Paradise Village

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After a few weeks in La Cruz we decided to move to another marina in Banderas Bay called Paradise Village. The bay is lined with countless mega resorts that can be seen for miles offshore. Normally we would avoid these locations at all costs. The idea of being surrounded by gringos on vacation and locals speaking English and offering to wait on us 24hrs a day is not what we want to expose our children to.  However, from what we had heard about from other cruisers and had researched for ourselves Paradise Village would be a different kind of place. And as it turned out it was, kind of. The marina is located behind the resort in an estuary that enters Banderas Bay through a very narrow opening that must be constantly dredged to allow passage for boats. As we approached this entrance we came very close to the beach side of the resort. Ashley and I looked at each other and without a word we both asked what we are thinking coming to a mega resort like this. At the same time we both said, “We can always leave early.”  We brought Samadhi into the estuary and saw how beautiful the area was and how beautifully protected the marina was from any potential weather systems.  Thoughts of a potential hurricane hole, should we need one in the future immediately entered both Ashley and my mind. After we found our dock and securely tied Samadhi to her new home we ventured off to check in at the marina and with the Port Captain. After taking care of the logistics we set off in search of the primary reason for our visit, the crocodile waterslides! As a guest of the marina we are welcome to use all of the resorts amenities. There are 4 different pools two of which have waterslides. On our first day Victoria, Alexander and I spent hours in the pool and sliding down the slides. Ashley joined us for a few runs as well. She mostly enjoyed reading her book while relaxing poolside. The resort had many other amenities that were very useful and enjoyable. There was a very nice gym that let me run on a treadmill for a change. A large room with many comfortable chairs, couches and desks was made available to guests as they waited for taxis or needed some quiet time for business. It also had a/c and very nice showers. We used that room each morning as a school room and each night for consistent showering. Did I mention it had a/c? The beach in front of the resort is lined with palapas with lounge chairs and tables. There is a volleyball court and tennis courts. The marina offers free shuttles to Costco and a large grocery store. The resort provided free Spanish lessons three times a week. They put on a wild animal show for the kids each week, also free of charge. There are weekly magic shows, karaoke, and a Michael Jackson look a-like show again all free of charge. We were able to enjoy all of it. Each day we got an early start with school and once we finished, off we went to swim and play. Just outside of the resort are a decent sized grocery store and a bus stop to anywhere you may need to go. I took a couple of bus trips to Puerto Vallarta to see the city and run some errands. We were able to find Uber drivers to pick us up and take us to a nearby city for weekly visits to Manos de Amor. We originally were going to spend 10 days at Paradise Village but after experiencing all that it offered we ended up staying just under a month. We spent most of our time in the resort playing and getting to know people from all over. We met families from Mexico City, the U.S., Canada, Australia, Central, and South America. We also were able to develop relationships with many the staff of which many we were on a first name basis. The staff throughout the marina and resort were top notch and always super friendly. As we come to the end of our stay, all four of us are anxious to be moving and exploring again. However, we will miss the conveniences and the hospitality of this wonderful place.