Mexican Paradise

Puerto Vallarta offers an out of this world traveling experience

By Jessica Rossman

What would be a truly out-of-this-world vacation? One is not constrained by the earthly world in which we live, but one that reaches into what may lay beyond. A destination wedding that includes both the friends and family in the here and now, as well as the generations of loved ones who have passed through this physical world and now live in our hearts and our memories. Puerto Vallarta’s Dia de Los Muertos holiday, or Day of the Dead is the perfect occasion and the Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa is the perfect setting.

Puerto Vallarta is well known as a breath-taking Mexican beach destination of stunning sunsets, expansive white sandy beaches and impossibly delicious cuisine. While it offers the gorgeous resort amenities of a Pacific beach get-away, it also nestles up against the colonial town center with its cobblestone roads, street markets and the ornate Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe cathedral. Connecting the colonial town to the popular beach destinations is the beach boardwalk, the Malecon dotted on one side with wine bars, tequila dives and fine dining, and on the other with the brilliant Pacific Ocean, behind which the sun sets every evening with a brilliant show of undulating colors. Permeating this unusual combination of beachy resort town and historical colonial center are boutique shops, art galleries, and, after the sun goes down–and some time on the beach, long before–Puerto Vallarta’s famed nightlife.

All these elements merge into a uniquely complicated Mexican beach destination.

In addition to all of this, Puerto Vallarta transforms itself during the first few days of November into the center of a uniquely Mexican holiday. Contrary to its name, the Dia de Los Muertos holiday is about celebrating life and the lives of all of those we have loved and lost. The streets are filled with music; street art known as ofrendas showcases lives well-lived; and Mexican street food vendors fill the air with their delicacies while revelers line up to have their faces painted with a face-painting tradition made famous for its creativity and playfulness with the notions of life and death. Families gather in the many cemeteries dotting the city to have what can only be described as a party at the gravesites of their loved ones. Graveyards become the site of lively celebrations for friends or family members laid to rest there, complete with their favorite foods, music, and family photographs. And as with any proper Mexican festival, Dia de Los Muertos culminates with a parade down the Malecon with facepainted revelers crowding the streets, parade horses prancing in formation, and traditional Mexican ballads being sung along to by the crowd.

It is in this setting and celebration of life that the Puerto Vallarta Marriott Resort and Spa excels.

The expansive Puerto Vallarta Marriott is already known for its prime location, just minutes from the Puerto Vallarta International Airport and central to downtown and beach destinations. In 2017, the Marriott Puerto Vallarta finalized a complete reimagining of its 63,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor event space, easily accommodating events up to 700 guests. Its 433 ocean-facing rooms and suites were also included in the property’s revitalization. Guests may choose among six different restaurants in which to dine. Or, they have the option to glide to the swim-up bar in the infinity pool for a full 180-degree view of the bay and Puerto Vallarta’s surrounding mountains. If you or your guests would like to become a tequila expert or ceviche chef, Marriott Puerto Vallarta has that covered for you as well. Try a tequila tasting from among the 180 different tequilas offered, some of which are proprietary to the Marriott Puerto Vallarta and made with blue agave grown on the property itself. For the aspiring chef, Marriott Puerto Vallarta offers ceviche classes in its open air lobby with a view of the Pacific, at the conclusion of which all guests celebrate by feasting on their newly-learned specialties.

Traveling here during Dia de Los Muertos in this beachside jewel, adds an out of this world element to your beach escape.