Our All Inclusive Family Vacation

I know many families that take vacations abroad, but I used to get chills even thinking about it. How do I deal with meltdowns and sibling arguments on the plane? What do I do about their activities? Will I hate my life by the end of the trip? Will I even enjoy my vacation?

However, this year we finally decided to extend the horizons with kids being a bit older and buy our first all-inclusive vacation! Why All-Inclusive? A whole week of not cooking, cleaning, and working sounded like an ultimate vacation. It all started with a deal, as we wouldn’t be able to afford such an extravagant trip otherwise. The travel agent gave us a couple different options, but who can resist “KIDS STAY FREE” deal!? It’s as if it was meant for us.

The resort we went to is located in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico vacation from the Apple Vacations offered us an amazing deal we could afford, while providing all the luxury. The flight was included in the package, which made a great impact since that’s usually the most expensive part of the trip. In no time, we arrived to the paradise.

Let me just tell you – we have been spoiled!

Oh, the resort staff spoiled us way too much with the housekeeping service visiting the room three times a day cleaning, restocking the mini fridge, and the turndown service – chocolates on the pillow would make anyone feel special! The resort itself isn’t big, with 245 units and a lot of familiar faces. There are 5 restaurants on the property for a variety of tastes, but realistically you have 2-3 of open at the same time. We stopped by the Barefoot grill that offers a very typical American selection – hot dogs and burgers with fries. Oceanside restaurant made us fall in love with the selection of seafood items and desserts. Another favorite is El Patio, a Mexican restaurant with great ethnic dishes and an upscale service.

However, the all-time favorite for the whole family was the World Cafe buffet. Every morning we had omelets made to order and every night this place transformed into a restaurant with  a different culture’s cuisine. This buffet also has a great kids corner with kids all time favorites.

All of these delicious places have a full bar to keep you “hydrated” and no cooking or cleaning for us!

The ocean was a bit choppy and while we loved exploring, swimming there was next to impossible. Boogie boarding was very possible. We did get some gorgeous pictures on the beach, but at the same time the line of pools has been just too tempting with calm warm water and poolside service.

We spent most of the time in or around water – from diving in the pool for treasures to playing random games, from discovering newly hatched turtles making their way to the water to scuba diving.

And here is our favorite place in the whole resort – the Explorers Club! This is what I call magic – you can drop off kids here and just enjoy being a spoiled growing up. The kids loved going there, making new friends, participating in arts and crafts, story time, watching movies and going to the evening events.

I, on the other side, nearly cried when it was time to leave – why couldn’t I take these lovely ladies with me back to Chicago?

Every night Dreams Villamagna pleased us with a different show – Elvis show, circus, fire show, ethnic dance. The kids had a fantastic time, and there were plenty of photo opps.

From morning stretches on the beach to Aqua Fitness, from bicycle tours to the tequila tasting and fruit carving – we loved every minute of our adventure.

What is not to love about this view?

The toughest part about this trip was saying goodbye. Even getting on the airplane, all we could think of was coming back to the paradise. We hope to be back… soon…