Overseas Chinese Web Guide

Category: Travel

  • Vallarta Adventures Breakfast

    When I arrived in Puerto Vallarta, I headed to the MEGA to shop for breakfast for the upcoming week. However, I did not anticipate that Vallarta Adventures would provide a wonderful breakfast before their tours. So, if you are joining a number of tours, plan accordingly or else you will end up with too much cereal and milk at the end of your stay.

    After you check-in, head to the back for the breakfast spread.

    I preferred a simple bowl of granola and yogurt to start the morning.

    You can also create your own fresh fruit plate.

    For the kids, the breakfast table offers an assortment of sugary cereals, including Fruit Loops, Cocoa Puffs and Zucaritas, with a much angrier looking Tony the Tiger.

    Here’s the full spread with your pick of milk, orange juice, tea or coffee, fruit, cereal, pastries, yogurt and granola.

  • Puerto Vallarta

    Puerto Vallarta was much larger in life than I envisioned. I wanted to get a flavor of old Puerto Vallarta, so we ended up in the part of town with narrow streets paved with cobblestone. So, the first stop was La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

    Earlier on, I recognized that I was in trouble when the trip from the Marina Vallarta to La Iglesia took much longer than I had imagined. There would be no walking back along the Malecon that day. But, at the end of the long ride, I was rewarded with a rich bowl of lentil soup at El Campanario, a hole-in-the-wall restaurant just across Calle Hidalgo from La Iglesia. I was only able to locate the restaurant by the address. Did not spot the restaurant name anywhere on the wall.

    Besides the lentil soup, the 55 pesos prix fixed lunch included a selection of shrimp, fish, steak or enchilada. The shrimp and fish were both outstanding, and this was the cheapest meal we enjoyed in Puerto Vallarta.

    On the trek back, the Malecon was under construction, so there was no seaside walk to enjoy.

  • Nuevo Vallarta Mega Store

    On a map, the MEGA looks so close to Villa La Estancia. You can even see it from the upper floors of the resort, just beyond that large stretch of undeveloped land. But, I was not that interested in walking along deserted sidewalks in an unfamiliar location, so I told a taxi to the store for I believe about 60 pesos.

    If you are not on an all-inclusive plan, picking up some basic staples at the MEGA can be a good, money-saving option. The MEGA store offers a selection of fruits and vegetables, though not the freshest by American standards. You can also find breads, milk, jam, cereal, yogurt, and just about anything else to get you started in the morning for a lot less than the $15 per head all-you-can-east breakfast buffet at the resort. Interestingly, the MEGA store also carried an assortment of Kirkland branded goods.

    After you checkout, the greeter at the door will help you call a taxi. Transportation back-and-forth was not a problem.

  • Nuevo Vallarta Taxi

    For some reason, I was expecting Nuevo Vallarta to be like Waikiki. It wasn’t. Instead of a dense and compact tourist destination, I saw large resorts scattered along the coast, sometimes with large gaps between them. Even if you want to take an evening walk, there was no place to go. Seems incredible that large resorts can exist without tourist shops and restaurants nearby, but that was definitely my experience. You can see for yourself on Google Maps.

    I thought I would be able to walk from Villa La Estancia to something nearby, but I didn’t see anything within walking distance outside of other resorts. I went to Puerto Vallarta once, but most of the time, I travelled back-and-forth between the hotel and Vallarta Adventures.

    Where Should I Stay in Nuevo Vallarta

    If you are staying at an all-inclusive resort and do not plan to leave the premises, then location should not make a big difference. However, if you want to take advantage of several of the journeys offered by Vallarta Adventures, then the cost of transportation may be a factor.

    As you can see, a trip from Vallarta Adventures to Villa Del Palmar (which is next to Villa La Estancia) costs $110 for 1-4 passengers and $220 for 5-8 passengers. After a couple of trips, that taxi fare starts adding up quickly, so let this Nuevo Vallarta taxi rate sign be your guide. If you plan on joining some Vallarta Adventure tours, it would be smart to stay somewhere closer to them than at the northern end of Nuevo Vallarta, or even further away.

  • Bucerias

    From Villa La Estancia at the northern end of Nuevo Vallarta, Bucerias appears just a few steps away. However, in the June heat and humidity, a short taxi ride sounded much more practical than a jaunt along the sunny beach.

    From Nuevo Vallarta, I took a taxi to the Bucerias flea market. Not large in size, but full of colorful wares and personalities. As I exited the taxi, I was immediately greeted by vendors selling t-shirts and other tourist souvenirs, as well as competing marketers offering me a business card for their beachside restaurant.

    Since it was still quite early, I trekked around town expecting something remotely resembling small town charm. But, Carmel this was not. Outside of a few shops and a lot of small restaurants, I didn’t see anything that matched the art of the street signs. And, cobblestone roads are bumpy and way overrated.

    Av. del Pacifico is the street that runs along the coast, and appears the most tourist oriented. The beach side features restaurants sitting on the sand. The other side of the street is pretty non-descript.

    For lunch, we stopped at El Brujo, which is roughly at the northern end of Av. del Pacifico. This recommendation from Fodor’s was solid, with the best dish being the molcajete. I should have taken a picture of the small black cauldron that featured a delicious mix of steak strips and onions. Good stuff when wrapped in a soft, flour tortilla. The roasted, whole red snapper was also delicious. I was not as enamored with the shrimp fajitas, in that this was the only restaurant in Mexico that I visited that did not devein the shrimp. The meal came to about $15 per person including drinks, which is much less than what the resorts were charging.

    You can dine in the patio above, or beneath the palapas on the beach.

  • Villa La Estancia, Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit

    I recently stayed at Villa La Estancia Beach Resort & Spa, located at Paseo de Cocoteros 700 Sur, Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit 63732, Mexico. I had booked the reservations through Costco Travel, which is currently offering a stay four nights for the price of three nights promotion at $279 per person, with a $300 resort credit included, which runs to $1,674. The credit could be applied to food, beverages and other services, excluding tips. While at the resort, I had encountered another guest that had booked their travel through a LivingSocial deal that included all meals, beverages, and unlimited massages for $1,630. Despite, the $300 credit, the $1,630 promotion is a better deal if you plan on taking all your meals on the premises. I had never thought about booking travel through a group buying website, so that was an eye-opener.

    The resort itself is spectacular. Located on the beach, the facility looks and feels new. Based on the layout of the buildings, all rooms should provide at least a partial ocean view from the patio. The resort’s palette featured an abundance of warm, earth tones.

    Housekeeping even provides a daily supply of L’Occitane Verbena Products, which like most items from France, is quite pricey.

    For dining options, the resort has an outside swim-up bar by the pool, as well as a steak house just off the resort lobby.

    I has one dinner at La Casona. While the service and ambience was refined, the food did not exactly knock me out of my socks. More on that later.

    The best meal I had at the resort was at the Bella Vista restaurant located at the sister property–Villa del Palmar Flamingos–next door. The savory shrimp fajitas were absolutely delicious.

    1. Location. The resort is located at the northern end of Nuevo Vallarta, and quite distant from any outside shops, restaurants or other amenities. If you have an all-inclusive deal and you plan on spending your entire time lounging around the pool, this should not present any problems. However, if you want to get around the Puerto Vallarta and the other cities along the Bahía de Banderas, the transportation costs could add up quickly. Relied on the taxi service during the entire week. I did see numerous Turibus stops along the main Nuevo Vallarta drag, but I only saw that bus once. That Turibus does not operate with as much frequency as you would think.
    2. Beach/Pool. While the resort is located on the beach, I didn’t see too many people in the water. The waves can get quite rough, particularly in the afternoon when the winds pick-up. The pool itself is not that deep. I would guess that it is about four feet deep at most. The pool has an extremely shallow wading section for toddlers where the water cannot be more than a few inches deep.
    3. Internet Access. Wi-Fi available for free in the lobby. I could also access the Wi-Fi connection from the corner of the patio closest to the lobby. The room had an ethernet cable and port, but the AirPort Express that I had brought along was not configured correctly to create my own personal wireless access point. I either need the AirPort Express to be configured correctly before I leave home, or I need a way to reconfigure that device from an iPad. So close, yet so far away.
    4. Kitchen. I liked the ResortQuest Waikiki Beach Tower better. Absolutely inefficient to make short-term guests purchase their own cleaning supplies, as well as some ingredients that are almost always sold in bulk, like sugar and salt.
    5. Laundry. I am absolutely sold on the in-suite washer and dryer. However, like above, ResortQuest provided a daily box of laundry detergent, but Villa La Estancia did not. So, I had to buy a month’s worth of detergent at the supermarket to use for the week that I was there.
    6. Timeshare Salesmen. No one at Villa La Estancia pitched me on purchasing a timeshare. However, the salesmen at the adjoining property were quite assertive, though not in an overly aggressive manner. Basically, the routine would be to strike up a conversation, offer a few helpful tips, and then begin their sales pitch. So long as you know it is coming and remain persistent in dodging their offers (that is if you are not interested), you will be fine.
    7. Food. The food quality and quantity was uneven. Food pricing was even–evenly expensive. I get that at a remote resort, the seller has a near monopoly power to ratchet up prices. To be more expensive than local Mexican restaurants is expected. To be more expensive than restaurants in the United States, well, I did not see that one coming. That credit evaporates quite rapidly when fruit punch for the kids goes for $6 a cup. Not pesos, but US dollars. I dined at Bella Vista twice–once for dinner and another time for breakfast. Both times it was an all-you-can-eat buffet of decent quality. At US $20 for breakfast and $30 for dinner, I thought the cost was about double when I would pay in the states, but both meals were satisfying. I ate at the Villa del Palmar Flamingos outdoor restaurant once. Seriously, I’ve made better pizza in my life. And, the fish tacos were a bit shy on the fish. The big disappointment was the La Casona restaurant, home of the $6 fruit punch mentioned above. Between the extremely dry chicken breast in the shish kebab and the overly salty Portabello mushrooms, the meal had disappointment written all over it. The crisp calamari appetizers were good through–breaded and fried with three different accompanying sauces. Just did not realize that we had hit the high note so early on in the meal.
    8. Atmosphere. While Villa del Palmar Flamingos and Villa La Estancia are neighboring properties, the vibe of each location was different. Villa del Palmar Flamingos offered more activities, had more people in the pool, and provided better dining options. Villa La Estancia focused secluded tranquility. Despite the size of the premises, I didn’t see that many people around the resort or in the pool. You have the resort pretty much to yourself.
    9. Market. If you are looking to prepare some of your meals in your own suite, the Palmita Market at the Villa del Palmar Flamingos offers some basic provisions. A larger supermarket is nearby, just off the highway. The vegetables were not the freshest, but no worse than what I’ve seen at other markets in Bucerias and Puerto Vallarta.

    So, I loved the resort overall, despite the misses here and there. I probably would have liked it even more if I had skipped the La Casona dinner. If you are going to charge $30 for a main course, you better bring your A game. I would return if the surrounding area was developed and offered alternate places to dine. I also thought I spent too much time and money on transportation. The next time I travel to Puerto Vallarta, I might look for a more centrally located property.

  • Mexico Travel Warning

    Last month, the U.S. Department of State issued a new travel warning for U.S. citizens travelling to or living in Mexico. If you want to get multiple perspectives on travel safety, you can also read what other English-speaking nations have stated about travel to Mexico.

  • Niles Canyon Railway

    A few months ago, I caught a ride aboard the Niles Canyon Railway. Finding the station was simple enough, though the location of the parking lot was far from obvious. As it turns out, a parking lot is located next to the station.

    If you drive down the path alongside the railroad tracks, the lot will be on your left. But, this path looks nothing like a paved road, so I was not certain that vehicle access was even permitted until I had already parked outside, walked down to the station and then spotted the parking lot.

    Nice, big locomotive, though not as friendly in appearance as Thomas the Tank Engine.

    The inside of the glorious coaches. The train is totally kid-friendly with both a restroom and a snack bar. If you don’t mind sitting outside, you can sit in the open-air coach that offers unobstructed views of the surrounding canyon.

    The round-trip journey from Niles to Sunol passes a rail yard, where you can spot other railcars lounging in the sidings.

  • Museum of American Heritage, Palo Alto, CA

    Last month, I visited the Museum of American Heritage. Located at 351 Homer Avenue in Palo Alto, the Museum offers a free peak at American’s not-too-distant past.

    During my visit, the Museum of American Heritage had a special Lego exhibit. An ordinary city block with the ubiquitous 7-Eleven convenience store and Starbucks coffee shop.

    Santa and Rudolph out on a mid-day sleigh ride.

    The exhibit also include Lego trains, ships, planes and carnival rides. I was particularly impressed with the moving Lego Scrambler.

    Inside the museum, I saw an antique phone.

    The museum also featured an Underwood typewriter. I am absolutely shocked that Amazon sells typewriters. I guess these relics have not been completely banished to the history bin just yet. However, you can imagine what happens to a typewriter when it is placed in a location accessible to children. The kids want to push all the
    keys at once, thereby jamming them altogether.

    The glance into the pantry of generation’s past was illuminating. Some brands have endured to the present while others have disappeared off supermarket shelves long ago.

    The final treat was a glimpse at confederate money, with 2011 being the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War. Perhaps, the last place you would expect to find confederate money is a small museum in California.

  • Eugene Friend Carousel

    Located at the San Francisco Zoo, the Eugene Friend Carousel is an enclosed merry-go-round near the entrance of the zoo.

    For $2.00, you can get a ride aboard a fine carousel horse.

    If you want a wilder ride, you can hop aboard the tiger. However, animals on the outer track only circle around and do not move up-and-down.

    A friendly pair of porkers is another option.

    The two kittens are dedicated hunters. This one has a fish in its mouth. The other kitten caught a bird.

    Not sure what’s up with this melancholy giraffe.