Spotlight :: Puerto Vallarta

[trip style = all-inclusive + beach + urban + sightseeing]

{Editor's Note: Nolitours recently sent me down the coast to Puerto Vallarta to test drive noliZONE, their new all-inclusive program which promotes the resort as a base camp for around-town exploration, meals out, cooking classes, fiestas, etc... I wrote about the deets on Friday and wanted to round-out the coverage with my top PV picks and pics!}

Liz Taylor and Richard Burton put Puerto Vallarta on the jetset's map when they descended upon the remote fishing town in the early 1960s for the film The Night of the Iguana, the screen version of a Tennessee Williams Broadway play. Surprisingly, Mrs. Taylor wasn't even in the film. Much to celeb gossip columnists' delight, she came down as Mr. Burton's famed mistress/+1. Puerto Vallarta was her quiet, romantic hideaway where she could roam unrecognized and free, for a time...

Now their separate, time-worn residences---connected by a Venice-like pink bridge towering above a cobblestone street---hint at a local fishing village transformed by the earliest and flashiest flash mob around. The Hollywood heyday couple may have ignited Puerto Vallarta's early fame, but the town's history, warmth, vibrancy and safety have maintained its A-List status with a steady influx of international visitors, as well as the largest community of foreigners in the country.

Eat The Cool Spot - La Leche When I walked into La Leche I wanted to break out in song because the whitewashed interior was more than a "blanc" palette. Look close enough and every detail from life-sized chalkboard menu to the shiny marble floors were high design. The cuisine matched the interior's ingenuity and taste. Every colorful dish---intended to be the art in the stark space---surprised and delighted my palate. Leaving 'no course unturned', even the starter salad came with a syringe of balsamic reduction dressing. PS - the chef studied cuisine in Vancouver, Canada! *La Leche offers a $30 prix fixe menu to all noliZONE guests.

The Splurge - Cafe des Artistes En vogue and whimsical, Cafe Des Artistes oozes posh. The restaurant itself is a lavish work of art and the food takes it up a notch with artful renditions of coastal Mexican fare. *Cafe Des Artists does not have a noliZONE prix fixe menu, but it's 100% worth a visit.

Do Take A Stroll

Puerto Vallarta rises from 40 miles of coastline toward the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Don your walking shoes because it's worth the uphill stroll on Liz and Richard's former cobblestone side streets on which you'll find their crumbling abodes. Back at the sea, a 6000-foot pedestrian Malecón stretches between the ocean and the town's shops and restaurants.

Take A Cooking Class - Cookin' Vallarta

Set in an open-air kitchen beside a rectangular pool {it's Mexico after all}, I learned to make proper: guac, salsa, hand-pressed tortillas, tortilla soup and mole chicken. As the sous chef I might be slightly biased, but it was the best-in-class Mexican I'd ever tasted, and I left with recipes for each dish! Don't even ask me how many times I've sliced, diced and devoured guac since I've returned home. *This cooking class is offered as part of the noliZONE. At the time of my travel the cost had not yet been determined, but I got the idea it would be between $20 - 40 cdn.

[photos by @tripstyler---except cafe des artistes & la leche---shot while a guest of Air Transat in PV]

Mexico: Get In The Zone

[trip style = all-inclusive]

One of the benefits of piloting Trip Styler is I get to be the first to hear about---and sometimes experience first-hand---new developments in the travel industry. Last month's five-hour jaunt to Puerto Vallarta was one such opportunity which I've been dying to dish out.

I went down with Nolitours, a Canada-based online packaged vacation company (part of the Air Transat group), to experience the first-ever noliZONE, a travel philosophy-come-product encouraging people to go beyond the gates and guises of the easy-breezy all-inclusive and inject a destination's soul into their week-long, cocktail-soaked beach-fest. To book a noliZONE-designated property {and optional program} is to use the all-inclusive as a base camp for local endeavours.

WAY beyond the butler service and buffets common in packaged trips, using the all-inclusive as a base camp is a concept I am behind 110%, especially having been bored to tears on day four of multiple all-inclusive getaways---no joke, once I tried to convince my husband to fly home early {being the wise man he is, he convinced me otherwise}---wondering what life lurked outside my coastal castle's drawbridge and fortified walls.

In Puerto Vallarta's noliZONE properties you get quickly acquainted with the outside world because they aren't a far-flung three-hour transfer from the airport, nor are they in the middle of nowhere flanked between banana palms and farmers' fields. Rather in Puerto Vallarta and neighbouring Nuevo Vallarta {interchangeable with Riviera Nayarit}, the all-inclusives are within 5-30 minutes of local restaurants, vibrant and historic towns and culture galore.

Not about cheesy excursions like a two-hour bus tour to feed stingrays a bucket of fish {been there, done that}, noliZONE takes you from a trip style = beach vacation to travel on your own terms, meaning you can go 'off-base' as much or as little as you want on your own, or via the noliZONE suggestions.

STAY TUNED: On Monday I'm going to show and tell some of my favorite restaurants and experiences in Puerto Vallarta. In the meantime, here's a PV taster I published while I was in Mexico.

The Details

• Six noliZONE properties can be booked in Puerto and Nuevo Vallarta.
• noliZONE offers a weekly, locally-organized fiesta to all noliZONE guests, as well as a bevvy of prix fixe restaurant options, the opportunity to visit or bring a list of needed supplies to local orphanage, cooking classes and spa discounts.
• From Vancouver there are twice-weekly Air Transat flights to Puerto Vallarta from November 3rd until April 26th.
• The newly-minted noliZONE vacation concept is currently in select areas of Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

{Per my editorial policy, I'm not getting paid to write this, it's just a travel concept I believe in and want to share with my flock of culture-vulture, aspiring jetsetters.}

[photo via riviera nayarit]

KinderHop :: Time Zones, Jet Lag & Kids

[trip style = any]

KinderHop is published once monthly and written by Trip Styler’s Seattle-based kid ‘n family writer, Keryn.

Jet lag and time zone changes should not stop your travels when you have kids. Take it from me: I just spent a month with my baby and my toddler in Europe! With a few tips and a small adjustment to your expectations, you could be sipping svařené víno (mulled wine) at the Prague Christmas Market or dipping your toes in the sands of Maui this winter.

Stay Flexible You may not be able to hit the ground running right away. Nap times will be different, your child may need to eat more or you may need to go to bed earlier than usual. Embrace it.

Have Patience Jet lag can last 3-14 days---depending on how far you travel---and subsides with every passing day. Be mentally prepared for the adjustment; with a little flexibility you'll make it through.

Your First Night Could Get Rough If you've crossed a major time zone---or three---be sure to have a snack on hand and be prepared to watch a movie when your child wakes up at 3am ready to conquer the world. Don’t fight it; just know that it will get better every night.

Stick To Your Sleep Routine Do the same bedtime routine you'd do at home while traveling. Try to start as close to your usual bedtime as possible in the local time zone.

Give Yourself A Break The first few days of our travels, my husband and I always take turns getting up with the kids so that we each have a chance to sleep in. This helps us keep up with the kids and always makes our travels more relaxing and fun.

Take A Day Off Give yourself a buffer day---or two---to get back into the swing of things when you return home. Hire a babysitter so you can get a little extra rest, unpack and not pull your hair out chasing after the kids.

Your Child May Adjust Better Than You My kids have always switched time zones faster than me. Their circadian rhythms are so attuned to the sun they can get on local time in a few days, while it may take me longer.

More KinderHop Transitioning From Couple To Family Travel Back to School Seattle Shop ‘n Stay How To Keep Kids Occupied On A Plane Family Road Tripping Tips How To Pack Less With Kids In Tow Family-Friendly Big Island Making Hotel Rooms Work With Kids

[photos by @walkingontravels]

Remembrance Day

Today is a national Canadian holiday paying tribute to the soldiers who fought and fell to give us the world renowned freedoms we enjoy across our vast land. Remembrance Day is always November 11th---a moment of silence sweeps over the nation at the 11th hour on the 11th minute---where ceremonies mark the sacrifice of those both abroad and back home. Since November 11th fell on a Sunday this year, Monday is the observation and as a result, we will resume our regular posts this Wednesday.

Lest we forget.

[photo via cbc.ca]

Roam+Board :: Makena Resort

[trip style = beach + sun + budget conscious]

{Editor's Note: This is the final post (for now---there's always time for Maui), in our four-part Maui Waui miniseries exploring the tropics by way of boutique hotels, budget stays and big-name resorts.}

What
Makena translates to “a land of abundance and plenty” in Hawaiian, and this 1800-acre version of Hawaii is on full display at Makena Resort, a quiet, lush and sprawling ode to super natural Maui. Within minutes of arriving at the removed resort, I hit the beach {priorities, right?} and true to the translation, spot a turtle as I'm snorkeling just offshore.

Reinventing the face of the 80s-built Maui Prince, the hotel’s new owners graced the 310-room space---in the multi-millions---with retro-nouveau injections like reimagined circular pools accented by citrus-hued umbrellas and seven free-to-use cabanas, and restored mid-century furniture throughout.

One feature that makes the hotel really special is its shape and uber use of indoor-outdoor space. Every room has a lanai and from every lanai there's an ocean view. At night I take advantage of my seafront setting and fall asleep with my balcony door open to the sound of the wind rustling the palms and the crashing ocean waves. Ahhh.

Where
Makena, Maui, five minutes South of Wailea and a 30-minute drive from Maui’s main airport {OGG}.

When
Maui’s 25-degree C average temperature attracts visitors year-round. High season tends to revolve around major holidays/breaks like American Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break and summer. Visit in fall, Jan/Feb and late-spring for fewer crowds and cheaper rates.

Who/Why
Budget-conscious travelers who don't want to sacrifice setting or style, and score on amenities like a sugary-sand beach with super snorkeling, an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones-designed golf course, tennis club, multiple restaurants and open-air beachfront spa to name a few.

Cost
Rates start at $209 and include self-parking, WiFi, pool cabanas, and a complimentary shuttle service that takes you to and from nearby Wailea. NO RESORT FEE! Oh, and every room has a fridge.

More Maui
Maui Waui :: What's New In Wailea
Roam+Board :: Napili Kai
Maui Waui :: Paia
Another Side of Hawaii
Finding the Modern in Waikiki

[photos taken by @tripstyler---except arial shot courtesy makena resort---while exploring Maui as a guest of the hotel]