We did it again. We took our chances on a
new hotel for our
Spring break vacation. Did it pay off? You bet! There were four of us who
travelled together and we all deemed this hotel one of our favourite all-inclusive
hotels. It was a legitimate luxury hotel that truly catered to an “adults only”
crowd.
We arrived and were taken to our room on the 8th
floor. The ocean views are incredible from each room, and streaming music
through the Wi-Fi allowed us to watch the sunset with music and drinks on our balcony.
You were asked to make dinner reservations, but there was never a problem
getting the time and restaurant we wanted. There are 3 a la carte restaurants
and a buffet to choose from for dinner. Which may not seem like many, but the
menus are extensive and you could eat there several times without repeating
entrees.
The Mexican restaurant was delicious and offered Mexican dishes
that are not “typical” Mexican foods for North Americans. It was great to try
flank steak with chimichurri, Mexican fondue, and seafood stuffed poblano
peppers.
The Italian restaurant was our least favourite, but a
wonderful space and some choices that will please you. I would recommend not
going for the traditional pastas and pizzas and aim for what they do well:
seafood.
The Asian restaurant was hands down the best restaurant I
have ever eaten at of any hotel. It is called Yuu, and we were not sure what to
expect. We were thinking dinner would be served teppanyaki style- like so many
other resorts do. We were pleasantly surprised. There was an extensive sushi
menu, and the sushi was wonderful and made fresh to order as you should expect.
The Jalapeno sushi was a favourite. Rich and I have travelled through Southeast Asia so we were so excited to
see that they had a page on the menu catered to some of the major cities in
Asia. Under each city they had a traditional dish from that area. I have never
seen anything like it. We sampled the chicken satay dish from Kuala Lumpur
twice! The men in our group fell in love with the Pad Thai as well.
For lunch be sure to skip the buffet, room service, and pool
service and eat at the ceveceria. Their grilled fish sandwich with fried and
jalapeno aioli is fresh and delicious.
The views and pools are beautiful. We took so many pictures
of the ocean with the mountains in the background. The inflatable loungers available
in the pool are a nice touch. We had no problem getting loungers in the
morning. There is an option to lounge on the dock beside the pool, facing the
ocean which is neat.
We like to have quite a few drinks when we are away, and
this hotel did not disappoint. All ingredients were fresh, no syrups slush or
purees. They had any drink you can imagine and they make it with top of the line
alcohol. We were introduced to the raspberry mojitos at the beach bar. The
bartender there even taught me how to make a pineapple margarita using fresh
pineapple chunks.
They have a martini lounge, tequila lounge, sky lounge, lobby
bar, and a mojito lounge. All spaces are great to sit with friends or
significant other before or after dinner. They are themed lounges and the
drinks are incredible. They have a variety of tequilas infused with different
fruits and flavours you can try, or you can stick to the standards. I sampled
the jalapeno tequila with a splash of pineapple and it was great!
The sky lounge on the rooftop is a large bar and there are
places to sit and relax. There are 2 large hot tubs on the rooftop which are
open late, allowing you to enjoy the stars. There is music being played and
special performers are also scheduled throughout the week.
We also like to work out in the mornings on vacation (I
know... it’s not for everyone), and the gym is awesome. Not too big, not too
small. It has almost everything you can need. A variety of weights, cardio
machines, etc. The hotel even runs various classes in the morning!
We were lucky to get upgraded to the Governor suite. If you
can splurge on it, even just for a couple of nights it is worth it. The rooms
are on the top floor and I am sure you can imagine the views. The room has 2
bathrooms, dining area, living area, wet bar area, 2 balconies, and a patio
with a hot tub outdoor dining table and loungers. We had our breakfast brought
up to us and ate breakfast on the deck while sipping mimosas. What a wonderful
way to start the day!
We had a wonderful time and although will not return again,
as it is our rule to never visit the same place twice, we hope you experience
the same memorable time as we did.
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Grand Fiesta Americana, Puerto Vallarta
Photo: @conciergecouple |
