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 Travel & Outdoors | December 2006 
Vallarta Perfect for Baby-Friendly Vacation
 Lisa Kadane - CanWest News Service
| | Lisa Kadane, pictured here with daughter Avery, rented a two-bedroom condo in Puerto Vallarta's old town, within walking distance to the beach, malecon, restaurants and shops. (Blake Ford/Calgary Herald) |
The first time it happened, I was reluctant to hand over my baby.
There we were, waiting for our grilled snapper to arrive, when a grandmotherly senora emerged from the kitchen, approached our table and extended her arms toward Avery.
"Hola bebe!" she said with a smile.
Exclamations about our daughter followed: "Que preciosa! Que bebe Gerber!"
Clearly smitten, the ample Mexican gestured that she wanted to hold Avery. What could we do without risking offence? I passed her over.
The woman whisked Avery away and spent the next 20 minutes showing her off to the waiters, kitchen staff and other diners. Meanwhile, Blake and I ate our meal, enjoying adult conversation and an unobstructed sunset view of Puerto Vallarta's bustling malecon, the boardwalk bordering the beach and Pacific Ocean.
When the waiter cleared our plates, the senora returned our smiling six-month-old. We left a generous tip, poked into some shops in Old Vallarta, then made our way back to the condo we were renting.
Over the course of our vacation, the same thing happened at other restaurants three more times. Who knew eateries in the resort town offered free on-site babysitting services? (In reality, Mexican women simply love babies.)
And to think we almost embarked on an entirely different vacation.
Being backpackers at heart, when Blake and I booked our Air Miles tickets to Puerto Vallarta via Denver last year, we were still in denial we had a baby.
The original plan was to spend a couple nights at a hotel in Old Vallarta, then board a bus for the five-hour ride inland to Guadalajara.
There we would listen to mariachi bands and visit nearby Tequila to see the agave fields and tour a tequila distillery. Finally, we'd endure the six-hour bus trip to San Miguel de Allende to check out the colonial mountain town, a haven for expats.
Of course, we'd then be faced with a marathon 11-hour bus journey back to Puerto Vallarta. With a baby.
It was at that stage of planning I realized the insanity of our itinerary. We were no longer twentysomething travellers with nothing but time and a small backpack. At 16 pounds, our infant nearly outweighed my rucksack of yore. We also had her car seat, stroller, Pack 'n' Play, two suitcases and two carry-ons to lug around on our imagined beach-culture-tequila tour of Mexico. And we only had nine days.
So instead we decided to stay put in PV (as frequent-visiting gringos call Puerto Vallarta), and booked a condo over the Internet. That way we could cook some meals, Avery would have her own room and we could watch TV - or play cards on the covered balcony - when she was sleeping.
The condo complex, called Selva Romantica, is built high on Old Town's characteristic tree-covered hillside, a steep three-block walk up from Los Muertos Beach. Its vista affords many of the units splendid views over the Bahia de Banderas, Mexico's largest bay, and the city's whitewashed buildings with their red-tiled roofs.
The complex has an infinity pool situated to capture those views, which is adjacent to a small workout facility. This meant one of us could go for a quick swim or stationary bike ride during bebe's siestas.
The unit also had a rooftop washer and dryer, an important consideration when someone in your travelling party is prone to spitting up on her sundresses (in a humid climate, no less).
Beyond the accommodation and childcare-while-dining perk, Puerto Vallarta did not disappoint as a baby-friendly destination.
The town's wide boardwalk, called the malecon, borders the sea and is perfect for strolls and people-watching. For forays into the tightly packed craft shops, or walks along the busy cobblestone streets and at-times uneven sidewalks, we opted to transport Avery in a front carrier.
Although the beach was handy, we decided the pool was a better option after just one ocean excursion. If only Avery wasn't scared of the waves. |
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