Author of My Adventure

How did we decide where to go?

A girls trip, sign us up!  The three of us have traveled together for about 20 years. We have done small weekend trips to backpacking across Europe. Each year, we pick a new location and research what to see there, where to stay and what new sites or excursions are a must.  

This past June, we chose to try an all inclusive… but which one? Our big questions were where to go, where to stay, and how much is a trip like this cost? Let’s be honest, when you get online and look at all inclusive resorts, they look so impressive and I for one wanted to go to each and every one of them.  Then my friend, Kathy started reading and learning about how the sargassum seaweed between May through October can possibly make the beaches smell like rotten eggs and can potentially cause respiratory health problems in various locations of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Islands. So we contacted local travel agencies to see what their thoughts were and to be honest most were not concerned and said traveling is always a gamble. Some people have gone to the Gulf and had amazing trips.

After more research, we decided to find something on the Pacific Ocean side of Mexico where the sargassum seaweed is not really a problem.  A travel agent through Costco helped us  find a variety of possible places where we could stay within a certain budget… keep in mind, we are teachers so PLEASE we are not willing to pay pass a cut off point. Secrets, an adult only resort, at Puerto Vallarta was chosen for the win. We did kind of piddle paddle around and didn’t make a choice till May. I highly recommend not doing that…make a choice at least a few months out. Our price went up after we finally made a choice.

The flight took us into Puerto Vallarta and through Costco, Anne set up a free shuttle that escorted us right to the resort!

We stepped off the shuttle and got handed a chilled glass of champagne and a cooling wash cloth. Our luggage was taken to our room as we checked in and learned all there was to offer at the resort.  Our room was spacious with an astonishing view, a jacuzzi tub on the balcony, two extremely comfortable king beds, stocked mini fridge, and bathroom with both a tub and shower . Did I mention we had a butler for our stay??? Yeah, we did!  

Restaurants

The hotel offers various restaurants that are open at different times. For something light, the Sugar Reef Bar made delicious healthy shakes and for a larger breakfast, an all you can eat breakfast buffet offering an omelet station, a crepe station, an amazing assortment of fresh fruit, and so much more. We may have had a chocolate crepe every morning! The fish tacos at Oceana were amazing and the Barefoot Grill has an assortment to eat by the poolside. For dinner, Italian, Mexican, French cuisine or Asian Cuisine are a few choices… you can’t go wrong. We did go to the Capes Italian restaurant three times… just saying that one might be worth trying. Secrets is right next to Dreams and guests at Secrets can use the restaurants over there widening the options even more. 

Activities

There was an activity board with daily activities that is a great resource to use to plan your day accordingly. For morning activities, I highly recommend water aerobics and water yoga. No experience is necessary. For most of the day, I recommend quality pool time, dips in the ocean, or a book in your hand while your feet are in the sand. Paddle boards, kayaks, volleyballs, board games, and much more are available for you to check out at your desire. For the evening, there is often live music, plays, and even karaoke. 

Spa Time

Massages, steam cabins, and other spa treatments are offered at the resort.  However, two of us chose to get a massage on the beach for thirty dollars for an hour massage from a few local masseuses listening to the waves  as all your knots melted away. It was completely worth it! Just remember as you sit to put your top back on, you are on a public beach.

Gym

It was going to be our goal to make sure that we went to the gym that had treadmills, stair climbers, ellipticals, and much more; however, the water workouts seemed much more appealing.

Excursions

Some people are content staying on the resorts and you really do have enough to do. We tend to like to explore and did two different day trips. While one did let us see a bit of Puerto Vallarta and to a few destinations like a tequila tasting, the beautiful historical Catholic Church, and a leather store, I think next time we would get a cab and explore at our own pace and go to an open market.

The other excursion we ventured  was to Adventure Cove through Vallarta Adventure Tours. It was AMAZING! The island had kayaking, paddle boating, a waterslide, a cooking demonstration, zip line, and so much more including an open bar with amazing pineapple margaritas and a delicious lunch spread. The whole experience from the ride over from the port, the time at the cove, to the ride back was highly entertaining and the upbeat staff were very helpful and incredible.

We definitely recommend an all inclusive for a girls trip! So grab your friends and write your own adventure!