Sonoran Southwest

In my last entry, I was describing our family vacation at the Paradise Village Resort & Spa in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico (outside of Puerto Vallarta). In that entry, I described the beautiful resort architecture, the well-appointed suites, the onsite exotic zoo, and the fabulous swimming pools with their three water slides. Did I mention that a breathtaking white sand beach is right across a sidewalk from the swimming pools? Let's see... shall we lay on the beach and swim in the ocean today? Or sit at the pool and play on the waterslides? Such a difficult choice. The beach faces the Bay of Banderas which is a large bay on the Pacific coast of the Mexican shoreline. At the beach, you can rent jet-skiis, go parasailing or check-out boogie boards for body surfing. Or just relax under one of the many umbrellas available for guests and enjoy the on-the-beach cocktail and snack service offered during the day.

After your day at the beach, you may want to check out the local Mexican shopping to find one of a kind treasures or duty-free luxury items. You won't have to travel far. With a five minute stroll down the main street of the resort, you'll reach a local shopping mall with 50 of the finest shops and restaurants you could ask for. If you read the first part of this entry, you'll remember this is also where the supermarket is located for stocking up on cooking and entertainment supplies. Restaurants in the mall range from steakhouses to seafood to italian and all are popular with the guests. Speaking of dining, there are several restaurants within the resort itself. My personal favorite is the outdoor grill which is tucked in between the "activities" pool and the beach. After a morning of sun and fun, you can pull up a stool and bar counter (or table and chairs) and dine casually outdoors. Again, GREAT with kids in tow.

Last, but not least, would you believe that the spa at the Paradise Village Resort is ranked within the top 20 spas in the world? No, really, it is! The spa includes the finest treatments and procedures such as massage and saunas, mud wraps, etc. I'm not fortunate enough to have really used the spa facilities in the past (always had the kids in tow), but I can attest that the spa facilities are sophisticated, glamorous and luxurious. I must admit, everyone I see in there always looks pretty darn relaxed and pampered. Oh, and I'm also not a golfer, but the resort just opened its own golf course within the last two years -- top flight, of course! The resort owners have been sponsoring high visibility tournaments to increase their name in the golf world.

There are probably many more details that I could share with you on this wonderful resort, but I believe that I conveyed the basic point -- this is really the most wonderful resort destination around. Although the resort has now gone full-time timeshare (no hotel-type reservations), it's pretty easy to rent from an owner through the Internet. Check out any of the timeshare rental websites and search for "Paradise Village." You should be able to find a week-long stay for between $800 to $2000 depending on the size of room you want (studio to 2 bdrm) and and on the time of year.