Puerto Vallarta - September 2009

It is a bit late, I know, but I finally have pictures from the Puerto Vallarta trip that my husband, Michael, and I took for our second anniversary. It was hot, humid, and wonderful! We stayed at Dreams Villamagna in Nuevo Vallarta, but easily took a cheap bus ride to down town.

A view from our room - amazing! There were many pools that kind of linked together. The "adults only" pool started right below our room, and then there was an infinity pool tucked against the beach. It was a great place to hang out when the sun was going down.

Michael relaxing at the beach side palapa covered bar with swings.

One of the many statues that adorn the malecon (boardwalk) in Puerto Vallarta.

Our room - very modern, very nice. We found it comfortable and relaxing. There was also a nice couch with a chaise lounge. The patio had a hot tub, and yes, that is a tub in the room!

We ate breakfast in the room every morning! It was so tasty and the service was great.


The beach... we basically ran to it right after we checked in.



This is a shot of the hotel from the beach. It is a modern hotel, and relatively new. The beach was soft and the sand was warm.

There was this great restaurant called Pipis a few blocks from the beach - tucked away - and it was incredible! The food was amazing, and OHHH the margaritas! The owner kept coming by and asking if we wanted refills. Yes please! The food, the drinks, the live music - a can't miss!

Terri's Trip to Jamaica

The Pier at the gorgeous Sandals Whitehouse

This is a picture of the gardens at the resort. They were all very well maintained and fun to wander around.

Picture of a private sunset dinner. You pay a minimal charge to have a private dinner with a private butler/food server, and you get to sit on a small table on the beach. It would be amazing for a honeymoon or anniversary!!! How romantic.

During our stay in June it rained during the afternoon every day. This is a picture of the pool at Whitehouse with the clouds. The first afternoon when we arrived it rained so hard, and the front desk just told us to relax and enjoy ourselves until the rain passed. Jamaica time. Chill out and wait and relax! Eventually they took us to our room with umbrellas so our bags wouldn't get wet.

Okay, what do i even need to say about this? Perfection. Relaxation. There was never a problem getting a beach chair.

Northern California

Ocean Side - Occidental/Monte Rio/Salmon River

Michael and I visited a friend who lives in Monte Rio and this is a picture we took of the ocean in that area. A friend told us that the reddish ground covering you see right in front of the water is not native to the area, and has been quite a problem because it just grows and grows and grows... It was a struggle to comprehend because it is really beautiful... The colors of the so-called icicles are vivid and amazing against the golds, greens, and blues of Northern California.

Ahh, the city by the bay! This picture makes me want to meander up all those hills... and you will probably need to after all the food in the city. Great food, great people, great pubs...

We bought one of those 48 hour hop on hop off bus tours, and it was awesome. We were able to take one part of the tour across the Golden Gate. It was a gorgeous day, and it was great seeing the bridge from this angle. I would definitely recommend the bus pass. It was a great tour and transportation all around the city wrapped into one package. Inexpensive, too. Only about $50 per person, and the tour guides are full of San Francisco stories.

San Francisco like a tourist

This is the view from our hotel room! We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott on 2nd Street in the SoMa area. SoMa means South of Market. It was a great hotel at a great rate! Very clean, and there was a little bar that stayed open late. The hotel was only a short walk from Market and the huge mall on Powell Street. We took cabs to North Beach at night, and it cost about $10. Not too bad. There was a great pub/restaurant about a block away called the Thirsty Bear. It was awesome! Organic house made brew, incredible food from local sources, and great service. Check it out! I'm definitely going back.

Weekend in Monterey

My husband Michael and I spent our first anniversary in Monterey. We woke up early on Saturday and started our mini road trip off with Peet's coffee. It is definitely my favorite way to start a road trip. We chose to drive on Highway 1 for a change of pace, and definitely enjoyed it. As you get closer to Monterey Bay the air changes and the fruit stands beside the road increase.

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Monterey. The hotel reminds me of a lodge almost the way it is situated and the exterior colors. The lobby is nice and open with a fireplace, and the check in process was friendly. They had our room ready at 11:00 AM, so that was a nice surprise. The rooms themselves have been recently upgraded with modern amenities, and the bathroom was awesome! Tile shower with half a glass door, large rectangular sink that sat on top of the counter, great lighting... The room was inviting and comfortable. We had a balcony overlooking the pool, so that was a nice feature. We bought a bottle of Monterey County Pinot Noir and enjoyed it on the balcony while talking and watching people swim. It was a nice way to ease into our first night.

The spa is under renovation, but we were able to get massages in our room. The Hyatt arranged two massage therapists to come up to our room, and it was very relaxing. Usually Michael and I like to explore local eateries and stay away from hotel restaurants, but we decided to be very low key the first night and check out the Hyatt's Italian restaurant Tusca. It was a good choice. One entire wall of the restaurant is floor to celing windows over looking the greens of the golf course. We ate as the sun set, and the view was relaxing. I had the chef's special risotto and a perfectly cooked halibut. Delicious!

The next day was the first Sunday of the football season, so we started off the day with Bloody Marys and football at the Hyatt's sports bar Knuckles before heading out to explore Monterey's wine country. The sports bar was a great start to the day, although I would have to say that the Hyatt's breakfast buffet was a bit over priced.

Monterey's Wine Country is gorgeous! If you haven't checked it out you should definitely do so. The best part of the day was the drive to the first winery. The road is so peaceful and gently follows trees and farmland, and eventually you see the first vineyards. The tasting rooms are for the most part small, but with incredible views. Our absolute favorite view was at Hahn's. They are on the top of a hill at the end of a two mile road through rows and rows of grapes. The view from the parking lot alone is worth the drive out there... The soft yellow and greens of the hills and vineyards are in front of a soft blue sky are what California is all about to me.

Monterey's downtown area is fun, too. They have nice restaurants, bookshops, and coffee shops. We kind of stumbled into an Italian Festival while we were there, so we watched people play bocce ball and people watched. The weather was perfect for walking around. It was about 70 degrees and very pleasant.

We didn't travel very far this time, but we did get away from it all. It was relaxing to just hit the road with our ipod and check out the sites.

So, where should we go next? Hmmm... It is not an unpleasant question to ponder!