owa

We are a family of 10 (10-64) from Minnesota and South Dakota that have taken at least one annual trip for the last 10 years. I am the grandmother that picks a location, plans the whole trip and pays for everything.

This was our first time to Puerto Vallarta as we go a different place every year. In case you don’t read any further, I’d like to give credit to two tours that made our stay in PV better than we could have hoped.

First ,Marjorie and Agustin of Tango Tours ([email protected]). What a pleasure to deal with both of them as they are very reliable, extremely nice, and I soon felt like they were friends. My correspondence was with Marjorie by e-mails. She answered promptly with a natural, wonderful ability to come across as completely honest. I didn’t hesitate to send a $200 deposit to an address in California. Agustin and a crew of two, took us out on a cruiser that we rented for us only. What a day they gave us! Agustin and the crew were attentive, informative, and best of all, fun. We all thought it was by far the better of two boat trips we took. I would highly, highly recommend them.

On our last day, we had to be out of our rooms at llAM with an 830PM departure. Agustin contacted Tony Sanchez ([email protected])
to give us a tour to the north of PV with his 14 passengers van. I was grateful to Agustin and Tony because we would have missed out on a fun afternoon. It was a perfect way to end our trip. Tony is quite a guy: he is informative, very humorous and kept us all entertained. He took us to lunch at Hidden Paradise, which has a beautiful setting and was the best food of our trip. If you need a tour or transportation, get in touch with Tony.

To those of you that recommended Casa Claudia for lodging, thank you . It was absolutely charming, quiet and so clean. For the two families of four, we had two adjoining rooms. My husband and I had the Terrace Suite. The kitchens are well equipped. This 12-room hotel would not be for everyone if you want to be amid all the activity such as at Zona Romantica. Not being even close to that area was a big plus for us. We weren't close to most of the restuarants, but we love to walk. The other downside is the beach in front of CC. We felt from the information given us that the undertow was too dangerous to allow the grandchildren to swim. I don’t know if the information was correct, but we certainly didn’t want to take a chance.

We went to a couple of restaurants that were recommended numerous times. I have to say we thought they were over-priced with poor service and only fair food. Maybe it was because we were a party of 10 although we always went between five and six . They were Chez Elena and La Palapa. At both places we sent food back because it was served cold. At less expensive places, it didn’t happen. We did eat at little stands near our hotel and loved the food.

I you have any questions, I would be happy to answer if I can.
Happy New Year. Owa

owa

I am already researching for Christmas 2005. If any one has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Owa

owa

I failed to mention how much we liked walking to strictly residential areas of PV. It was fun to see the local food market, kids playing in the street, and experience the friendly people of PV. This happened on our walk to find the "Red Cabbage" although we didn't eat there because we thought it would be too authentic for the grandchildren. I would love to go back at sometime other than Christmas when it wouldn't be so crowded.

lvitaly

I think i put my 2 cents in for La Palapa and am dissapointed for you that your experience was not what was expected. Fortunatly for us, it was one of our highlights of our trip. We all had a spectacular experience, food, ambiance was sitting at a table on the beach.
One question, how was the weather?

suze

I have had the same experience at Chez Elena restaurant (not always bad, but not reliable year to year). But I *DO* recommend the rooftop bar called El Nido for the fantastic view. Go at sunset, have a drink, then pick somewhere else for dinner.

Glad you enjoyed your stroll thru the residential neighborhoods, it's one of my very favorite things to do in PV in the evenings.

owa

lvitaly, we had the best weather of any of our 10 trips. Our first day was cloudy which was great because we walked around and explored most of the day. After that, it was sunny and hot. Actually, someone told us that it was hotter than usual. It was great for the boat trips and snorkeling.

Suze, we did go to the bar above Chez Elena. That was our cloudy day, but it still was a great view.

loangalsal

I also agree with the recommendation for Tango Tours. A great experience. You should have tried Red Cabbage! Awesome place and they do have an "american plate" that has something along the lines of chicken and mashed potatoes. Glad you had a good time! I love PV

butsey

I too recommended LaPalapa have never had a bad experience Sorry it was that way for you You never know, having been going for the last 16yrs to P.V., I found out one thing, You never know from 1 yr to the next how things will be. Chez Elena was never one of my favorites only went once but LaPalapa I do go every year. What a wonderful thing to travel with your whole family.

mikemo

OWA,
If you can handle walking @ 6500 ft on cobblestone streets/flagstone walks, you might want to consider San Miguel de Allende or some of the other Colonial towns/cities in Central MX for future trips.
M

owa

To loangalsal, I'm glad you said you agreed about Tango Tours. They really do a great job, and it is such a pleasure to correspond with wonderful people.

To butsey, La Palapa has a great location. We had drinks while the sun was setting, and the waiter was good. The waiter at dinner was sullen and unfriendly. As I said, maybe it was 10 people at one table, or maybe they were just worn out from the Christmas rush.

To mikemo, Thanks for the suggestion. What I would really like to do is a volunteer trip for the 10 of us. I just havn't figured out where. I think it would be a eye opener for the children.

Thanks everyone. Owa