MEXICO

 Punta Mita... Amazing!

 

We just got back from one of the best vacations we've ever had!  We stayed at the Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita, Mexico - about 45 minutes North of Puerto Vallarta.

The hotel was amazing.  I've never seen service quite like the Four Seasons. 

 

Our room.

  

The view from our deck.

   

Sunday was our travel day.  We arrived at the hotel and looked around a bit, then met the group for dinner.  It looked like something you would see on an episode of the Bachelor.  We ate dinner right on the beach, no shoes, fresh made guacamole, an amazing meal, mango smoothies, a beautiful sunset, bonfire.  It was really something.

Monday we relaxed.  We spent a lot of time down at the peach and pool. We read, did some snorkeling, slept, swam, and soaked up some sunshine.  It was wonderful.

That evening we had a nice poolside dinner.  

 

 

  

 Tuesday Jared went with a few buddies and did some fishing.  They got picked up from the private beach at the resort, fished for a few hours and had 3 catches and one more that got away.  Jared caught a 40 lb. rooster tail. 

 

 

 

When they pulled up to the beach, the chef from the restaurant right on the beach met them and offered to cook their fish.  It was enough to feed 20 people.  They rounded up close to 20 people and we all ate a delicious lunch.  It was the best fish I have ever had.  Yum!

 

While Jared was fishing, I enjoyed some spa time and read a book by the pool while I sipped a pina colada.  Awesome!  The infinity pool overlooked the ocean and was so beautiful, I could have stayed there all day.  Oh wait... I did.

That night we had dinner at the China Casa Blanca, an estate used in the film "limitless".  We arrived in a caravan of dark suburbans.  It looked like some sort of government security escort.

The house was really, really, really cool.  It was made of mostly glass.

 

This was the master bedroom.  So beautiful.

 

You could hike down to the private beach below too.  I can't imagine living like this.

On Wednesday we did a snorkel tour.  The boat ride was a blast.  

 

I've always loved the feeling of the warm sun on my face, and the cool breeze blowing my hair while sailing over the ocean waves.  We saw dolphins and even a whale.

Marieta Islands.  

 

They are covered in poop because they are protected wildlife refugees for birds.  Kinda gross.  

We did some snorkeling and although it was a little murky, we still saw some cool stuff.

A Puffer fish.

 A sea spider.

More relaxing.  Poster beds on the beach... really.

 

 Jared played a little beach volleyball.

Later that evening, we went with a group of friends over to the small town of Punta Mita and did some shopping, then ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant. 

 

 

 Cool sunset!

Thursday, we spent the morning at the beach and then headed to Puerto Vallarta for a dolphin excursion.  This was definitely a highlight of our trip.

 

One of my favorite things we did was diving with the dolphins.  Two dolphins came up behind us and we hung on to their side fins while they pulled us to the bottom of the pool and came up at the other end.  They swam with more speed than I expected, it was hard to hold on.

 

This was a fun way to cheat and swim fast enough to keep up with the dolphins.  It was fun to dive down and be able to swim closer to their speed.  I felt like a fish.

For this next part, we waited in the water with a boogie board and two dolphins swam up behind us and pushed on each of our feet with such force that you sailed across the pool like you were being pulled by a motor boat.

 

 If you look closely in this next picture, you can see the two dolphins behind me.

 We also got to swim with some sea lions.

 They were kinda cute, whiskers and all.

 Family portraits.

 

 

We got our own private, front row dolphin show at the end. Who needs Sea World after an adventure like this.  It was so amazing!

 

 

 Our whole group!

 That night we ate our dinner right on the beach.  Fresh made guacamole, in Mexico, on the beach!

We met some friends for dessert and lots of laughing.

 

Friday, Jared did some fishing right off the beach.  They had fishing gear and bait you could use anytime, kayaks too.  (I think this was Jared's favorite all time vacation.)

He caught a few fish, I only got pictures of the puffer fish.  I actually think they are kinda cute.  Everyone else seems to think they are gross.

 

 We saw lots of these during our stay.  Not so cute.

 

Friday I started off the morning with a long run.  I ran 8 miles, took a quick shower, and headed over to the spa for a Swedish massage.  It was awesome, wish I could do that every time I finished a long run.  Jared did some fishing and we met up at the beach because you just can't get enough on a vacation like this.

After awhile, we ended up moving over to the pool and spent hours visiting and laughing with some friends.  We ordered drinks which we sipped in the pool with that infinity edge overlooking the ocean.  Someone came over with a tray of drinks and Jared waded closer to him saying, "I'm the Mango," letting him know that he is the guy that ordered a Mango smoothie.  The waiter gave Jared a funny look and then smiled and explained that when you say "I'm a Mango" in Spanish, you are saying, "I'm HOT!" 

For our last evening Farewell dinner, everyone was supposed to wear white.  We had a large group picture taken which was printed, framed and delivered to our rooms that same night.

  

This is everyone from Jared's region.

Another fabulous dinner, right on the beach.

 

I loved hanging out with these ladies.  We had so much fun all week!

Jared and I took a picture overlooking the beach where we spent so much of our week.  

It was our little paradise. Our room was just minutes away, the boat picked Jared up for his fishing excursion right from that shore, and also the snorkel tour.  We went snorkeling right off that beach, caught fish, did some kayaking, played volleyball, ate dinners, sipped lemonade, read books, and relaxed.

 

 We finished off the evening with some entertainment.

 

 Then we roasted marshmallows by a campfire on the beach.

Jared gets the award for the best photo bombs.  

We laughed and laughed about all of them.  

This was pretty good.

 

This one is even better, look closely.

I loved spending the week with Jared.  

He is an amazing husband and I am so grateful that he works so hard so we can do fun things like this.