Puerto Vallarta 2017
Let me begin by saying that this post is way overdue. Last March my family and I travelled to Puerto Vallarta for the March Break holiday and ever since we returned I have been meaning to share my photographs and suggestions of places to go. Unfortunately, I was just too busy to ever write that post (until now, ha!). I guess late is better than never!
Last year was a super crazy busy time for me and March Break was no exception. Two days before leaving for Mexico I had to go to Ryerson University in Toronto for portfolio evaluation and testing to get into their architecture program. That was a pretty stressful morning as it was my first evaluation by any of the universities I applied to. While we were in Mexico I didn’t get much of a break either because I had a one hour presentation on Ludwig Van Beethoven two days after I got home and an English poetry seminar the day after that. A lot of my trip was spent sitting at the counter in our condo on my computer alternating between researching Beethoven, creating a power point for my presentation and trying to figure out the theme of the poem Dover Beach. Despite having so much work I did still enjoy myself while I was down there.
Puerto Vallarta is a beautiful city in Mexico on the Pacific side. My family rented a condo in Old Vallarta right on the Malecon, which is a walkway along the water lined with restaurants and touristy shops. Old Vallarta is absolutely beautiful! The streets are all old cobble stone and the buildings are quaint old things with fantastic greenery around them.
While we were down there we ate at plenty of great restaurants, but Pipi’s restaurant in Old Vallarta is by far our favourite. It’s a traditional, family-run restaurant that serves delicious Mexican food and margaritas the size of a fish bowl. During our stay we ate at Pipi’s on several occasions. The service is the best I’ve ever experienced and the atmosphere is so fun and welcoming. There is a server that goes from table to table and makes fresh guacamole for you. There is a mariachi band that does covers of old classics too. It is such a great place to spend an evening and I definitely recommend you check it out if you ever happen to be in Puerto Vallarta.
There is lots to see on the streets of Puerto Vallarta as well as along the Malecon. All day long people walk along the ocean front with baskets of pastries, arms full of jewelry and sticks of grilled meat trying to sell you something. Admittedly, the constant sales pitches get a bit annoying, but it’s still lovely to sit by the water and enjoy the sun.
Every Saturday morning the Olas Altas market takes place in a square just off of the Malecon. My mom and I checked out the market and did a little bit of shopping too. It is an amazing market. There are tons of vendors that were born and raised in Mexico, but there are also lots of vendors that moved there from all over the world. The market is very diverse. It has art, food, clothing and goods such as hand crafted soaps. I am a sucker for a good market so this was definitely a trip highlight for me.
On our last day we rented a boat and spent the day out on the ocean. We stopped at a reef to snorkel and saw so many interesting sights. While we were driving along we spotted dolphins and they came right up close to the bow of the boat. Also, we saw a whale when we were on our way back at the end of the day. It was such an incredible experience to be so close to these amazing animals. This was a spectacular way to finish off the trip.
xx
-Ashley
