After eight months of planning and anticipation, here we are – On Vallarta Time!
We landed in Puerto Vallarta, exhausted from lack of sleep, on Sunday afternoon. As soon as we arrived at our condo, we had some drama… I left my backpack in the taxi and had to take another taxi back to the airport to retrieve it from the specially-authorized airport taxi driver. We have heard that taxi drivers in Puerto Vallarta are extraordinarily honest, and it proved to be true. With the help of the new driver and my Spanish, I was able to get my backpack. All was well as I made my way back to join Peggy in our condo. After decompressing a bit we just left our suitcases where they were and went down to the beach for a late happy hour and dinner at CyC’s. That’s Cuates y Cuetes (Buddies and Tipsies, or Where Buddies get Tipsy), one of our original favorite places. It really felt great to be back.
Peggy at happy hour – Here’s to a great time in Mexico!
Let me describe where in Puerto Vallarta our condo is. We are located in the South Side, also called la Zona Romantica, the Romantic Zone (I suspect more for marketing than anything else). Our street is Olas Altas (high waves), the main street in this part of town. It’s the center of shopping, cuisine and entertainment on the South Side. We are up the hill, nearly at the end of the street, a block and a half from the beach, between Pulpito and Pilitas. If you walk down the half block to the corner and turn left at Pulpito, and down the hill a block to Los Muertos Beach, you will be at La Palapa, one of the oldest and most famous restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, next door to El Dorado. Think of Richard Burton, Liz Taylor and Ava Gardner staying around here when filming Night of the Iguana (1963).
We really like our condo! We had some concerns, having only seen pictures, but it’s actually pretty nice. Not fancy to be sure, but spacious and inviting. The kitchen is bare-bones but functional, not that we’ve tried it out yet. We are still unpacking and getting organized, finding places for everything. Our king-sized bed is very comfortable. The major worry we had, that it would be too hot without AC, is turning out not to be a problem. It cools off after the sun goes down, and there are three ceiling fans which pretty much do the job. It’s 1000 sq. ft., with four small balconies. The maid comes three days a week.
Probably the only real negative is the construction next door where they are putting up a huge new building. We knew there was construction – we just didn’t know it would be so close and intrusive. They don’t start until 8:00 in the morning, which is not too bad, and they stop at 6:00 PM. We are sure we will get used to the noise, and we won’t be here much in the daytime anyway. So all in all, we scored on the condo.
This is the entrance to our condo. It’s only one flight of stairs up, but after walking up the hill to the building, it sometimes seems like a lot!
Here’s my view as I write this post. It’s a little hard to see, but the ocean is back there in the distance. This is the main balcony, off the living room.
This is the kitchen, looking back at the entrance. Those are our cupboards, so as you can see we still need to lay in some supplies.
This is one side of the living room…
And this is the other, with me at my fancy computer workstation.
This is a view looking at the living room from the kitchen, with the balcony in the background.
Sorry some of these pics are a little dark, but I took them in the morning and the sun wasn’t coming in the windows. When the sun is on these windows, we close the curtains because it gets hot!
This is the bedroom with its little balcony.
Finally, this is the street door to our building. Ours is the arched door.
Now you have an idea of where we are. It’s wonderful being here, and we are really looking forward to our adventure. Stay tuned; I’ll try to post once every week or so, depending on activities or if I can drag myself off the beach. Thanks for following!
Looks awesome, Greg! I’m SO jealous! We have the same blue skies today, but I think it’s going to top out about 34 degrees. 🙁
Well, at least I can live in my favorite climate vicariously through you and Tom’s communiques.
Enjoy your stay!!!
Hey Robert, we will see Tom and Julie on Saturday. Just do it man, chuck it and come on down!
I’m so jealous! It was 27 here this morning! Your condo looks homey already. I wouldn’t worry too much about laying in supplies for your cupboards — it looks as though you have the essentials already in place! We’re looking forward to reading more posts.
Love from Laurie and Dave.
Yes, I see you have an eye for detail, or at least for the essentials! Thanks for making our adventure possible by watching our house.
Great pix of the condo–3 balconies! Muy bueno!!! I hope you and Peggy enjoy your stay–enjoy your blog postings.
Hi Kristi, thanks for checking in. Will you be coming to visit? Jump on a cruise ship, maybe?
BIENVENIDOS ! Glad you guys made it, almost in one piece! Enjoy the Peregrinaciones happening every night by the church. I’ll be marching with El Tuito on the last day, 12/12. Hope to catch up with you when I return to Vallarta.
Hola Kai, yes we will definitely be catching the procesiones. Maybe we can be there on the 12th as you march by. See you when you are back in Vallarta!
WooHoo! Your condo is fantastic and much more fashionable than I was expecting. So happy you and Peggy are having such a great time. Wise choice to ditch the unpacking and go straight to happy hour. Peggy has already set up our shoe shopping excursion for when I arrive. Keep a good list of those restaurants, we’ll need at least two a day.
Loving the blog! Good job, Greg.
Hi Eva, yes we are loving our condocito. See you soon!
Nice, Greg. Thanks for sharing. I’m looking forward to your posts. It seems a little surreal that your weather can actually be happening while we are freezing our noogies off! Glad you got your backpack OK…not a good way to start out! Don’t worry…we’ll hold the fort for you here.
Hi Bob, good to hear from you. Yes, I’ll be trying to stay cool today, surreal indeed. Keep your noogie snood on!
So happy for you two. I know you’ll have a great time!
Gracias, Katie, for the comment. Wish you were here!
Hi Greg and Peggy – Nice photos and all! We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for that arched doorway. Looking forward to seeing you two soon … Up here, the cannons are roaring again. t&j
Looking forward to seing you two tomorrow!
I love your blog, guys! It’s so much fun to see what you are doing and the photos make it even better. Take some pics of FOOD! Your condo is just darling; you are lucky that it turned out to be so cute, since you booked it sight unseen. Have fun kids!
Yes, we are pleased. We did see pictures on the Internet but in some ways they didn’t do it justice. Food pics will be in another post…
Love your photos, and your drama, and your cupboards! looks like you have the necessities to me!
so glad you are blogging!! can’t wait to hear about all your adventures
Happy Holidays!
Hi Dian, yes we have everything we need. La vida es buena, life is good! Best to you and Bill, and Happy Holidays.
It certainly does look inviting. The mornings here have been in the 20’s for several days now. I especially liked the part about the maid coming 3 times a week! I look forward to hearing more. Enjoy!
Hola, Martha! I’m so glad you’re following the blog. Our problem is more about staying cool, not staying warm…
Oh boy is that place cool or what!
I am freezing my rear off keeping Becki’s cats fed and watered and it seems like about a mile down to the barn rather than a block or two. The good news is that the cockatiel likes me and doesn’t screech hardly at all.
I LOVE the colors in the condo and dream of being there all toasty trying to keep cool.
What a great adventure!
Hugs,
Hi Diane, thanks for following. We’ll have a margritq for you. Congrats on the new house, can’t wait to see it when we get back!
Hola – Feliz navidad y bueno anos nuevo! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. What a challenge – trying to figure out how to stay cool?! Wishing you all the best!
Hey Lynnae, glad you found the blog. Not too big a deal for you two world travelers but we are having the time of our lives. Hope all iw well with you and Ed.