We flew Aeromar from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta. I would highly recommend them. They fly small aircraft but they are fairly quiet and they serve a snack and a beer on the one hour flight. They were on time and the whole experience was very good. Puerto Vallarta was busier than Guadalajara with a mixture of domestic tourists and International ones.

We arrived around 6pm so we basically went to check in to the AirBnB and then walked into Zona romantica for dinner and had a stroll along the Malecon after dinner. Lots of people were out and about. There was some social distancing and mask wearing but it was certainly not 100%. There were less restrictions here than in Guadalajara. Restaurants did not have to close here however bars still needed to remain closed (any establishment that only serves alcohol)

The second day we did the hike up the the cross. It is as steep as I remember it but it affords great views. The weather was nice but it was a little cooler than usual for this time of year. On New Years Eve it actually dropped down to around 6 degrees. The daytime high was around 25 degrees.

Instead of flying from Cancun to Puerto Vallarta we decided instead to stop in Guadalajara for 2 nights. I’ve always wanted to explore the capital of Jalisco state as I heard the architecture was very Spanish and the food and nightlife was good. I was not disappointed – Guadalajara is a fantastic city. The only downside was that due to COVID restrictions there were no open restaurants after 7pm so we did room service for the first night (at the Westin) and UberEats for the second night. UberEats works super well in Mexico – no problems at all.

Guadalajara contains so many churches and cathedrals that I have lost count. The architecture is quite stunning and reminds me more of a European city than a Mexican one. Most of the museums were closed but the churches remained open. I do not know if this was because it was a Sunday and a service had just finished or they are starting to reopen them for tourists. Either way it worked well for us.

As we walked down one of the main streets we found an open art gallery. After the usual temperature check and hand sanitizer we were let in. The building itself is pretty neat and they had an exposition on the second floor regarding refugees coming from Guatemala and trying to get into the US. It was quite moving.

If you ride one of the rapid bus lines to the Northern end you can see Huentitán which is a state park. There is a lookout here and a nice area to picnic as well as a few food stalls. The bus is super easy to use. You pay to get into the bus terminal through turnstiles and then you board the bus. When you exit the bus you go back though the turnstiles. The buses are separated from traffic so they never get stuck in traffic jams.

Chapultepec is an area with a lot of restaurants and bars. It’s also somewhat famous for LGBT culture. Due to COVID all the bars were closed in Guadalajara but there were some interesting artwork like this cow in front of a small restaurant.

For 2 nights over Christmas we decided to spend some time at the Marriott Resort Cancun. We took a private shuttle from Playa Del Carman to the Cancun hotel zone. This is the easiest way to do it, but also the most expensive. We used Canada Transfers and they were very professional and on time.

The Cancun hotel zone is a purpose built area for tourism. It’s a long 7 shape that is out off the coast that contains lots of hotels, restaurants, and resorts. Over all I can honestly say that Cancun is quite a bit more expensive than Playa del Carmen. This is probably the proximity to the airport.

The beachfront is very pretty here and all the hotels have little pieces of private beach that you can use to relax on their chairs and they will bring you food and drink. The ocean here is a bit rough. You can swim in it but there are lots of waves to contend with. I find it fun to get washed out to sea but it’s not especially good for calm swimming. However the hotel had a huge pool as well which was good for swimming.

One advantages of staying at the Marriott is that you can go to the bars and restaurants of not only the Marriott but also the JW next door. This glass of Prosecco was from the lobby bar in the JW. It’s a lovely bar but you certainly pay for it. All of the prices were fairly expensive from beer and wine to water. You can, of course, take a short walk to a 7-11 and buy stuff there to bring back to your room.

Due to COVID-19 it was required to serve food with alcohol so we got mixed nuts along with the drinks. Of course he added that to the bill 🙂

The views were pretty amazing from all around the hotel you could see either the ocean or the lagoon as you looked out towards Cancun downtown. Our room was supposed to have a resort view, but it was actually a partial ocean view.

We did not do especially much over Christmas. Just went swimming and ate at the restaurants. It was pretty quiet and relaxing. Overall of the 3 destinations – Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum I would say that Playa del Carmen is a good mix of nice places to eat, beach time, nice hotels, and price. Tulum is cheaper and more rustic. Cancun is more expensive and American like.