Marvelous Mexico Part I

Last year we took a unique trip to Mexico to celebrate my older son's high school graduation.  I'll share the trip in several parts over the next few weeks, so if you're looking for a vacation away from the normal resort towns of Mexico, read on.

My hubby and I wanted to experience traditional Mexico in a safe and family friendly area. When our well traveled friends recommended Playa Las Tortugas (Turtle Beach)  in the Riviera Nayarit region of the Pacific Coast, we knew we had found just the place.  As we were planning the trip my sister and her family and my parents decided they wanted to come along.  

Don't they look wide awake and excited?  We headed out of Seattle very early for a long day of travel.

We flew into Puerto Vallarta and met up with our shuttle driver.  Our end destination was still almost two hours away.  We drove through jungles, beach towns, small villages and large resort communities until we finally reached a sign at the end of a dirt road that pointed to our home for the next ten days.  30 minutes and quite a bumpy and dusty ride later, we turned the corner and found paradise!

The house we rented was large enough for the entire family to stay together.  The community of ten villas sat in the middle of a coconut palm plantation.

And the beach!  It was a short 30 second walk from the house, and featured five miles of white sand.  The water was warm and the waves were just the right size for boogie boarding.

The price of the house included a wonderful housekeeper named Bella.  We paid extra for meals, and every morning we woke up to this on the back patio.

We spent our first few days playing on the beach and relaxing in our beautiful villa. Nobody wanted to leave.

In the spirit of full disclosure, this vacation was not Travel Channel perfect.  It was hot - REALLY hot.  The house had air conditioning - but only in the bedrooms.  There were big bugs - the boys had an ongoing battle with them in the bathroom.  Several nights we had huge thunderstorms that knocked out the power - and the air conditioning.  But overall we loved being together and enjoying some down time.  

Next week I'll write about some of the adventures we took in Marvelous Mexico Part II.