Day One
We stayed at the Sheraton and were pleasantly surprised by how nice it was. Our hotel room was on the 20th floor and had a gorgeous view of the ocean and the pool. There were two resteraunts by the pool that we really liked, a poolside bar, a spa, tennis courts, fun activities, and great service. 
Our first dinner in PV at the hotel resteraunt ... It was like heaven to sit there so close to the beach after having just left cold, dreary Washington earlier that morning. After dinner we took a walk on the beach and watched the sunset.
The view from our hotel room
Day Two
Our first full day in PV we decided to just relax. So, that morning we went straight to the pool. Time at the pool was really fun because they played music over loudspeakers, always had fun activities going on (water aerobics, volleyball, etc), and had a poolside bar where we could always get drinks and food. Stephen, of course, couldn't resist checking out the beach first, though. If given the option, he would swim in the ocean over the pool any day! The beach by our hotel was pretty rocky and not many people were swimming in it, but that certainly didn't stop Stephen!
Later that day we decided to check out "downtown Puerto Vallarta" and headed to the Malecon. It was a short taxi ride for only "cuartro pesos" and there was tons to see ...
We went to the Cheeky Monkey for drinks that night - $1 margaritas and $1 beers. What a cool place! The first few days we were really nervous about eating certain foods or drinking the water so we restricted what we ate and only drank beers. While I do LOVE coronas, I started feeling soooo full so fast. Eventually, by about the 4th day, I ended up giving in and went for the margaritas :-)
There was a beautiful church in the middle of town. It was amazing because everytime we went there was a service going on and it was PACKED. People were standing and even crowded outside. The first time we went it was a Thursday night and it was this full....
Day Three
Before we left for Mexico we decided we would do the canopy tours on one of our days there. Tripadvisor.com had the Los Veranos tour as the number one thing to do in Puerto Vallarta. I was very scared to do this, but I'm so glad I did. Stephen and I were like Jane and Tarzan swinging from tree to tree.
You had to walk to each take-off point. It was incredibly hot, but we didn't even mind because we were on such a high from having just come off a zip line. Amazingly, we ran into two of Stephen's patients on the same tour, so we all encouraged each other (especially on the really long lines) :-).
You can't totally tell from the pictures but we were up 500 feet in the air - it was so cool! That's me coming in! I had the fastest pulley and Stephen said the guides were always impressed by how fast I came in every time ... I guess I'm just a natural ;-)
When we were all done, we bellied up to the bar and had ourselves some tequila! We met a really nice couple and all took tequila and moonshine shots together (the moonshine was NOT our idea. The bartender insisted!).
At the end of the day we hopped on the bus and headed back to the hotel where we lounged by the pool and took in the last bit of sun.
We had dinner at the Italian resteraunt by the pool that night. I LOVED this resteraunt because of the atmosphere. It was open air, but the "ceiling" had these pretty lanterns hanging everywhere. The food was good - not amazing - but after a long day it was great to eat at our hotel and close to our room.
Day Four
our 4th day in PV, we headed out to Sayulita Beach to do some surfing. This was supposed to be the best surfing beach around, but we had to take an hour bus ride to get there. The ride on the Compostella bus proved to be entertainment all on its own. It was so bumpy, took us far into the jungle, and was frequented mostly by locals. At one stop a father/son singing group came onto the bus and seranaded us. At another stop a couple of teenagers came on and passed out flyers for some festival coming up that weekend. We entertained ourselves by taking videos of the amusement and watching the beautiful scenary as well as the not-so-beautiful scenary. This was a tour of the "real mexico".
The first thing we did upon arrival in Sayulita was look for a place to eat. After walking along the beach and checking out every single resterant, we decided on this little place overlooking the beach. I'm so glad we did! It was the best meal we had in all of PV. We both ordered the same thing: carne asada. It's a taste I will always remember - yummy. I wish I could remember the name of the place, but I've got nothing.
The famous meal.
Once we finished lunch we checked out the surfing lessons. We made the silly mistake of renting the boards before taking the lesson. Our lesson was scheduled for three o'clock and we had a full hour of surfing before that. For someone who has never surfed - i.e., me. - this was VERY stupid. I was off my board 95% of the time, and most of that was me being violently thrown off the board by the waves ... and then dragged around by the board since it was attached to my foot. 
After the lesson, things went much more smoothly. Once I learned how to stay on my board despite the waves, things got much better. Both Stephen and I got up on our boards a number of times. We even have video to prove it! Our teacher was very helpful.
When we got back to the hotel we were exhausted, so we took a little nap in our room and then headed down to have dinner at one of the resteraunts in our hotel. It was saturday and there was a wedding going on at the beach which was so fun to get to see. During our dinner they set off fireworks to celebrate the happy couple. It was so beautiful and a fun addition to our dinner.
Day Five
Sunday we woke up and and went downstairs for the hotel's Champagne Brunch. So good! There was more food than you could ever imagine - amazing fruit, pan dulce, eggs, juice, champagne, and every kind of hot meal you could order throughout all of the hotel's resteraunts. And the marriachi band came around to serenade us. This was one of my favorite things about Mexico ... these bands would come around to all the tables - it just added a little extra to the whole experience.
We hadn't spent much time "in town", so we decided to head to the Malecon to see some of the sights and do some shopping. The Malecon is a long boardwalk along the beach where there are tons of vendors, as well as all kinds of statues, art, and sandcastles. It was incredibly hot this day.
The sun was so HOT. I needed a new hat to keep out the burning rays and we had to have a little ice cream to cool us off. It was boiling.
We tried on these wrestling masks because we thought they were so funny. Stephen was going to maybe buy one for a Halloween costume, but this lady holding the mirror got so mad when we tried to barter with her that she ripped it out of his hand and put it back on the shelf, fiercely saying - "NO!". I think she's the only vendor in all of Mexico who doesn't know how to barter!
After we were fully melted from the heat, we headed back to our hotel to cool off in the water. Of course, the pool wasn't acceptable to Stephen ... had to be the ocean! :-)
Day Six
On last full day in PV we took a boat cruise to a private island - Las Calletas - for the day. This was SO FUN! The boat ride to the island was about an hour and we met a really nice family - the Donavilles - from California with two daughters a little younger than me. The "deck hands" were so friendly and fun and made sure we were never thirsty. When we got to the island they had a buffet lunch prepared for us to eat looking out onto the ocean.
There was so much to do on the island - they had exotic animals, beach chairs, inner tubes, all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink, nature walks, kayakes, and massages on the beach. We took a couple of inner tubes out into the water and hung out with the Donavilles for a while. Then later - after relaxing on the beach - we each got a massage on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was amazing!
That night we went to a resteraunt that the Donavilles had suggested - the most gorgeous place overlooking the entire city of PV. We had to take a long taxi ride up into the hills of the city, but it was completely worth it. The views were amazing, the food was great, and the music and atmosphere were unbelievably romantic.
Day Seven
We spent our last day relaxing by the pool and taking in as much sun as we possibly could before heading back to rainy Washington. We did a little last minute silver shopping too and got some beautiful gifts for our family ... well, for me too ;-)
And, back to our little corner of the world ....
