As you know, we got back from our trip to Mexico last week. Every year after Christmas the whole family packs up for some sunshine, rest and relaxation. While we normally go to Hawaii for a break, it was a nice change visiting Mexico to switch things up a bit.

I got a lot of questions from many of you on Instagram about where we stayed, the food, the resort, the day trips and of course how my overall impression was so I thought I’d pen my thoughts here in case any of you were wanting more info. Scroll down for more..

The resort we stayed at is called Vidanta and is located in Nuevo Vallarta. It was breathtakingly beautiful and we couldn’t believe how lush and well-manicured the grounds were. It felt like you were staying in the middle of the jungle, but was actually only a short 10-minute drive from the airport. This resort is not an all-inclusive but rather a time-share that we were lucky enough to stay at through family friends.

So, the downside is that instead of having everything included in a package deal, everything is pay-as-you-go which can add up quickly. The upside in my opinion is that the food and drinks were delicious and the service was top notch. I’ve visited Mexico a couple times before and have never found the food to be ‘great’ but this trip was different. Everyday, there is happy hour (2 for 1 drinks) so we really took advantage of that time for having any poolside cocktails and snacks in the afternoons.

The restaurants were incredible. Most of which were more upscale, with incredible views of the jungle, grounds and ocean but there were over 40 different restaurant options, many of which we didn’t even have time to try.

Favorite restaurants at the resort:

• Azur: French cuisine on the rooftop of the Plaza
• Tramonto: some of the best Italian cuisine we’ve ever had
• Gong: Asian cuisine located on a beautiful outdoor deck space on the water
• Quinto: loved their rooftop charcoal grill with the best views of the whole resort
• The Burger Custom Made: dine al fresco and have your burger custom made just how you like it. These guys also have an unreal bar cart service
• La Cantina: a little more on the casual side but we loved being able to order our favourite Mexican dishes overlooking the water from our table
• Tacos Break: we hit this little rooftop taco bar more than twice, it’s perfect when you need a snack or want to have a lighter dinner

Probably my favourite part of the resort was the Mercado Gourmet, an indoor global market carrying everything from fresh local produce (grown on their 40-acre Almaverde farm on the resort where all fresh produce is sourced straight from the vine and used at the restaurants), sweet treats, cheeses, meats, ice cream, fresh flowers, wine — they’ve got it all.

We went solely to lay by the pool and drink margaritas (basically) so we didn’t do many excursions aside from visiting Bucerias one day, which was fun. We visited the street markets, which is where I bought that cute woven beach bag with the coral tassels and had lunch at a restaurant called MarySol on the beach. Otherwise, you could find us napping on lounge chairs by the pool. There are over 10 pools to explore, as well as a lazy river and a huge slide, which you can see in the first photo above, the one that looks like a Mayan ruin!

Overall we had an amazing stay and would definitely go back if we have the chance again. I hope that answers all your questions about the resort, if I left anything out that you really wanted to know please comment below and I can answer you directly.