One of the most popular activities planned for guests at Villa Estrella is a trip to the El Cora Waterfall.

The falls are about a 30 minute drive from Villa Estrella, driving north along the coast road toward San Blas and then taking the inland fork toward Tepic for another 15 minutes until the village of El Cora.

The lush forest was like something out of a movie. Our guide explained that we were going to walk down a gully to the waterfall and informed us about the area and the habitat we were to visit. We parked and then debarked for our short hike down to the waterfall.

The first thing to hit us was the view; such a magnificent landscape awaited us. It was a warm day, but there was a nice breeze that kept us energized and ready to take in the trek. The walk down was a nice stroll, not too steep, but also worthy of the term, ‘hike’. As we strolled, we took in the amazing vegetation and sounds of the birds in the trees (all the while thinking, I hope this was worth the drive). I was very soon eating my words (or thoughts) as we came to the impressive El Cora Waterfall.

The falls were not massive, but extremely picturesque and set a wonderful canvas of contrasting greens of the trees against the grey-blue of the water. I’m happy we remembered our swim gear (as I’m prone to forget important items on big trips). The water was so refreshing after the road trip up and the subsequent walk. We knew many people had been here before but the setting was so intimate and romantic that everyone has a chance to make it their own. I could definitely see someone proposing here (although they’d have to make sure to hold onto the ring as the waterfall basin is fairly deep).

After an hour or so swimming in the falls, we dried off on the side of the pool for a while and then made the trek back to the car. The way up is usually harder than the way down, but we couldn’t stop talking about how spectacular the experience at the falls had been and before we knew it, we were back at the car. The same was true for the car ride as the majority of the drive was spent on discussing how the waterfalls were above and beyond what we had expected.

After arriving back at Villa Estrella, it was time for more of Rosa’s wonderful cooking and then a Del Sol and a dip in the infinity pool. A wonderful end to a phenomenal day!

Written By Carl A., Villa Estrella Guest, January 2010

We love the beautiful historic area of Tlaquepaque, which is almost an independent town within Guadalajara. It is rich with colonial buildings, historic atmosphere and absolutely full of wonderful life. If you hang around the main square area on any evening it’s always abuzz with wonderful people, vendors, music, food and fun.

This is a beautiful picture of the pool and atmosphere at Quinta Don Jose Boutique Hotel. For more information visit www.quintadonjose.com

We stayed at a different hotel this time called the Quinta Don Jose Boutique Hotel. We loved it. This hotel is right in the center of Tlaquepaque, one block from the main square where the 2 gorgeous cathedrals are, and one block from the Mariachi square (for more inspiration, read the post about The Mariachis in Tlaquepaque). We got the last unit which was actually a little one bedroom suite, right across the road, nicely appointed and comfortable for only $85. It was like having your own apartment right in the town and an added bonus is that they have free telephone to USA and Canada.

Quinta Don Jose have a great 2-for-one happy hour with fabulous margaritas, which hit the spot after the 4 hour drive from Villa Estrella. We met up with our friend Ollie and his gang, who happened to be staying there as well and had a great time. Our villa renters who only know Puerto Vallarta are amazed to find how close Guadaljara really is, and what a genuine Mexican experience this city is. Puerto Vallarta is an overpriced tourist town, whereas Guadaljara and Tlaquepaque are a genuine experience in Mexican urban life and history.

The trip from our Puerto Vallarta Villa Rental to Guadalajara is also a wonderful adventure. Its an easy drive on great roads. The scenery and landscape are as beautiful as anywhere in the world. The small towns along the way include the town ofTequila, the center of the tequila distilling industry, that is set in a gorgeous tapestry of teal blue agave plantations.

Punta el Custodio is on the Riviera Nayarit, near the tiny beach village of Platanitos. Punta means Point, Punta el Custodio is like a small village built on a small peninsula projecting into the sea. We are surrounded on three sides by Pacific ocean, including a fabulous surfing beach. The community is operated by the 19 villa owners and at this time we have 15 lovely villas, each one uniquely different. The property has retained all the original Mexican jungle vegetation and new villas are not permitted to cut trees. This has created the opportunity for living flora to be creatively incorporated into the architecture of some of these stunning homes.

Punta El Custodio is filled with beautifully designed and maintained gardens filled with plant species native to the Nayarit region.

The road through Punta El Custodio is a sweet, narrow cobbled winding affair which twists and turns to miss the trees and huge boulders (see picture). At the very tip of the peninsula is our beautiful common swimming pool, and one of the most amazingly large Mexican chalata trees you will ever see.

In the gardens that fill every inch of space surrounding the villas, we are continually adding diversity to the plant species – seeking plants that are native and unique to this region of Mexico and protecting and re-planting endangered species. We are starting a composting and mulching program to return all fallen organic matter to the soil. We have also been steadily constructing a network of narrow cobbled footpaths throughout the property.

One of our prime objectives is to protect and enhance the natural beauty of the peninsula wherever possible. Many areas in Punta El Custodio have been left in their original condition, especially the very wild tip of the peninsula where the ocean swells break wildly on the “prow” of our point. The natural native Nayarit vegetation at that location consists mainly of cactus and wild fig. At this point the jungle and landscaping has re-grown so quickly and richly, that most of the villas have become almost invisible as the gardens have overgrown and concealed them. Walking the cobbled road and paths of Punta el Custodio is a beautiful experience.

I am heavily involved with the ongoing master planning and evolution of the common areas and landscaping of the property. Today I walked the property with our manager Ismael and we planned out the construction of some new cobbled footpaths through some of the jungle areas. Then, with Valentin the Arquitecto, I supervised the placement of some enormous boulders in one of our common areas because there happened to be a big backhoe here today doing some other work and dozens of these big boulders were just lying around awkwardly. So we arm waved a placement of the rocks that will enhance the next phase of the project, which is to turn the area into a secret garden park.

If you are considering a vacation rental in Mexico on the ocean and beach, you really should consider renting Villa Estrella in Punta El Custodio. Renting our villa is amazingly economical when you consider the large number of bedrooms, and that that the cost could be shared by a group of renters (please CLICK HERE for our weekly rental rates). Also, with the full time maid and meal plan you can save a fortune on expensive restaurants.

If you want to rent a villa in Mexico, we strongly recommend the Riviera Nayarit region, north of Puerto Vallarta. It’s easy to get to from the west coast of North America, has great flight frequencies in and out of Puerto Vallarta International Airport and good air fares are available from all over western US, Canada and Alaska. Fly directly to Puerto Vallarta and have Ismael send the van to pick you up and whisk you to Villa Estrella. It’s that simple.

Villa Estrella's gardens are lush, tropical and meticulously maintained, giving the whole community a dream-like atmosphere.

We woke to exquisite sunshine and blue ocean, clean clear air with crystal clear views of the beach all the way to Punta Mita in one direction, and North to San Blas. A perfect day on the Riviera Nayarit. The dinner party with the young folks at Casa Colibri last night was fun, they cooked up a blizzard of pasta. The dinner was followed by the Mexican train domino tournament, washed down with slightly excessive quantities of vino. Felix the cat trotted back home with us to Villa Estrella and is snuggled up tight by my side on the couch to keep warm.

Jaime, the Punta el Custodio handyman, finally got the new pool heater gas valve in to the Villa from Mexico City. Having a warm pool to float in every night is one of the MAJOR pleasures down here at the villa and we’ve been without it for a week (it even caused minor marital crisis). So it’s finally fixed. We are pouring fortunes of propane gas into the heater to get it cozy for tonight’s marine pleasures under the full moon, looking down at the ocean surf crashing below from our private, negative-edge pool. We love hanging out in the little cliff-side pool for hours, watching shooting stars, identifying the constellations, finding the north star. Tonight the moon is pretty much full and will illuminate the crashing surf below. When we’re not star gazing, the pool is also perfect for aquacise, and working off Rosa’s cooking (not to mention all the margaritas). We marvel at the wonder that is Mexico and at the magic of Villa Estrella and its stunning setting, surrounded by ocean, and nature.

This is an example of one of the many Mexican Tapestries that decorate Villa Estrella.

Rosa is sewing something for Jackie in the kitchen, I think it’s a cotton blouse. Soft jazz is filling the palapa, the sun is shining beautifully, the ocean is a stunning blue, the palm trees are swaying gracefully in the breeze. I hear the waves gently surging on the rocks below. I smell something good cooking from the kitchen – Rosa is cooking Comida (lunch). I’m looking forward to my nap in the hammock afterward, but for now it’s after 12 and time for my first icy Corona of the day.

You should see the lovely new hanging lamps we picked up for the villa on our trip to Guadalajara last week. We bought huge spherical basket lamps that are now hanging from the high palapa, plus some beautiful stars  that are now hanging over the tequila bar in front of the kitchen. The lamps were so huge we barely were able to squeeze them into the Suburban for the 4 hour trip back home. This type of decorating is so Mexican – using big bold elements, high spaces, fabulous dramatic environments. We like to give our renters an amazing villa experience with beautiful Mexican art, Mexico pottery, Mexican ceramics, colors and design.

Our whale watching excursion was the highlight of the trip and a life-long memory that seem to be part of daily life here at Villa Estrella.

Today we went whale watching. It was an experience of a lifetime.

Earlier this week we talked to Ismael who helped to set up the whole trip. We set out early morning (but not at an ungodly hour…we’re still on vacation after all). We went down to the water to load into the boat. We packed a backpack full of snacks and brought a little cooler full of drinks. As we set out on another gorgeous, sunny, Pacific morning, we could tell it would be a special day.

We passed some large fishing boats on the way out and our guide, fluent in English, gave us a commentary on fishing and the ecosystem that surrounded us. It didn’t take long at all for the excitement to begin; off to the left side of the boat, a pod of dolphins emerged from the water. In what seemed like hours but was probably minutes, we watched as they rose and sank, rose and sank in a primal, choreographed game.

Continuing on our trip, after having sufficiently taken in the dolphin display, we set out to find whales. I felt like a man on a mission – Captain Ahabish but without wanting to hurt anything. A quick note about our guide, he was awesome. His knowledge of the sea life and the history of the area was bar none. He was the best tour guide we’ve ever had. Back to the whale watching…. About a half hour after finding the dolphin pod, we saw some action in the distance. It was a mother and her calf. We approached with caution and kept a safe distance, but we were able to see so much detail on the animals. Humpback whales are such large, misshapen mammals  yet so graceful in the water. We cut the motor and just listened as they surfaced and then submerged.

Their blowholes and the waves were the only sounds for about forty minutes. Then, they dove deep and that was the last we saw of the mother and her baby. Not long after the first whale encounter, we saw another whale on the horizon. By the time we caught up, we realized that this was an enormous whale. The guide, in all his wisdom, was amazed as he had never seen anything like it. You see, normally, the humpbacks would breach for a while and then dive deep for a long time, but this whale gave us a 2 hour show. The only reason we left was because we would run out of gas to get home. The display was amazing. The whale would go under for 10 minutes or so then explode out of the water in a dazzling show. At some points, he breached so close to the boat, we could see the barnacles on him (at least I think it was a him). He would slap his fins and roll. I’ve never had an experience like it. As we left him, still playing on the horizon, we waved ‘Bye’ and thanked our guide profusely.

Our whale watching excursion was the  highlight of the trip and a life-long memory that seem to be part of daily life here at Villa Estrella. What a wonderful, magical place.

Written By Carl A., Villa Estrella Guest, January 2010

Horseback riding is one of the many exciting activities that can be organized for you during your stay at Villa Estrella.

We awoke to Rosa’s breakfast as everything is coordinated at Villa Estrella, only to be told moments later our horses were ready for us and waiting on the beach. As we made our way down to the beach taking in the flourishing flowers around us, we were taken across the estuary by boat, only to see our beautiful horses awaiting us. We were greeted by our friendly guide who helped us with the horses. I was impressed with how healthy and well looked after all the horses were.

As we began our ride, it was like out of a movie…we were the only ones on the 18km long sandy beach with the ocean waves crashing on our right and gorgeous palm trees for as far as you could see on our left. It was a scene out of a movie! We continued our ride along the beach, taking the horses and frolicking in the ocean waves when our guide stopped and cracked a coconut open for us to have a drink.

We then cut through the palm trees and the guide led us down in behind the estuary where we hit a ravine of water allowing the horses to cool off a bit. As we rode back to Villa Estrella though the palm trees, we came across the crocodile sanctuary and were able to stop and have a break while looking at all the baby crocodiles! As we continued our ride through Turtle Bay we took in all the beautiful scenery and were very impressed at how well trained the horses were and well looked after! As our ride came to an end we galloped the horses down the beach one last time.

Written by Sarah E., Villa Estrella Guest, January 2010.

Going to Tlaquepaque to see the Mariachis and submerge ourselves in Mexican culture is a favorite activity when visiting Villa Estrella.

On occasion we will travel to Guadalajara to do some shopping. The trip takes only a short amount of time and it gives us and opportunity to explore other areas in the Jalisco province of Mexico. One of our favorite places we have discovered is a city called Tlaquepaque, which is just east of Guadalajara. Instead of making the drive home the same day we will often spend the night in this charming town to take in the authentic Mexican atmosphere.

Our absolutely favorite thing to do in Tlaquepaque is to attend the Saturday night Mariachi show in the mariachi square inside the big square donut restaurant complex that occupies a whole city block beside the main town square. It starts at 9:30, so don’t get there too soon – grab a seat on one of the park benches, or settle into one of the many restaurants and enjoy the atmosphere.

The mariachis in Tlaquepaque set up on the big central gazebo bandstand. Pure classic Mexican mariachi music, 15 men dressed sharp in tight metal studded mariachi suits, sometimes with sombreros, fabulous trumpets, violins and guitars. And then the singers!!!! Beautiful women in sleek long traditional mariachi dresses with superb big sombreros and powerful voices that will curl your toes. The male singers also have incredibly powerful voices and huge sombreros. Imagine, if you can, a group of handsome men in classic Mexico attire brandishing pistols and singing their hearts out. The show goes on for a couple of hours. The action around the bandstand is about as good as the show itself. Watch families, children, pigeons, dogs, and street vendors – its all part of the show. Chances are you won’t see too many tourists attending the mariachis in Tlaquepaque. This is real Mexico and we love it. We make the pilgrimage every year and this is one of the exciting Mexico activities that can be planned when you stay at Villa Estrella.

It has long been a tradition to spend Saturday nights at Casa Manana for some of the best pizza, margaritas and entertainment around.

We take our sunset ceremonies seriously down here. Wear polarized sunglasses. Sometimes when conditions are just right, when the sky is clear and the ocean is blue, you can see the famous green flash. In the last microsecond as the top edge of the sun disappears into the sea there is an exquisite green flash – something about certain gases in the corona of the sun (too technical for me), but I digress. It’s amazing to see.

When going for pizza night at Casa Manana we like to go in larger groups of friends. We pull together a number of tables and sit by the charming terrace overlooking the beach. The service is good and friendly and the owners Lourdes and Reinhart are always available for a friendly chat. The margaritas at Casa Manana are generous, potent and tasty.

The open hearth pizza ovens are hot and ready, and the thin crust pizzas are excellent. There is a choice of about 6 types of pizzas and they are all good. Sometimes we like some contrast to the Mexican fare that we eat here on a daily basis as part of our meal plans. The nights spent at Casa Manana are always excellent times filled with laughter, good cheer and friendship.

Many times there is a show with singers, bands and dancers. My favorite was the SANIX folkdancers from Santiago Ixtlan. A beautiful group of about 30 lovely young people in fabulously colorful costumes dancing their hearts out for us. We loved them so much, we have engaged them to come back and dance at our mexico weddings hosted at Villa Estrella.

The drive back to Villa Estrella, our romantic Mexico Villa getaway, is leisurely. We usually return around 10 in the evening to finish off the day with a dreamy dip in our heated cliff-edge pool under the moon and stars (clothing, of course, is optional).

Our journey to San Blas takes us through Matanchen Bay that is a perfect Mexico beach for swimming and relaxing.

Head out from the parking lot and turn left toward San Blas, and….right away, on your right, screech to a halt….there’s an industrial warehouse, with a gate and guardhouse. Don’t be shy, go in there, tell them you want to buy some dried mangoes. A kilo bag of dried mango fruit is one of the most delicious snacks you can find anywhere. Buy a few bags. Maybe John is there, tell him that Jackie from Villa Estrella sent you. The stuff is just delicious and so good for you.

So while we are zipping down the road munching mangoes, we pass a mishmash of beach houses in varying states of quality, disrepair and completion. The landscape gets a little flat, and not quite so charming. Anyways, after some 30 minutes, you wind through some villages, and you suddenly come across a most incongruous thing (nothing incongruous should surprise you in Mexico) There ..all of a sudden is the biggest fanciest Corona beer distribution palace on your left. Bigger and fancier than your average Costco, painted brilliant white.

Turn left and drive a mile or less. There on your left is Matanchen Bay, a beautiful sandy crescent of soft sand beach free of surf, ringed by your classic Mexican Palapa outdoor restaurants. Soooo…if you didn’t stop at Casa Manana..you could stop here..barefoot in the sand..more icy beer..hope you brought your bathing suit, because the swimming is great. Matanchen bay is sheltered from the prevailing winds, and the waters are calm. Yachtsmen use Matanchen Bay as a safe overnight Anchorage. In the late 1700s The Spanish Navy had shipyards here and warehouses. From here the Spanish Navy equipped its vessels with the goods to support the spanish missions in California, as well as to conduct explorations all the way up the coast to Alaska.

Soooo….. with the comfort of cool beer, bare foot in the sand, try the pulpo,(octopus chopped and fried with garlic) I wouldn’t blame you if your happiness was complete for the day.

Stay tuned for the next installment…banana bread and crocodiles

San Blas is a historic spanish naval port with that makes an interesting day trip from Villa Estrella.

The road winds through the charming village of El Llano where fruit stand vendors try to sell you Jaca fruit products. Slow down at the town square and take in the charming cookie cutter facade of the old church. I recommend the Jaca fruit ice. You will also notice that the Noni fruit grows here and they will sell you those products too.

Right after El Llano the road offers two choices; Turn right and you can go all the way to Tepic, Guadaljara and even Mexico City. Future posts will detail some really interesting trips to those Cities. 20 minutes down that road you will also come to el Cora, site of a gorgeous waterfall you can hike to”..but that’s another story, today we are taking the LEFT turn and continuing toward San Blas.

Our next favorite stop on the road to San Blas is about another 10 minutes up the road as you enter the community of Las Cocos. There on the left is a clunky looking building called the Casa Mana, its a hotel. Doesn’t look like much, park your car, walk through the breezeway and Ta Daaa……

There is a lovely pool, restaurant,palm trees and beach. Pull up a chair at a table under the palm tree and have yourself some icy coronas and a plate of tasties from the menu. Food is good, atmosphere is cheerful, bright and fun. Come back on a Saturday night for “pizza night”. The pizza is great and often there is live entertainment, including sometimes Mexican Folk dancing.

In our next instalment, we will continue our trip to San Blas…with stops for Banana Bread, the longest surfing wave, and crocodiles. Have patience, eventually we will get to San Blas, a historic Spanish Naval Port from the 1775.