Mascota for a Day

You’re having a great time in Puerto Vallarta; you’ve done nearly everything a person can do on the beach, and now you’re sunburnt and water-logged. If you need to get back on terra firma, it may just be time to leave your Puerto Vallarta Luxury Villa Rental and take a road trip. Get out of the city and get a look at rural life in Mexico. A trip to the green agricultural region of Mascota may be just what you need.

Today, Mascota is renowned for the horses raised there, but it wasn’t always so. Over two thousand years ago, this region of Jalisco’s western highlands was home to a vibrant culture that left artifacts and pictures etched in the rocks. You can see much of the pottery and other pieces at the local museum, sponsored by the National Geographic Society. And just down the street, visit Mascota Casa de Cultura to get a taste of local arts.

This is a long day trip because the drive time itself is over two hours one way. No matter - it is worth your time to see a bit of the countryside - that’s why you came to Mexico. You can take a bus (the Red line and the Blue line both go that way); you can drive yourself; or you might treat yourself and fly into the region with Vallarta Luxury Travels.

Make the most of the journey, no matter how you choose to get there. And when you return settle down in your Puerto Vallarta Luxury Villa Rental by your private pool to replay the day’s events and plan for tomorrow.

Go for the Cup - the America’s Cup!

If you’ve ever watched sailing yacht races and wondered how they make those things go so fast, you have a chance to find out. You can sign on to "crew" an America’s Cup racing yacht right in Puerto Vallarta, it’s tons of fun, and it’s not far from your Puerto Vallarta Villa Rental.

A local tour operator, Vallarta Adventures, owns a couple of America’s Cup sailing yachts, and they will take you out, teach you a few tricks and set their two yachts up for a race. The professional crew will show you how to trim your sails, how to tack and jibe, and how to make a racing yacht go fast! It’s high adventure on the sea, and it’s a blast.

The trip lasts about 3 hours. All you need is your sunblock, comfortable clothes and some soft-soled running shoes; they provide all the professional gear for this outing. And don’t worry if you’ve never been on a sailboat before - no experience needed. And, if you want the experience but you don’t want to work, they can handle that, too.

They don’t run these America’s Cup trips every day, so you need to check ahead to learn when they are racing and when they have space available (they can’t take huge numbers of people). And there’s a bit of confusing information on their website: they warn that the minimum age for sailors is 12, but they have rates for kids 8 to 12. The trips leave from the Maritime Terminal in Puerto Vallarta.

At the end of the day, sit on the patio of your Luxury Villa Rental Puerto Vallarta and recall the thrill of the wind whipping across your face as you skimmed across the water.

Star-Struck at Las Caletas

You go for everything Hollywood--that's why you're staying in a Luxury Villa Rental Puerto Vallarta--so you just have to visit Las Caletas beach, John Huston’s private retreat on Banderas Bay, not too far from the city. Huston, an actor and director with a huge list of films to his credit, leased a slice of land several years ago from the local indigenous people. He really loved this place, facing the bay and backing on the jungle, totally separated from the rest of the world.

In case no one mentioned it yet, you should know that Huston made much of the Oscar-nominated film, "Night of the Iguana," right in this area. Apparently, the actors took some convincing to get on board with the area’s remote location and lack of amenities, and the story hasn’t changed all that much. You still have to take a boat to get to Las Caletas beach - there are no roads to the place.

Although Huston’s property reverted to the original owners, you can still visit to the beach at Las Caletas. Check with Vallarta Adventures; they operate a concession with day trips to the beach, and it’s well worth it. You get a full day adventure - swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, walking tours of the area, and meals. If you want, you can spend a little more and get a massage at their spa center, or do some scuba diving. It’s a long boat ride, though, so if you prefer to spend more time in the water and less time on the water, you might want to look for another adventure closer to town.

If you don’t want to go the excursion route, you can take the bus to Mismaloya and hire a panga (a small boat with an outboard motor) to visit one of the other gorgeous beaches in the area. (Las Caletas is private, so you can’t go there without a ticket!) Make the most of your Vacation Rentals in Puerto Vallarta and enjoy this rare slice of the world.