ketchingup - Puerto Vallarta

ARRGGGGGHHHHH! The boys enjoyed a full day being pirates aboard the Merigallante Pirate Cruise with our friends on Oasis and our personal pirate Ricky who catered to our every need. The boys loved the cruise, seeing the whales, riding the Bananna boats, digging for buried treasure, swordfighting and much more. Kids (and adults) enjoyed a day in Paradise visiting Deb, Rich, Kyle and Ryan at the gorgeous complex of Nuevo Vallarta & Paradise Resort and Marina. Waterslides, cabana boys and lots of fun!

Spent a few days on the hook in Punta Mita, the town is at the farthest most point north on Bandaras Bay. Lots of visitors there, but plenty of room for the kids to start using their new boogie boards that Grandma & Grandpa gave them for Christmas. They were a huge hit, but we knew we were in trouble when they mastered the big waves, and started trying to surf on the boards!

Welcome my friends to

Puerto Vallarta!

This is our 3rd time visiting this beautiful area, our 2nd by boat, however the last boat we were on was CONSIDERABLY larger! We enjoyed our visit to the city and marveled at how much it had changed in 3 years. Where there were fields and farms, there are now mega developments, and where a game of charades and broken spanish could get you through the market, now most of the vendors speak english. Charm is being replaced with convenience. Even Chuck-E-Cheese is in PV--and no, we didn't even consider going there!

One of our favorite little places we stayed in PV was with the Enriuquez' at Puntas Pellicanos back in 2002. Hard to recognize the area now due to the marina complex that has been developed. The little town of LaCruz is bracing for big changes including a bid from the marina to buy the town square---to build a parking lot. Lots of old PV still remains, however its surrounded by Starbucks, Mc Donalds and other US vendors invading.

We enjoyed sharing our favorite PV places with Darryl & Genie, the Flea Market, a few yummy restaurants we enjoyed in the past, and a few new ones that we visited around Marina Vallarta. It was a great place to spend Christmas and the boys were so happy to have their Grandparents here to experience the holiday with us!