View from the Top

Sunrise or sunset. Which is better? By that we mean, vacations are for relaxation, which implies sleeping late sometimes. In that case, sunsets are best.

Getting the right vantage point for a sunset or sunrise takes patience. Also, it takes imagination.

For example, the view of the pools in the left photo was taken in November 2008 at 6:45 AM (about) from the 9th floor of the Grand Mayan resort in Nuevo Vallarta. This resort is about a half mile south of the entrance to the Paradise Village marina in Nuevo Vallarta.

Alternatively, the photo to the right was taken at about 6:30 AM during Christmas week, 2005 at the end of the breakwater at the entrance to the Paradise Village marina. We took this photo in the small pagoda like structure at the end of the breakwater. It tuns out the beach with waves crashing is the same beach Grand Mayan beach. Just a very different vantage point.

The sunset is also taken from the same Grand Mayan deck as the pool shot. It is 9 floors up, and we think the view is beautiful. Of course all ocean views from elevated decks in resorts located along the shores of Bahia de Banderas are beautiful.

Regardless of your preference, you don't want to miss either. It is especially gratifying when you see something that surprises you when you review your photo for the first time. The pictures in this post surprised us because of the content and colors, each photo presenting a different view of the same place.

Travel Ideas in Riviera Nayarit

Our objective was to see as many sites as we could while we visited Riviera Nayarit. Our base was the Grand Mayan Resort at Nuevo Vallarta, so we decided to see how far north we could get.

Originally, we checked out www.homeandabroad.com to get some ideas about specific interesting sites in the area. The website offers a great tool that allows you to personallize your interests and keep track of your trip. Changes are not a problem. There is an estimate of the amount of time the adventure will take. And there are lots of other tips and photos. Seems to be growing.

We created list of of things to see. Very ambitious list, I might add. But, as is the case with all best laid plans, we made changes. Instead of renting a car for the week, we decided to rent for a day. Instead of tackling all the projects we planned, we tackled one.

Our drive north included Rincon de Guayabitos (on the left, above), Los Ayala (on the right, above), San Francisco, Sayulita, and Punta Mita. We found each location to be quaint, quiet, beautiful and available.

Rincon de Guayabitos, for example is a phenomenal beach area, and it is beautiful in its simplicity. Los Ayala is just around the corner from the Guayabitos beach, and is very quiet, comfortable and unspoiled by the rest of the world.

For more photos, check out www.aimfair.com and click on "Excursions".

Not only are there additional photos of Guayabitos and Los Ayala, but there are pictures of San Francisco and Sayulita as well.

The beauty of this area is attracting hotel owners and other investors. We were told by a couple of Canadians, who are in the process of buying a home nearby, that plans to build large resorts are being made. Big resorts. So our suggestion is to get in your car and spend some time exploring the Riviera Nayarit now. You can tell your grand kids that you were there when is was beautiful and quiet.

Enjoy and hasta luego!

Grand Mayan Facilities

We are off to the Grand Mayan in Puerto Vallarta for the first time. Our normal process is to bring some frozen food so we can have a meal or three "in house." Since we have not stayed at a Grand Mayan unit before, we do not know how large the refer is. We usually take along frozen salmon and different types of steaks. It occurred to us that we do not know if the refer in the Grand Mayan is large enough to hold anything that has been prefrozen and could keep the freeze in the food.

Any help would be appreciated.

Grand Luxxe Villa

More and more pictures and comments are coming from Puerto Vallarta about the new Grand Luxxe Villas. We expect these accommodations will be beautiful and luxurious, but don't know yet because they have not been built.

This is the first time we have stepped out to make a pre-construction purchase. On the surface, so far so good. We are traveling in November to take a first hand look at all the progress being made.

Lots of uncertainty and faith here. But, what the heck, isn't that what life is for.....taking a chance at something that appears to fit your interests and going with it? Of course, taking the chance assumes you know full well what you want and whether the chances of success are in your favor.

This is our first blog of what we hope to be many. Stay tuned and welcome to our world!