Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa, Puerto Vallarta

Devoted to keeping you blissfully happy, the Villa del Palmar Beach Resort and Spa, Puerto Vallarta keeps the dry towels on hand and the tropical drinks just a few blender pulses away. Keep your toes where they’re the happiest – buried in the sand on the beach or getting prettied up at the full-service spa, Bay Breeze. (Be sure to request an outdoor cabana for your massage. The glorious oceanfront setting does not disappoint.) The resort has three pools: an outdoor swimming pool with a waterfall, the adults-only quiet pool and the activity pool with special areas for children. Go for a swim, relax in one of the twelve-person hot tubs, or lounge with a refreshing drink and keep an eye on the kids. Feel like a workout? Let the kids hang out at the activities center and while they are occupied, visit the well-equipped fitness center for some cardio. Or take advantage of the tennis, basketball, or volleyball courts and get in touch with your inner athlete. Villa del Palmar offers an all-inclusive plan to take the hassle out of planning your vacation.

Spacious and air-conditioned villas have a bright, cheery, pop-art vibe, with vibrant fuchsia, yellow and teal accents to the predominantly white palette. Studio and one-bedroom villas have kitchenettes while two-bedroom villas have full kitchens. Bring the kids along to the on-site convenience store, Palmita Market, for groceries. For more variety, there’s a Walmart just a mile and a half away. Flat screen TVs are perfect for catching a Friends rerun or the latest episode of The Big Bang Theory. Plan a night or two at one of the three on-site high-end restaurants. You can even dine celeb-style with the private in-suite chef service. Sip cocktails out on your private balcony while the culinary magic happens inside.

When you’re ready to venture beyond the stunning beach and sparkling pool, book the Pirates of the Bay ship tour, go ATV-ing, zip-lining, snorkeling – or jump in and swim with the bottlenose dolphins. La Isla Shopping Village has everything you need for a day of retail therapy, including shopping and dining options and a cinema. Check out the selection of apparel at Calvin Klein, Guess, 98 Coast Av., and Quarry Jeans and Fashion. Grab a latte or frappuccino at Starbucks; ask them about their coffee-free options for the kids! Pick up a new phone case at the AT&T store, or sunglasses at Sunglass Hut. Hungry? There’s Johnny Rockets, or Carlos n Charlie’s. Feeling daring? Check out Skydive Vallarta. Fly to an altitude of ten-thousand-feet above sea level and experience a forty-five-second free fall at over one-hundred miles per hour. The team of instructors have over eighteen years of experience and will be with you every step of the way. They even offer courses to become a certified skydiving instructor.