Andrew and Mandy recently returned from a week in Neuvo Vallarta, Mexico. It wasn't exactly the ideal vacation. The resort was beautiful, and they would definitely recommend it to anyone intending on visiting the area.
The got into Mexico on Saturday, December 8th. By the time they got to the resort and settled in, it was after 6:00pm. The resort was Paradise Village. You can see it on Google Maps. There are two main buildings for rooms, the one with three wings, and the second building to the north west. They were in this second building. All in all the resort was wonderful. Lots of activities, two pools, with small water slides. They enjoyed a wonderful supper at the resort, outside overlooking the beach and the sunset.
Sunday was there first real day, and they spent some time exploring the area. They figured out how to get to Vallarta Adventures with whom they had booked a couple of snorkeling tours. They spent most of the afternoon on the beach, and enjoyed some wake boarding in the surf. Again, they chose a restaurant at the resort for supper, and again, were not disappointed.
Monday was spent on a snorkeling tour at Los Marietas. The trip began with a boat ride out to the island. Though it was a bit early in the season, they were lucky enough to see several humpback whales that come to the bay every year to breed. Once they reached the island, it was time to go snorkeling. Mandy and Andrew had purchased snorkel gear ahead of time, mostly for the prescription goggles. They had rented similar ones when they went to Hawaii. The snorkeling was disappointing. The water was a little bit rough, there only seemed to be a few species of fish, and too many people. They enjoyed lunch on the boat before heading to a deserted stretch of beach for the afternoon. They took quite a few pictures both on the boat and on the beach. After that disappointing trip, they canceled a second trip they had booked for Thursday. The second trip is apparently a better snorkeling trip, but as it turned out, they wouldn't have been able to enjoy it anyways.
Tuesday the couple planned to go to downtown Puerto Vallarta to do some shopping. There was a mall just a few minutes walk from the beach, but they both wanted to try some haggling with street vendors. They took the bus, but mixed up some instructions and ended up wondering around the resort area for a while before getting too hot in the sun and taking a cab back. They decided instead to spend the afternoon at the beach relaxing. When they got to the beach, they decided to do some more wake boarding. They got into the surf, which was a bit rougher than Sunday, but still very enjoyable.
After riding in a few waves, they got behind where the waves were breaking. It was less than five feet of water, but it was relaxing to float on the ocean and enjoy the sun. What they didn't realize, is they had floated into a rip current. While they floated, they were slowly being pulled away from the beach, and towards a jetty. When they started to realize the problem, they called for help. Help did come, but not before the couple got too close to the rocks. As they got closer and closer to the rocks, they decided they had no choice but to climb up the jetty to safety. While doing so, and being hit by some surprisingly strong waves, they both got banged up. Mandy's right leg was slammed against a rock while climbing up, while Andrew was sort of dragged across them. Mandy ended up with some swelling a lot of bruising, while Andrew ended up with a lot of cuts on his legs and arm. They managed to climb up on the jetty and get to the sidewalk that ran on top of it. Shortly after, resort staff arrived on the scene and took the couple to a doctor. The doctors were very good and cleaned up the wounds and prescribed some antibiotic creams for both of them as well as an anti-inflammatory for Mandy. Later that evening while out for a short walk, they noticed that the resort had upgraded the warning level on the beach from caution to danger. The couple took some pictures of their wounds after they had seen the doctors.
They weren't allowed to shower or get in any water the following day. Thursday, they were allowed to go in the ocean. The doctor explained that the salts and minerals in the ocean water would actually aid healing. The didn't go far in, but they did go into the water again, staying very close to shore. Friday there were allowed into the pools, which made Mandy happy. Her leg was sore and some low impact exercise in the pool helped to loosen it up.
All in all, not the best vacation they'd ever been on. Getting injured, and being away from Hayden that long was hard. They were quite happy to see him on Sunday, and he was quite happy to see them. That being said, they did really enjoy the resort they were at, and the area. The food was excellent, Mandy even enjoyed some spicier foods, something she doesn't usually enjoy at home.
