We were the ten amigos—a group of five couples who had heard a lot of
great things about Puerto Vallarta and wanted to plan a group adventure.
Yes, we were spoiled. We all worked hard and wanted to wrap ourselves in
the luxury of a five star experience but didn’t want to break the bank
in the process...
Still, some of us had found that five star hotels were not always
what they were cracked up to be. Their five star reputations were
sometimes twenty years old. Along with their high prices, several of us
were tired of being nickeled and dimed on charges for internet, phone,
parking, and access to the fitness center. Not to mention the high room
service charges and the choice between valet charges or the 400 yard
trek from the parking lot. Yes, we spoiled bunch of amigos still
wondered if a better deal was possible.
Renting a Villa: After checking the internet, we found most of the
five star Puerto Vallarta hotels were all inclusive meaning incessant
buffets and sometimes less than stellar food. The going rates were
$350-450 per day per couple plus 17% tax. That’s when the idea of
renting a Villa in Puerto Vallarta came to mind. Sounded sort of
luxurious—kind of like Lifestyles Of the Rich and Famous. It also
sounded kind of chancy--would it really be a good deal and how would we
separate the five star villa from the minus two star casita? Our only
previous experience as a group had been sharing a ski cabin. One amigo
had once used vrbo, vacation rental by owner, so we checked their
website. It has gorgeous rental properties. Our dilemma—are they as
advertised and what were we really getting? Turns out to be easier than
I thought.
We went to the Puerto Vallarta section and narrowed it down to five
bedroom villas so that each couple would have a private bedroom. We
found that most of the more luxurious villas had individual bathrooms
with each bedroom. The next part was a little trickier.
Nearly all the luxury villas had a houseman and maid, but when it
came to cooks, the service provided varied and in some cases there were
extra charges for the cook. There were also differences in taxes, with
some villas charging 17% extra and others including it in the price.
After searching vrbo.com completely as well as alternative sites we
found on Google, and with good deal of friendly debate about alternative
villas, we finally settled on a luxurious air conditioned villa near
Conchas Chinas, Puerto Vallarta’s best area.
Seeing is Believing: Villa Encantada, our elegant home for a week was
close to the beach and close to the best part of the City, and had both
jungle and ocean views. It rented for $1,100 a night and tax was
included in the price, as well as a houseman, a maid, and a cook for two
meals a day. It even had a special that the seventh night was free which
made it even more within our budget. This worked out to $190 per day per
couple. We took the leap of faith that the pictures weren’t like a bad
experience on match.com. Would the villa actually look like the
beautiful pictures we had seen on the internet? We were about to find
out.
Finally the long awaited day arrived. The ride from the airport was a
relatively easy 20 minute taxi cab drive. Arriving at the Villa, we were
greeted by the friendly smile of Humberto, the houseman. He had cold
margaritas, chips, and homemade salsa and guacamole waiting for us on
the palapa bar next to the pool. Not at all a bad way to start—our
future looked bright!
Villa Encantada pool area in the day and at night: Anxious to look
around, we had Humberto give us a quick tour of the villa. We had lucked
out—the villa actually looked like the pictures—maybe better! The colors
were gorgeous, the villa was open and airy, and the views were
impressive. All five bedroom suites had access to balconies and outdoor
areas. The main floor had a large cantera stone deck area with a
beautiful pool and spa tub. The windows, doors, and closets were made
out of a rich Mexican hardwood and the floors and columns were all
cantera stone. Large, colorful artwork decorated walls throughout the
villa and the décor was consistently designer quality. The bathrooms had
striking stonework and large open showers. We were ten happy amigos!
Humberto, Isabel and Walter- Villa Encantada staff:For those of us
who couldn’t do without our electronics, we had free high speed
internet, a fax machine, and free calls to the states. No one complained
about the 50 inch plasma TV with 200 satellite channels including sports
either.
Life is Good: It wasn’t hard to adjust to life at the villa. We got up
each day to a breakfast served on the patio. Lunch was great leftovers
from the night before or items we had asked Humberto to pick up at the
store. Any food, drink, or sundry items we needed were picked up by
Humberto and charged to us at actual cost. We never had a houseman
before, but it got quite habit forming!
Afternoons tended to be spent around the pool and palapa bar with a
cold drink close by. Puerto Vallarta has a myriad of activities from
fishing and whale watching, to art walks, to tree canopy riding, but I
guess we would have to do those next time around. We were having too
much fun just hanging out with our friends. And why leave, when you can
have massages or yoga classes on the open air patios at the Villa.
Cupola Bedroom with beautiful jungle view: At night, we had planned
to visit the fabulous restaurants Puerto Vallarta is known for, but we
were lulled into wonderful evenings drinking and dining at the large
outside dining area. When you start with appetizers and drinks by the
pool and a gorgeous sunset, it’s hard to muster up the energy to clean
up and go out to dinner! Walter, the Mexican chef, was quite a character
and a real luxury. He tried very hard to please us with his delicious
meals and beamed when we praised the quality of his cooking and his
presentation. A luxury vacation is when the hardest thing you do all day
is figure out what to mark on the seven page menu for future meals.
Coconut shrimp for dinner? Mango crepes for breakfast? Who could choose?
If this is how the jet set lives, sign me up!
Sunset from patio at Villa Encantada: Following our relaxing evenings
on the patio, we retired to our luxurious beds. The beds plus the soft
tropical night breeze provided me some of the best sleep I’ve ever had.
Over the course of our stay, the unexpected part for all of us was that
our wonderful houseman, Humberto, our sweet hardworking housekeeper,
Isabel, and Walter, our effervescent cook extraordinaire became like
family to us. We all came to realize that this feeling was not something
that you could easily achieve with a hotel staff. As our last day sadly
arrived, the ten amigos were getting ready to ride off into the sunset,
we all vowed to return again!
Learn More
To learn more about Villa Encantada and plan your trip
visit
www.villaencantada.com.