Here’s a real testament to how much I love Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; I went there not once, but twice already this year! And it’s only October! Now if that doesn’t speak volumes for a jet-setting, international traveler, I don’t know what does. Read all about my first visit here.

On both of these trips I stayed at the wonderful Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa. The Marriott Puerto Vallarta (PV) just completed a huge renovation with everything from rooms to the gorgeous new pool with swim up bar and restaurant.  I absolutely love the décor and inviting space the Marriott PV has created. The beautiful landscaping and welcoming design aesthetics really create a relaxing environment for your stay. Take a look:

I was so lucky to have the opportunity to bring both of my parents on this trip. One thing we consistently noticed throughout our stay was the exceptional service. The staff always greeted us saying “welcome home” and asked if we were enjoying our stay and if there was anything we needed. A dedication to next-level hospitality and the utmost in customer service are definitely a cornerstone of the Marriott PV ; you can see and feel it, without it being overbearing. We truly felt the warmth of each and every staff person, who seemed vested in making our overall stay extraordinary.

In addition to the stunning property and friendly hospitality, the resort lends itself to fun activities as well as the ultimate in relaxation. The Marriott PV team set us up with some great adventures, but also built in plenty of downtime for us to relax and enjoy the hot Mexican sun by the new infinity pool (I’m still rocking a lovely bronze glow from my trip by the way).

More than that, you’ll notice how the team went above and beyond to personalize our stay. They truly took to heart who we are and what we enjoy and created unique moments to celebrate us. We felt so special and were literally left speechless at moments; just take a look at some of the ways we were treated like royalty:

In- Room Deliveries– Upon arrival to our room, we were greeted with so many lovely gifts and treats! And, every single day there were more surprises awaiting us.

Private Tequila Tasting– A dedicated tequila tasting of the proprietary blend the Marriott PV has developed on its own, led by Audrey Formisano, the resort’s tequila sommelier . This was my first time doing a tequila tasting like this. It was fun…and strong 🙂

Special Vegetarian Dinner– An exquisite 7-course vegetarian dinner prepared just for us. Not only did the team create a beautiful vegetarian menu for us to take home, they designed white linen napkins with my Vegetarian Tourist logo on it! Talk about attention to detail! The executive chef presented each course to us and we absolutely LOVED everything we had for dinner and still talk about it to this day. And, wait til you see what the pastry chef created at dessert, just for me:

Spa Treatments– A visit to the tranquil spa Ohtli on the Marriott PV property is a must. A full-body massage and body wrap definitely helped this city girl feel completely relaxed and left my skin feeling baby soft. I highly recommend getting any treatment you can at Ohtli, it’s so serene and has the best amenities!

Puerto Vallarta City Tour– We had the privilege of a private half day tour to see Puerto Vallarta with the ever wonderful guide Adrian. He took us to the main area of downtown to walk along the Malecon and see all the great art, walk through Old Town and even visit a tortilleria to see where fresh tortillas are made.

Private Oceanside Cabana– Our own private cabana that overlooked the ocean was right next to the new outdoor restaurant and swim up bar. We thoroughly enjoyed our days here, ordering exotic drinks like strawberry mojitos and pina coladas and having them delivered straight to the cabana. One more than one occasion you would have found at least one of us taking an afternoon siesta. Truly living our best beach lives!

Eco-Friendly Adventure– The Marriott PV has a dedicated program for nature conservation and one of the cool offers they have for guests at the resort is a turtle release program.  They take and monitor the turtle eggs until hatching and then along with guests, release the baby turtles back into the Bay of Banderas. We unfortunately missed the evening they were doing the release, but we did get to meet a baby turtle!

Free Time!– And more than anything else, just spending our days relaxing and enjoying the beautiful property and amenities of the Marriott PV was one of the best parts of our stay.

So, as you can see, we lived it up at the Marriott PV! I have to say that in all my years, I have NEVER seen my parents so incredibly happy and so relaxed on a vacation. My parents are not normally beach people and to see them enjoy afternoons in a pool or sitting in a cabana with a pina colada in hand, just seriously touched my heart. That coupled with the BEST hospitality made this a trip we will ever forget. And for that, I can’t thank the Marriott PV enough for the memories they helped us create.

As our wonderful hosts Cristina and Mariana said, “it’s not goodbye, it’s see you soon. Mi casa es su casa.” It’s true, we will come back home soon, that I promise! Wondering if I should just make a trip in December and visit PV 3 times this year??? 🙂

Please Note: While this post is in collaboration with Visit Puerto Vallarta and the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa, all opinions are my own.

This was my first trip to Puerto Vallarta (PV) and I have to say that I absolutely loved it! I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but it absolutely exceeded anything I could have imagined. I feel like I’ve become the walking and talking campaign for tourism to Puerto Vallarta because I just enjoyed it that much.

PV is a beautiful destination on the west coast of Mexico, where the mountains meet the ocean. There are so many options for adventure from hiking, biking, boating, wildlife conservation, to just relaxing and doing nothing at your hotel. I tell everyone that it is perfect for any kind of trip; a family getaway, girls trip, couples trip, whatever you want. Overall, one of my top destinations in Mexico (alongside Tulum and Mexico City).

Here are some details and photos from my trip with my friend Erica:

Where we stayed: The beautiful, newly renovated Marriott PV Resort and Spa. This wonderful resort located not far from the airport was awesome. Beautiful property with multiple pools (even a separate kiddie pool and play area), several restaurants (fantastic breakfast buffet with the BEST ever made-to-order chilaquiles), clean and spacious rooms with balconies and so much more.

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Stroll on the Malecon: This area is not to be missed; lively, right along the ocean, great people watching and fun shopping and restaurants. I think we went here almost every day and at different times of the day, so it always felt like something new to see and do.

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Food tour with Vallarta Food Tours: This tour is awesome, definitely worth your time and money. We visited 10 spots on this tour and let me tell you, we were stuffed. They are able to accommodate dietary restrictions (definitely check first before booking about your specific needs). This walking tour was a great way to see Old Town PV and go to spots I know I would have never sought out on my own. A fun way to learn about the life and culture of PV and more so, the awesome culinary scene and delicious foods from the area. Definitely go on a food tour with Vallarta Food Tours!

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Yelapa boat tour with Vallarta Adventures: We did a day trip to Yelapa and Majahuitas and had so much fun. Yelapa was a cute little village about an hour and half boat ride from PV and we had the chance to walk through the town and chill at the beach. After that we went sea kayaking and then stopped at Majahuitas for an afternoon to swin and relax on the beach with some drinks. A fun day in the sun!

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I can’t speak highly enough about PV and here’s the best part; I’m going back in September! Yup. This time I’m going back for an entire week, so I’ll have the chance to really get to know the area and explore even more. I can’t wait. Who knows what all I will eat/see/do on my next trip. Stay tuned!

Please Note: While our hotel stay and food tour were part of a collaboration, all opinions are my own.