Paradise in Mexico

A much-needed getaway in May became a much-more-needed getaway in December, when the presence of the Swine Flu virus in Mexico thwarted our original plans. Determined to take a break and enjoy some downtime with my hubby, I re-booked our flight and reservations for an "eco resort" in the Puerto Vallarta area.

I hesitate to use the word "resort," lest it conjure images of a crowded megaresort where each room is indistinguishable from the next, but our beach paradise was anything but. Don't ask me how I found it; I must have started searching for "eco puerto vallarta mexico" and struck gold: Majahuitas Resort.

Having read the overwhelmingly positive reviews on TripAdvisor, I decided to book 5 nights/6 days in May and was disappointed when we had to cancel when our arrival date was in the eye of the H1N1 storm. Graciously, Majahuitas refunded 100% of our deposit, and I promised we would try again another time. I did. I re-booked for the week before Christmas, and it couldn't have been a better time to go.

Before I rave about Majahuitas - and the food in particular - I want to qualify that I think our positive experience was due not only to the conscious efforts made on the part of the proprietors but also due to some other factors, mainly the time of year we went. Apparently, between early November and the week before Christmas is the best time to go. The weather is perfect (I can't imagine being there when it's humid). We had perfect 75/80-degree weather every day. Because it's "low season," we were one of only two couples there the entire time. Apparently, the crowds come at Christmas and don't leave until Easter. Frankly, I'd never go during any other time, because I'm sure it would be a totally different experience.

Also, I don't know that it's for everyone in that it's not a luxury resort by any means. The casitas are open air, which was perfect for us. The ocean was a few dozen yards from our casita, and it lulled us to sleep each night. Because of the time of year, we had NO mosquitoes or buggers at all, but being backed up to the jungle, there is an incessant moisture in the air. And no, there are no air conditioners. :) By the time our respite was nearing an end, admittedly, I was tired of everything being moist all the time and looked forward to dry land, so for us 5 nights/6 days was absolutely perfect.

The entire place is solar-powered (though they do have propane for charging phones, which I used only when we were leaving so I'd have power for our journey home), so dinners were by candlelight every night. Incredibly romantic. They store their solar power, so a lil' bulb by our bed aided us in reading each night. As readers, it was only slightly challenging, but we knew what we had signed up for, so it wasn't the fault of the place at all. We wanted to be disconnected and quiet, and that's exactly what we got.

We spent each day with no agenda, which is quite a feat for me. Upon awakening, hot water was already in our room for my tea. We would read a bit before heading down to breakfast, and the rest of the days were spent lying on the beach, reading, snorkeling, swimming, playing ping pong, walking up river, hiking, or kayaking. We even got massages one day. I'm not one for enjoying massages (I know - I'm an anomaly), but it was exactly what I needed.

One of their staff guided us on a 2-hour hike to a waterfall one day, which was awesome. We left the jungle through a charming nearby town, where unneutered/unspayed dogs greeted us (and two of the proprietors dogs who joined us on the hike), and I was initially nervous I'd be confronted by a lot of mangy, uncared-for dogs. Though I know they're in many places throughout Mexico, luckily, in this little town they all seemed to be well-fed and cared for. I fell in love with a few and was sad to say goodbye to them.

One of the most magical moments was when we took the kayak out beyond our cove. After paddling for awhile, we decided to just drift. I began singing to the ballenas (whales) to ask if they would grace us with their presence, and within 10 minutes, David spotted the tails of two humpback whales. I kid you not. They were about 35/40 yards from us, and we were in awe. Much to our delight, each of the whales took their turns breaching (jumping out of the water, flipping, and landing with a big splash). They did this a few times until they were out of site, and a school of dolphins followed behind. It was utterly amazing.

OKAY: onto the food! It was stellar. People on TripAdvisor had raved about the food, though I knew their accolades weren't for vegan fare. The proprietors had already assured us that their chef was happy to accommodate vegetarians/vegans and the like, and I think they went over and above what they would normally do.

We sat down three times a day (breakfast at 9:30, lunch at 2:30, and dinner at 7:30) while they set gorgeous plates of food in front of us. At lunch, there were no fewer than 7 plates at a time, and it was then that I understood why people sleep in the afternoon! You go into a food coma (though they call it a siesta). :)

I don't even think I can relate the deliciousness of each and every dish, and I'm fairly certain we never had the same thing twice: bean/rice burritos soaked in the bean liquid, freshly made tortillas, freshly made roasted tomato salsa, potato tacos, coconut with chili and lime juice, potato and spinach cakes, marinated mushrooms, cactus salad, tofu/tomatoes/lettuce with pesto, endless amounts of fruit. I'm eliminating so many because I can't remember.

It was a magical time we won't easily forget. The only problem was we each came home injured from our relaxing time: David's feet were cut up from our hike, my knees were bruised from hitting the rocks whilst snorkeling, I got a papercut from turning the pages of my book, and my shoulder is injured from playing so much ping pong.

Alas, that's the price we had to pay for a week in paradise.



(View all the photos - if you dare)