Nuevo Vallarta - Take Two!

Would you believe I have never been to Nuevo Vallarta? I always wrinkled my nose up whenever anyone mentioned Nuevo. It's not PV and I always considered it too "new", filled with huge hotels, golf courses and not worth the detour off the highway when I could go to other, "better" places like Bucerias, Destiladeras and Punta de Mita. So when my new friends, Jeff and Constance, invited me out to the Grand Marival, I was kind of/sort of interested. They had decided to fill up the last week of their three week vacation with "beach time". Living southside was just a bit too busy for them and they needed to unwind before finally heading home and back to reality.

So on Sunday, we made arrangements for me to come to their hotel for the day, their treat. Have I mentioned yet how lucky I was to have this incredible couple living above me at Casa Andrea? They are the kind of the people that give Americans a good name in other countries! They are well-travelled, funny, generous and hopelessly devoted to one another. It was such a treat for me to meet them and add them to my growing roster of PV friends/fanatics. I hope that we will be able to spend more time together sometime in the near future.

Anyway, I took off from here around 9AM and my first stop was Pastel du Village for chocolate croissants made fresh daily by our resident French pastry chef, Eric Lanoit. Then I hopped on a bus to take me up to the hotel zone. However, I miscalculated and the bus turned about two blocks before the place I wanted to get off so I had to run up to the front and ask to be let off in the middle of a busy road. Thank the Goddess it was Sunday morning and there wasn't a lot of traffic! Anyway, just before I made it to the transfer point, I saw a number of the gray ATM buses pulling away so I knew I had missed my connection but 15 minutes later, another bus for Nuevo pulled up.

As I paid the driver, I told him I wanted to go to the Grand Marival. No problem -- 10 pesos por favor. When we finally pulled off the highway and down the road heading towards the ocean, all I could see were these immense hotel complexes in the distance. As we drew closer, the canopy of palm trees grew denser until you could hear them slapping the roof of the bus! We stopped at Paradise Village first (I think). It was sort of hard to see the names of all the hotels from my seat on bus despite my straining my neck to do so. After a while, I went up to the front to remind the driver again about the Grand Marival. I was afraid I wouldn't see the hotel myself and was waiting for him to point it out to me. He told me five more minutes. Well I waited and waited, wondering if he meant MEXICAN minutes because 20 minutes later, we will pulling back out onto the highway to Vallarta!!!

At this point, I bolted to the front of the bus to speak to the driver. His response was a quick shrug of his shoulders ... he forgot about me! *sigh* His solution was to drop me on the highway at the roadway leading into Nuevo and suggested that I walk back in. I don't think so! Anyway, I felt kind of queasy by this point and had to go to the bathroom so I stayed on the bus until we arrived back in Vallarta, at which point I got off at Walmart and cooled down by browsing around the store. I ended up back at Casa Andrea around 1PM and immediately sent Jeff and Connie an email. But what I didn't know what that their internet service was not available on Sunday. She finally called around 3:30PM and we made plans to do it again today (Monday).

So after doing a trial run the day before, and having everyone go wrong that could go wrong, I left this morning at 8AM and made it to their hotel lobby by 9AM. They met me there a few minutes later and checked me in at the front desk -- I got to wear a purple plastic bracelet for the day -- YUCK! It brought back some bad memories ... LOL We enjoyed a leisurely yummy breakfast and then went up to their room overlooking the beach so I could change into my swimsuit. We spent time on the beach, at the pool, back on the beach and in the pool again before a late lunch. The food was good and the company was outstanding! All in all, a very relaxing day. The bus ride home was long, hot and uneventful. At the end of the line, before the driver pulled into the bus station, I hopped off and grabbed a cab back here. I was so stuffed from eating all inclusive, all day, that I never did make it to my turkey dinner at Steve's Bar. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!