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A Sunny Spring Break ~ Puerto Vallarta with Kids

By Sam McDade-Wray, Highlands Ranch-Parker-Castle Rock-Lone Tree Publisher February 21, 2018


We love traveling to Mexico! We went for the first time three years ago. When we discovered that a trip to beautiful Mexican beaches was much less expensive then heading to Florida or California, we were all in.

Living in Colorado, we enjoy getting out of our landlocked area every so often. Being able to explore a different country and culture with a great beach area is a serious bonus. This time we decided to branch out to the west coast and visit Nuevo Vallarta which is slightly north of Puerto Vallarta. With the beautiful Banderas Bay, we can see why it is one of the most visited beaches in the world.

LODGING

Our home base for the week was the lovely Vidanta Resort Nuevo Vallarta. This huge timeshare development is comprised of several resort hotels ranging from very nice to ultra-luxurious accommodations over a span of 2,500 acres. The resort has everything you need for your entire stay from 40 restaurants and lounges, numerous pools, themed parties, turtle hatchery, awesome kids' club, and even nightly entertainment.

We stayed in the Grand Mayan section which was quite nice and very family friendly. Each condo style units offer kitchens, walk-in showers, large balconies with lounge chairs, and a cooling pool. The decor is quite modern and minimal.

Note: This is a big place, so if you have little kids bring a stroller. There are also trams that take you wherever you need to go on property. Want to stay here? Check out Redweek.com and rent an owners' week!

ACTIVITIES ON AND OFF PROPERTY

Resort Activities: The reason we choose this section was for the huge water park and family friendly atmosphere. There are plenty of activities during the day for the kids โ€“ lazy river, slides into the wave pools, ping pong, dance contests, and much more. One of our favorite parts was the Foam Party in the wave pool.

At night, there is entertainment in the Santuario the 75,000-square-foot, indoor-outdoor entertainment pavilion. I wish that we had been given the list of daily events when we checked in; three days into our stay we finally figured out that a calendar existed! And there are more activities coming. In 2019, day and night theme parks inspired by Avatar will open too. The plans look quite impressive!

Parasailing: Right off the beach in front of the resort were all kinds of fun options โ€“ jet skiing, surfing, boogie boarding, and kite sailing. Our son was eager to try the parasailing, but we werenโ€™t too sure about him being 100 feet in the air without us.

After observing the parasail team quite a few times and realizing just how good they were at the gently lifting off and returning their clients, we set our almost-teenager off in the blue skies. It was one of the highlights of his trip!

Las Caletas: It is amazing what you can find out when you talk to fellow travelers. Around the pool at our resort, we asked what the top excursions in the area were and we were directed to the Vallarta Adventures Las Celatas Tour. The tour company was just a short walk from our resort. This excursion was located at a private beach hideaway nestled in the Sierra Madre Mountain range. This tour had it all: a boat ride to the secluded beach, ziplines, huge slides, kayaks, hiking, lunch, and the opportunity to relax. The crew was fun too! We very much enjoyed our day and would highly recommend it.

Puerto Vallarta Malecon: One of the main attractions in Puerto Vallarta is the mile-long beachside promenade walkway called the Malecon. This is where the action is. While very touristy, locals and travelers alike were having a great time enjoying the day shopping, visiting artists, and listening to the street performers. The locals were very friendly and helpful, and we got a few tips on places to see while my son and I stuck our feet into the tanks of fish for a fish pedicure.

Based on tips, we had a nice street side lunch, ventured into a few authentic craft stores, and saw a beautiful Catholic Church. We also watched the fisherman, parasailers, and sand artists on the beach. Overall, it was a fun day. Next time, I think that we will investigate a little further south to Zona Romantica or north to Sayulita which are supposed to have an even more authentic feel. If you are in Puerto Vallarta on a weekend, be sure to catch the Old Town Farmers Market too!

FOOD

We usually do not book all-inclusive resorts in Mexico. We have found that we just do not eat and drink that much to justify the extra daily cost since we venture off property a lot. We enjoy exploring the local areas and finding food along the way.

However, since my husband had recently had back surgery, we decided to stay on property a bit more. We enjoyed the casual Tacos Break with a huge list of taco options after a long day of traveling. From our room, we could see La Cantina, a Mexican restaurant. Not only were the salsas and dips amazing but there is a light show and live music in the evenings!

Mid-week, the resort hosted one of their many themed beach parties. We attended the Mexican fiesta complete with stilt walkers, mariachis, and full Mexican buffet. Upon the recommendation of another resort guest, we splurged on the upscale modern Mexican fusion cuisine at Epazote complete with handcrafted table side margaritas โ€“ muy bueno!

We enjoy heading into the local towns to experience the local cuisine. The flavors are just not to be beat, the food is simply delicious, and meals are usually about 1/3 of the price on the resort. We try to look up reviews for local places, we are careful to only drink bottled water (no ice, thank you), and we avoid items that may have been washed (no salads off the resort for the most part). So far so good!

Just a short walk from the resort is the Nuevo Vallarta marina which does not look like much at first glance ... but just wait! Our first dinner was at Eddies (found via Yelp reviews) which had the most amazing coconut shrimp! The next morning, we headed back to the marina to get groceries at the local OXO (equivalent to a 7-Eleven in the US) and that is when we discovered Estudio Cafรฉ. This place had the best coffee, French Toast (homemade bread!), and omelets ever. After our long day at Los Caletas and before the 20-minute walk back to the resort, we had dinner at Marsico Tostados featuring wonderful tacos and some great margaritas! Our last place to share with you is El Barracuda, a quiet open-air restaurant with awesome, fresh seafood (also found on Yelp with a 4.5 review average).

All in all, we had a very enjoyable week in Nuevo Vallarta and have plans to go back โ€“ there is so much left to explore next time!

GETTING HERE

The international airport is centrally located between Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta which makes it super easy to be at your resort in less than 30 minutes and perfect for families! VisitPuertoVallarta.com for more information.