Puerto Vallarta: Adventure Town Mexico
Freshly divorced a friend of mine I had not seen in years decided to plan a girls trip. As we talked it felt as though she let her hand fall to the map as she called out “Puerto Vallarta” as the destination that we would meet and rejuvenate our friendship. I had never been to an all inclusive before so I decided why not book my trip, get a sitter and set out for Jalisco. I boarded my Aeromexico flight and drank free beer in excitement the entire way down. As I deplaned I could feel the warm air and the sound of bongo drums in the terminal. I had made it to Mexico! I arrived to the hotel where they had upgraded me to what they called their “best suite”. They always tell you that but this time they weren’t kidding! I was escorted to my room which appeared to be on the top floor at the end of a long hallway. I opened the door to my home for the week and screamed my F-ing head off! I had been upgraded to an executive oceanfront suite with a full bar and balcony equal in size to my room. My fridge and bar was fully stocked with anything I could have ever asked for. I was so pumped for this week. That night we took it pretty easy and explored the resorts live entertainment and discotecas.
The next morning we took a bus tour to visit the Malecon, which is the boardwalk area in town. There were several taquerias, bars, shops and street artists. We boarded the bus again after visiting the town and headed to zipline through the same area that the 1986 hit movie Predator was filmed. It was a very green and beautiful hike up the mountain before ziplining down. We finished our tour in the town of Tequila where the Tequila distilleries were. It was amazing to see the sizes of the agave plants, learn about and taste different kinds of tequila. We were even given lesson on how to properly drink tequila and bought some to take back with us.
Our third day we took a snorkel, kayak and Marieta island tour. I hadn’t been briefed upfront on exact details of the tour but was excited to see another part of Puerto Vallarta. We cruised and drank while mingling with other guests aboard from all over the world prior to snorkeling, paddleboarding and kayaking in safe waters. It was a blast. We then got back on the boat and was offered a snack for another adventure we were soon to face. Not long after that we anchored in the Bahia de Banderas (Bay of Flags) near an Island. We were told we had to swim to the Island. What?! I don’t know how to swim! I immediately went into panic mode until the tour guide handed me a not so trustworthy looking life jacket and told me get in the water because I didn’t want to miss this part of the tour. I got my mind right then finally jumped in. As we swam closer to the island, I could feel what felt like hundreds of fish bumping into my feet. A few yards more, I could feel small stings in my legs. I ignored it but then it was all over and really started to hurt. Soon thereafter, the entire group started to panic as they also were being “attacked” by something. The tour guide alerted us that it was a large school of small jellyfish. We powered through it until we reached a small cave like opening mostly full of water. We were then told to swim through it as the tide was a little high but it was still safe. I then went into panic mode again. My best friend grabbed my hand and together we pushed through the cave as quickly as possible against a current until we arrived to land. Out of breath, I took off my life jacket inside of the cave and looked up. It was a gigantic hole inside of a cave giving warmth and light to what seemed to be a “hidden beach”. This was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Nature’s hidden treasure and I witnessed it with my own eyes. We were able to capture our moments and enjoy the hidden beach prior to swimming back to the boat. This was the most exhilarating, scary and fun adventure I had ever been a part of.
Puerto Vallarta is amazing. You can relax or party and engage in live entertainment at the resort. You can hit the town and indulge in Mexican culture, visit Tequila where you can learn about tequila and even have a sip or two, tour hidden beaches, snorkel, visit a sandbar and drink with friends or get back to nature by hiking and ziplining. There isn’t much that you can’t do here because its safe and definitely worthwhile. I highly suggest you add this town to your list if it isn’t already there.
