Sayulita: Days 4-6

Day 4 might've been my favorite day of our Sayulita, Mexico vacation. We started the day bright and early with breakfast at our rented airbnb home, then headed into town by golf cart to meet a fishing guide we'd hired to take us out on the water that morning.

Fishing is an activity our whole family enjoys doing together. We typically fish in North American lakes and rivers; what an amazing opportunity to experience off-shore fishing in the ocean! Andi hired a local fishing captain named Regis to take our family fishing. I'd highly recommend him as he spoke fluent English which made it easy to communicate.

We started our fishing adventure by boating over to Punta Mita, a nearby resort town. The plan was to catch our bait, then return to waters somewhere between the two cities to fish. Our 20-minute boat ride to Punta Mita was a fast and bumpy one. Andi and I held on tight to Tory and Aden on our laps. Half-way there, Tory motioned her tummy was upset and I worried she'd be sea sick but thankfully she never was.

In Punta Mita, we trolled along near the marina. First mate, Pepe, threw out a large net and immediately pulled in thousands of sardines. In the net, he mistakenly caught a puffer fish to Tory's delight. She couldn't believe we saw a fish she remembered learning about in one of her favorite television shows, Wild Kratts.

After we'd collected enough sardines for bait, we motored out to a spot farther away from shore. The high-rolling waves rocked our boat from side to side, and this is the point where my tummy didn't feel so great. While Andi and Tory threw lines into the water, I sat with Aden on my lap and tried to keep my breakfast down. Ugh.

 

 

"The wifey doesn't fish?" Regis asked Andi.

Oh, no, the wife does, I wanted to say ... she's focusing on not throwing up!

Andi did the majority of fishing that morning, and caught a few trigger fish and red snappers. Each time Pepe caught a fish, he'd hand his rod to Tory and let her reel it in. Aden was more interested in scooping up sardines in the bait bucket. He wasn't afraid to hold onto Pepe's leg for stability when he needed it.

 

A few hours into our fishing adventure, Regis moved the boat to a different location (and calmer water!) and suddenly my stomach started feeling better. We traded another fishing boat some cold beers for squid cut into pieces, and continued to fish a bit longer. By now, it was about 1:00pm and the sun began to beat down on us. We decided to wrap up our fishing adventure and grab lunch in town before we had two hungry kids on our hands. 

  

For lunch, we stopped at Il Itacate for some of the best tacos in town. Andi ordered shrimp and arrachera tacos with fresh guacamole and salsas to share. The kids weren't as impressed, but Andi and I though the food was delicious.

After lunch, we headed back to our rented house and more specifically, back to the pool, where we spent the rest of the day. 

Chopina, the housekeeper, came by the house later that afternoon to prepare dinner for us. We asked her to grill the fresh red snapper we'd caught earlier that morning, but the grill ran out of propane. Chopina fried the whole fish instead, and when she presented it at the table for dinner I was sure the kids would be turned off to eating fish forever! Parenting is never short of surprises though, and Tory and Aden gobbled up two fish each. They loved it!

Most of our first visit to Sayulita was spent eating at various restaurants and exploring the city's beaches ... so this visit we felt more than comfortable hanging around our beautiful rented home to swim and relax the rest of our vacation.

Things I'll remember from this trip:

Our view from "Sayulita House" -

 

Whiskers The Cat, who will remain in the kids' hearts forever -

These two: so happy, easy-to-please (with ice cream) and always up for adventure -

The friendliness and charm of Sayulita -

The beaches -

and, the awesome time we spent together as a family -

Sayulita, Mexico: Day 3

Oh, man! I should've made more of an effort to write down the details of our vacation in Sayulita, Mexico last month. I've likely forgotten all the little gems of conversation by now, but recording what I do remember is important to me as time will only erase my memories further.

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Day 3 in Sayulita began the way most mornings did during our trip. Andi, Aden and I woke up with sun around 6:00am as sleepy-head Tory snoozed until around 9:00am. I completed my workout first thing to beat the afternoon heat while Andi and Aden laid in bed and watched a Stinky and Dirty cartoon on the iPad. We'd never seen that show before Andi streamed it on Amazon Prime during our trip, and it quickly became a favorite of Aden's.

Whiskers the Cat eventually made his way into the house as we got rolling for the day. The house cat ate his breakfast in the kitchen and then wandered the house to find Aden wherever he was. I'm not really a cat person so my experience with them is limited, but I was so surprised how affectionate this cat was toward Aden. Whiskers let Aden lay his head on his belly and seemed perfectly content to snuggle.

 
Andi made breakfast for all of us (eggs and a vegetable hash), and we sat outside and enjoyed the warm air. The house we rented for the week had a peaceful view of Sayulita and the rolling hills surrounding it.  One of our favorite features of this house was the huge sliding doors that opened the living room to the patio and pool. It made the house feel like an extension of the outdoors with warm, gentle breezes blowing through constantly.

Later when the housekeeper arrived, we learned the chickens on the property laid a half-dozen eggs every day. She brought us some for our breakfast the next day. I thought this was so neat! I'd love to have fresh eggs outside my doorstep every morning if someone else did the work of caring for the chickens.

After breakfast, we hopped in our golf cart to drive to the beach. The central part of Sayulita was a 10-minute golf cart ride from our rented house, and we all enjoyed the ride down there. A baby horsse not more than a week or two old was in the pasture on the way, so we stopped to watch it for a few minutes. Further down the dirt road, there were a herd of bulls sparring with one another.

Andi and I decided to take the kids to "secret beach" -- a beach we'd discovered during our last visit to Sayulita. We remembered this beach being secluded and much calmer water than the main beach in town. It was also the place Tory tried a coconut for the first time two year prior, and we hoped there would be a stand to buy one again.

This time, "secret beach" wasn't so secret. We approached the sand to find many groups of locals camped out under sun awnings and umbrellas. Andi heard prior to our trip that many Mexicans have vacation during Holy Week (Easter was two days prior) so that made sense. No worries though -- we found a spot on the sand and set up our beach blanket.

 

The four of us played in the sand and the ocean until we were hot and hungry. Most beach-goers around us made an entire day of it by packing picnic lunches, coolers, music, and even bringing potty chairs for kids. We opted for more of a "play and go" style.

After the beach, we cruised into Sayulita's town center for popsicles. Andi promised the kids "ice cream everyday!" during vacation, so we had to make good on his promise. We all decided to try a different flavor than the day before -- Aden and Tory picked "nilla" (vanilla), Andi chose cookies and cream and I got strawberry sorbet. They melted faster than we could eat them in the warm Mexican sun.

  
When we returned to our Sayulita house, Chopina (the housekeeper) was making dinner in the kitchen. We hired her to cook for us several of the nights we visited for something different. Of course we could've cooked our own dinner (and we did several evenings), but it's fun to have a local cook something more authentic. On this night, Chopina made fried chicken, tons of fresh salsas and guacamole, beans and mixed veggies. In hindsight, we probably should have specified more "healthy" options but I have to admit, her fried chicken was really good.

And, who can beat that view! Dining out with kids (our kids, at least) is stressful and not enjoyable. This is a much better way for our family to eat on vacation.

We wrapped up dinner just as the sun began to set on the day. Tory, Aden, Andi and I scurried up to the rooftop patio to watch the sun go down. Tory made a wish as it dropped past the horizon, and it was a "pinch me I'm in paradise" moment of happiness.

More to come of our time in Sayulita ...

Sayulita, Mexico: Day 2

Our family spent Easter at our Wisconsin lake cabin last year, and it was cold and dreary. This year, we woke up to warm sunshine in Sayulita, Mexico. Andi, Tory, Aden and I celebrated our holiday a few weeks ago since we planned to be here on Easter Day, so our Sunday started as it normally would on vacation.

I thought I might be a little sad my kids weren't experiencing the typical Easter morning traditions I grew up with as a child, but honestly I wasn't. Holidays don't have to fit in a box; they can be whatever you want them to be. What's important to me is my kids are loved, our family is together and they know the meaning of the holiday which we discussed for many weeks before our trip.

On Sunday Andi, Aden and I woke up around 6:00am, and enjoyed a slow start to our morning. We watched the sun rise from our vantage point high on the Sayulita hillside, and began to familarize ourselves with our surroundings. It was dark when we'd arrived at our rented house the night before, so the three of us had fun exploring its various rooms and the gated property. It's a three-bedroom, five-bathroom house with a kitchen, private pool area, and rooftop patio. There's also a housekeeper on staff as well as a gardener, a coop of chickens and a resident cat named Dibo. Actually, we didn't know about the cat until it jumped through an open window and waltzed its way into the pantry to its food bowls. Aden and Tory affectionately named it Whiskers, but the housekeeper later told us its name is Dibo.

Andi took Aden for a walk down the drive-way while I practiced yoga with a spectacular view. You can take the boy away from cabin life, but you can't take cabin life away from the boy; Aden spotted a quad on the property and had to hop on for himself.

Then, Andi made the three of us breakfast -- eggs with chorizo and asparagus -- and we sat outside on the deck and enjoyed the peacefulness of the morning. In the distance, we heard roosters cock-a-doodle-dooing and the faint sound of music from town proper. Tory woke up around 9:00am and enjoyed her fruit and toast poolside.

 

 

We swam in the pool for the rest of the morning. How wonderful to have this whole place to ourselves!

Andi grilled shrimp and artichokes for lunch, and then we were itching to check out town. We decided to take the golf cart in for a ride, not sure what would be open on a holiday. To our surprise, Sayulita was bustling with people. Every restaurant was open, every shop. The beaches were packed with locals and tourists alike. Andi and I were surprised by how much was the same since we our visit two years prior, and also noticed a few new businesses here and there. We stopped by our favorite popsicle stand, Wakika Heladeria - for a cool treat before heading back to our paradise spot on the hill.

Back at the house, the kids and I FaceTime'd my parents to wish them a happy Easter holiday, and talked with my dad and nieces for a bit. Isn't technology amazing allowing loved ones to communicate long distance?

The kids swam in the pool until around 7:00pm, and then Andi grilled chicken and veggies for our family's Easter dinner. Together, we watched the sun set from our private rooftop patio on our first full day in Sayulita.

Yep, life is pretty wonderful.  

Sayulitia, Mexico: Day 1

Hola from Sayulita!

Andi, Tory, Aden and I boarded a plane to Puerto Vallarta on Saturday afternoon for a week-long vacation in one of our favorite places - Sayulita, Mexico. Our family traveled to Sayulita once before in 2015 and fell in love with this quaint and vibrant town. When Andi came across direct flights to PV for just under $250 each, we jumped at the opportunity to come back again.

Traveling to the same place twice isn't typically our style, but Sayulita holds a special fondness in our hearts. Plus, we're vacationing in a different way this time around: Andi rented a beautiful house in the hills for our family so we have our own private living space and pool. It's a "pinch me, I'm in paradise" kind of place with sweeping views of Sayulita and the ocean in the distance.

No trip is without a few hiccups along the way, of course. Our flight was delayed Saturday morning, so Andi, Tory, Aden and I went out for breakfast near Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis. We returned home with plenty of time to organize our things and Uber'd a ride to the airport when it was finally time to leave for our trip. As the four of us piled out of the car in the airport drop-off zone, Andi realized we'd left our carry-on bag -- the bag carrying all our electronics, camera, and the kids' special lovies -- back at home. With exactly one hour until our plane departed Minneapolis, Andi high-tailed it back to our condo to grab the bag while the kids and I checked in for our flight and waited at the gate. Big kudos to Sun Country Airlines who agreed to hold the plane for Andi until he made it back safely. Terminal 2 at the airport was pretty slow that day, and fortunately Andi made it to our departing gate with five minutes to spare. Phew!

The rest of our flight was fairly uneventful. The airplane was more than half-empty, so we were able to spread out in our seats. A very grumpy Aden fell asleep on my lap for a good portion of the four-hour flight which helped turn his behavior around immensely. When we arrived in Puerto Vallarta a few hours later, we were ready to roll.

 

Sayulita is located 45 minutes north of PV on the Pacific coast, so Andi arranged for a suburban taxi service to pick us up at the airport and drive us to our rented home in Sayulita. First, we asked the driver to stop at the Mega so we could buy a few groceries to get us through the next two days. The following day (Sunday) was Easter and we expected most of the shops and restaurants in Sayulita to be closed for the holiday.

Stocking up on groceries at the start of vacation is one of my least favorite activities. It's a necessary chore, but the last thing I feel like doing after a long day of travel. At the Mega, we purchased chicken, shrimp, asparagus, broccoli, artichokes, bell peppers, avocados, cereal, bread, tortilla, eggs and bottled water. There were many other fruits and vegetables Tory was particularly curious about, but it was missed opportunity for education since we were pressed for time.

We rented a golf cart as our main method of transportation for the week, so the transport driver dropped Andi off at the golf cart rental shop to pick up our ride when we arrived into town. The kids and I continued onward into the hills of Sayulita with the driver while Andi putzed behind in the golf cart. The streets of Sayulita were packed with people and navigating through town was extremely difficult. The Easter holiday is one of the busiest weeks of the year we'd heard prior to our trip.

Our rented house in the hills was a quiet reprieve from all that. Night had fallen by this point so it was difficult to take in our surroundings, but the house itself was beautiful. We'd purchased the kids some chicken nuggets and home-style fries to eat on the drive to Sayulita, but Andi hadn't eaten much since breakfast in Minneapolis. We were starved, so Andi made us each a quesadilla with chicken, peppers and cheese for a late dinner. We lounged on chairs, poolside, and ate our dinner while Tory and Aden swim underneath the stars. What a perfect ending to our first night of vacation. 

Disney World 2017 - Day 2

Ask Tory, and the ONE THING she wanted to experience at Disney World was meeting Elena of Avalor. Elena is a new Disney Princess with a television show by the same name, and Tory's favorite right now. Since our trip to Disney World was all about Tory, Lindsay and I decided we needed to do our best to make Tory's wish a reality.

Lindsay looked up the list of attractions, and Elena was available for a Meet + Greet alongside Cinderella at Magic Kingdom. The line to meet Cinderella at Fairytale Hall in FantasyLand can get really long and we didn't have a FastPass for it, so the three of us decided to wake up early on Sunday morning and make it to the park as soon as it opened.

That was the plan at least ... but we had the tough time waking Princess Tory from her slumber. Full days and late nights tired this little girl out! She popped right up with the promise to meet Elena though. Lindsay ordered breakfast to our room so we could get dressed and get a move on the day, and Tory was super impressed by that. She ate her Minnie Mouse pancakes and jelly toast with a big grin. A great day was before us!

 

Other people must've had the idea to arrive at Magic Kingdom when it opened because the Disney shuttles to the parks were much more crowded at this time of day. Fortunately, the three of us were able to squeeze onto the first shuttle that arrived. There happened to be a marathon race happening at the parks that morning, so traffic was slower than usual. When we made it to Magic Kingdom, Lindsay and I high-tailed it to FantasyLand to see Elena.

Fortunately, the line wasn't too long - about 20 minutes - so we hopped in it to make Tory's big wish come true. And, did we ever! Tory was absolutely SMITTEN with the princess. She'd made a picture for Elena and presented it to her when they finally met. Elena said she loved it and would be sure to share it with her sister Isabelle. Then, she displayed it proudly on a shelf near her greeting area. 

Don't forget - Cinderella was there, too. Tory snapped a few pictures with her next. "I don't think she remembered me from yesterday," was all Tory mentioned afterward her princess encounter. (I explained Cinderella meets lots of kids everyday and maybe she'd forgot about meeting us yesterday at our princess breakfast.)

Since the line was short, we decided to meet Rapunzel and Princess Tiana next door. Each of the princesses Tory met signed the autograph book Lindsay had given her for Christmas. Tory liked to look at each signature afterward to see how fancy it was.

 

Riding the carousel is one of Tory's other favorite things to do and since there was one right across from Fairytale Hall, Tory asked if we could ride it. It's nice not having to mess with tickets for rides at Disney World. There wasn't much of a line, so we got right on and enjoyed a whirl around and around.

 

Next, we walked over to The Beauty and the Beast's castle for our FastPass to Belle's Enchanted Tales. I wasn't sure what to expect as the description was touted as more of an "experience." There wasn't much of a line which made us question using a FastPass, too. Soon, we were ushered into a room which looked like Maurice cottage and the whole "experience" began.

We quickly learned "Belle's Enchanted Tales" was a group performance and Lindsay was picked among participants in the room to play Mrs. Potts. After all the parts had been given, the organizer asked if anyone else would like a role, and to my surprise Tory raised her hand and shouted, "I would! I would!" She was cast as a plate.  

Mrs. Potts (Lindsay), the plates (Tory and a young girl), and all the other characters performed a skit about Belle in the Beast's castle. Afterward, Belle took photos with all the participants. I really enjoyed this "experience" at Disney World; it was fun and personalized.

Next, we decided to ride some of the rides in Fantasyland. First up: "The Mad Tea Party" (aka: the teacups!) Tory isn't a big fan of rides in general, but she really liked this one because she could control how fast our teacup turned. Bonus - we had a Fastpass, so we didn't have to wait long to take a turn.

 
We also rode "It's A Small World" which was cute. A Disney classic.

For lunch, we stopped at  Pinnocchio Village Haus for chicken fingers, fries and macaroni and cheese. I can't say I was very impressed with the dining options at Magic Kingdom. Lots of "fast food" restaurants and for someone trying to eat healthier, it was tough finding many options.

The Little Mermaid is Lindsay's favorite Disney movie, so "Ariel's Undersea Adventure" was on her list of things to do. We had another Fastpass for this ride, so we made our way there after lunch to take our turn. Tory thought this ride was scary because it was dark part of the time.
 
Mid-afternoon, we gave Tory the choice to stay in Magic Kingdom, ride more rides and see the parade at 3 o'clock, or go back to Animal Kingdom Lodge and swim for the afternoon. This was our last full day at Disney World, so we wouldn't be able to do everything. Tory thought and thought, and eventually decided she wanted to stay. Good choice!

We made our way to the Adventureland area of Magic Kingdom, and waited in line for Alaadin's "Magic Carpet" ride. It was a long and hot wait in the afternoon sun, but it worth it. Tory really enjoyed this ride! For me, this was best "wahoo! we're at Disney World" moment of the day. It was magical flying through the air, listening to Tory's happy giggles.

We made our way back to Cinderella's castle for the Festival of Fantasy parade. Smartly, Lindsay asked a nearly parade employee to suggest a good viewing spot for the parade. I always enjoy a good parade, and we all had a great time watching the floats and Disney characters pass by us.

After the parade ended, we decided last-minute to meet Tinkerbelle. The waiting time on the outside of the building said there was only a 5 minute wait - too good to be true! - but it ended up taking much longer. Tory was excited to see Tinkerbelle, so I suppose it was worth it.

For dinner, we made our way back to Adventureland to Pecos Bill Tall Tail Tavern for the promise of Mexican food. The restaurant was packed with people and we had a hard time finding a table. I ordered the chicken fajitas and made Tory a burrito using my tortilla and toppings from the condiment bar -- that was a nice perk since she wouldn't have eaten much from their regular menu anyway.

I have to admit, I was overstimulated by this point in the day. We'd been at Magic Kingdom for 9 straight hours, and there were kids crying and parents yelling all around us. You know what everyone needed was a glass of wine! Too bad Magic Kingdom is completely dry, ugh.

We walked back to Cinderella's castle and waited for the fireworks show. My grumbles over crowds and kids crying quickly turned when the show started. Seriously, so magical!

I'm continually impressed with Disney's ability to put on a show. The fireworks were amazing and made me appreciate the thousands of people who'd gathered that evening to celebrate the magic with their loved ones.

Lindsay, Tory and I made a mad-dash to the Disney shuttle area following the fireworks show. As luck would have it, we made it onto the first bus back to Animal Kingdom Lodge with one sleepy girl exhausted from our big day.

I was never so glad for the travel-sized boxed wine I brought along in my suitcase! Lindsay and I poured ourselves a nice glass of red after we returned to our hotel room. What a fun and exhausting day!

Monday morning, the three of us grabbed a buffet-style breakfast at the hotel's Boma restaurant and then made our way to the airport. Our weekend trip to Disney was a quick one, but the perfect amount of time in my opinion. We didn't see everything during our trip, but we sure the made the most of our time. The best part was spending three days with Lindsay and my favorite little girl.  





Tory was so agreeable and understanding; Age Five really is the perfect age for this trip! I'm so glad she was able to enjoy the things we experienced without needing a break during the day. She also knew we couldn't do everything that weekend, so involving her in our plans helped keep tantrums at bay.