I took this picture as we were landing into Puerto Vallarta from Phoenix. The jungles of central Mexico are very lush and green!
The Conrad Punta de Mita had a concierge at the airport to greet us, give us water, and show us our driver.
I hate the metric system! LOL. What does 19'C translate into fahrenheit!
The driver opened the panoramic roof cover as we entered the compound for the resort since it was so scenic!
We had to go through a security check point to get into the resort from the main compound.
The bellman is getting our luggage from the Suburban as we entered the beautiful luxury resort. Joy has her sweater on still from the plane.
The Roys have arrived at the $500 per night luxury resort. This is the open air lobby for the Conrad Punta de Mita. I took my jacket off at the airport since it was toasty!
The bellman had the bartender make us our welcome drink as we checked into our ocean view room. A guy came by with cold towels also for us.
I loved the view of the mountains and jungle as we made our way to the room with our bellman.
Our ocean view room at the Conrad was really nice.
I like how the Conrad properties have a Nespresso machine. Also, that blue painting just caught my eye in the room!
Our large balcony had a nice daybed and dining area too.
The view of the Pacific Ocean from our balcony was amazing! I love having money!
Mark Twain said, "the lack of money is the root of all evil." So true! I love being rich!
We headed out to explore the resort after unpacking a little. I took a Yeti with me to keep my drinks cold since it was hot!
The resort had three pools. Here is the family pool.
We found a popcicle stand that was selling artisanal fruit popcicles for like $12 USD! So, I got a coconut one. The Conrad charged US prices even though we were in Mexico.
We had lunch at Paleta, which means popcicle in Spanish. The outdoor venue at the Conrad was poolside too.
I asked our waitress for a good Mezcal so she suggested this one. The bottle matches Joy's dress. LOL. This was pretty good.
The ceviche was amazing! Punta de Mita is where American elites and tech executives love to vacation so it is pricey for everything!
After lunch, we went for a nice walk on the beach by the resort. The water was nicer than in Puerto Vallarta.
I was falling in love with Punta de Mita. Now, I can tell why it is a favorite destination for tech executives!
After working out and cleaning up, we headed out to dinner at the Four Seasons Punta Mita.
The hotel arranged a luxury Suburban for us for the short ride to the Four Seasons. We felt like high ranking government officials on a state visit to Mexico. LOL.
We had to go through two security check points to get into the Four Seasons Punta Mita. Security is super tight since celebrities and executives vacation there.
The future Secretary of State under future President JD Vance, Anirban Roy, has arrived for his summit at the Four Seasons. LOL.
We took a nice selfie in the open air lobby of the Four Seasons. It is amazing!
The Four Seasons had a Mezcal bar called Mez Bar! Yay!
This was the entrance to the Mez Bar!
The waitress poured two different mezcals for me to try. She suggested one made from Tobala agave which is more expensive. I loved it!
I got the pricey one with Tobala!
She brought three different salts to try with the Mezcal. One was a hibicus infused salt while one had tortilla pieces in it.
Joy is enjoying the view at the Mez Bar! The Roys love the Four Season properties!
Bill Gates holding company owns the Four Seasons in Punta Mita. There is even a helipad for VIP guests.
We loved the sunset from the Mez Bar!
We headed to dinner at Aramara after enjoying the Mez Bar. I got a Japanese whiskey, Nikka from the Barrel.
Aramara lived up to the Four Seasons name. We enjoyed another Four Seasons restaruant, Ulu, in Hawaii before too.
The amuse has arrived.
The New York Prime Beef cooked on a hot stone was delicious!
The Yellowfin Tuna Tataki was amazing!
We loved the sashimi!
The green curry with shrimp and frice rice was so good!
The "Senshi" dessert was so good! It had chocolate and black tea with smoked Earl Grey Tea!
Our parting gift from them was some mochi.
Well, the parting gift was the $247 USD check. LOL. That is not bad for all of those dishes! Yes, I have a luxury credit card, Chase Sapphire Reserve.
The Four Seasons arranged another Suburban to take us back to the Conrad. They do not want taxis in Punta Mita since it is a very high end community.
I was impressed with the turn down service which included a wipe for my sunglasses. They think of everything at the Conrad!
They also put bottles of water and a glass next to each side of the bed. Our maid even wrapped up my phone charger chord!
I woke up and made my morning Nespresso in the room like I do back home. Although, we had both the original and Vertuo Nespresso machines at home.
I had my Nespresso on the balcony to take in the morning views of the ocean! Life is rough! Not really, the surf looked rough however!
As a HHonors Diamond guest, we got complimentary continental breakfast as well as mimosas and specialty coffee too.
The breakfast was delicious. We had fresh fruit, bread baskets with conchas, and yogurt.
M'amo mucho conchas! I love lots of conchas! They are like little sweet buns.
We went down to the beach for a walk after breakfast since it was nice with the overcast skies.
I love walking on the beach! Also, the water was very warm here for the Pacific unlike the California beaches.
I was surprised people went out in that rough surf.
It must have been high tide.
Alligators? GTFO! We did not see any, but we did not go close to that marsh also.
We did see lots of crabs that blended into the sand like this one. It is super hard to see. They make those holes in the sand too.
That is the adults only pool at the resort.
Joy is posing with the beautiful hibicus trees at the resort.
I got a bottle of Ojo de Tigre Mezcal when I got back to the resort. It had a blend of tobala agave in it so I figured it had to be good. I am making a tiger face.
That was my detoxing welcome drink at the spa when I checked in for my four hands massage.
This was a beautiful path in the spa area. Before my massage, one of my therapists did a cleansing ritual with smoke in this area.
They had a cold plunge, hot tub, and regular pool at the spa.
This is the relaxation room where one goes after the massage. I enjoyed my massage which had two therapists.
We went to Paleta for lunch again. Their shrimp pizza with Nayarit Adobo was delicious!
That is the view from the entrance to the exit of the open air lobby at the Conrad. It is amazing!
I had them bring me ice so I could walk around with the Ojo de Tigre mezcal in my Yeti around the resort.
The family pool area had a cool waterslide.
I decided to try it out. LOL.
The infinity pool at the resort was really cool! I loved how warm the water was.
I am enjoying a pina colada here in the infinity pool.
The sunset from our balcony was beautiful!
Since it was raining when we had our dinner reservations at Codex, the bellman drove us over there in the golf cart.
The entrance to Codex at the resort was so beautiful!
I felt like I was on Survivor when we made it the actual entrance to the fine dining establishment.
Our view from the table at Codex was amazing! Codex is on the beach.
Joy and I are just enjoying that view so much!
The waiter carmelized the banana to go with my banana flavor Old Fashioned. It was called the Musa Fashioned. Musa is the name of the banana plant. It has Mexican whiskey, banana syrup, and angostura.
The amuse was a short rib creation by the chef.
I had Amberjack for dinner. This was the first time I had Amberjack cooked since I usually eat it as sashimi or sushi.
The dessert was a chocolate tamal. Codex infuses the flavor of tamales and other Mexican tastes into their food.
Our parting gift from the chef was a mango infused chocolate. Dinner was not cheap, but it was worth it!
I loved the view at night from the balcony!
We upgraded to the breakfast buffet at the resort the next day. The made to order omlettes were delicious, and of course they had lots of salsas too.
I loved the tacos made with fresh tortillas.
The wait staff even got me a Carajillo which is espresso with Licor 43 since that was my special request in lieu of my complimentary mimosa. I had lots of conchas again too!
The agave garden at the resort was cool. I wanted to get one made at home too after seeing this.
We went for a walk on the beach again after breakfast.
Mexican TV is pretty interesting. I could not understand much since I only habla espagnol poquiito. Not sure if thats who one spells that too.
The Conrad gave us this parting gift of chocolate with a mango core after we dropped nearly $2,000 USD for the two nights there.
We stayed at the City Express Plus by Marriott in Puerto Vallarta for the last two nights of our trip.
We booked an Uber Black to take us to the downtown area for our private food tour, but the best they could do was a MG5 Chinese luxury car. LOL.
Our tour guide said he would meet us at Los Arcos which is an open amphitheater by the malecon or beach.
It started pouring rain like crazy when we got to the meeting spot so we found a Starbucks to take shelter at and get a drink.
This was a statue near the cathedral by Los Arcos.
That is the main cathedral in Puerto Vallarta.
They had these cool rocking horses for the public to use by the cathedral.
I had to join in the fun too!
That is the Puerto Vallarta sign to take photos at.
Our guide was late so we had time to explore a local souvenir shop and get gifts.
When our guide got to the Starbucks, we walked along the malecon to our first food stop.
I am trying to recreate this statue with Joy. The two look like they are doing the famous Mexican hat dance song, "El Jaribe Tapatio."
Our guide said this river that empties into the ocean here has crocodiles sometimes. Crazy!
Our first food stop was a delicious taco place that had al pastor and rancheria which is flank steak.
Joy and I loved this taco shop so much that we asked the guide for seconds!
I got the flank steak tacos. Joy got al pastor. The salsas were so delicious!
The next stop was a street vendor which are found all over the city. This was a quesadilla stand.
Since these restaurants are just stands on the street, they wrap plates in plastic so they do not have to wash them since there is no water.
This is a head taco stand. LOL. Ew! Head taco stands are known by a checkered cloth covering food which is steamed. It was not that good.
Head tacos are very popular in Puerto Vallarta. Our tour guide is asking if we wanted the aqua fresca too.
This guy makes churros on the street. Each churro is only three pesos. I think these are the best churros I ever had!
The next stop was a hole in the wall where we had dorado tacos which have a fried shell.
The last place we went to was an ice cream and popcicle place. Michochana Ice Cream is actually not a chain since the founder never copyrighted them so that trademark is used all over Mexico for these homemade ice cream shops.
The next morning, we had some time to explore the area where our pick up was for the snorkel tour, and we found this cool door we had to take a selfie with.
We are setting out on a small boat here for the Los Arcos rock formations in the Southern part of Banderas Bay in Puerto Vallarta near Mismaloya Beach.
The bay had a near teal blue color by the Los Arcos.
These are some more of the rock formations. They are not really islands however.
I went snorkeling with the group while Joy stayed on the boat. The water was not that clear however, but I could see the usual Sargeant Major fishes as well as some other large fish when they were close by.
After we snorkeled, they had beer for us.
Here is a picture of Los Arcos from a distance.
This is a hidden beach only accessible by boat.
We went to another secluded beach to chill with our tour group.
I climbed those rocks, and I saw so many crabs around that area.
We took off from and got back to Mismalaya Beach which is south of Puerto Vallarta.
The cruise terminal was across from our hotel. A ship came in on Tuesday when we were there. I remember this terminal from last year when I was there on a Carnival cruise.
For lunch, we found a Pollo Feliz, which is a delicious grilled chicken place that puts El Pollo Loco to shame!
Joy and I first had this when we went to a friend's wedding in San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico. Their salsa is amazing!
We went to check out the up and coming neighborhoof of Versailles in the afternoon which is where many ex-pats have condos and homes.
We found a cool bar called Pancho Villas to get a drink.
I went with Mezcal of course!
Pancho Villa wants us Americans to visit!
They had a lot of cool murals inside. I felt like I was in Old Mexico during their Civil War.
This large tree went through the bar which was not fully enclosed so it was not A/C.
Se Busca means Wanted.
We went to a great Argentine steakhouse called La Vaca for dinner that night.
We got grilled octopus done both al pastor style as well as with a chimichurri sauce. Also, we got a large filet mignon too.
We had some time to relax at the VIP Lounge in the International gate area at PVR before we left for Phoenix.
In PHX, we had dinner and drinks at the Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club.
For Labor Day weekend, we headed out to Mexico for a few days. Although I had been to Puerto Vallarta twice, I looked up a place called Punta de Mita which is a luxury resort community about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta in Nayarit. There is a Four Season which is owned by Bill Gates holding company and a Conrad which is where we stayed for the first two nights of our trip there. We flew out super early on the Saturday during Labor Day weekend to Puerto Vallarta via Phoenix. Our car service arrived bright and early for our 5:05 AM flight. The Escape Lounge was open that early which surprised me. Once we got to Phoenix, we went to the Chase Sapphire Lounge to get a proper breakfast and some drinks before our flight to Mexico.
After arriving into Puerto Vallarta, immigration and customs was pretty fast. The Conrad had a concierge outside the arrival area to welcome us with cold bottles of water and escort us to our luxury car service for the hour ride to the resort. We were charged $350 roundtrip for the private transportation, but Punta de Mita is where tech executives and celebrities vacation so it is expected that one will spend a lot there! A nice Suburban took us up to the Conrad. Our ride up through Nayarit was scenic as we entered the jungles of the northern part of Banderas Bay. Upon arrival into the luxury community where the resort was, the driver opened the pano roof cover so we could take in the views of the lush foliage as we made our way to the security gate of the Conrad.
Upon arrival at the Conrad, the bellman asked the bartender to make us the welcome drink. Another guy came by with cold towels as the open air lobby was hot and humid. We were upgraded to a nice ocean view room. The views from our room was amazing! One of the things I love about Conrad properties is the Nespresso original line machines in the room. I finished my refreshing welcome drink on the large daybed on the balcony as I took in the views of the Pacific Ocean. Afterwards, we headed down to the family pool area for lunch. The resort had three large pools including the family area with a waterslide, an infinity pool, and an adults only pool area. As we made our way to Paleta, the restaurant by the pool, we saw a stand selling artisanal paletas or popcicles. They were not cheap. LOL. I paid $11 for my coconut popcicle, but it was worth it! For lunch, we enjoyed some fresh ceviche, and I got a good mezcal. One of my friends was like are those prices in Pesos, and I was like no! LOL. The resort was super pricey. Afterall, American elites vacation there. We dropped almost $2,000 for two nights at this resort! After lunch, we headed downt to the beach for a nice walk. I remembered to take one of our many Yeti Ramblers so I could keep whatever beverage I had cold. However, I was just drinking bottled water to stay hydrated in the humid air.
After our lovely walk on the beach, I got a chance to have a swim in the adult pool area and work out. The spa was near the fitness center so I inquired about a massage. I was happy to see they had a four hands massage which means they have two therapists work on me. So, I booked one for the next day.
That night, we had dinner reservations at the Four Seasons in Punta Mita. We had the concierge arrange a luxury Suburban to take us over there. I felt like I was a high ranking US government official on a state visit as the driver was waiting for us in the lobby as he opened the door for us to get into the Suburban. The ride over to the side of Punta Mita which had the Four Seasons took about twenty minutes. There were two security check points to get into this community and the Four Seasons. Also, there was a helipad on site too. As we got to the Four Seasons, we took in the amazing view of the open air lobby of the luxury resort. The views of the ocean from the lobby were so beautfiul. Also, they had some amazing art work in the lobby including some cool sculptures.
We headed to the Mez Bar since we were a little early for our dinner reservations at Aramara. Our waitress at the Mez Bar introduced me to tobala mezcal which is a special type of mezcal made with tobala agave. Tobala is usually more expensive than other varities of mezcal. I got a pretty pricey pour, but it was great! The waitress even brought over some salts to pair with the mezcal. We had amazing views of these beautiful rock formations too from the bar area. Also, we were fortunate to be there during the sunset. Afterwards, we made our way to Aramara where a hostess who could easily have been a model greeted us. She showed us to our table at this fine dining establishment that has mostly Asian influences in the cuisine. I started off with Nikka from the Barrel Japanese whiskey to start off my dinner. The chef sent over an amuse to get our tastebuds ready for the feast that was coming. We got some delicious items including some prime NY beef that was brought us to raw so we could cook it on a hot stone at the table. The sashimi was delicious too! Every item was so good! We dropped $247 on dinner, but that is not bad for the quality of the food and service. Our parting gift from the chef was housemade mochi. When we were done with dinner, the Four Seasons arranged another luxury Suburban to take us back to the Conrad since taxis are not allowed in this upscale community where the rich and famous vacation. LOL. The Roys have a lot of money!
I was impressed with the turn down service at the Conrad when we got back. They left slippers and a mat on each side of the bed along with bottles of water and a glass. Also, they wrapped up my phone charger chord too. In addition, they had a wipe for my travel Oakley sunglasses and put them on the wipe.
We woke up to overcast skies over the ocean as I made my Nespresso. Then, we made our way to the restaurant by the lobby for breakfast. As a Diamond guest, we got free continental breakfast along with a mimosa an a specialty coffee or a large discount to upgrade to the buffet. We decided to do the continental the first day. I asked our waiter to bring lots of conchas which are the sweet Mexican buns. The passion fruit mimosa was good too. After breakfast, we went for a nice walk on the beach. It was nice to have overcast skies. Once we got back to the resort, I got a small bottle of Ojo de Tigre mezcal at the gift shop to drink while I was in Mexico. This one had a blend with the tobala agave too.
My spa treatment was amazing later that morning. I was welcomed with a nice detox drink. Afterwards, I used the cold plunge and hot tubs outdoors before one of the therapists came by. She took me outside to do a special ceremony with smoke to help get me relaxed before we went to the treatment room where the other therapist was waiting for us. I loved the four hands massage. Life is great! Although I did not my massage allowance at my new company that I had at Regeneron, I did not mind paying for this myself. LOL. After the massage, I went to the relaxation room to enjoy some tea and fruit.
After the treatment, Joy and I had lunch at Paleta again. I asked the resort to bring up some ice so I could put some mezcal and ice in my Yeti to take with me around the resort as I went swimming in the infinity pool and tried out the waterslide. I also had a pina colada in the infinity pool too. As the day went on, the rain came in after we saw the beautiful sunset from our balcony. One of the bellman drove us to dinner at the Codex restaurant on site in a golf cart. Codex was the signature restaurant at the resort. The entrance to Codex was so amazing. We felt like we were going into the jungle. The entrance to Codex looked like we were on that show, Survivor since they had tiki torches. Our table overlooked the beach and ocean. The service was great again. I got a tropical take on the Old Fashioned to start off dinner. The waiter carmelized a piece of banana at the table to go with my drink which had banana notes in it. Codex integrates Mexican favorites like tamales into the menu. So, our dessert was actually a chocolate tamal. For my entree, I got grilled amberjack. That was the first time I had amberjack cooked since I usually get it raw as sashimi or negiri. After dinner, a bellman came by to get us via the golf cart.
The next day, we had another nice walk on the beach after upgrading to the buffet for breakfast. I asked the waiter to make me a Carajillo for my complimentary specialty coffee drink. A Carajillo is espresso with Licor 43. Afterwards, we headed to Puerto Vallarta for the last two nights of our trip. Our bell man gave us two pieces of chocolate with mango flavors as a parting gift.
I used my Marriott BonVoy points for two nights at the City Express Plus which is near the cruise terminal. After checking into the hotel, we took an Uber Black which was a Chinese "luxury vehicle" to take us to the Los Arcos by the Malecon for our private food tour. However, as we got to the meeting point, it started pouring like crazy! So, we found a Starbucks to take shelter at. When the skies finally cleared, we walked around the area and checked out the cathedral and these cool rocking horses for adults. Our guide met us at the Starbucks, and we took a nice walk along the Malecon to our first stop which was a delicious taco spot. Afterwards, we went to a street food stall to get a quesadillas. Then, he took us to another stand on the street that had "head tacos." He did not tell us what they were until we took a few bites. I could not finish the taco after I found out what it was. Apparently, head tacos are popular in Puerto Vallarta. I felt like Andrew Zimmern. LOL. We got delicious fresh churros next. Then, we had dorado tacos which are fried tacos. Our tour finished with some paletas.
The next morning, we took an Uber to a Pemex gas station where our tour guide met us for the tour and snorkeling experience at Los Arcos. The Los Arcos are five rock formations in the southern part of Banderas Bay. I did get in the water to snorkel, but the water was too murky. When the fish were close by, I could see them, but overall the conditions were bad for snorkeling. The water was warm however!
We experienced El Pollo Feliz for lunch again. Years ago, we tried one of these delicious grilled chicken places in Central Mexico so we had to go back. Then, we went to an up and coming neighborhood called Versailles where lots of ex pats live. For dinner, we went to an Argentine steakhouse and had some filet mignon and octopus.
This was a fun trip to Mexico! Life is great!