{"id":489,"date":"2008-01-21T06:54:22","date_gmt":"2008-01-21T12:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/01\/a-family-spring-break-in-puerto-vallarta\/"},"modified":"2017-03-20T14:10:14","modified_gmt":"2017-03-20T19:10:14","slug":"a-family-spring-break-in-puerto-vallarta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2008\/01\/a-family-spring-break-in-puerto-vallarta\/","title":{"rendered":"A family spring break in Puerto Vallarta"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Randle_family_6\"<\/a>
\nBy Monica Randle<\/em><\/p>\n

We booked our spring break family vacation<\/strong><\/a> well in advance, since we
\nwere traveling as an extended family of seven to sunny Puerto Vallarta, Mexico<\/strong>. Since the snow can linger in Chicago until baseball’s Opening Day (yes, I’ve been to Wrigley Field at the beginning of April when it was
\nsnowing), we decided to travel
\nsouth to enjoy our spring break vacation<\/a><\/strong> on the beautiful beaches of Puerto
\nVallarta. Grandma, Grandpa (babysitters!), Mom (that’s me), Dad, Uncle
\nRyan and little 1-year-old Logan took a direct flight to Puerto Vallarta out of Chicago O’Hare<\/a><\/strong>
\njust before a snowstorm.<\/p>\n

We stayed at the Velas Vallarta Suite Resort<\/a><\/strong>. It is an all-inclusive,
\nkid-friendly resort, just a short ride from the airport and about a
\n10- to 15-minute cab ride from downtown Puerto Vallarta. Despite what I had
\nread about this pristine resort, I had visions of an all-inclusive
\nhaving watered-down drinks, inedible food and an overcrowded romper
\nroom of a kid\u2019s pool. My worries were quickly put to rest.<\/p>\n

Our hotel room was a three-bedroom villa with a veranda and gorgeous view of Banderas Bay. The room was set up with the crib and high chair Ihad requested, and it had a full kitchen complete with microwave and
\ndishwasher.<\/p>\n

From the hotel grounds, the adult and children’s pools and beach were all
\nbeautiful. There was even a small playground next to the children’s
\npool that my son loved. For older children, there’s a kids’ camp<\/strong>.
\nThere were three restaurants<\/strong> on site (all kid-friendly) that did require
\nreservations, but we had no problem booking. There were also tennis
\ncourts where my poor husband lost to my dad again and again. My
\nmom and I rose early (ok, not every day) for sunrise yoga on the beach<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Randle_mexicoview\"<\/a>One of the perks of the hotel was that the staff was available at our beck and call. Need an apple juice in a sippy cup by the pool? No problem. Need another order of guacamole and extra towels sent to the room? It was delivered right away. If I saw a fun pink umbrella drink being delivered to someone across the pool, I could order it to try it myself. It was a great way to try things that I normally would not! I am now a big fan of ceviche and flaming Mexican coffee<\/strong> (which, as the name suggests, is set on fire!).<\/p>\n

Our hotel was a quick cab ride (or bus ride if you are more adventurous) from downtown Puerto Vallarta -\u2013 a lively little town with great shops, restaurants andnightlife. On a day we went to town we visited the flea market<\/strong> where it’s fun to barter, stopped in the historic church and even saw four men descend from a two-story pole while moving to a lively band performing at street level.<\/p>\n

We even were able to take a whale-watching tour<\/strong> and saw a few humpbacks \u2013- how thrilling!<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a relaxing vacation on the beach, I highly recommend this all-inclusive resort — and Puerto Vallarta — for a family vacation.<\/p>\n

Related Orbitz resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n