To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, my wife and I took our first trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We had been rather busy the months leading up to our anniversary, so we didn't have much time to plan a vacation. Thankfully I had already been researching the area and was able to find a rental cottage and book flights quickly. It took me a few more weeks to plan and schedule a few activities we could enjoy during our visit.

We landed in Puerto Vallarta around 4:15pm, then had to pick up our car from Gecko Car Rental and stop for a few groceries. The drive up the Mex200 highway twisting and winding through the mountains took longer than expected. It was well after dark by the time we reached Lo de Marcos, but we managed to find our way down secluded gravel back roads after dark in a foreign country. We made our way through a gate and up a bumpy dirt driveway where we were pleasantly greeted by the rental owner Jodi.

We stayed at Mar al Cielo (VRBO Listing) in Lo de Marcos. This magical little cottage is perched on a secluded hillside, surrounded by lush jungle with views of the ocean below. Walking up the path to the cottage felt like we were escaping to our own little mountain castle. Once in the cottage we felt as if we were living in a jungle treehouse. It was very private and wonderfully relaxing. We enjoyed many showers outdoors in the mornings and evenings, and soaked in the outdoor tub on a few occasions. Some days we would sit on the shower terrace and watch the boats out on the ocean. Other times we would relax on the padded lounge at the base of the cottage, watching the birds fly overhead and listening to the breeze blowing through the palm trees. In the evenings we would marvel at the incredible symphony of sounds made by insects in the surrounding jungle. We enjoyed eating breakfast outdoors each morning in the little outdoor kitchen, and grilled steaks and chicken for a few dinners. Most of all we just enjoyed relaxing.

Heading back down the path from our cottage, we enjoyed sunbathing on the bluff overlooking the ocean. They have a cute little thatch roof building with beds inside and chairs on the outside. My wife had a great time trying to get pictures of all the different butterflies, and even tried out the hammock for a while. It was a great spot to watch for whales, but unfortunately we did not see any during our visit. At the end of the day, we shared a nice bottle of Mexican wine and watched a beautiful sunset.

We hiked the rugged path down the hillside to the completely private beach below. The beach is surrounded by jagged rocks and the waves were a little too rough for swimming but we still enjoyed playing in the warm water, and looking at the shells, crabs, and other sea life.

Our first adventure was a zip line tour at the Canopy Adventure Park by Vallarta Adventures. Unfortunately, we made the hour and a half drive to the tour office only to discover the tour had been canceled. Thankfully, we did not have any plans the next day and were able to reschedule. We had always wanted to try zip lining and this tour was a blast. Despite us both having a very respectable fear of heights, we stepped off the first platform and soared through the treetops like we had been doing it our whole lives. We even got to try a couple of vertical rappel's down to the ground, climb 50' up a cable rung ladder, and bounce across suspended rope bridges. By the end of the tour we were grinning ear to ear and thoroughly worn out. Unfortunately, while the zip lines are managed safely and the team leaders are awesome, the drive to and from the main office was terrifying at times. The van driver raced down the curvy mountain road, blew through stop signs, and passed police cars without blinking an eye. Still, it was a great adventure we would love to do again.

We hiked up one of the trails at Mar al Cielo to an overlook at the top of the mountain. The view was incredible and we saw lots of butterflies and leaf cutter ants along the way. We had a great little hike then we walked a short distance to the nearby Playa Venados. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Kenia restaurant right on the beach, something we would repeat again during our stay.

The following day we made the drive back to the marina in Puerto Vallarta and took the Jet Ski Safari by Eco Explorer. I had originally booked a single jet ski for my wife and I to share, but we upgraded to a jet ski for each of us when we discovered we were the only ones on our tour. We rode the jet ski's past the cruise ships and hotels and out into the bay, stopping in front of old town Puerto Vallarta. We continued to Los Arcos national park, and then on to Colomitos beach. We hopped off our jet ski's into the water and enjoyed snorkeling for a while. The water was a bit murky that day to see much, but we still enjoyed getting out for a swim to cool off. Our excellent guide, Misael, dove down and brought up some sea stars and urchins for us to see. Then we took the high speed ride back across the bay to the marina. It was a fun and exciting experience.

We stopped for lunch at Mr. Jacks in the marina. Then we walked around the marina a bit before catching the Sunset Sailing Cruise by Vallarta Adventures. We sat out on the front deck of the sailboat, and sailed out towards the setting sun in the middle of the bay. Once the sun went down we sailed back towards downtown Puerto Vallarta till the wind finally died off and they had to start up the engines to head back to the marina. They served a nice snack tray of meats, cheeses, fruits, and pastries, and kept our choice of drinks coming as much as we wanted. It was a very romantic trip with my lady in my arms, the sun setting in the distance, the sound of the wind in the sails, and soft music playing onboard.

We made a few more hikes down to the beach at Mar al Cielo, and another dinner at Restaurant Kenia on Playa Venados. Most of all we soaked up every bit of the sights and sounds around Mar al Cielo, before heading back home. We had a fantastic eight day trip, but could have easily stayed much longer. We both sincerely hope we can make a return trip someday soon!