Our Fabulous Trip to Puerto Vallarta!

Our fabulous trip began on September 6th when Leonard and I met Joe, Colleen, Ken, Anna, Alex, Mary and Vanessa at the Phoenix airport. It was so great to see everyone, especially after being away from them for the past 6 months! Upon arrival in Puerto Vallarta we were picked up and taken to the villa, stopping briefly to pick up Jessica, who had arrived a day earlier. The Wheelers and Parkers rode separately in a cab after a brief and somewhat unpleasant encounter with a rental car company. All worked out fine, as cabs and Ubers are not expensive in PV, and it's always nice to have someone else do the driving!

After arriving at Villa Mandarinas, we were greeted by our concierge Katia and the rest of our wonderful staff and shown around the villa. Wow! Talk about spectacular! The villa was lovely and the view was incredible! 

After viewing all the bedrooms, we picked which ones we wanted and then headed to the house for drinks and snacks. We all agreed that the guacamole was outstanding! Actually, all the meals and snacks were wonderful! We couldn't have asked for a better chef!

The rest of the day was spent swimming, hanging out in the hot tub, eating, drinking and catching up on everything that had happened since our departure from Denver in March. We soon discovered that our drinks of choice were frozen mango margaritas and Coronitas, with the occasional frozen strawberry somethings and gin and tonics. Micki and Javier were fabulous servers/bartenders who waited on us hand and foot! Such a treat!

Monday morning we skipped breakfast, as we had been instructed by the owner of the food tour company, and headed into town for our "Untouristed Food Tour." It did not disappoint! For the next three hours, our guide Abel took us to numerous small restaurants around PV, where we sampled all different kinds of tacos, including goat meat! Dessert consisted of wonderful gelato and two chocolate cupcakes in what would be the first of several birthday celebrations for me!

After thoroughly stuffing ourselves, we were taken to several art galleries that had opened just for us. Then we were off to the Malecon, or boardwalk, where we took a stroll and bought some souvenirs. When we were done, our driver for the week, Manuel, picked us up and took us back to the villa, but not before stopping for delicious chicken fat soaked potatoes for Mary (which the rest of us also managed to enjoy). A few hours later, our chef prepared a wonderful dinner, and the rest of the evening was spent swimming, soaking and talking. 

Tuesday morning the boys took off for a fishing trip, minus Leonard who stayed home with minor stomach issues. The girls got mani/pedis and did more swimming and soaking followed by a delicious lunch. The boys returned with fish which was made into ceviche, and we all had more guacamole!

Tuesday night we headed into town for dinner at the beach. The food was good, and we all were treated to lovely music and an incredible sunset! Alex saw "Nicki Minaj" (or rather, Nicki Massage, as he called her), and once again we celebrated my birthday with cake and song!

Wednesday Joe and Ken went golfing, and the rest of us went on a "Wild Dolphin Encounter." It was nice to get out on the water, but this was probably the low point of the trip for most of us, as the dolphins didn't come near us. The only person who didn't seem bothered by this was Anna, who was too busy throwing up to care! Poor Anna! We did get to see some dolphins from a distance, the weather was pleasant and the sandwiches were good, so it was still a nice trip. 

Wednesday night we celebrated my birthday once again (and the 10 year anniversary of my first date with Leonard)! The chef made lasagna and pizza, both of which were excellent, and we had German chocolate cake for dessert. The staff gifted us with a wonderful singer and guitar player. I cried when they played "our song" - A Thousand Years by Christina Perri.

Thursday we all headed into PV for a luxury yacht tour. We essentially had the yacht to ourselves, other than another "Nicki Massage," her husband, and a family of four from New Orleans, one of which was a lovely actress that I ended up having a wonderful conversation with about childbirth and the law of attraction! Unfortunately, this time Jessica was the one who was below deck with a migraine, but we knew she was with us in spirit! 

The yacht was spectacular and the weather was glorious! Fabulous food and drinks were served as we rode around the bay and headed to our snorkeling destination. Those of us who snorkeled saw a few pretty fish and then swam over to an island where we hung out on the beach, swam, and had some drinks. This time Anna didn't get sick, but since she doesn't swim, one of the men in the crew carried her from the boat to the beach! 

Then several of us, including me, took a banana boat ride where we were towed around the bay behind a motor boat. When the captain asked if we wanted to go fast or slow, I said "slow" (which surprised no one). But when a young man sitting in front of me said, "Go as fast as you can!" the captain took off!! Less than a minute later, as we rounded the bend, four of us flew off including Leonard, Mary and me! We all laughed, no one was hurt and we were all glad to see that we weren't the only ones who had ended up in the water. Mary and Alex actually went for another ride, but Leonard and I decided we had had enough! Mary and Alex also went paddle boarding. The water on that beach was lovely, as there was a fresh water stream running through it, which meant that every so often we would swim through cool water.

Friday Joe and Leonard went golfing while the rest of us (minus Ken, who wasn't feeling well, and Anna) headed into town for shopping and massages. Colleen, Jessica and I loved our massages, but Alex and Mary weren't that happy with theirs. But we all enjoyed exploring the town. 

Friday night was another highlight of the trip, as Leonard hired a six-piece Mexican band to come to the villa! The band began playing during dinner and played for three hours. I had originally thought that would be too long, but it wasn't. The band was wonderful and we all had a great time singing and dancing! Once again, they played "our song," along with many Mexican classics, all of which Alex seemed to know (and sing), and a few American favorites (Sweet Caroline, Ring of Fire, and others). 

Saturday, Joe and Leonard decided they also wanted massages so we headed back into town. We stopped by an art gallery, walked around for a while and then had some drinks. Jessica and I decided that since Joe and Leonard were getting massages, we might as well get them, too! Then it was off to Si Senor for dinner. Once again, we were not disappointed! We were the only ones in the restaurant (other than the family that ran it and their bird Lola), and the food was wonderful!

Sunday it was time to say goodbye. After another wonderful breakfast (banana bread French toast, huevos rancheros, mangos, papayas, pineapple, blueberries and many other delicious fruits), we walked down to the water, relaxed around the pool and then headed to the airport. We were all so pleased with how the trip went! How blessed we are to have such wonderful friends. We will remember this trip forever.

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