Sunday, April 30, 2017

Puerto Vallarta Travel Review - Part 1 - Arrival

I was fortunate enough to win a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (I still can't believe it).  This is a review of our trip.  Although I received the trip free of charge, the opinions in this review are my own.  There is so much to cover, my review will comprise a series of posts.

I'm from the East coast, and most of the people I know around here tend to vacation in other areas of Mexico, particularly the Eastern side of Mexico.  So I thought this was a unique opportunity to experience an area that not many people I know have been to and share my experience with them.

We flew out of the Saint John Airport (New Brunswick, Canada) in the early morning and had a quick turnaround time in Montreal.  Next thing we knew we were on a nearly 6 hour flight (!) to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  This would be our first trip to Mexico.

As we approached Puerto Vallarta, we started to see some mountains in the terrain below.

Our view from the plane as we approached Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

When we landed, one thing we experienced that was unlike other airports was that, once through immigration, we were bombarded by people offering us drives to our resort.  I was looking for a particular shuttle, that I had arranged a drive with before arriving.  A gentleman approached us and said he was from that company.  After a few minutes, it was easy to see that he was not, in fact, from the shuttle company.  Everyone in this area was trying to sign people up for a tour of a new property close by that was selling condos.    So be aware, if you aren't interested in seeing the property, you can sail right through.

We finally found our driver and made our way to the hotel.  Due to a little misunderstanding, we tried to check-in to a hotel only to discover we were at the property next door.  Tired and hot, we arrived at the Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel & Romantic Getaway.  

Lobby of the Villa Premiere.

From the moment we arrived in the open and beautifully decorated lobby, we felt instant relaxation.  The staff at the front desk was so welcoming.  They offered us a champagne while we checked in.  We were informed that our suite was not ready yet, but there was plenty to keep us occupied until our room was ready.  

We were presented with a menu of scents and pillow types for our room.  The variety of scents featured everything from invigorating scents to relaxation. And the pillow menu featured extra plush pillows to ergonomic pillows.  After selecting our scent and pillows, we made our way over to have a welcome head-neck-shoulder massage.  

Massage Area.

After our massage, we stepped out to the pool area to have a quick look around.  The concierge gave us a run down on the property:

- 1 large pool, and a smaller pool connected to the pool bar.  The pool bar has a deck attached that looks out over the beach.
- There are 3 restaurants - La Ceiba, La Corona and Murales.  You can also get food poolside.  More on the food later.

Next to the pool, as well as on the beach, there are some comfortable beds for lounging, complete with pillows.  And surrounding the pool there is no lack of lounge chairs with towels, so no need to lug towels down from your room.

Once our room was ready, the bellman took us up and showed us all of the amenities.  The luxury and amenities in this room were amazing.  Check out the video below for the tour of our room.


Our Suite at the Villa Premiere.

Our linens, mini bar and hotel room scent were refreshed daily.

As demonstrated in the video, there was a double jacuzzi tub and stand alone shower in the bathroom.  Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion were provided and refreshed daily.

As you can see, the view from our balcony was amazing, and we could hear the waves from the beach at any given time of the day or night.

View from our balcony.


The room featured a privacy screen as well as a black out screen to block sunlight if you needed a little extra time in bed in the morning.  Both screens were controlled by a remote control (so cool, right?!).

The hotel is located not far from the Malecon, the famous Puerto Vallarta boardwalk.  My husband and I walked down a few nights, but if you have any difficulties with your mobility, or if it is a particularly hot day, you may want to take a cab down.  The staff in the lobby will be happy to arrange for a cab for you.

Although our trip was only 5 days, there is so much to tell!  So stay tuned for "Part 2" of my Puerto Vallarta Review series.  

PS - Keep an eye out for my video review coming soon to the Overtired Mama YouTube page!

Have you been to Puerto Vallarta?  Tell us about your experience in the comments below, or join in on the conversation on the Overtired Mama's Facebook Page or on Twitter.




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