Puerto Vallarta October 2020

Puerto Vallarta Oct 2020
I traveled to Puerto Vallarta in October of 2020 to visit a lot of different resorts.  I will detail Secrets resort where I stayed in this post and give some general information about the trip. 

I boarded my Delta flight in San Francisco for my flight to Puerto Vallarta. While on the plane, you will receive 2 different forms to fill out.  One is a customs form and one form is for immigration.  You can fill out the immigration form online before you leave and print it out.  I prefer to do this so I don't have to find all the information while I am on the plane.  The immigration officials also prefer this form since it is typed and easier for them to read.  

https://www.mexicotouristcard.com

Once in Mexico, you will go through immigration, pick up your luggage and then exit customs. Here is the tricky part, no matter what anyone says, DO NOT STOP until you get outside. There will be time share people saying you must stop and talk to them about your transportation to the resort. This is not true. One person even told me that if I left the building before talking to them I would not be able to get to my resort as all transportation was handled with them. Many people fell for this and stopped to talk to them. Just keep walking and do not engage with them and you will be fine. Your travel agent (hopefully me) should have information on how to get picked up and to your resort if you have transfers scheduled. If you plan to take a taxi or Uber, you should also just keep walking past all of the time share workers.

Sign on the Malecon

I stayed at Secrets Resort and was met just outside of the airport by a representative from AM Resorts and they paid a taxi to take me to the resort. This may be different depending on your party size. I was traveling alone and he had recently sent the van with another group so this was the quickest way for me to get to the resort.

Secrets and Now
Secrets is the adults only property and Now is family friendly.  If you are staying at Secrets you can go to the Now side for free.  You have to pay an additional fee if you want to come to Secrets from Now. There is an amazing spa that is available to both Secrets and Now guests that is on the Secrets side. You do not need to pay the day fee for Secrets to use the spa, just the regular spa service costs.

Secrets
Secrets is an adults only resort and where I stayed during this trip. Upon first glance, it appeared it would be easy to hear and see the family side of the resort, but that was not my experience.  Unless I made an effort, I could not hear or see the family side, except from my balcony.   When I arrive, the staff welcomed me with water or beverage of my choice and then showed me to check in.  There were signs about COVID restrictions and people were following them for the most part.  

View of Now from my room

Check in was easy and the room was very clean.  All rooms at this resort are Ocean view.  My one big note about this room is that you do not have any way to block the view of the tub or shower from the rest of the room.  The only thing that is behind a door is the toilet. I would only go to this resort if you are comfortable undressing and showering in view of others in the room. All rooms have a balcony or swim up.  They had very nice soaps, shampoos, and other amenities in 4 oz bottles which is much larger than I am accustomed to.  They did twice daily service in the room.  

The food here was excellent in the speciality restaurants.  Room service was acceptable and available with no fees. The buffet was great for a quick and delicious breakfast.  Right now the specialty restaurants are not all open at the same time so check to make sure which days each is open.  I went to try the Italian restaurant on the Now side but it was closed so we went to the French restaurant instead.  

This hotel has several activities throughout the day like yoga, aerobics and karaoke.  
The wedding amenities were great, the entertainment was fantastic and the food was so fresh and delicious. I would recommend for a wedding. 

My last morning I went to the spa and did indoor hydrotherapy and got a massage.  They limited the number of people in the dressing room due to COVID.  The spa area is mixed gender.  This was my favorite part of the trip.  I was supposed to keep my mask on while not in the water and during the massage but the person during the massage told me I could take it  off if I wanted.  I think that will vary by therapist.  I preferred to keep mine on in such a close setting. 

You must check out of the room at the front desk and they will give you two forms.  You hand one to the bell hop and one to the guard at the gate upon leaving.  Please allow time for this process as I had to wait about 10 minutes for an agent to help.  I was picked up by a van and taken to the airpot with Iots of time to spare. I easily checked in and found my gate.  There are several food options both before and after security so you can eat on either side of security.  Some of the nicer locations are before security but plenty of good options behind security.

Now

Now is a family friendly resort.  All rooms are Ocean View.  The bathrooms have 2 vanities, a stand alone shower and a large garden tub.  There is a closet and some drawer space.  They are identical to the ones at Secrets except here, there is a way to close off the bathroom area from the bedroom area.  

Preferred club was the way to go here. The extra benefits were great. The continental breakfast, the upgraded amenities and more made preferred club worth the extra money. There are 2 specialty restaurants here and lots of activities.  The event space is shared with Secrets.  

Morning View from my balcony

On our first night we had a banquet style dinner with entertainment.  The show was very good and is who they typically use for weddings.  They did some English and some Spanish songs.  They were very good.  The food was excellent.  I even told them at the beginning I don’t like seafood or mustard and they accommodated me last minute by not serving me seafood dishes so some courses I did not have anything, or by subbing out if they could easily do so, like giving me a different type of dressing on my salad.  They were very discrete and very attentive.  I highly recommend this location for a banquet style event.  

I visited several other resorts on this trip including: 

Iberostar Playa Mita 
Grand Palladium
Family Selection

Hard Rock All Inclusive
RIU Palace Pacifica
Marival Emotions Resort
Villa Premier
Buenaventura Grand
Sunscape
Grand Velas 
Dreams Villamagna Nuevo

Let's get you booked at the resort that meets your needs!

Marilyn@PolkaDotsNWishesTravel.com

(512) 698-9312

Golden Triangle (2014) Agra, Jaipur and Delhi

We were invited to a wedding in Agra and decided this would be a great opportunity to visit The Golden Triangle.  The Golden Triangle consist of Delhi, Agra (Taj Mahal) and Jaipur.  We invited our friend Catie to come along with us since she was in India for a community service project that ended just as we started our trip. 

On Saturday we started the trip in Delhi and took the express way to Agra. 

On Sunday we got up early and we were at the Taj Mahal for sunrise.  It was a great time to visit.  The crowd level was low and the view was spectacular.  The only down side was the water was drained from the pools.

You can see the reflection even with the water drained

The extra person is a friend from the USA

If you pay the foreign price it includes these to put over your shoes instead of removing your shoes.  I guess after Slumdog Millionaire people did not want to leave their shoes. 

No gas powered cars are allowed near the Taj Mahal so we got to ride this electric vehicle.

After the Taj, we went back to the hotel for breakfast.  Then we went to the Agra Fort and shopping. We have not purchased very many items from India to keep as "forever" souvenirs and this trip we decided to look for some of those types of items.  N really liked a marble chess set so we decided to get that as an item he can keep in his life forever.  B decided he really wanted a rug for his room so we purchased a small handmade rug made of yak's wool.  No, I did not pick out the rug. B was set on this particular rug and loves having it in his room.

We needed to return to the hotel in time to shower and change for the wedding that evening.  We all dressed in our best Indian outfits to dance in the street for 90 mins as we walked to the wedding venue.  The boys had a great time.  Unfortunately, the wedding was late and by the time we reached the wedding venue B was exhausted and wanted to go back to the hotel.  He was hungry so I stopped by McDonald's, in my sari, to pick up some food.  I am use to being stared at in India but this was a whole new level. Every head turned as I approached and I swear I think I saw a jaw drop.  As I was waiting for the food, two girls in their early 20's came up to me and said that I looked very Indian. It was a very unique experience.  Ken and my other son stayed at the wedding until midnight and had a great time.   

Monday we went to Jaipur, the pink city. We settled in for the night at the Marriott in Jaipur.  We really enjoyed the Marriott, the breakfast and dinner buffets were both excellent.  I highly recommend this hotel.

Tuesday we took an elephant ride to the top of the Red Fort.   It was not a good experience.  One of the elephants was very slow and the handler hit the elephant to the point of bleeding. 

I think our guide was not very knowledgable about the Red Fort and the elephant incident was not pleasant.  Others I know have thought the Red Fort was better than the Taj Mahal but not for us. 

Afterwards, we stopped to look at the Red Fort from a distance and we had a surprise celebration unfold.  A group of about 20 teenagers got out of a truck and started throwing colored powder, dancing and singing.  After about 5 mins they took and Idol and submerged it in the river.

We also went to an observatory.  It was one of my favorite places on this trip.  It has a working sun dial that is accurate to within 3 minutes.  It was huge.  I don't remember when it was built but well before North America was discovered by Europeans.  

We also visited an open air Mosque.  Normally women are not allowed inside a Mosque but since it is open air they make an exception sometimes.  They will inspect you to ensure you are properly covered before entering.  Notice the drape over B's legs and our friend is completely covered.  I think I barely made it through with my 3/4 sleeves and capri pants.  This is a group of men from Kashmir who, according to the translator,  had never seen a white person and asked to take pictures with us. 

 We then visited Delhi.  We visited many places but it was a let down overall.  I liked the Lotus Temple and the Gandi museum.  Nothing else is a must see in my opinion.  There is plenty that will keep you busy but nothing that I would go out of my way to see.  I do wish we would have been able to make it to Toilet museum.  I know that sounds strange but I was told it is very interesting by many but it is not near anything else we wanted to do so we had to miss it.  If we head back up that way will will have to see it.

Lotus Temple

We really enjoyed our trip to the Golden Triangle.  It was a fantastic experience and I highly recommend it as a bucket list trip.  You will never forget the experience. 

Beijing and Xi'an China 2014

 Ken is working off and on in China and so we decided to take a week and visit Beijing.

 The first thing to know, is to bring a mask.  The pollution is horrible and a mask is a necessity unless you want to get a respiratory infection.  The second thing you need to know if you are taking this trip is to be sure you have your hotel's name and direction written in Mandarin before you land.  You will need this for the cab driver.

After 12 hours in transit we arrived at the Beijing airport and went to grab a cab.  Along the way we had several people ask if we need a cab.  Do NOT ever go with these people.  They will take you to their car which is technically a limo service.  They will charge you 4-8 times the cost of a regular cab.  If you follow the directions for a taxi you will arrive at an area that has two different lines.  One is the regular taxi line and the other is for "special" cars that you will need to negotiate your price.  Again, this second line will cost you considerably more. Make sure you know which line you are in before hand.  We got to the hotel and went to dinner with a coworker of Ken's.

Saturday we went on a full day tour.  We started the day at the Great Wall where we took a long walk and then went down to the bottom on a toboggan.  After lunch we went to the Forbidden City and an acrobats show.

Part of the toboggan ride

Chairlift to The Great Wall

On the wall with Ken's coworkers

They were filming scenes for a movie.  Rumor is it was for Transformers.  I liked this because there is a Texas longhorns emblem on some of the equipment. 

 When we went to the Forbidden city we stopped out front to take a picture.  EVERYONE got out their cameras to take this picture.  At least 20 people had their camera's out taking pictures of the crazy people. 

Sunday was our one pollution free day in Beijing.  We went to the park across from the Forbidden city for a great view of the Forbidden City then we went to Silk Street. Ken and I were in Beijing in 1999 and the silk street market was extremely different.  When we first went to Silk Street is was a bunch of stalls along the street.  This time it was more like a permanent fleamarket inside a 5 story building.  Just not the same feel as before.

 We did some general touring of Beijing and a friend of a friend took me to several places the local expats go.  We found a few items we can not get in India and brought back a suitcase full of goodies.  It was a completely different experience going on a trip to China and knowing someone who is living there versus simply touring the city.  With such a large network of expat friends, I think I will have more trips where I will know a person in the city or at least a friend of a friend, and in expat circles, that makes you a friend.

McDonalds across from the Silk Street Market  

 Ken and I did not see the Terra Cotta Warriors when we toured in 1999 so we decided on Tuesday to book a trip to Xian.  We booked the overnight sleeper train for Thursday evening, toured Xian on Friday and took the overnight sleeper train back Friday night for a flight back to Bangalore on Saturday afternoon.  It was a whirlwind trip that was fantastic.  Ken and the boys all say the Terra Cotta Warriors were the highlight of the entire trip to China.

 After seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors, we went to the city center of Xi'an and rode around the top of the original city wall.  It took us just over an hour to complete the circuit without a break.  Ken and I decide to ride a two person bike. 

After the day in Xi'an we rode the sleeper train back to Beijing.  The next day the three of us left Beijing leaving Ken for one more week.  It is definitely a place I highly recommend visiting but I don't think I could ever live there with all the pollution. 

KA WA‘A – A Lū‘au at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa March 2020

I attended the KA WA'A Luau at Aulani on March 14th 2020. We were so happy to get a last minute VIP seat as a party of 2. We debated if VIP was worth the extra money and concluded that for us it absolutely was worth it. I did a short video with some of the highlights: Luau Video March 2020 The evening started in the VIP line where we were greeted by the cast members with a wristband and lei. Next we were led to our table with a stop on the way for a picture and our first free drink. Since we were the first ones to arrive at our table, we got to pick our seats at the table and decided closest to the stage was for us. There was seating for 10 at the table and we were with 2 families of 4. The VIP section is the first two rows of tables and we were in the second row. The VIP line was non-existent within 15 minutes of opening After the VIP section was seated, the other guests were allowed to enter and the pre show entertainment began. There was a band playing on the stage and several activities for the children set up in the back. There were several activities where you got to take something with you. During this time we got our 2nd free alcoholic drink each. When it was time to eat, everyone was asked to come to their tables and the tables were released one at a time to head to the buffet with the VIP tables getting to go first. Children were allowed to still play and run and everyone seemed to follow the rules. I did not take pictures of the food but it was delicious and beautiful. During the meal, there was some entertainment and more free drinks for the VIP guests. The only draw back to VIP seating is there are parts of the show that are done between the second and third rows so anyone in the VIP section has to look back and forth to see everything. Those further back can see everything looking in one direction. You get all of the typical Luau performances with dancing, singing, acrobatics, and fire. The children are invited to take part in the program at one point in the show and get to play some music. There is a place to one side of the seating that is a grassy area so if you have a child that needs to burn some energy, you can go to that area and they can jump and bounce while you still get to see the show. Our server came around during the show and we got another two rounds of drinks during the show. The show was fantastic and worth the price. If you like your alcohol included, eating first and being closest to the stage, then the VIP ticket is for you. If you do not drink, prefer to see everything without looking around and don’t mind being last to the food, then a regular ticket is a great value for you. Contact me for all your travel needs! Marilyn@polkadotsnwishestravel.com (512) 698-9312

ECV (Electric Scooter) at WDW and Universal August 2020

In August 2020, I visited Disney and Universal and needed to use an ECV.  I wanted to share some of the things you will want to know.  I am in physical therapy and so I needed to walk about 7000 steps per day and so could walk for portions.  I think most people in ECV’s are similar so I will focus this on people who can transfer and walk short distances.  I have also taken my father in law during normal times in an ECV and when confined to a wheelchair so I will make some comparisons to normal and COVID times.  At Disney, wheelchairs and ECV’s typically will start off in the main line and then separate at some point for the wheelchair section.  It is very easy at Disney in all parks overall.  It is much more difficult at Universal and I will share my experiences with you.  If you have any specific questions, feel free to contact me directly at Marilyn@PolkaDotsNWishesTravel.com  or (512)698-9312.

 

EPCOT:

By far, the easiest park to have an ECV was Epcot.  I cannot think of anywhere that I had to leave my ECV and transfer to a wheelchair.   The only places that I was asked to leave my ECV outside was while eating at the Coral Reef Restaurant and Rose and Crown Pub.  At Coral Reef,  I asked if I could leave it inside to charge and the one spot was open so I was able to use it. Rose and Crown was on our first day and I was not yet looking for plugs and shade.  I parked it where they directed and the seat was very hot when I came out. I would look for a spot near the bathrooms across the street next time.  We ate at Le Cellier and San Angel Inn and both had space indoors for me to leave the ECV.  Spaceship Earth still has the wheelchair entrance to the right of the building about halfway around the building.  No need to go to the normal line. At all other rides, I started off in the normal line staying in the ECV.  I do want to point out that all of the restaurants on Disney property, I was asked if I would be able to transfer and if I had asked to stay in the chair for meals, I would have been allowed to do so.  I would give Epcot an A+ for being ECV friendly. 

 

Hollywood Studios:

Hollywood Studios had the same restrictions as it always has been with no difference at this time.  Most lines were ECV friendly.  The only rides I was not allowed to take in the ECV and had to transfer to a wheelchair were Rock n Roll Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror.  Neither had an indoor space to leave it.  It was raining when we went to ride these rides so I searched for somewhere dry to leave it.  My recommendation is to park it at the exit to Tower of Terror.  There is a covered spot as you leave the building that will keep the ECV dry in the rain and cool in the sun.  If you are able to walk a bit, just leave it there and walk to RRRC.  If you need to immediately transfer to a wheelchair, near RRRC, look to see if the food stands near there are open.  They were closed when we were there and I could keep it mostly dry and cool by parking behind the stand.  You can also check at the nearby Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy and depending on the time of day, you might find some shade there.   At Star Tours, you will miss the pre show but that was not a big deal to me as I have done the ride several times.   We ate at 50’s Prime time and they would not allow the ECV in the building and there are not a lot of places to keep it dry and cool in that area.  On a past trip, we parked a wheelchair under cover and it was moved.  It subsequently rained while we were inside and the seat cushion was soaked.  My FIL is paralyzed on one side so he tries to walk short distances and get out of the chair when possible and this was a mistake.  It took all day for the seat to dry.  Disney did give us a voucher to get him a change of clothes as we did not realize it was wet until after he sat on the soaked cushion and they should not have moved the chair.  The seats are not water proof like on ECV’s.  For ECV’s make sure you always cover the electrical parts when you leave it, just in case the rain comes unexpectedly. At Brown Derby, we were able to park inside and there were 2 outlets available for charging.   If you just need a charge and want to be out of the sun, you can also go to the alcoves near Muppet Vision or there are some plugs near the ABC Commissary.  Overall I give Hollywood Studios a B for ECV’s. 

 

Magic Kingdom:

We do not ride most of the rides in Fantasyland and so I do not know how most of those work.  We did ride It’s A Small World, which has a separate wheelchair/ECV entrance.  It was easy to use.  We also rode Peter Pan which required me to leave the ECV and go through the line in a wheelchair.  There is a space between Peter Pan and the entrance to Liberty Square that has several places to charge your scooter or phone.  It is a specific spot that has seating where you can rest and recharge devices.  There is some shade in this area so it is easy to keep the seat cool but little protection from rain.  Space Mountain also requires you to transfer to a wheelchair.  There are spots at the outside of the exit where you can park your ECV and plug it in.   The plugs are near the benches against the building.  No protection against rain but maybe against sun, depending on the time of day.   Big Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion both had a virtual queue for ECV’s due to social distancing.  I went to the Fast Pass entrance and was given a return time.  The line with physical distancing,  is not accessible by wheelchair and they will take you through a different entrance.   This was easy to use once I knew about it.  We got return times for both rides, then went to Splash Mountain and then returned to these two attractions with no wait.  Tom Sawyer's Island does not allow ECV’s and you will need to leave it in the open if you take it through the line.  If you are able to walk the distance, I would leave it near splash mountain.  There is an area as you come out that has a place to charge that is covered.  It is near the playscape at the exit of Splash Mountain.   All other rides we rode were easy with the ECV.  If the line was past the entry point, I started going to the people at the beginning of the lines to ask how it worked for ECV’s and had the rest of my party go ahead and get into line.   This gave me time to find a place to park if needed and get to my party before they got to the main entry.  As for restaurants, we went to Be Our Guest and it was very ECV friendly.  I left it inside of the building near the bathroom and was able to charge it.  At Liberty Tree Tavern, I had to leave it outside and I could not find a good place to park.  If you can walk the distance, I would probably leave it in the charging spot I referenced near Peter Pan.  Do not leave it under the shade near the Hall of Presidents.  It may get moved if there is a line.  I saw that happen while I was in the Hall of President’s line.   Overall I give MK a B. 

 

Animal Kingdom:

Animal Kingdom was also easy for the most part.  The ECV was able to go through most lines with no issues.  I would be aware that the Kilimanjaro Safari ride will not leave with a half empty car and if you are one of the first ECV/wheelchairs to get on, it may be a few minutes before you leave.  We rope dropped this ride and while we were the 3rd group in line, we were in the 4thvehicle to leave.  Not a big deal but if the other group behind us had not been 14 people, we would have had to wait even longer.  They are supposed to have 5 rows full to leave.  All of the wildlife treks were ECV friendly and I can’t think of any rides where I had to leave the ECV in the open.   We did have to leave it outside while we ate at Yak and Yeti.  There is plenty of shade available but I did not see anywhere to plug in.   Overall I give AK a B+

 

Disney Buses:  

The buses currently have limited capacity.  In normal times, they have space for 2 ECV’s per bus.  Right now, they will only allow 2 ECV’s if they are in the same party, otherwise one ECV per bus.  This seems fair since there are only 6 parties allowed per bus.  We had one time that we were waiting in line and while there were only 2 buses worth of people there were 4 ECV’s in front of me.  We were at Disney Springs heading back to the Contemporary.  The Polynesian line did not have even one full bus of people waiting so I moved to that line and then took the monorail bus to the Contemporary.  The monorail has been closing early so they started a bus that travels to the monorail resorts so people can eat dinner at the other resorts.  

 

Universal Studios and Isle of Adventure:

Universal was not as ECV friendly.  Basically, if a stroller is not allowed in line then an ECV is not allowed.  You will be directed to park the ECV in stroller (or Pram in Harry Potter sections) parking. Even shows that had entrances that an ECV would easily have fit, they did not allow them.  It was difficult to find anywhere to charge and half of the plugs I tried did not actually have power going to them.  There is a working plug in Pram parking across from Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure and since that has moved to a normal line, you can probably get a good charge in while you wait.   We ate at Mel’s Diner and they directed me to a place near the outdoor seating that had a plug, but it was not working.  I did find a plug against the next building that was working and provided some shelter.   If you have someone in your party willing to push you all day, save your money and just rent the wheelchair instead of an ECV if you are only doing Universal Studios.  I like to have an ECV for more independence and to not burden others with pushing me all the time, but you really don’t get to use it very much at Universal. I did get to take it onto the boat from Hard Rock to the main gate.    I give Universal a D  for ECV friendly.