We just returned from our summer vacation to Puerto Vallarta so I thought I would put together a recap of our stay while it was fresh in my mind. First, I will say this vacation was a short one but exceeded all of my expectations. My only wish for this trip was some quality time with my family and uninterrupted time to connect with our very busy young adult kids and this trip not only delivered on both fronts but our stay was absolutely incredible which is why I wanted to share the details.

We chose our destination based on the fact that we wanted somewhere that offered a great combination of relaxation time plus lots of activities. Our family is a divided house when it comes to what everyone enjoys so finding places that offer both can be challenging. We traveled to Puerto Vallarta almost 11 years ago with our kids and the rest of our extended family and it was one of our favorite trips. When we made the trip back then, we stayed at a Dreams resort in Puerto Vallarta but that property was since sold so opted to look at some other options this time around.

We wanted to find a resort that had a good all inclusive option as well since that is usually the route we go when traveling to Mexico. It usually works out well in terms of costs and saves us from surprise charges we didn’t plan for. The challenge with that is finding places with lots of options to choose from so we aren’t eating from a buffet for a week and our picky kids have options they will eat.

I have to give kudos to my husband for doing a ton of research and planning before landing on Villa La Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta. The reviews online were good and the room and food options looked right in line with our family’s needs. Now that my kids are older, all 4 of us in one hotel room gets very tight so my husband was able to book a suite with an extra room for the kids so we could all be together but still have our space to spread out. The rooms were beautiful with a gorgeous view of the pool and ocean. We enjoyed some nice afternoons and evenings out on our balcony just relaxing and soaking up the ocean air.

When I say that we didn’t have a single complaint about the food, that is the absolute truth. The resort has a sister property right next door which is where most of the food options were located but it allowed for enough diversity that we ate at a different restaurant for every meal and still didn’t get to all of them. The variety was also welcome with everything from a 5 star steakhouse, Italian dining on the beach, seafood overlooking the pool and a Japanese restaurant with sushi on the menu as well.

Above all else, the service was phenomenal. When you travel, you want to feel like you are relaxing and enjoying the experience and the staff achieved that every step of the way. Whether it was the staff at the restaurants or the service at the pool or the spa, everyone was so friendly, courteous and eager to make sure we were satisfied with our stay. We left numerous reviews afterwards which we rarely do but it was so well deserved.

As far as activities, we had plenty to keep us busy over the 3 full days of our stay. Our first day was spent enjoying the pool and beach that were within walking distance from each other. With a swim up bar and two kids over 18 now, that was also a highlight. On our second day, we walked a couple of miles over to the neighboring town of Bucerias. My husband had done some research and wanted to check out this town as it had lots of recommendations online. It was a charming mix of old colorful buildings and new construction. We ventured into the area where the local merchants were and bought a few souvenirs. We enjoyed breakfast and coffee at a cute little cafe in town as well.

For our last full day, my husband and son wanted to get some adventures in so we booked a zipline tour for them through Vallarta Adventures. It was a full day excursion that included not only ziplining but some repelling, waterslides and rides along with some horse rides. My son is not one to sit still at the pool all day so this satisfied his need for some activity and my husband loved it as well. My daughter and I enjoyed facials at the spa at the hotel and had a wonderful experience.

Finding time for our busy family to get away together is tough these days and only going to be more challenging as they both head into their next ventures but we also realized how important it is to make the time for these trips. We had some deep conversations, lots of laughs and just some much needed quality time together. If you are considering a vacation to Mexico, I would highly recommend both this resort and excursion company.