Las Caletas or Las Marietas Eco Discovery

July 7, 2011

While trip planning, I could not decide between Las Caletas and Las Marietas Eco Discovery. Both sounded similar in that they were boat trips with the option to snorkel and kayak. However, these adventures were completely different.

Sea Sick. Las Marietas is located in Banderas Bay, and the journey out there can be unpleasant for those who get motion sickness and have not taken dramamine. The crew were handing out plastic bags to those who were sea sick at the tail end of the ride out to Las Marietas. In contrast, Las Caletas is a smooth, enjoyable ride along the coast of Puerto Vallarta.

Activities. If you have young children, Las Caletas is the perfect destination. Between the burro ride, ziplining, and floating on an inner tube off the beach, the little ones were absolutely delighted. Las Marietas offers kayaking and snorkeling. If you get sea sick on the way to Las Marietas, you’ll probably be spending your time on the beach.

Food. With a full kitchen, Las Caletas offered a better assortment of hot food and cool desserts. For Las Marietas, the lunch offerings are sandwiches and salads.

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Las Caletas

July 7, 2011

Of all the tours offered by Vallarta Adventures, I enjoyed Las Caletas the most. Like the other tours, we started with breakfast at the Nuevo Vallarta center before boarding a catamaran. The ship proceeded to Marina Vallarta, where it picked up additional passengers, and then headed straight to Las Caletas. The ship traveled parallel to the coast and the journey was not rough at all, unlike the ride to Las Marietas.

On the way to Las Caletas, we passed by Los Arcos, which are giant, arched rocks in Banderas Bay. We could see people snorkeling around the rocks in the morning.

As we approach Las Caletas, we receive a wave and a warm welcome.

Las Caletas has two beaches. The first one you pass is the quiet one. The catamaran that transported us to Las Caletas is in the background.

Las Caletas is the perfect destination for young children. Vallarta Adventures has a program dedicated to kids (four and up) that includes face painting, a visit with ducks and monkeys, a ride aboard a burro to the hilltop, and a zipline ride back down the hill.

During your stay at Las Caletas, drinks are complimentary, unless you want some fresh coconut juice.

The most important sign at Las Caletas. The water sports end at 1:00 PM. So, after lunch, there is no returning to the beach for more kayaking or snorkeling.

At the second beach, you can snorkel, kayaking, swim or float in an inner tube. The kids really loved the inner tube.

Lunch is a delicious buffet that offers food both familiar and foreign. For Chinese kids who are not too experimental, you cannot go wrong with rice.

I really liked the handmade tortillas, especially with the cactus.

Good bye Las Caletas.

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Las Marietas Eco Discovery

July 5, 2011

The Las Marietas Eco Discovery tour starts with breakfast at Vallarta Adventures. And, depending on your susceptibility to motion sickness, this may or may not be a good idea. If you require dramamine, picking it up at a local pharmacy in the United States would be a good idea because shops are far and few between in Nuevo Vallarta.

After breakfast, you depart from the Vallarta Adventures marina aboard a catamaran.

On the way to Las Marietas, you might spot some pelicans looking for some hand-outs.

Your captain might also take you to see some wild dolphin swimming in Banderas Bay. We spotted wild sea turtles during our adventure as well.

For those that got seasick, a quick ride aboard a motorboat takes you to a secluded beach out in Las Marietas. The hardier guests can snorkel or kayak near the catamaran.

After a few hours, the captain and crew collects all the guests for the return trip and lunch aboard the boat. Food choices included rolls, cold cuts, tuna salad, and pasta salad. You can also drink to your own delight at the open bar. The trip back was much smoother than the ride out.

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Puerto Vallarta v. Nuevo Vallarta

July 5, 2011

If you are not sure if you should stay in Puerto Vallarta v. Nuevo Vallarta, consider this Nuevo Vallarta panorama.

A bit difficult to see, so I’ve added a scrollable version below. You can see construction cranes working on new developments, as well as large expanses of space between the different resorts. Don’t be fooled by the riviera moniker because Riviera Nayarit is nothing like the French Riviera. The region is not walkable or developed at all.

Nuevo Vallarta can be nice, and I enjoyed my stay at Villa La Estancia. But, understand that while the food and transportation in Nuevo Vallarta can be American in price, the level of infrastructure and development is not commensurate with the cost.

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San Sebastian del Oeste

July 4, 2011

San Sebastián is a historic mining town located in the mountains almost two hours from Puerto Vallarta. I joined the bus tour that departed from Vallarta Adventures after breakfast. The road to San Sebastian passes through rural Mexico, where you will see abundant fruit trees, horses, cattle and the like.

While Puerto Vallarta in June is quite hot and humid, San Sebastian was cool and comfortable in contrast.

The first stop was at Hacienda Jalisco, the pre-revolutionary home of the mining bosses, as well as an escape for Hollywood luminaries in decades past. You can walk around the grounds looking at the historical documents, maps, artifacts, and celebrity memorabilia left behind.

After the Hacienda Jalisco tour, we head back to the bus and ride into town. The next stop is a small coffee plantation, where you can sample and purchase the local coffee. The farm also featured many fruit trees scattered throughout. We then proceeded to walk down the street to lunch, followed with a walking tour of San Sebastian.

You can visit the local church and learn about Saint Sebastian.

The other stop is the home / museum of Doña Conchita Encarnación, where you can view historial photographs of San Sebastian and learn about the three families whose history are intertwined throughout the fabric of San Sebastian.

On the way out of San Sebastian, the bus stops at the tequila distillery where you can sample various tequilas and mixed drinks. The tequila almendrado, or almond flavored tequila, might appeal to those with a sweet tooth.

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Vallarta Adventures Breakfast

June 25, 2011

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.

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Puerto Vallarta

June 25, 2011

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.

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Nuevo Vallarta Mega Store

June 25, 2011

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.

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Nuevo Vallarta Taxi

June 24, 2011

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.

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Bucerias

June 24, 2011

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.

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