#jalisco Archives - Four Columns of a Balanced Life

San Sebastian del Oeste

admin — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 21:55:21 +0000

Importance of a Cultural Tour

Discovering the history, language, culture, and ultimately, the people of a country can be rewarding. A cultural tour outlasts the suntan and lets you dip your toes into a country where you end up with an exotic blend of experiences that you can relate to the locals. This is even more important when staying at an all-inclusive.

Tours From Palladium Vallarta

The aquatic excursions from Palladium Vallarta are Pirate Ship Canadian Night, Ocean Mania, Yalapa & Majahuitas, Las Caletas Beach Hideaway, Whale Watching, Marietas Island Snorkeling, Luxury Sailing, and Sea Safari.

The entertainment and adventure tours include Rhythms of the Night, Extreme Adventure, Outdoor Adventure, Offroad, Pirate Land Day Tour, and Zip.

I recommend the cultural tour to San Sebastian del Oeste. The tour is run by Vallarta Adventures. In Puerto Vallarta, tour buses are not allowed to pick you up from the hotel. You have to take a taxi from the hotel to the head office of Vallarta Adventures.

The tour does include an amazing breakfast buffet and drinks. After breakfast, we head out to San Sebastian. The tour guides are amazing. They ask each person to share a little about themselves and what do they plan on getting from this trip.

Bakery

The first stop is at a panaderia (bakery). A great place to relax and have a drink.

The baked goods are some of the best I have ever tasted.

The owner and his wife have been using these recipes for decades.

Don Lalin Distillery

After the stopover at the bakery, we head out to Hacienda Don Lalin distillery making Raicilla.

Raicilla is a mezcal, which is Puerto Vallarta’s best-kept secret.

I find it sweeter and more aromatic than tequila. Raicilla comes from the Chico Aguiar variety of wild agave that is grown for about eight years, fire-roasted, fermented and then distilled.

John Huston

On our way to San Sebastian just before lunch, we stop at John Huston’s hacienda.

The hacienda was a gold and silver refinery and one can see the kilns and various equipment.

American film director John Huston single-handedly changed Puerto Vallarta from a fishing village to an international tourist destination. Huston hit a magic formula with The African Queen and The Treasure of Sierra Madre. Huston cast famous Hollywood stars in gorgeous, far-flung settings and made the locations the theme of the movie.

In 1962, Huston shot Night of the Iguana, in Mismaloya in a village south of Puerto Vallarta. Richard Burton was the lead along with Sue Lyon, Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardener. Elizabeth Taylor joined so that she could be close to Burton. Burton and Liz were in love after Cleopatra which sizzled the world. The photographers swarmed them and the Italian word for insects ‘paparazzi’ entered the English lexicon. The rest is history or ‘erotic vagrancy’ as the Vatican called it.

The press from all over the world flocked to Puerto Vallarta and when not focusing on Liz and Dick started focusing on what Puerto Vallarta had to offer. This location was pure bliss, utopia, the Promised Land with great beaches, haciendas, homes with tiles, palm trees and birds everywhere.

We stop at a restaurant for lunch.

San Sebastian

After a long drive on a scenic route along the winding road, we arrive at San Sebastian. My first impression is that it is locked away in time, surrounded by mountains carpeted in dense tropical vegetation. It is Mexico’s most well-preserved towns.

San Sebastian is ensconced deep in the heart of the Sierra Madre Mountains. It is off the beaten path and one of Mexico’s last remaining secrets. A town and a municipality that is not far from Puerto Vallarta but far from the tourist haunts. San Sebastian was founded in 1605 and consists of unique antique haciendas and homes. At its peak in 1830, its population was in excess of 20,000, working in mines, gold and silver refineries. The Mexican Revolution in 1910 brought production to a halt and the last mine shut down in 1921.

As you enter the town it reminds you of peace and tranquility. It is clean and tidy. The cobbled roads lead to a beautiful museum.

The church is beautiful from inside.

The inn has been around for a long long time.

There are lots of stores, shops and restaurants that are unique.

The organic coffee store has been run by the same family for 150 years.

A trip to San Sebastian really reminds you of how simple life was. It gets you in touch with nature, organic food and the simplicity of life. It was an amazing cultural tour that I will remember for a long time.

The post San Sebastian del Oeste appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Palladium Vallarta: Activities

admin — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 20:33:35 +0000

The Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa is a lavish, all-inclusive resort occupying a flourishing swatch of the manicured jungle with an enticing private beach, about a 45-minute drive from Puerto Vallarta. The 420 rooms have jetted tubs and furnished terraces and the master suites have outdoor whirlpools. The beach resort has activities from morning till night for singles, couples, and families to enjoy.

Before you read my review, I strongly recommend that you read my article on how to enjoy an all-inclusive vacation.

My review of this resort will be broken into the following sections:

Introduction

How to enjoy the food at this resort

The Chef’s table

Have a romantic day at the Palladium

Take in all the activities

Do a tour

Ali and Danilo will keep you fit and active from 10 am to 5 pm at the pool.

The activities on land include archery, basketball, dance lessons, fitness center, nature walk, paddle court, ping-pong, pool tables, soccer, Spanish lessons, tennis and volleyball. The multiple pool and waterslides are where all the activities take place.

The sports bar has a couple of pool tables and also a wide selection of sports t-shirts.

The kids will love spending time at each club designed for babies, little kids and even teens! There’s a playground and swings for little kids and video games and movies for the teens.

The water activities include aquafitness, catamaran, deep-sea fishing, fishing, kayaking, non-motorized water sports, paddleboard, snorkeling, surfing, and waterpolo.

At the pool, there is always a hawk to keep the birds away.

On the beach, there are many parties, BBQs under the watchful eyes of management.

The shows at nighttime include Viva Mexico, Time Machine, Pirate Show, Magic Box, Time Machine, La Vie Burlesque, Rock Forever, White Party and I’d Do Anything.

If you still are not interested in doing anything you can lie by the beach or the pool or find an amazing hammock and relax.

The Palladium Hotel is committed to sound social and environmental policy. The resort was built to be 87% environmentally friendly. They have a marine tortoise protection program. In the last couple of years, water consumption has been reduced by 40% and energy consumption by 30%. They buy ethical and separate solid waste. They participate in park reforestation, beach cleaning and donate to communities. They participate in Planet Hour and work with several NGO’s.

Photo Credit: Ana Acosta

The post Palladium Vallarta: Activities appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Palladium Vallarta – The Food

admin — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 20:51:10 +0000

The Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa is a superb destination for friends, couples and families to enjoy some time off. The resort has two buffets, four specialty restaurants and seven bars. Hemingway is an adult’s only bar after 6 pm. The four a la carte restaurants serve up delectable and appetizing cuisine. Viva Mexico serves authentic Mexican food, El Dorado has steaks and ribs, Portofino delivers Mediterranean fare and Bambu takes over your palette with Asian cuisine.

Before you read my review, I strongly recommend that you read my article on how to enjoy an all-inclusive vacation.

My review of this resort will be broken into the following sections:

Introduction

How to enjoy the food at this resort

The Chef’s table

Have a romantic day at the Palladium

Take in all the activities

Do a tour

In this section, I will guide you as to how to enjoy a week here with well-prepared, pleasant food.

Palladium is aware and sensitive to the fact that we are eating away from home and it can be challenging and concerning for those with food allergies and a special diet. Palladium has a Palladium Dietary Card program. Please contact the front desk or guest services. You will be given a card that can be carried along to the different restaurants around the resort. When you show the card at various restaurants around the resort, the host will give you the required assistance.

Day 1 Breakfast

El Bosque Breakfast 07:00 – 10:30 Hrs. Lunch 12:30 – 15:00 Hrs. Dinner 18:00 – 22:00 Hrs

This is your first day at the resort. Take your time and walk to El Bosque. After you are seated, start with a glass of fresh orange, papaya, guava, tamarind or beetroot juice. The waiter will also bring you a pot of tea or coffee.

Help yourself to a nice fruit salad.

Have a bircher muesli, different cold cuts or a whole assortment of pieces of bread.

The highlight of my morning was being greeted daily by Nancy and Daniella. They are the most outstanding employees at Palladium. Always a smile, always friendly, they know you by name and your room number. The epitome of service.

After a nice breakfast, collect your beach towel and head to the beach or the pool.

Day 1 Lunch

Las Terrazas 11:00 – 16:30 Hrs

The Terrazas is just across the pool. You will find a variety of juices, snacks, sandwiches, tacos, salads, and desserts.

Day 1 Dinner

Viva Mexico Restaurant

Hey, you are in Mexico. Start by having dinner at the a la carte restaurant Viva Mexico. You can sit inside or outside.

If you sit outside you are facing the Pacific, the San Madre Mountains and can hear the waves. The setting is gorgeous.

The menu is decent with lots of variety and the guacamole is made in front of you. You have a variety of wines and Tequila to choose from. You can get steak, fish, and seafood and every dish is delicious and tasty.

The dinner was delicious and the atmosphere is wonderful. Elias and Marcos provide professional service and have a sense of humor.

It is 10 pm and now it is time to head to one of the many bars at the resort. The Sports Bar is the center of where everything happens. The theatre is in the front, the disco is on top, the sports cafe is next to it and you are at the center of attraction.

Every kind of liquor is available here and most beers on tap and bottle.

Russell was the outstanding barman.

Day 2 Breakfast

The Mexican food, atmosphere, water, and everything else is in your blood. It is time to have breakfast. You have already been to El Bosque. How about you start your day with a Mimosa? Go ahead. You are on holiday or try a Ceasar.

Go ahead to the bread and danish pastries buffet. Make it your goal to try different slices of bread and pastries daily.

At El Bosque, you have various stations. There is a station where the chef is making different kinds of eggs, pasta, slices of bread, steaks, fish, and Mexican food.

Day 2 Lunch

Once a week, Chef Esau and his team go fishing and the guests get to see the fish headed, gutted, dressed and steaks made. It was amazing to see Mahi Mahi brought from the Pacific and to eat it fresh. It is grilled in chili oil or garlic oil.

The fish is served with rice and a whole range of different salads.

Day 2 Dinner

On the second evening, have steaks and ribs at El Dorado. The steaks are done on a charcoal grill and are delicious.

After dinner head to the adult section, next to the Mexican restaurant, and have a drink there at the infinity pool is open till midnight.

Day 3 Breakfast

There is a whole section at the El Bosque where the Chef makes eggs. Have an omelet, a fried egg, a scrambled egg, or a Mexican-style Mango salad. Then choose from a variety of baguettes and taste the many kinds of cheese that are available.

Day 3 Lunch

For lunch try everything Japanese at El Bosque. I would start with the makizushi and Nigiri.

The cold yakitori is simply delicious.

Finish with tempura and edamame.

Day 3 Dinner

Portofino has a Mediterranean flair and you cannot go wrong with the carpaccio, the various wood oven pizzas, and the grouper.

After dinner, go for a walk on the beach, listen to a live performance, go for a show or head to the disco.

Day 4 Breakfast

How about a day of romance? Order room service for breakfast, head to the spa and have a light lunch and then head to the chef’s table.

Another suggestion I have is to have a Mexican breakfast at El Bosque. The pan dulce here is to die for. I ate three daily. The chilaquiles, migas, huevos rancheros, moletes, tamales, pozole, breakfast torta, breakfast enchiladas, breakfast quesadillas, breakfast tacos, and breakfast burritos are amazing. I would recommend having a michelada with breakfast.

Chef Jose is the ultimate example of someone who is always smiling, goes out of his way to say hello, comes to your table to serve, makes your food, and is outstanding.

Day 4 Lunch

Head to the sports bar. Watch a soccer game, play Xbox, play pool, play foosball, cards and have your selection of nachos, chips, hot dogs and hamburgers.

Day 4 Dinner

It is time to try Asian food at the Bamboo. Go ahead and enjoy soups, salads, Japanese inspired cuisine. After dinner head to one of the bars and then head to the disco.

Day 5 Breakfast

The Hemingway Bar is the best-kept secret at the resort. It took me a couple of days to find it and I thought it was for members only. From 9 am to 6 pm onwards it acts as a cafe with the best croissants, Danish and sandwiches. Betty serves up the best cappuccinos I have ever had. You can play cards, backgammon, chess, checkers and many other board games. A real classy place.

Day 5 Lunch

Today is a roast beef day with salad and potatoes. Head to El Bosque for that.

Dinner Day 5

Try some of the different grilled salads and have the chef at the station make you a grilled steak and a grilled fish.

Breakfast Day 6

Get up and go to the Infiniti pool. Ask Elizabeth to get you breakfast. Elizabeth is the best waitress at the resort. It takes her 2 hrs to get to work. She is on her feet for 8 hrs a day. She is always smiling.

Lunch Day 6

Spend the whole day at the infinity pool. Just walk down to the beach and have a BBQ, Enjoy various burgers, salads, hot dogs and a variety of tacos.

Dinner Day 6

Let us make it fish teriyaki and an assortment of salads at El Bosque.

Day 7 Breakfast

Go ahead it is your last day. Try yogurt, corn flakes, bananas, french toast or an egg on a tortilla.

Day 7 Lunch

Head to the pasta section and have the chef make you fresh focaccia and fresh pasta with seafood.

Day 7 Dinner

Try the chef’s table.

Desserts

The selection of desserts at the buffet and the a la carte restaurants is huge. I am going to include some samplings here and you decide what you want to try.

I have given you a variety of food that is available at the Palladium. There is more. Enjoy and treat your service staff well.

The post Palladium Vallarta – The Food appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Palladium Vallarta – Chef’s Table

admin — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 23:26:31 +0000

Before you read my review, I strongly recommend that you read my article on how to enjoy an all-inclusive vacation.

My review of this resort will be broken into the following sections:

Introduction

How to enjoy the food at this resort

The Chef’s table

Have a romantic day at the Palladium

Take in all the activities

Do a tour

Alejandra Sanchez Mendoza invites me to Chef’s Table, which takes place every Friday night at the Palladium Vallarta.

I plan the perfect romantic day with my wife. We order room service for breakfast. Later we go for a massage at the Zentropia Spa. We go for a walk down Love Street and head to Chef’s Table. Executive Chef Isau Zepeda and his team are waiting for us.

I am on a cliff, seeing the beautiful Pacific Ocean with the San Madre Mountains as the backdrop. The waves are hitting the rocks and the guitarist is strumming a romantic tune.

Christian the Master Sommelier and Mixologist greets me with a cocktail he has just made. I am not a big fan of cocktails. He offers me the Diosa del Mar. It means the God of the seas. I take a sip and I am impressed. The reposado tequila along with a hint of liquor 43 goes perfect with the puree of guava and berries and just the right amount of basil and sparkling wine.

Chef Isau has written the menu in the form of a score with the notes that are played by each different ingredient. Christian has set the perfect note with this cocktail.

The table is set with white linen and I feel like I am in heaven.

The professional waiter brings some warm bread and butter.

The first course is the Arugula Salad with Apple. It is marinated with oregano on top of an emulsion of goat cheese with chipotle and caramelized walnut cilantro perfume. Christian serves the Casa Madero V Rosado Cabernet Sauvignon, Valle de Parras Coahuila. Apple with Arugula is a marriage made in heaven. The caramelized walnut is like the perfect honeymoon.

The rose just goes perfect with the salad.

The deep salmon color rose shows on the nose and the notes of rhubarb and the dry finish go perfectly with the salad.

The next dish is the Lobster Cream with Crispy Dried Chili. Christian serves it with the Casa Madero Chardonnay, Valle de Parras Coahuila.

To me, nothing is more luxurious as well as comforting and delicious as a silky gorgeous bowl of lobster bisque. Chef Esau has pulled all the classic techniques to make this amazing soup.

The soup is light and stimulates my palate and the white wine is the perfect complement.

The Jamaican Sorbet with Mezcal and a touch of Tajin is the perfect palate cleanser. The mix of dried and ground red chilies, sea salt and dehydrated lime juice mix give the sorbet the right amount of seasoning.

The main course is the Surf and Turf Beef fillet stuffed with flower and lobster with mashed Castilla pumpkin and a bed of mole of almonds with a caramelized coffee.

Will Christian decant the red wine? Yes, he does. The master takes the bottle and pours it in the glass decanter and lets it breathe.

The best surf and turf I have ever eaten. The lobster is seasoned with tequila and it shows. A piece of art. The Casa Madero 3V, Valle de Parras, Coahuila is smooth.

For dessert, we get the Corn delight with vanilla ice cream guajillo chile sauce and red berries.

I am expecting a dessert wine, a sherry something sweet to drink. Christian shocks me and gives me a Gavilan Reyes. Mon Dieu. He has broken the cardinal rule. The Mezcal Negra, anchos Reyes liquor, lime, grapefruit, and salt comes as a shock to me. However, I try it and it is the ying-yang of food. Bravo, Bravo.

The Chef’s Table has pizzaz, swagger, bold flavors, outside the box thinking with the perfect ambiance to end an amazing romantic day. When I go out for dinner, I want my thinking challenged, I want to be surprised and shocked at the same time, I want the umami delivered, I want something unique and different and I want the meal made from scratch, sourced ethically, using sustainable methods and have a unique setting. Chef Isau delivered on all points.

For 40 U$ per person, this is the best meal I have ever had.

The post Palladium Vallarta – Chef’s Table appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Palladium Vallarta

admin — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 00:49:00 +0000

I am surrounded by lush and opulent gardens, on a cliff nestled in the gorgeous, natural and innate setting of Riviera Nayarit.

In front of me is an incredible and stunning view of the Pacific Ocean.

The Sierra Madre mountains provide an awesome drop to stunning sunsets.

The beach is private with transparent waters.

These prodigious surroundings give me the tranquility and comfort along the Bay of Banderas.

The only noise I can hear is the waves caressingly assaulting the beach.

Am I in heaven? Am I dreaming? I am on vacation at the four-star Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort and Spa.

Before you read my review, I strongly recommend that you read my article on how to enjoy an all-inclusive vacation.

My review of this resort will be broken into the following sections:

Getting to Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Visitors to Puerto Vallarta fly into the Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport or Puerto Vallarta International Airport is located in the municipality of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. The British, Germans, Americans and Canadians book a 7-day all-inclusive package to Puerto Vallarta by choosing their hotel and vacation provider. The airport transfers are included. I used WestJet Vacations for this trip.

The flight time from Toronto to Puerto Vallarta is 4 hours and 50 minutes. From the time you land to passing through customs is about 30 minutes. After you get your baggage go straight to the terminal and to your representative. Pass through all the timeshare sharks who will say anything to get you to their booth.

The Palladium is a 40-minute drive from the airport.

The Lobby

The entrance to the hotel is lined with palm trees on both sides.

We were welcomed with a nice cocktail and cold towels. The lobby is huge and welcoming.

Our room was not ready and I told the timeshare salesperson we were not interested in an upgrade or attending a seminar. We headed straight to the restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we had our baggage delivered to the room and unpacked. After unpacking we hit the pool.

Photo Credits: Ana Acosta Debbie Godinho

The post Palladium Vallarta appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.