Hi Jessica! We stayed at the Royal Decameron All-Inclusive, in Puerto Vallarta. It was CHEAP to stay in (approx $97 per night for 2 people, which includes the room, all you can drink, all you can eat). The food was fantastic, varied from day to day, meal to meal. The drinks were awesome (banana mamas were my weakness - and Juan Carlos, bartender at the bar in the main lobby, is so awesome lol), and there was different entertainment every night. There is also a guy who comes every day with ceramic pottery, and you can buy a piece and paint it, and he will glaze and fire it, and bring it back the next day (I painted lots lol). They also have boogey boards, kayaks and cadamarans that you can use for free. Boogey-boarding was SO fun.
We were SO impressed with the hotel and everything about it. It's listed as a 2 or 2.5 star hotel on Expedia and Trip Advisor, but on the Decameron site, it's listed as 4 star -- We would rate it as 4 star for sure. It's not all marble and fancy looking, it's very traditional looking.
We went on 2 trips. One was to the Marietas Islands on a sailboat to go snorkelling. That was really neat, Scott really liked it. I like boats, but I'm not one for sitting on one for 2-3 hours each way. There were dolphins that would jump beside the boat at times though, so that made it more interesting.
The other trip we went on, was San Sebastian by Land. It was awesome!! I loved it, as I am very much into historical towns and old architecture. I only wish that we would have had more time in the town, cause there was so much to see and not much time. The drive through the Sierra Madrid mountains was awesome, we got to see the mexicans and their houses away from the town, which was very humbling for me, because many of the houses were starting to crumble, and to most Canadians/Americans, they would be inhabitable. Yet families occupied the houses, and were happy and had never known anything different. Many were poor financially, but they were rich in so many other ways, in things we take for granted here. I am not sure that I am making sense with trying to explain this...I fell in love with the culture, and after coming back here, I wish I could go back! (did you know that Mexican women don't diet or exercise? The men like curvy women, and the obsession with looks just doesn't exist down there)
Jessica, I know you didn't ask for an essay, but I hope I answered the questions you had.
Any others, feel free to ask!
