Grand Sirenis Matlali Hills, Puerto Vallarta, La Cruz, Bucerias and Sayulita.
It took a while but after settling into newish jobs and regular life routines we were feeling the need for a recharge. Starting new jobs and transitioning back to reality has been amazing, we are so thankful that the universe once again provides for us but it was time for a break.
You can read my long winded story or just watch the video about our trip to the Grand Sirenis Matlali Hills, La Cruz.
There are different kinds of travel and as awesome as our year sojourn was it had its own stresses. Planning our travel, itineraries, accommodations, budgeting, train schedules, rental cars, driving, parking, language, documents, Garmin Elextra taking us on some scary cliff huggin side roads….it was exhausting at times. For this trip we just wanted some Zen!
We didn’t want to think about anything. Just show up, throw on our flippy floppies and the biggest decisions would be which lounge chair to take by the pool and whether we wanted a beer, margherita or Pina Colada. For us Canadians you just can’t beat the price of an all-inclusive vacation to either Mexico, the Dominican Republic or Cuba.
So, we started to do some research. and I like to start with a website called RedTag for an all -inclusive. It is an aggregator for vacation packages provided by Westjet, AirCanada, Sun Wing, Air Transat… and so easy to see who has the best prices and view the resorts. After a few hours we had it narrowed down to some resorts in the Mayan, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos. We were just about to book Los Cabos when I came across this resort outside of Puerto Vallarta called The Grand Sirenis Matlali Hills through Air Canada. We had stayed at a Grand Sirenis before on the Mayan side, it was one of those mega resorts with the largest spa in Mexico and we spent a week there getting rubbed and scrubbed. But this one seemed different, smaller and more serene. It was off the beach and up in the jungle with views of the Sierra Madres on one side and the Bay of Banderas on the other. Getting to the beach required taking a short, bumpy truck ride and the resort was surrounded by hiking trails throughout the dry jungle. Reviews talked of a beautiful, quiet property and it seemed to fit the bill perfectly. We read the reviews on Tripadvisor and as always you have to read between the lines, some people are overly picky and love to complain while others are happy as long as there’s beer and toilet paper. So, after pondering the choices we went ahead and booked it. Now we could get excited!
The best part was we only had 4 weeks till departure and the time whizzed by. Before we knew it we were at The Park and Jet for a prompt pickup to the airport which was quiet, we zipped through security and had enough time for an overpriced coffee and breakfast sandwich before takeoff. Three and a half hours or so later we were landing, and the trip was surprisingly pleasant. As I had researched; we walked straight through the gauntlet of pushy time share operators and outside of the airport, crossed a lane to where all the buses were parked and, in a few minutes, found our Air Canada representative. He gave us our shuttle pass that we’d need later for the return home and we boarded the small van which took 8 of us straight to the resort. Another advantage of a small resort… (or maybe it was an Air Canada thing) on past trips to the big resorts of the Mayan we had a long drive on a bus that stopped at multiple resorts. You gotta love a direct trip.
Check-in was easy, they gave us our room keys and the driver brought up our bags. 30 minutes later we were lounging by the Adult pool with a Pina Colada in hand and a plate of nachos and Guac…todays big decisions already done! It took us a day to settle into the resort, maybe we had high expectations but on the first day we were trying to decide if we were thrilled or wishing we had booked another resort. Turns out the Grand Sirenis had just discontinued their management lease on this private resort and as off May 1 it was being taken over by The Marriot. They seemed to be in a bit of disarray and short staffed… towels were in short supply, the buffet ran out of food one night, pool service was slow….all first world problems but made us a bit anxious and annoyed. Nothing a few tequila shots didn’t fix though and soon we were relaxed, settled in, enjoying life and making friends. We ended up loving the resort and as the days went by the food got better and towels were in full supply… pool service remained slow (only one good day when Carlos was serving!).
The buffet was good, always some things you could find (except for the evening they ran out of food), breakfast was our fave (with a custom omelet bar) and we had booked our 3 ala cartes: Brazilian, Japanese and Italian. The ala cartes were booked for our last 3 nights starting with the Brazilian which we did with some newly made friends visiting from the interior of Mexico. It was good, the company made it particularly enjoyable. The Japanese was like drip torture…it could have been good but we were seated beside two couples from France with zero English so no one to visit with, everyone was stone quiet. It was supposed to be a bit of a show around the griddle but they didn’t feel like cleaning it, so he cooked on the one across from us with a view of his back. So much for a show. Then he accidentally threw a large pad of butter onto the floor and kept walking on it and sliding across the floor, then his assistant came and she was sliding around the prep centre on butter skates. Okay that was a pretty good show, we kept gasping and closing our eyes waiting for one of them to wipe out and land on the griddle. Then finally came the desert choice and we were excited to try the fried ice-cream only to be told it wasn’t available, so Janet ordered the coffee gellee which was okay and I ordered the fried bananas that were pleasant. We were on the corner and ordering first each time so by the time we finished desert they were serving our comrades on the other side. Their desert looked like ‘fried ice-cream’ so we asked the Maître D what it was they were having. He said, ‘fried ice-cream’ and steam burst from Janets ears as she asked why we were told there was none and they ordered after us. He said no problem we’ll make you one but we said to forget it and left promptly. We figured out that they were running low and the others were ‘Grand Sirenis Members’ who got special privilege, so they were conserving for the members. A bit of a piss off but quickly forgotten about with some friends and tequilas at the poolside bar.
Although I would likely never go back to the same resort as we like to change things up, this resort was great and I’m sure The Marriot will bring it up a notch…along with the price but here is a link to some photos from around the resort of The Grand Sirenis Matlali Hills.
After a few days we were getting a little bored of lounging, so we quickly made plans to go to the small Mexican town of Sayulita. We decided we wanted the adventure of the local bus to get there and would take a cab home as it wasn’t easy to get into the resort for our return. We had the beach shuttle drop us off on the highway and he explained to carefully cross, walk down the road and up over the overpass to catch a green bus on the other side signed ‘Sayulita’. We walked up the highway and quickly realized we went the wrong way for the overpass so backtracked and corrected our route. It was a little daunting standing on the side of a busy highway all by ourselves waiting for a bus. We decided if it didn’t come in a half hour we’d hike back and take a cab. I thought I better get my money ready for the bus and as I was on the ground riffling through the back pack I looked up and saw Janet running in the distance after a bus. It stopped and was backing up as I grabbed my pack and ran after her. Luckily Janet was paying attention, the bus was white with a bit of green lettering not as our resort shuttle driver had said but she saw the bus sign with ‘Sayulita’ written on it as it whizzed by. So nice of him to stop for us. We hopped on, frazzled and with my back pack in disarray I couldn’t find where I had hidden my money. Riffling through I got nervous looking for it as the driver glanced at me irritated…I finally found my change purse and thinking he had said Quattro peso’s I gave him a few coins to which he gestured not enough. So, I poured out more and ended up dumping all my coins onto the floor as they loudly rolled down the isle. I hastily ran and gathered them up, putting on a show for all the occupants as one of the expat passengers said he wants 40 pesos and he’s cranky! I finally found my money belt and gave him 50 pesos and he passed me change. I sat down in the seat and we were on our way. As I closed up my backpack a feeling of embarrassment overcame me thinking about the show I put on and dahhhhhh…. 4 pesos is like a penny, 40 pesos is about 3 dollars which made more sense. I’m sure the locals and driver were likely thinking ‘dumb Gringo’!
A pleasant half hour/45-minute ride and we were in Sayulita. Sayulita is a small village on the pacific coast backed by the Sierra Madre mountains and know for its eclectic surfing vibe. The town has some lovely shops, galleries, fab restaurants and bars. We wondered the town for a bit and then headed down to the beach where it was becoming busy as throngs of locals were making their way here for the Easter holidays. It reminded us of the beaches of Sicily which were packed in July, where you could buy anything imaginable on the beach from vendors walking by and hocking their wares. A lady came by selling massage packages and pointed us to a hut where they had a great deal for $500 pesos each, 70 minutes beachside- about $35 cdn. We told her we were going for beer first and would be back as we made a plan; relax with a few cervezas, then massage, then rent beach chairs and stay for the day. So, we decided on a bar and relaxed with a few beers while people watching by the main square. I could have done this all day but now with a bit of a ‘glow on’ we decided to go for our massages and headed down the beach. We were pleasantly surprised to find out they had an actual facility (not just a massage bed on the beach) with some rustic open-air rooms that over looked the beach. In minutes we striped down to our swim suits and melted away to the perfect touch of a great masseuse, the sound of the waves and Mexican mariachi music playing in the background. Now this was relaxing!
We left with delirious smiles, walking like jello after our cerveza fueled body gasms! We pondered the beach but decided instead on heading for lunch. It was hours since we had our last buffet feeding and it was time for some authentic food. We were excited to try some local seafood and it didn’t disappoint, ordering shrimp tacos and chicken taquitos for what we thought would be a light lunch but was more American size portions, mucho bueno! After such a big lunch, with bloated bellies we weren’t feeling the beach and instead decided to walk it off around town. It was a good thing because later we heard warnings not to go into the water as they were doing an annual sewage dump that was known to cause rashes- ewe gross! We bought some local homemade chips and junk food to take back to the resort and a few trinkets before heading home via cab. What a great day, we can’t wait to return to Sayulita one day soon.
The next day was a beach day at the resort and followed by a late afternoon trip to Puerto Vallarta. Leaving from our resort in La Cruz by cab it was a little longer drive than expected, almost an hour into the old center of Puerto Vallarta. It was nostalgic to return after my two-week trip last February with some buddies where I made daily walking trips into town from our condo in Buenos Aires, a local neighborhood up in the hills. I was excited to show Janet about town as she had only visited once before on a short excursion during a past family cruise had done.
We walked the Malecon, visited some shops and headed to one of my favorite restaurants, an Italian place called La Piazetta a block or so from the famed pier. My third time dining here and just as great as I remembered. We both ordered varying takes on Scaloppini and it was delicious, washed down with a nice chianti. We watched and listened to a Mariachi band that was serenading a young couple, the fellow was trying hard to impress his date and even sang a song for her with the band playing along. It was a cultural experience and added to the enjoyment of our dinner. A meal finished off with some homemade pistachio ice-cream and cappuccinos, we left very satisfied and glad we made a trip into the touristy center of Puerto Vallarta.
Here are photos from our trip into Puerto Vallarta. An my previous trip to Puerto Vallarta.
We alternated with a day at the resort lounging by the adult pool, drinking, reading, more drinking, more eating and an occasional swim. The adult pool was where we retreated every day, no kids allowed and although we rarely saw them at the main pool we knew they were there like the Zika virus infected mosquitos we never saw but made every effort to avoid.
It was time to switch it up again and we decided to make a day trip into the nearby town of Bucerias. Although an hour and a half or so hike as we were told down the beach from our beach club we decided best to cab it into town. It was cheap and a much easier way to pursue our visit than walking in the heat of the sun.
A short ride from La Cruz and we were dropped off at the town centre in Bucerias. Right by the square is a large market with vendors selling all imaginable Mexican arts and crafts souvenirs. We walked through the maze of tents selling many of the things we had already seen or bought on previous trips but we enjoyed looking. Vendors insistently said, ‘its free to look’ and we tried unsuccessfully getting lured into many of the shops but it’s a great cultural experience if you can handle their persistence.
After some window shopping we headed down to the beach and walked along the shore taking in the sights and sounds as it filled with locals enjoying their Easter vacation. We had come across another massage tent and couldn’t resist the $250 pesos ea. deal they were offering, half of what we paid in Sayulita at about $20 each cdn for an hour. It wasn’t quit as relaxing with the crowds of people surrounding the tent, the massage wasn’t as skilled, but it was enjoyable none the less and a steal at $20 each. If you want to get a massage and save yourself the exorbitant fees charged in the resort spas then head down to a local beach for the best deals.
Hopping off the massage table we gathered our stuff and headed back down the beach. As we sauntered along we came across a section where the locals were diving for Oysters not far from the shore using nets draped over a stack of innertubes that formed a floating basket for their catch. They would drag their full baskets up onto the beach and began cleaning, sorting and preparing the oysters for sale. I was tempted to give them a try but watching them pilled up in the hot sun gave me second thoughts.
Instead we headed to a beach side restaurant for a few Coronas and the best ever coconut jumbo shrimps where we lazed away a few hours watching the locals enjoying their Easter break. The sites, sounds, smells and tastes of Mexico stimulated our senses and filled our souls with the gratitude that comes of wanderlust and a break from our regular routines.
The next few days were spent lounging by the pool and visiting with new-found friends from Mexico, the States, Canada and even Denmark. More eating, drinking and relaxing till we had our fill and it was time to venture back home. With our gas tanks refueled, filled with the Zen we hoped to find and grateful for another fab vacation we happily returned to the comfort and tranquility of home. Greeted at the door by an excited puppy dog and our adult kids we dropped our bags, settled in our jammies and were remined that as good as vacation is, the best place is home. But by the next day after unpacking, going to the grocery store, starting the laundry, making dinner, catching up on emails and settling back into routine we were already talking about where we’d like to go on our next vacation.
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