Villa Estrella's real palapa roof made of interwoven royal palm fronds.

Last November we spent 6 weeks here at Villa Estrella. It’s a lovely time of year, we come every year at this time, the rainy season is just over, and everything is lush green. The heat of the summer has started to wane, and the fresher winter season has not yet arrived, the ocean waters are deliciously warm, the tourists are nowhere in sight. It’s a time of beauty, peace, and for reconnecting with our wonderful friends here in Mexico.

It’s also a great time for us to make sure the Villa is properly spruced up for the upcoming rental season. The power of the summer storms, the huge amounts of wind and rain, the salt spray, all leave their mark. We make sure all the linens and towels are in good shape, replace worn kitchen utensils and do paint touch-ups. Often we take a trip to Guadalajara to restock on fabrics for draperies, get fresh colourful cushions for the banco, and replace tarnished light fixtures. This time we replaced some of the washroom faucets as they were looking tired as well. I think the ceramic tiles in the bathrooms are the next candidate for upgrade. The big item this year was the replacement of the entire palapa roof. The roof was now 12 years old, and the royal palm fronds that are woven into the wood framework were finally starting to crumble. Small bits of daylight were visible, and during the rains….well there would be drips on the floor.

Jackie always does a major garden tune-up. The wild summer storms lash the plants with salt spray which damages many of them. The heavy rains have beaten up all the flowering plants, so they need nursing.

Our new hammock, swaying in the warm breeze with a beautiful view of the ocean, awaits you.

The indoor plants suffer from light deprivation, so they get switched out for fresh ones. There is always a visit to the vivero (nursery) for a fresh supply. Often the little plants we put in years ago have become giants and suddenly there is too much shade, so those have to be pruned. This year I couldn’t get my satellite internet dish to pickup the satellite signal….well you guessed it…the palm fronds had grown up so large, they blocked the satellite dish. Jackie and Jaime our gardener spend endless hours pruning, moving and replacing.

One of my favourite new acquisitions was the hammock. The old one, although lovely finally gave up the ghost as the woven cords finally disintegrated from old age. Hammock is mandatory. The hammock is hung from the big rock wall in a quiet corner behind the kitchen, surrounded by Bougainvilleas, hummingbirds and butterflies. I slip into it with a book, and before you know it am fast asleep. The one we found is an extra wide one, good for two.

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.

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.

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.