Puerto Vallarta-Day One

Wednesday, 8/16
Tuan and I stayed in Oak Ridge on Tuesday night since we were to fly out of TYS at 6:07am. I got up at 2am to shower and stuff and we got to the airport at 4am TYS. I was so aggravated when the ticket counter didn't open until 430. Especially since it was suggested that we get there a full 2.5 hours before our flight because of heightened security concerns. If we had gotten there at 3:30, I would have really been upset. Dad called us at 3:30am. I found it kind of crazy that he was up then.

We arrived in Puerto Vallarta around 12:30pm and after a very scary cab ride from the airport, we were greeted with champagne in the lobby. We booked our excursions, chatted with Vycko a bit after we ran into him in the lobby, and after refusing timeshare visits, we headed to our great room to relax and eat some lunch. Since we were tired and room service was included in our package, we decided to eat in the room. Tuan ordered Filet Mignon and Shrimp Cocktail! He is crazy!

Okay, so most people probably don't care about this stuff, but I was really impressed with some things about our room. One was the range and size of "products" that they gave us. We got shaving kits, full size shampoo and conditioners, toothbrushes and toothpaste and many more things. I also liked the fact that we had tile floors...hotel carpet gives me the willies! I also loved the size and POWER of the shower (if you turned it on all the way, it hurt), and the fact that you had to insert your room key into a key holder when you entered the room in order to get the power to come on. They were very big into conservation. US hotels should do more of this. http://www.palaceresorts.com/Resorts/Vallartapalace/Index.asp

Tuan did some work, and then we headed to the pool to try and escape the heat. It was miserably hot and humid for most of our trip. After naps and showers, we met Vycko and Emily for dinner at the restaurant's Brasilian restaurant. The food was good, but because they are serving so many people in not many restaurants it is definitely mass produced. I guess I am saying you wouldn't pick this hotel for the food, but it is definitely edible. We sat outside, not a great idea since it was so hot. Emily seemed to be the only one not bothered by the heat. Everyone else should arrive tomorrow.