This May, we spent a week in Mexico visiting my parents. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a relaxing vacation since we were running around almost every day, but we had such a great time with my mom and dad. (Then again, I hardly ever take truly relaxing vacations). I had been dying for a beach, so we figured we’d knock that out at our home away from home, Puerto Vallarta.
And speaking of home, my parents officially moved into their brand new build just before we arrived! The house is HUGE and absolutely beautiful. I’m so proud of them for finally being done after years of planning. The pool wasn’t ready yet, but everything else was just about good to go. We popped some champagne and toasted to their new home.
My parents like taking us to different areas, so we spent a day on the beach at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. I couldn’t wait to get in the water and it felt incredible. The drive wasn’t too far from Bucerias and it’s much more of a local beach than some of the touristy areas.
Keeping with tradition, Reid and I checked into Barcelo, our wedding resort, for a couple nights. This gave us one full day to ACTUALLY relax and partake in all the resort activities. I got to read my book by the pool, sooo nice. We have gone every year since we’ve been married and it’s always so fun to relive the best weekend of our lives! Since this is year 5, I even wore my wedding salsa dancing dress to dinner. 🙂
When my mom picked us up, we stopped at the botanical gardens, which I had never been to before. It’s such a big park with multiple gardens and areas. We stopped for lunch in the restaurant and then left to get drinks at Le Kliff. This cliffside restaurant bar is surreal, so gorgeous, and incredibly built with so many levels to appreciate. We spent some time wandering and taking photos at the various platforms. Their fancy margaritas are expensive (~$25) but we stuck to mixed drinks.
Then we headed to Guadalajara for the last few days of the trip. We took the bus, which was an easy and comfortable four-hour ride. Reid had never been and we hadn’t yet seen my parents’ city pad, so we wanted to tack that on, too. We were DEAD TIRED upon arrival, so we did a quick tour of the downtown then headed back for a nap. I think the altitude caught up to us, and it was also 100 degrees so we were drained from the heat. I really hope Reid wants to see more, despite an exhausting first impression, since this is my dad’s hometown!
We did emerge for dinner in Tlaquepaque, one of my favorite towns outside the city. I was hoping to have some time for houseware shopping, but we’ll just have to make a trip back. So many items here are handcrafted, affordable, and beautiful. I love having Mexican touches throughout my home.
The next day we took a drive to Tequila for some tequila tasting. We did learn that tours only go to visit the agave fields on the weekends, but it was really cool to see the production process. Did you know that tequila can only be produced in the state of Jalisco and a few surrounding towns?
On our last morning, we went to a popular breakfast buffet called Santo Coyote before heading to the airport. Unfortunately, the lines on a Saturday morning were pretty long, so we waited quite a bit. I would definitely recommend visiting during the week or later in the day. The food is delicious, though, and there is something for everyone.
That was a long one, but I’m telling you we were BUSY this trip!! I am hoping that next time we can take our time a bit more and definitely enjoy my parents’ pool!