an extremely pregnant young woman) and was able to buy both the black and the green dress for the equivalent of twenty American dollars. Score!!

Satisfied with my purchase, I made my way back to where the family was lounging around under their palm-frond umbrellas and discussing lunch. Ah, my most favorite decision to have to make while on vacation!

We headed up to the pool area and found yet another lunch buffet awaiting us: sandwiches, chicken, tortillas, pizza, salad, chips, and the requisite salsa and guacamole. A little ice cream for dessert, and once again I came dangerously close to busting out of my bathing suit! Good thing I bought those dresses with a little extra room…

Life's a beach...

The balance of the afternoon was spent in a blissful semi-comatose state where I alternately read, dunked myself in the water (no actual swimming, mind you–that would have been too much activity), and napped. Like I said earlier, I was taking this relaxation thing SERIOUSLY…

Around 5 p.m. we noticed that some clouds had started to roll in. By 5:30 the waning sunshine had been blocked altogether by some fairly heavy gray cloud cover, so we took that as a sign to call it “a day at the beach” and began packing up our things. Clearly, we weren’t going to be catching any more rays today.

We repaired back to our rooms to relax some more and take showers, and then–surprise, surprise!!–it was time to decide where to EAT again. Because we had not yet done so, we thought we’d go to the Asian restaurant, MoMoNoHana, tonight. Since I had only one child that I knew for sure would eat Asian food, I wasn’t extremely hopeful that the night would be a pleasant experience. But with the help of some sake (Japanese rice wine), who knew?

The overcast skies had grown progressively darker and a gusty wind had picked up while we were getting ready for dinner. On the way down to the restaurant it began to rain–a drizzle at first, then more steadily until sheets of rain were pelting us as we ran for cover between the buildings. Fortunately we made it inside the restaurant just as a huge bolt of lightning illuminated the dark sky and a clap of thunder sounded just a little too close for comfort.

Damp but relieved, we allowed the hostess to lead us to our table–a Japanese hibachi table where the chef would both entertain and feed us simultaneously. As we walked in, who should we meet but the Kim family, already in the process of eating their dinner. We greeted each other and sat down, chatting about the abrupt change in the weather while the wind howled around the building, blowing the torrential rains sideways into the glass windows.

We ran into the Kim family at MoMoNoHana for dinner

Our attentive waiters, clad in quilted red jackets with Mandarin collars, served us with menus and wine. They hovered at our elbows, anticipating our every need. Maybe because of the storm, it was a very slow night. They took our orders after a few minutes and disappeared into the kitchen.

Suddenly there was an enormous BANG of thunder so loud that our dishes and glassware rattled on the table–and the already-dim restaurant went completely dark. A gasp of surprise went up from the handful of diners–including the Kims and us. In a few minutes the dining room went from pitch-black to dimly-lit again thanks to generator power–but the air-conditioning had gone out, and stayed out. As well as the ventilation system. So, due to the suffocating levels of humidity (which the squall was doing nothing to relieve), we were growing more uncomfortably warm by the minute–and within about ten minutes, smoke from the kitchen began seeping into the dining room.

Since we had already placed our orders and were hungry, there wasn’t much we could do but wait, and joke about our less-than-ideal situation. The hovering waiters lit candles, poured more wine, and at long last, brought our meals. I was pleasantly surprised–nay, shocked is more like it–to see that all three of my boys ate their dinners with gusto, and didn’t complain about a single thing. Maybe because they couldn’t quite see what they were eating? Whatever. I didn’t want to know. Sometimes motherhood does have its small victories…

Just as the dinner dishes were being cleared and the sweat was beginning to trickle down my neck, everything suddenly blazed with light and the hum of the restored air-conditioning kicked back in. We had power again! All the diners cheered and broke out in spontaneous applause, and we celebrated with dessert and coffee.

Chinese noodles!! Yummy!!

The Kims, who were saddened to hear that we were leaving for home the next day, exchanged e-mails addresses with us and promised they would keep in touch–and they have. We took some photos with them (little Samantha had suddenly grown shy), and took our leave. At long last, the storm had abated, so we made it back to our rooms relatively dry.

The part of vacation no one likes had arrived–time to pack up and head for home. The boys and I had had a memorable time, and it was great to see Mom and Dad, who we see so infrequently these days. But we missed our own “Dad,” who was working hard for us at home in Southern California. And that is the silver lining to every vacation, I think. As nice as it is to travel, it’s even nicer to come home.

Vallarta Palace Series:

Part 1: Getting the Royal Treatment at the Vallarta Palace
Part 2: Puerto Vallarta Palace – Living Like Kings and Queens
Part 3: Activities and Pampering at the Vallarta Palace
Part 4: Vallarta Palace–Dolphins and Karaoke!
Part 5: The Vallarta Palace – Concluding our Vacation with a Bang!

Good times with Family at the Vallarta Palace

Clearly, a little bit of activity was in order, since the only lifting I was doing was raising a fork to my mouth! Luckily, today was the day the family and I had been looking forward to all week–our swim with the dolphins at the Wet N’ Wild Waterpark, in the nearby town of Nuevo Vallarta. (I should note here that your children must be at least eight years old in order to take part in this activity. Luckily, Will just made the cutoff.) 

We stepped out of the resort’s front doors and into a waiting van which drove us the 20 minutes or so to our destination. We were whisked inside the park and from there had to check in and rent towels. We then had to spend quite a bit of time waiting in a covered shelter (with a sign reading “Dolphin Swim here”) area with a fairly large group of other people. It was probably 45 minutes or longer, and that, combined with the oppressive heat and humidity, made us all a little irritable and impatient. So we were relieved when at last a smiling water park staff member appeared and asked that we please follow her. 

We were led through a gate and into another covered shelter area with rows of chairs, a large video screen, and several racks full of life vests of all sizes, and were asked to please take seats. A couple of other trainers appeared, and began the process of instructing us on what we were about to experience, in both Spanish and English. We were shown a short video, and then asked to line up to get into our life vests. (I must note that at this point, after we donned our uncomfortably close-fitting and damp vests, we were DYING to get into the water for some relief from the humidity!) 

At long, LONG last, we were allowed into the pool area, where the crowd of people were broken up into smaller groups (since our family numbered 6, we were already our own group). The bottlenose dolphins we would be swimming with in a matter of minutes were released from their enclosure and were swimming laps in the pool, occasionally jumping out of the water, much to our delight. We were already excited! What beautiful creatures they were! 

The trainers, armed with whistles and buckets of fish, finally allowed us to get into the water, where we stood on a ledge that ran along the side of the pool. Once again, in English and Spanish, the trainers reviewed the activities we’d be performing with the dolphins, as well as the hand signals we would give for the dolphins to know what we wanted them to do. 

When we cupped our hands in front of us and held them just above the surface of the water, our dolphin swam up in front of us and placed his head in our hands! He allowed us to kiss him on the nose and then we turned our head to the side and received a dolphin “kiss” in return. We also got to “high-five” our dolphin on the fin, and “dance” with him, as he rose out of the water and shimmied back and forth while we held onto his fins. 

But it got even better than that–we all also got to take a “belly ride” with the dolphin. At the trainer’s cue, we gave a hand signal, and the dolphin swam around us and then turned over onto his back. We grabbed on to each of his fins, and the dolphin gave us a very fast ride all the way across the pool, using his powerful tail as a rudder. And after that, we got what the trainer called a “nose push” ride, which was even more exciting. We’d hold our legs out as straight as possible, and the dolphin would swim up behind us, press his nose into one of our feet, and launch us not only straight across the pool but up into the air! My youngest son went higher up than anyone! What a thrill!  

The only disappointment is that we were not permitted to take our own photos with the dolphins (which would have been a bit difficult anyway seeing as how we were in the water); the park has photographers taking pictures of you and the dolphins and then tries to sell them to you at outrageously expensive prices ($25 for a single picture, or eight photos for $100). So, we left the dolphin swim with nothing except the memories in our heads, since I wasn’t willing to pay the price. 

Still, we were amazed at the speed, power and intelligence these incredible animals possessed, and we all left with a newfound respect and admiration for these remarkable creatures. 

It was over too soon, but since we were, after all, in a waterpark, we decided to take advantage of it for the rest of the day. We grabbed some lunch (pizza, chicken nuggets, fries–the typical kid fare) at one of the snack stands, and afterwards everyone (except for my mom) grabbed innertubes and took on the park’s many water slides, which ranged from fairly tame to downright daredevilish! The boys were particularly fond of one slide they dubbed the “toilet bowl”–a slide dumps you into a huge round basin, and essentially you spin around and around and AROUND until finally you and your innertube are spit out of a chute at the bottom, and free-fall into another pool. I wouldn’t recommend this one for kids younger than about 10, and it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. 

Having fun at Wet N' Wild Waterpark, Nuevo Vallarta

Unfortunately, since it was a weekday, the waterpark closed at 5:30 p.m., so we reluctantly packed up and were quickly ushered into another waiting cab by the oh-so-efficient concierge at the gate. It was a short trip back to the hotel, and once again we stepped through the grand doors of the resort into the cool marble lobby. 

My father (who has a habit of befriending just about all of the staff members at whatever hotel he’s staying in) was chatting with one of the men who emcees the resort’s entertainment, and to our delight we found out that there was going to be a karaoke night in the bar and lounge area! That was all the boys needed to hear–they definitely wanted to sign up. 

So, after dinner (we decided to try out room service that night for a change), we made our way downstairs and entered the lounge, to the strains of Mexican mariachi music. Once we sat down and had a look around, I was able to quickly ascertain that we were just about the only white family in the place. My parents and I ordered coffees and sat, smiling politely, as one person after the next (some kids as young as perhaps five years old) took their turn at the microphone, singing songs with Spanish lyrics that we’d never heard of before. Massive applause followed each performance. 

Meanwhile, Tristan and Ben, who had put their names on the list to sing, were eagerly paging through a catalogue of song titles the emcee had handed them as they waited their turn. Finally, after a bit of back-and-forth, they made their selection and closed the book with satisfied smiles. 

When the emcee called them to the stage, I could sort of feel all eyes on my two clearly-not-Mexican sons as they approached the mic. The music started up, and boy, was the audience surprised as Tris and Ben began belting out lyrics to Metallica’s heavy-metal hit “Enter Sandman!” Let’s just say it was like nothing else they’d seen that night. 

When the song ended, there was a bit of a stunned silence at first, and then a smattering of polite applause. Clearly, this wasn’t the proper demographic for a rock concert…en Ingles, no less! But it was pretty amusing. 

We finished our coffees and quietly slipped out as the Latin music started up again. The kids wanted to hit the gift shop (of course), also located off the enormous lobby, so we amused ourselves for a while, trying on various hats, and bought a few small trinkets. 

Then it was time to hit the hay, since the following day would be our last in Puerto Vallarta.

Part 1: Getting the Royal Treatment at the Vallarta Palace
Part 2: Puerto Vallarta Palace – Living Like Kings and Queens

The boys woke up early in anticipation of the exciting day they were going to have. My father was going to take them on a ziplining excursion at Canopy Nogalito, in what is essentially the Mexican rain forest. It would be the first time they’d set foot off the resort grounds in three days.

Perfectly-pedicured and living the good life at the Vallarta Palace

Meanwhile, my mother and I, who are not exactly daredevils, decided to leave the adventuring to the men and have a little “girl time” at the resort’s luxurious salon and spa. On tap for us: one-hour-long full body massages, a manicure and pedicure. Hey, it’s a rough job, but someone has to do it! 

After another bountiful breakfast, the family and I were able to enjoy a little bit of pool time in the morning before heading off in our separate directions. We even decided to have a little bit of fun and sneaked into the back row of the daily water aerobics class for a few minutes. 

The class, which was led by a very enthusiastic and fit young man who kept chanting “Uno…Dos…Tres…(etc.)!!” had us wildly flailing our arms about (out of the water), but didn’t have us work up anything vaguely resembling a sweat. And honestly, as a fitness professional who sweats for a living, I was perfectly content that way. There was a REASON I avoided the resort’s fitness center like the plague…it would have been like going into the office!! Having said that, I must comment that for those of you desiring to keep those extra pounds at bay while on vacation, the Vallarta Palace’s fitness center is very nicely appointed. It is very clean, and has a good selection of cardio equipment including treadmills, elliptical trainers, and recumbent bikes; plus an assortment of weight machines and free weights. 

Tristan zips through the trees at Nogalito Zip Line

Late in the morning, my boys and father boarded the van which would transport them to their ziplining adventure, located about 20 minutes away. And mom and I headed off to be pampered. 

We were greeted immediately when we walked into the spa, located on the second level of the resort, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a sweeping view of the beautiful beach. After checking in and waiting for perhaps five minutes, our smiling therapists appeared and escorted us into our massage room, where soft New Age music was playing. We were directed to undress to our level of comfort and lie face-down on the massage tables. From there it was an hour of sheer relaxing bliss as the therapists worked away. We even had hot stones placed on our backs, which felt wonderful, and cool compresses placed over our eyes…it was absolute heaven. I almost fell asleep on the table and really had a hard time getting up when it was all over! 

Alas, move we must, for it was time to move on to our manicures and pedicures (I told you it was a rough job…). Mom and I were directed to sit in a couple of ultra-cushy overstuffed white pedicure chairs facing the glass wall that overlooked the ocean. The chairs massaged us (again!) as we sunk our feet into a hot bubble bath. It was hard NOT to feel completely and utterly spoiled since we each had two manicurists working on us…one on our feet and one on our hands. 

Ben zipping through the forest

We each emerged with perfectly-manicured hands and feet, and left each of our manicurists a generous tip for a job well done. Since the boys weren’t back from their ziplining excursion yet, Mom and I decided to go back down to the pool for yet more relaxation and sunning. 

In about an hour, the kids and my dad returned, happy and full of tales about their “jungle” ziplining excursion to Canopy Nogalito. They told us about the van trip up to the top of the mountain, how they were served an alfresco lunch beforehand, and how they got hooked up to a variety of ziplines and zoomed their way back down to the bottom of the mountain. They spotted some really cool sights in the forest, such as giant iguanas clinging to the sides of trees. They had also met and made fast friends with a family from the San Francisco area who accompanied them in the van–Diana and Rich Kim and their two young children, Tyler and Samantha. Ben, in particular, simply fell in love with little Samantha and became sort of a protector/babysitter to her for the rest of the trip. They played together in the pool and had a great time. In fact, we still keep in regular touch with the Kims. 

It's a looooooooong way down!!

The most difficult decision of the day awaited us…where to go for dinner? Tonight, we chose to try out the Brazilian restaurant, which, if you are a vegetarian, is DEFINITELY NOT the restaurant for you. It is a “churriscaria,” a Brazilian steakhouse. Essentially, you sit down, and an unending procession of meat parades by your table. Waiters come by with skewer after skewer of filet mignon, roast beef, chicken, chorizo, lamb chops, duck, pork loin…until you flip over your coaster from the “green” side (keep it coming) to the “red” side (stop!), the meat will just keep on coming. Thank goodness none of us were vegetarian, and thank goodness we all knew when to say “when!” 

There were also some lovely side dishes and desserts, and the meal ended with some delicious strong Brazilian coffee. It was, as my father grew fond of saying, “muy bueno.” 

Following dinner, we went to the ballroom to enjoy another one of the Vallarta Palace’s top-notch shows, this one a circus-themed performance. There were jugglers, acrobats, sword-swallowers and fire-breathers, and it was a wonderful way to top off another fabulous day of vacation in Puerto Vallarta.

Since there’s only so much relaxing one can do, we decided to sign up for some off-site activities at the resorts’ activities desk, which is conveniently located outdoors near the pools. It did take quite a bit of time, but when we finally booked everything for the rest of the week, my mother quipped that we were booked solid and would have hardly any more time for hanging around by the pool!

Ben enjoys a yummy breakfast smoothie

The boys and my father decided to go on a ziplining tour later in the week, while Mom and I opted for some significantly less physically-taxing activites–manicures, pedicures, and TWO massages for each of us at the resort’s luxurious spa and salon. We also signed up to go swimming with dolphins at a waterpark located about 20 minutes away from the resort.

Today we decided to hit the beautiful beach, which was just steps away from the pools. We set up camp in the third row of chaise lounges underneath one of the palm-frond-thatched umbrella tables. (I later learned this was the best place to be, as if you decided to park yourself in the first rown of lounge chairs you would be constantly harrassed by the beach vendors, who walked by all day long hawking cheap silver jewelry and clothing.) Within about ten seconds of sitting down we were approached by one of the attentive and charming waitresses and asked if we’d like anything to drink. Of course it was another round of “vasos de agua con limon” for my parents and me, and Coca-Cola for the boys.

Boogie-boarding at the beach

Needing a bit of activity after all the food I had stuffed myself with over the past couple of days, I chose to go boogie-boarding with the kids. We rented boogie boards at the rental station located right near the pools. Though the boards are only supposed to be out for about an hour at a time, you can keep them longer if there isn’t a big demand for the boards, as we found out.

The ocean water, heated by the intense Mexican sun, was once again blissfully warm, and I had a blast riding waves for a couple of hours with the boys. There were quite a few wipeouts and a lot of laughs! Plus we hopefully worked off some of that food!

Will (my youngest) and I spent the rest of the afternoon playing what he termed “the wave game,” which essentially meant jumping the waves, only with a set of very complicated rules thrown in that can only be devised by a seven-year-old’s brain…I think I was supposed to be some sort of superhero and we were working as a team to “conquer” the waves, or something like that. In any case, the water was shallow and safe, and we had a wonderful “mother-and-son” time. And really, isn’t that what vacations are all about?

Living the good life on the Riviera Nayarit

When we had all tired, we spent a litle time stretched out on our lounge chairs, enjoyed guacamole, salsa and chips from the poolside snack bar, and I got to polish off a good chunk of one of the novels I had brought along with me while Bucky took his turn swimming with the boys.

It was about this time that my parents and I discovered the delights of the hotel’s frozen mocacchino drink, when my father had gone to one of the bars to get an afternoon coffee. Once we discovered these, there were a lot more mocacchinos and a lot fewer “vasos de agua minerale” in our future! My mother (who has really developed a sweet tooth lately) got especially hooked and drank at least three every day.

The most stressful decision I like to have to make on vacation is “where are we going to have dinner?” Since we had already eaten a dinner and all of our breakfasts at Mar Intimo, the resort’s Italian restaurant, we decided that tonight would be Mexican night (hey, when in Rome…). After returning to our rooms and showering, we went down to dinner and enjoyed margaritas, tamales, enchiladas, burritos, chicken and seafood. And thank goodness that tacos are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser and one item that ALL the boys will eat. I can tell you from experience that these things are few and far between! And, of course, there was delicious, creamy flan for dessert.

There's always room for dessert!

We decided to take a little stroll around the grounds and have an early night, since tomorrow was going to be an action-packed day for the boys. The kids and my mom got a big kick out of all the shrubbery in the gardens, artfully carved as charming topiary animals, and sporting big round styrofoam eyeballs.

After showers, jacuzzis, and a little TV (it was admittedly difficult to find a TV show in English and not Spanish), we turned in, dreaming of ziplines and massages!

View from our room at the Vallarta Palace

This was the boys’ first trip out of the country, and they were understandably a bit nervous, although I assured them that everything would be just fine and we would all have a wonderful time in spite of the fact that Dad couldn’t come along with us. Luckily, the plane ride went very smoothly and my mom and dad were there to meet us at the airport when we landed–and guided us through the maze of cabdrivers and salespeople who wanted to sell us timeshare properties the second we got off the plane from Los Angeles.

My father had already taken care of getting us transportation to our hotel (he’s very good at such things), so we stepped outside, into weather so hot and humid I thought someone had dropped a wet blanket over me, and hopped into our waiting van. From there it was just a short 20-minute jaunt to our hotel, located on the beachfront in Nayarit, Mexico.

When we stepped through the grand doors of the Vallarta Palace, I noticed right away that the temperature of the impressive marble lobby was delicious–like slipping into a pool of cool water after the oppressive humidity outdoors. As we approached the reception desk to check in we were immediately greeted with flowers for the ladies (my mom and I), and yummy frozen drinks (non-alcoholic, so the kids were able to enjoy them as well). This was just the start of being thoroughly, utterly spoiled and pampered for the entire week. Not that I minded!

Settling into our luxurious hotel room

We received our room keys (mom and dad were right next door) and headed upstairs to check out our new digs for the week. Opening the door, we beheld a luxurious master suite with a HUGE jacuzzi tub and extremely well-stocked mini-bar and fridge. Of course, my boys being boys, they immediately began jumping from one queen-sized bed to the other while I threw open the door to the balcony and went outside to take in the view. Our room overlooked three sparkling blue free-form pools and a gorgeous beach. The sun was just beginning to set and it was a lovely sight.

After freshening up we met my parents and headed downstairs to dinner. The Vallarta Palace offers four restaurants on the premises: Italian, Mexican, Brazilian, and Asian. We chose Mar Intimo, the Italian restaurant, and it ended up being our most often-visited dining establishment for the rest of the trip. Pasta and meatballs for the kids, seafood for the adults, and cannoli and gelato for dessert–everyone left satiated and happy. Since it had been a long day of travel, we decided to turn in early and get a jump-start on the next day.

The next morning we dressed casually and went back to Mar Intimo for their spectacular breakfast buffet–you can get just about anything you want, and for me, as a mother of three boys, all with VERY different tastes, it was heaven-sent. My littlest guy loves big, hearty breakfasts with eggs, bacon, and hash browns; my middle son usually just noshes on cold cereal and fuit; and my eldest is given to sweet pastries and breads. There was something for everyone and much, much more. Omelettes cooked to order, Mexican breakfasts including beans, rice, chicken and chorizo; and a great selection of fruit smoothies that my 12-year-old went crazy over. I personally loved the wait staff, who were all extremely polite and attentive (as well as patient and tolerant of my half-baked attempts at Spanish conversation), and the way they constantly kept your cup filled with hot, delicious coffee!

After eating way too much, we rolled out of there and back upstairs to change into our swimsuits, then headed down to the pools. We set up camp at the main pool and had barely sat down when a waitress appeared and politely asked us if we’d like anything to drink. Considering it was only 10 a.m. and already hovering around 90 degrees, the answer was a resounding YES!! However, again considering that it was only 10 a.m., we chose to avoid anything alcoholic (though plenty of that was available if you chose to partake). Over the course of the week, my parents and I became extremely adept at asking for “un vaso de agua minerale con limon” (a glass of sparkling water with lime). No matter how hot it was that day or any day thereafter, we couldn’t possibly have dehydrated…our attentive waitresses were back every ten to fifteen minutes to make sure our drinks were always cold and fresh!!

Fun at the pool

The kids had a wonderful time playing in the pool, though they were warned by staffers against jumping into the pool from the central bridge that crosses it because of its shallowness. Because the water was so warm, there was no such thing as “getting used to it” (the kids know I always take several minutes to ease into colder water–none of that here!). You could wade right in.

At exactly noon every day, live entertainment would begin at the main pool–this consisted of a DJ and an emcee who spoke rapid-fire in both English and Spanish. It was a little like attending a wedding in the pool–he would preside over silly dance contests, games, water volleyball matches, and give prizes to people for answering trivia questions. The boys found it quite amusing and really got involved in a lot of the activities.

For younger kids, or for parents who need a break, the resort offers a Kids Club for children aged 4-12, where kids can enjoy supervised activities including art projects, games and computers while they enjoy the company of their peers. My boys were happy to simply swim and play most of the day–and eat. A lot.

What with all of this lounging around by the pool, the family and I found ourselves soon working up another appetite. Luckily for us there was a daily outdoor lunch buffet near the kiddie wading pool where we could have our fill of nachos, chicken, sandwiches, pizza. french fries and salads. And let us not forget the ice cream bar, where you can make your own ice cream cone with toppings of your choice. If that’s not your cup of tea, there’s also a freezer with a huge assortment of fruit-flavored ice pops. It’s really not too difficult to get used to this type of treatment!

More swimming and sunning followed lunch, and then in the late afternoon we decided it was time to retreat to our rooms and clean up. We were surprised when we opened the door to see a dinosaur made out of rolled-up bath towels perched on one of the beds! Our dinosaur was the first of a series of towel “animals”–there was a new one every night when we returned to our room. I thought it was a great touch, especially with kids…it actually got them to want to take a shower!

Delicious dinner at Mar Intimo restaurant

After another indulgent dinner (this time at the Mexican restaurant), we all thought it would be fun to go and see the show in the hotel’s ballroom featuring traditional dances and costumes from many different regions of Mexico. The performance was wonderful, exciting and colorful, and we and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it–particularly the Mexican gaucho and his amazing lasso-spinning act!

By the time the show ended we were all yawning, and ready to beat tracks back to our rooms and gear up for another day of sun and fun!!

Evelyn at the Karmina Palace presidential suite plunge pool

It was September 25th, and we had just checked in to our Presidential Suite on the 7th floor.  The lively sound of Frank Sinatra was already flowing from our mp3 player outside on our wrap-around terrace.  My 3 year old niece Evelyn was swimming around in our private corner plunge pool with her baby brother Justin who was only about 11 months old.  The weather was balmy, humid and deliciously warm.  We had just arrived and were expecting thunder showers on our first evening which we welcomed with open arms.  It would be a wonderful way to end our first day, with the tropical sound of rain drops lulling us gently to sleep.  All our cares and concerns from the daily grind that was our lives were slowly melting away.  

Plunge pool and terrace view of the Pacific Ocean

Our Presidential suite was 3,500 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a large living room and dining area and a full size kitchen.  My sister, Todd and their two youngsters got the spacious master bedroom.  It was gigantic and had direct access through its sliding glass doors into the center of the wrap-around terrace. My parents, and my fiancé and I, occupied the remaining two rooms, which were also not too shabby. It was a thrill to be all together and have access to our own private family plunge pool and sun deck overlooking the most sought after view in the hotel.  It’s no wonder we spent a big portion of the vacation in our suite!     

The rest of our family also spent many of their early afternoons with us in our Presidential suite.  This was an all inclusive resort, which meant even room service was free.  Although the food was excellent, we learned the first day to expect slower than usual service after it took them over an hour to deliver our food.  After all, we were on Mexican time, which meant we had to shed the big city hustle and downshift into our new laid-back roles as carefree tourists.  It’s much easier than you would think, especially when lounging with an ice cold Corona on our private terrace while enjoying our 270 degree view encompassing the resort and Pacific Ocean.  

Resort View from our presidential suite terrace

The 324 room Karmina Palace was about 25 minutes from the Manzanillo International Airport.  When we first arrived I was struck by the beauty of the hotel architecture.  It looked like a modernized version of an ancient Mayan palace down to its intricate wall carvings and decorations.  The high rising hotel walls branched out like a protective barrier surrounding the resort in a half square-like shape.  The oasis within its walls was made up of 6 cascading pools, hot tubs, and a meticulously manicured display of palm trees, flowers, grass, and other indigenous plants.  There were paved stone walkways and bridges meandering over and around the various pools, connecting every corner of the resort.  And, beyond everything, was the magnificent Pacific Ocean beckoning us to become one with it’s warm and inviting waters.  

Pacific Ocean view from our terrace presidential suite

One of the great things about the Karmina Palace is how it caters so well to families and children.  Most of the pools are shallow, making it perfect for children.  Even better are the kiddy pools where toddlers can waddle around in their floaties without assistance (with adult supervision of course).  The water is very nice and refreshing, and with the warm and humid temperature outside it’s easy to spend the whole day soaking.  

The beach also has some very attractive features.  There is a protected lagoon-like inlet into the Pacific Ocean where families with young children can swim without any fear of ocean currents or waves.  The sand slopes down very slowly and is shallow enough to touch even several yards in.  The water is also very warm and various members of our family spent many hours here, swimming and playing Frisbee.  Just a bit further south, past one of the protective barriers, is a regular sandy beach that stretches for quite a ways.  I love the surf, and this is where I spent most of my time whenever we hit the beach. There really is something for everyone!  

Lagoon like calm water beach Karmina Palace

There are no golf or tennis courts on the premises.  However, if you have the desire to play and can handle the heat and humidity, there are tennis courts and a first class golf course walking distance from the hotel.  They are in fact right next door!  My dad, two uncles and I brought our tennis rackets from Los Angeles, so we were committed to playing a competitive game of tennis.  The courts were in excellent condition.  They were not part of the Karmina Palace, so we had to fork over a modest fee of $15 to reserve a court for as long as we could play.  

Sandy beach south of Karmina Palace Manzanillo

I’m the only avid golfer in our group, so on one occasion I ventured over to the Mantarraya golf course next door to play a round by myself.  It was a pristine golf course with well kept fairways and greens.  Everywhere you looked there were palm trees with coconuts.  I even saw several banana trees lining the sides of the fairways. That’s something you don’t see every day!  My only complaint was the intense heat and humidity that made it impossible to complete the course.  My first clue should have been that there was absolutely no one else on the course except me and all the gardeners trimming trees and mowing lawns.  I felt the energy drain from my body as I progressed from hole to hole.  I think one of the gardeners felt sorry for me because about half way through he approached and offered me a coconut to drink.  I still remember how sweet and delicious the juice tasted.  Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to keep me going past the 11th hole where I packed up my clubs and gave up.   

Beach view outside the Karmina Palace Mexico

The Karmina Palace is now known as the Barceló Karmina Palace Deluxe Hotel.  I did some research and Barcelo appears to be a big Mexican Hotel/Resort chain and may have acquired the Karmina Palace since our stay in 2004. I’m sure lots had changed, including the Internet connectivity.  We were told there would be wireless Internet access throughout most of the hotel, and although I was able to connect with my laptop from time to time, I had to be in the lobby in order to get any serious work done.  The WIFI signal was just too week from our hotel room.  This was 6 years ago, and from what I have read there is now wireless access from any part of the hotel including the rooms.      

Manzanillo Fishing expedition booked by several of our family members

July and August is considered high season in Manzanillo, so we deliberately chose to go in September to avoid the big crowds, but also to save some money because of the lower prices.  Our all-inclusive Presidential suite was $1,344 per/night, which really isn’t bad when you divide it by 3 couples (my sister paid a slightly higher percentage since they had the master bedroom with their two kids).  This also includes meals, drinks, tax, gratuities, maid service, 24 hour room service, drinks, activities such as Kayaking, snorkeling (gear included), boogie boards, water basketball and volleyball, drinks, etc,.  Oh, and did I mention drinks were included?  I’m not sure what the pricing is today, but looking back this was a great deal.  

The recreation room is also a great place for children to hang out.  There were arcade games, pool tables and even a ping-pong table where I taught my younger cousin some manners (I don’t believe in letting people win).  It’s Ok, he’s a good sport and would easily run circles around me in most any other activity, so I’ll take what I can get!   

Live Mayan entertainment at the Karmina Palace

The all-inclusive children’s club is another wonderful convenience for families with children between the ages of 4 and 12 years old.  Parents can indulge in some alone time or go to the Spa while the kids spend a fun afternoon participating in various supervised activities. There is also live entertainment for the whole family on most evenings, with dazzling costumes and native dancing skits.  We were also fortunate enough to have a great view of the show from our private Presidential suite terrace!  

Overall we were very happy with the quality of the food and choices of restaurants.  Most evenings were spent at the Agave Mexican restaurant because of its choice location out by the sea.  We never had any trouble finding a table for all 12 of us, and with the surrounding view of the ocean and hotel in the distance, the slow service was quite tolerable.  Every evening at about 11pm the Agave restaurant was converted into a night club with pumping music and dancing.  There were other good restaurants to choose from as well, one in particular was the Kyoto Japanese cuisine.  I’m a big sushi fan so this was one of my favorites.  

Family meeting at our presidential suite living room before heading out to dinner

As always our vacation was too short and it was very difficult to leave this magnificent paradise.  One consolation was that we gained two hours on the flight back to Los Angeles which gave us some extra time to unpack and re-acclimate to our old lives.  It was also a Wednesday when we returned, making it a short week with the weekend looming near.

Infinity pool view above the sea

In October 2002, we spent a glorious 5 days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This was the first time we avoided hotels and opted for renting a luxury home with a staff that included butler and chef services. Our daughter, and only child at the time, was 7 months. We traveled and stayed with my parents, my brother and his wife, and my sister and her husband.

As parents with children know, the younger the child, the more gear one needs for them. With this in mind, we packed our megasaucer, playpen (pack n play), stroller, car seat, and a large assortment of baby food, formula, diapering supplies, and medications. When going through customs at the Puerto Vallarta International Airport we were lucky to have a “green light” and were ushered through without the need for the customs agents to go through all our baggage – opening each piece at a time.

We had made prior arrangements for transportation, and a driver waited for us by the baggage claim to take us to the house where we would stay. The drive was a smooth, air conditioned and pleasant 40 minutes or so to a lovely and rather private part of the coastal town.

Puerto Vallarta Casa Marilu infinity pool and ocean

The house itself was 5 star caliber, designed by an architect with attention to detail. It was situated at the top of a cliff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. I remember walking into that house when we first arrived and feeling overjoyed by the expansive view of the sea from the living areas. The open floor plan and windowed walls brought the sea into the living spaces. There is an infinity pool at the edge of the property. Sitting there, one looks out at the ocean and feels one with it. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Although the house itself is not exactly child safe, our baby was too young to crawl, making it safe regardless of the open stone steps on the staircase with the wrought-iron banister, as well as the numerous artistic decorations gracing the tables and floor that would have proved irresistibly tempting to a toddler or small child. Our daughter would play in her megasaucer while we sipped margaritas and enjoyed the view.

My daughter in her megasaucer overlooking the beach

Each morning, the couple who looked after the home, would prepare the day’s menu with our approval, and then go shopping for the needed items. Mealtimes were a sumptuous affair, where we would gather around the large formal dining table to enjoy a hearty breakfast (eggs, bacon, French toast, Mexican rolls, juice and coffee), and lunch (this was a lighter fare of salads, guacamole – the chef’s specialty – and other Mexican delights). Dinner was more formal with a glorious sunset painting of the scenic view from where we sat. Fish, poultry or beef were our menu choices for those meals, along with a traditional Mexican dessert or simple scoop of refreshing ice cream.

We hardly left the house at all, except once or twice to venture down a path that led to the sea, where we would brave the waves of the Pacific Ocean. The days were carefree and idyllic, with nothing to do but relax, nap, soak, swim and eat in the opulence of that stunning vista. Perhaps someday we will return, as that glorious vista calls to me in my mind.

All the views are stunning from this luxury beach house

Downstairs living room Puerto Vallarta Casa Marilu