We're back...

We are back from our fantastic trip to Puerto Vallarta!  Our time there coincided with Beef Dip (not by accident) so we had lots of fun and met some great new friends.  I'll share some of our activities, highlights and photos in a couple of posts this week.

Our flight was supposed to depart from Washington DC on Sat at 7:01am, but due to a mechanical issue that could not be fixed within an hour, we had to de-board the plane at 8am and get re-booked on a different flight that wasn't due to leave until 1pm.  So our friend Carl, Spouse & I sat in the airport for several hours until it was time to board.  Rather than arriving at 3:00 we arrived at 8:00.  Fortunately our transportation from the airport to the condo wasn't screwed up by this.  I was texting updates to the driver who was quite gracious.

We stayed in an AirBnB condo in the same building we stayed in 2 years ago.  The location is perfectly centered between the gay beach area resorts and the nightclubs, with lots of restaurant options also nearby.  We were able to walk everywhere in just a few minutes.  Here's the view from our terrace:

After checking into the condo we headed out to eat.  We had eaten nothing substantial since breakfast around 9am and it was now close to 9pm.  I was so hungry I felt like I was going to pass out!  We walked down to the beach and got a table at La Palapa.  After starting with a couple appetizers for the 3 of us to share, I had a delicious stuffed pork tenderloin.  Then we walked to the Oxxo store, which is the Mexican equivalent to a 7-11 convenience store.  We picked up some coffee, creamer, bottled water, paper towels, bread, peanut butter, danish and sun lotion.  Upon returning to the condo we sat out on the terrace until bedtime.

Sun morning we had coffee and a continental breakfast out on the terrace, then walked over to the Blue Chairs beach resort where we found chairs under a palapa.  A waiter brought us drinks and food when we were ready to eat again, and we had a lovely day at the beach.  (Tip:  the hotel rooms aren't very nice, so go to Blue Chairs beach resort for the day, but don't stay there.)

Spouse enjoying the 1st of many Pina Coladas of the week

The temperature was about 84 degrees, no humidity, and a light breeze.  The 3 of us got into the ocean too, which was a very comfortable temperature, although a bit rough.  Each of us took a tumble in the waves at some point during the week.  Mine was on the 1st day.

On the way back to the condo we passed another store, this 1 called Mini Super (an oxymoron if I've ever heard one) which had a lot more stuff than the Oxxo.  We picked up some more breakfast foods and snacks on our way back to the condo.  Once we'd all showered we headed the Beef Dip Welcome Party at the top of the Blue Chairs resort.  The music was fun and there were lots of guys there.

Welcome Party at Blue Chairs

Spouse subtly pointed at a guy nearby and asked me if I knew who he was.  I said no but he looked a little familiar.  After speaking to the guy we realized we had met him 3 years ago on our Caribbean cruise!  Crazy coincidence, right?  As if that wasn't wild enough, we also ran into a guy named Joe who we met in Palm Springs a year ago!!

Me & Spouse at the Welcome Party

After the welcome party, the 3 of us stopped at Fusion for dinner.  Like 99% of Puerto Vallarta restaurants, the dining area is outdoors which we love.  All 3 of us loved our dinners.  I had shrimp.

Carl & Spouse at Fusion

To wind up the evening we went to Los Amigos.  Its a very casual, cowboy-themed indoor/outdoor bar where we had a couple drinks, met some new friends, and mingled before heading back to the condo to relax on the terrace before going to bed.