For the first time ever, I took an exotic vacation to beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I had to actually get a passport in preparation for this trip and that's another first! My partner in crime, Tubbs (it's a "Miami Vice" thing), I mean, Von, came along and we did not hold back from making the most of the time we had. I rarely take vacations that are a week long, so this seemed truly decadent, not to mention that we were going to an all-inclusive resort, the
Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, which made us feel even more like we were doing something pretty self-indulgent. But, hey, we're worth it, right? Don't hate us because we're beautiful!
The flight was pretty uneventful, although it was one of the longer ones I've taken, so by the time we landed we were definitely ready to get off the plane. Neither of us knew what to expect really. We had seen pictures of previous resort vacations the group we booked through (
Atlantis Events) had done in the past, so we knew there would be lots of beautiful people frolicking on the beach and laying by the pool, but that was pretty much all we knew. We caught the shuttle bus with everybody else from our plane and made our way to the resort. I knew we were in for a good time when we passed a restaurant along the way called Sofa King Good (one of my sister's favorite phrases), so my excitement grew as we got closer.
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| View from a beachfront restaurant in downtown Puerto Vallarta |
We pulled into the resort and as we exited the bus, we all got hugs of welcome (ain't that sweet?). We were told to leave our bags and they would be brought to our rooms later. This made me a little nervous since the airport always tells you to keep your bags under your control (what if this was all a big scam to get me busted on my return trip with some illegal contraband?? I wouldn't make it in a Mexican prison!). The line to check in was long and sloooooow (thank goodness they were handing out trays full of drinks; Von was pretty
happy by the time it was our turn to check in). We got to our room and there was the luggage; all was well (no Mexican prison for Glenn!). Once we got the lay of the land, it was time for.........a drink!
And the drinks just kept on coming.....
Have you been to an all-inclusive resort? In one word......pampering! All the food and drinks were included in our stay, so our biggest decisions were when to start drinking and what we were going to drink each day. The best part was being able to stay put while a member of the hotel staff waited on our every need. So, sitting on the beach as the sun set, reading a book, was made even better by the steady stream of bourbon I received.
That's not to say that all we did was drink, there was food involved, too, and we certainly maximized our options, trying every restaurant and eating at all times of the day/night. I haven't eaten that much food in ages and I've got the extra five pounds to prove it!
But, more important than the food and the drinks were all of the people we met during the trip. Everyday seemed to bring someone new across our path and everyone was extremely warm and welcoming. Being an introvert, it's always been a challenge for me to meet new people, but with Von by my side, it just didn't seem so tough down in Mexico. We met people from all over the world and there was an ease to conversations that I just don't see all the time.
We got to celebrate Shaw's 40th birthday with him at a great party in his suite:
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| Shaw's the one hugging Von in front |
There never seemed to be a lack of companionship on this trip and we made fast friends with several people who we hung out with almost everyday. The social events Atlantis planned throughout the week helped with this, too: a Halloween party; a dance almost every night, including my favorite: 80s night (you forget how good Lisa Lisa With Cult Jam and Full Force really were); there were excursions to all parts of the area (Von and I trekked to the downtown area and had nachos and quesadillas on the beach); and tons more. So, it really wasn't possible to NOT meet people during the week. Von remarked once that when he first met me, he didn't think I could speak (very funny, Von), so being able to have some great conversations with the wide variety of people we met was fantastic. Here's just a sampling of all the great friends we made:
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| This crazy, fun pair from Vegas! |
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| Nick and John from New York |
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| Eric and Tim from Dallas |
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| Joe and Tony from nearby PA |
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| This group dressed as the Real Housewives of Atlantis for Halloween |
I could go into all the details of what we did each day, but I don't think a play-by-play of events would be of interest to everyone reading and it would take up far too much space to talk about our trip to experience the nightlife in downtown Puerto Vallarta with all the "dancers" wanting to share their talents with us in the back, private area. "The first rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: You do not talk about Fight Club." Suffice it to say, a good time was had by all and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world.
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| Until next time, Mexico! |
One last note, I have to express much love and gratitude to the entire staff of the Hard Rock Hotel who worked long hours and put up with a lot of shenanigans, all with smiles on their faces and an eagerness to help with whatever we needed. And, to the Atlantis crew who were at every event all day and night and made sure everyone had a good time, their boundless energy was contagious and I won't soon forget them, especially Ellen's performance of
"Nowhere Fast" from
Streets of Fire. Can't wait to be able to order another drink from Rosie!
Check out this short
video of photos Von put together of the trip!
