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.

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.

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.

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:

1. Introduction
2. How to enjoy the food at this resort
3. The Chef’s Table
4. Have a romantic day at the Palladium
5. Take in all the activities
6. Do a tour

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

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