Puerto Vallarta: Where To Stay
I recently embarked on a girls trip, with my friend Annie, to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was a first visit for both of us, and we had such a blast!
LA had been chilly and rainy for several weeks, so this trip couldn’t have come at a better time. We packed our bags, and dipped out.
Getting there was easy. The flight was only 3 hours, and there was no line at customs, so before we knew it, we were en route to the resort life.
After a quick margarita stop (when in Mexico!) we went straight to our hotel.
The Royal Suites are situated on their own private beach, with a beautiful tide pool on one side. Our room was nice-sized, with a jacuzzi bathtub and shower, and our own private balcony. We settled in, and felt right at home.
We spent our first PV sunset on their beachside deck, enjoying one of the experiences you can organize through the hotel: a tequila tasting! After learning (again lol) that I prefer tequila to mescal, we tasted and danced, laughed, and tasted some more.
Fun Times!
During our stay, the hotel staff organized some other really fun activities for us. The first day we went whale watching, followed by a sushi-making class with one of the master sushi chefs from the resorts’ Japanese restaurant, Bambu
The next day, we hung on the beach and did a little SUPboarding. We were going to take a catamaran ride, but there wasn’t enough wind, so we just had lunch instead.
After lunch it was spa time, and I had an awesome massage. My masseuse was wonderful, but my favorite part of the spa was probably the sauna. I sat in there and meditated for about an hour, and when I came out, I was a sweaty mess, but all felt right in the world again.
Before the day was over, we got to enjoy a private sunset yoga class on the beach. Even though the movement of the sand can make practicing more difficult, being able to time my breathing to the rhythm of the ocean waves makes any beach yoga challenges worth overcoming.
One of the make or break aspects of any resort vacation, for me, is the food. We were lucky enough to experience 4 of the restaurants at The Royal Suites Punta de Mita by Palladium, and none of them disappointed.
We started each day with a breakfast by the beach, and whether I ordered a la carte or hit the buffet, everything was super yummy (especially the french toast!)
For lunch, we enjoyed Bambu. I generally judge any Japanese restaurant by their spicy tuna rolls (my favorite). As simple as the roll is, it’s surprisingly easy to mess it up. Once I ate my first bite, I knew I was in for a treat.
We had dinner at Viva Mexico the first night, and their table side guacamole was to die for. I ordered a margarita, and the small size was about the size of my head and very delicious. Not too sour and not too sweet.
The last night we had dinner in Restaurant Portofino. I usually try to stick to Mexican food when I’m in Mexico, but I’m always a sucker for Italian Food. My pesto pasta was perfect, but the real highlight of the dinner was the flaming coffee.
I don’t want to ruin the surprise, and tell you exactly what flaming coffee is, but what I will say is that even if you’re not a coffee drinker, it’s worth ordering for the show. ;)
I think that at the end of any resort stay, the only important question is this: Would you stay here again?
My answer? Totally!
