This year we decided to fly into Guadalajara first and spend several days, then take a bus to Puerto Vallarta to stay for a week. We had never been inland so we were looking forward to learning about the different areas outside of Puerto Vallarta or the other beach tourist towns that we have been in Mexico. 
We booked a room at Quinta Don Jose Boutique Hotel in Tlaquepaque which is just outside Guadalajara.
We flew in on Thursday morning about 5:30am and we had made arrangements for someone from the hotel to pick us up. Because we were so early we had arranged for a room to be ready when we got to the hotel. Our driver picked us up and pointed out things as we drove through Guadalajara, which is the capital of the state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is also in the state of Jalisco. 
We arrived at the hotel and from the street you would not know what to expect. There is a huge wall surrounding the hotel, and you cannot see through the gate at the driveway. However, when we entered the gate we saw that the grounds of the hotel were beautiful, with a pristine pool, pretty décor and friendly atmosphere. It is a small hotel with about 30 rooms. We were on the 2nd floor above the main lobby. 
After we rested for awhile, we headed down to the main part of town, which is only a few blocks from the hotel. Tlaquepaque is a small suburb of Guadalajara and is where a lot of the arts and crafts come from that are sold throughout Mexico. There are a lot of galleries and pottery shops. The main courtyard of the town has a gazebo and there is often entertainment. There are a lot of little shops, galleries and restaurants in town.
Our hotel included breakfast so Friday morning we got up and had a wonderful breakfast prepared for us as we waited, then we took a tour of downtown Guadalajara. We toured the city administrative buildings, and the main shopping district in the city. There is a huge jewelry wholesale building where I bought a couple silver bracelets for less than we would have paid otherwise. Our last stop on the tour was lunch at a traditional Mexican restaurant in town with our tour guide. 
When we came back to the hotel I decided to go swimming in the pool, however I hadn’t seen anyone at yet using the pool. Well, one toe in the water and I found out why! It was like ice! The courtyard got some afternoon sun, but not enough to warm it up completely. I really wanted to swim, and the weather was in the 80s, so I decided to go for it. First I sat on the edge and waited until my legs were numb, then I finally just jumped in. Whoa! It took a little time to get used to it, well I guess in reality I never did. I stayed in for about 15 minutes and honestly felt refreshed when I got out. That evening we ate dinner in town and had a nice walk through some shops and galleries. 
On Saturday we took a tour of the town of Tequila which included watching the harvesting of the agave plants, then over to the distillery to watch how tequila is made. We had lunch at the end of the tour and were able to purchase a bottle of tequila from the gift shop. The tour overall is similar to other ones we have done in Puerto Vallarta. All of them have different types of tequila and it's fun to watch the process. In the afternoon we enjoyed swimming and relaxing, then ate dinner in town again, then came back to the hotel and had drinks and visited with other patrons. Sunday one of the hotel staff gave us a ride to the bus station in Guadalajara so we could go to Puerto Vallarta where we planned to stay the next week. It is about a 4 1/2 hr bus ride from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta. The bus was a large bus with airconditioning and comfortable seats. In fact it was much more comfortable than the plane, and a whole lot less expensive! The view was scenic going through the Sierra Madre mountains, then down along the coast to Puerto Vallarta. Once we got to town we took a taxi over to the Mayan Palace. In Puerto Vallarta we enjoyed our hotel and all the pools (heated!) and the beach. Our hotel is across the street from the Marina which has a lot of shops and wonderful restaurants. We love to go to the coffee shop and enjoy espresso in the morning and just walk along the marina. 
We went to town a couple times to enjoy the entertainment along the along the malecon. Usually in the evening there is a lot of entertainment along the malecon. We ate dinner one evening at the Panorama Restaurant that is on the hill above the town. We had a beautiful sunset. 
One of the days we went to Sayulita which is a little fishing town just north of Puerto Vallarta in the state of Nayarit. This is a little bay with good waves for surfing. It was just a quick bus ride from our hotel. It’s a fun place to watch the surfers, and enjoy lunch at one of the restaurants on the beach. 
One of our last days in Puerto Vallarta we took a Sierra Madre Tour which we hadn’t done before. It was one of the most fun tours we had ever taken in Puerto Vallarta. We climbed into the all terrain buggy and drove into the jungle and mountains on the unpaved, bumpy roads. Our guide was fun and told us all about the area. We had lunch together on a little private beach before heading back to town.Even though we have been going to Puerto Vallarta every year since 2004, we still enjoy it and look forward to it. There is always something new and fun to experience!
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