As yet we’re only half way but it’s certainly lead us to some special spots and allowed us many a lasting memory. Here’s a short list of brief mentions from the adventures – a more full list to come!

The highest up the list we’ve hit is number 3 – called El Bacalao. This was a place we walked past almost every day for months and almost never gave a second glance. A completely unassuming place, which from the outside seems only to serve seafood. (large pictures of fish adorn the walls, it’s decoration is mostly blue, and the signs are all for Ceviche, Camaron, Pescado and all the other Spanish words I’ve come to know mean seafood)

Fortunately we got the tip from a nearby barman and were enlightened as to the insanity of the Arrachera steak strips that come with a cheese, herb and pineapple gravy, all served in a lava rock dish, to be had with the ubiquitous tortilla. Suffice it to say that after consuming this meal – it took but 3 days before I was overcome by it’s taste haunting my memory and we were back for more.

Next honorable mention is number 8 on the list, Joe Jack’s Fish Shack. Actually just a few doors down from the aforementioned, this was another place that after our first meal, could not resist returning to within 3 days (No, actually… this one it was 2 days). What haunted memories this time (Elysia’s) was the succulence of a Mexican BBQ Chicken dish, grilled and marinated to moist and flavorful perfection.

I also had the signature Red Snapper cooked in garlic and herbs which did in no way disappoint. Oh AND… it has a gorgeous rooftop terrace to boot.

Next up, at number 9 on the list, Barcelona Tapas. I didn’t intend this post to have such a theme but in fact, this is another of the restaurants we’ve been forced to return to for a second helping after a top notch first experience. Barcelona Tapas just impresses right from the complimentary entre – a warm garlic potato salad that while completely simple, is a taste sensation.

Whether you want to try the Spanish delicacy Paella, or some killer tender beef skewers, BT will fulfill your desires. And talk about a setting. Sitting back up the hill about 5 blocks from the beach, this restaurant has hands down (that we’ve seen so far) – the best view of any in the bay.

If you’ve got a rad Vallarta restaurant you think should be on the list, let us know!

Plenty more to come…

Fajita Republic was a restaurant just off Olas Altas at the very beginning of Basilio Badillo that while always looking popular and interesting on the inside, we’d so far passed up for the aforementioned reason. Fortunately last night we decided to change our minds.

This place impressed us in almost every way that a restaurant can impress.

We loved the atmosphere: open air, the cool bamboo lamp type things creating a perfectly dim light, and the music was (for us RnB lovers) killer! (easy going RnB tunes from 2000-2009).

The food turned out to be Mexican but with enough combinations and variations to make it very interesting, among them our entre, Mayan Cheese Sticks – a cheese stick served in a delicious herb + soup/gravy type broth that you eat with sour cream and salsa, rolled in a tortilla! Yes, a calorie feast to be sure, but worth every extra wasteline millimeter!

For mains, we sampled the “falling off the bone” BBQ ribs, buffalo wings, and a mixed Mexican plate that had quesadilla’s, chicken enchilada’s, Carne Asada, guacamole, and more.

My ribs were (as I described at the time) meat flavor and tenderness: 8/10 – BBQ sauce: 6/10 – could have a little extra flavor. Elysia found the buffalo wings to be a little light on meat although they were voluminous enough to compensate (big enough serving) and our friend’s Mexican plate was delicious from taco to tortilla.

After dinner we took the waiter’s recommendation of a shot called “German Chocolate Cake” which, containing, Vodka and Frangelico plus a sugared lime to suck afterward, was surprisingly creamy and awesome.

Finally, maybe even the BEST part about Fajita Republic is the price! For the kind of place and the area it is, we were ready to pay a LOT more, some notable samples being: $114 pesos (now only 10 USD) for my plate of ribs (even at Chilli’s you pay $180 and these ribs were MUCH better), FREE White Russian after dinner drinks, and free special nacho plate with our entre. All up for 3 of us, an entre, 2 drinks each and 3 mains we paid about $70 USD before tip… just ridiculous!

If you’re considering Fajita Republic, we say DEFINITELY go for it.

So first comment: Don’t look this place up on Google Maps. It seems to tell you that there are 2 locations, or better yet, 1 location that’s not actually where the place is. Gmaps says it’s right up near the airport but actually it’s just south of Walmart.

It’s quite a new mall, and is located on Francisco Medina, the main road through that part of town, in the North hotel zone, right next to Hotel Krystal. (if you tell a cab driver Hotel Krystal, you’ll get to it). If all else fails, you could walk to it (south) from Walmart depending on the time of year and your tolerance to sweatyness.

The mall is pretty decent. It’s a very American mall complete with Starbucks and Chilli’s, a good place to go to quell your home sickness while on vacation. There’s Theirry’s Steakhouse also, which we’re yet to visit but seems to be popular, and a handful of banks and boutique clothing shops for all the ladies.

Don’t be afraid of the soldiers guarding the toilets with AK-47’s either, they won’t bother you unless you forget to wash your hands…

Anyway, just wanted to put this out there quickly because I didn’t see anything about this in Google when I searched either. Hopefully now I can fix that!

Thus it was to our delight to discover what is apparently “the oldest ONLY breakfast restaurant” in Puerto Vallarta… the Pancake House located on Basilio Badillo, about 4 blocks back from the beach in old town Vallarta.

It really doesn’t take many words to sum up the awesomeness of the Pancake House, to which we’ve returned already on 2 consecutive Sunday mornings with plans to make it 3.

It’s like a less tacky, far more authentic, better atmosphere and setting kind of Mexican IHOP.

I can probably portray it accurately with a few single sentences. Such as:

3 plain pancake stack for 35 pesos ($3) – syrup of course unlimited and with some banana and watermelon on the side…

Unique pancakes like “Oh Henry” flavor… “Peanut Butter And Banana” flavor… and many more.

Epic Eggs Benedict with Canadian Bacon (haven’t found this bacon anywhere else yet) (Canadians: you know what I’m talking about)

Nice setting: polished wooden tables, semi outdoor, plant surrounded, naturally lit atmosphere.

If that’s not enough to get you to spend the probably $10 total that it’ll cost you for breakfast there… I don’t want to be your friend.

You’ll find it plenty busy, perhaps even challenging to get a table at the wrong time on a Saturday or Sunday morning, but even after a short wait, you’ll leave the Pancake House fulfilled, probably (if you’re like me) experiencing the beginnings of a sugar crash, and happy you went.

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Nonetheless, the drive from San Sebastian Del Oeste, up the mountain to La Bufa (one of the highest points in Mexico), in our tiny 4 cylinder rental car proved to be not only my most challenging drive, but one of our favorite adventures of all time.

Fortunately we were lucky enough to find ourselves the night before getting shamefully drunk with the owners of a local bar in San Sebastian. I say fortunately because (two of the nicest guys we’ve ever met) they also offered to show us around the town the next day and importantly, guide us on the drive up the mountain to La Bufa.

We were narrowly able to avoid the reality of me driving with the two of them, one with a daughter, and our friend Rachel crammed needlessly into the 3 seats in the rear of the vehicle; as would have been the ever common Mexican custom.

Setting out, it seemed easy enough. We edged slowly along the cobblestone paths of the town, through quiet old streets, past quaint little homes with ladies hanging their washing, clearly proud of their modest piece of terra firma, having been in the family for generations.

But soon we hit the real mountains. What we drove on from there and for the next hour and a half was… It’s hard to describe it as a road… Let’s say a windy, one lane track of loose rock, complete with ruts, ditches, minor water crossings, and of course no guard rails or safety precautions of any kind. Safe to say it was more than once during the drive that Elysia cursed our decision to do so.

For both passenger and driver the voyage is a strange emotional quagmire too; your minds being torn between the extremes of fear at the blatantly imminent danger on one end, and the joy of the increasingly beautiful scenery on the other end. For the higher you climb, the more of the mountain scape and the scenery of the towns below begins to present itself to you.

But to discuss the drive for this whole article would be a crime. Suffice it to say that after a few tire spins, a couple of minor stoppages, and some masterful maneuvering (had to say it), we made it to the summit of La Bufa. I believe too (ego aside) that anyone who wanted to make this drive could do so too.

La Bufa was named, as we learned as a result of some onomatopoeia; “Bufa” supposedly being akin to the sound of the passing wind you’ll both hear and feel as you sit atop the summit.

Reaching the summit after a short walk from the end of the road, provides you with a 360 degree view of the surrounding valley, and a good part of the entire western side of Jalisco. On a clear day you can see right out to the ocean, a true spectacle to behold.

Once at the top, it’s hard to do much more than sit in awe. You can stroll from one side of the lookout to the next, taking in the view from all angles. Alternatively, you can laze in the sun, basking on the rocks like a lizard, and take in the crisp freshness of the clean mountain air. After all, whatever you do at the La Bufa summit will be memorable.

You’ll also be able to look back down at the village of San Sebastian from whence you came, and get a sense for how small and nestled into the hills it really is.

Depending on the weather on the day you’ll either feel like you’re hovering above the clouds, floating amongst the rolling hills, or simply sitting perched like an eagle overlooking it’s territory.

Sadly, eventually you’ll have to depart La Bufa and all it’s beauty to come (quite literally) back down to earth. I’ll always remember a parting thought I had as we began to traverse: “Maybe like life, alot of the beauty of an experience like this comes from the inevitable fact that eventually it will have to end”.

La Bufa is something you should certainly take in if you’re visiting San Sebastian, and I dare say, something that’s worth making the drive out for no matter where in Vallarta you’re staying.

Surely an experience we’ll never forget.

Check out some more of our photos below

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As you might have already seen, Elysia and I are freaks for Indian food. We’ve eaten Indian food from Manila to Montreal. We love it.

Because of this, we were disappointed to learn that in the whole of Puerto Vallarta, there was not one single Indian restaurant to satisfy our cravings. That was, until about a week ago.

As fate would have it, while checking out our soon to be new apartment in the Old Town Vallarta area, we saw the sign for “Casa de Tandoor – coming soon!” Could it be that just as we move to this new place, an Indian restaurant opens up a couple hundred meters walk from our door? Law of attraction type stuff or pure chance?

I don’t know and I don’t care because not only does Casa de Tandoor fill the need for Indian food in the Vallarta area… it sets a pretty freakin’ high standard doing it!

The restaurant, situated at 356 Olas Altas Street Colonia Emiliano Zapata in downtown Vallarta (see map) is small and with only a handful of tables on the streetfront, it’s equally well enjoyed as take-away.

The menu is compact, focusing on expertly preparing a short list of Indian favorites with just enough difference to make it interesting. But the way they do it, is where Casa stands out.

Not expecting much on our first meal, purely happy to be eating Indian again, we were shocked when we saw the chef preparing our Naan bread in house, from scratch! From there on, we expected great things and weren’t disappointed. The Naan for me was perfect; soft on the inside and that gentle almost pastry like crunch on the outside… a view I shared with the restaurant owner only to receive a reaction that seemed to indicate his wonderment that such a gay description of his Naan had come from an evidently straight mouth.

Next we got our curries; my all time fave Butter Chicken. The food arrived in record time but as we learned, not because it had been pre-prepared, just because they’ve only recently opened and are still relatively quiet. Even better, right?

The quality? Muy bien mis amigos!

It turns out the owners also imported a real Indian Tandoor oven and the chicken that comes out of those things… REAL butter chicken… I’d recognize it anywhere.

The sauce was tasty but not too spicy, the chicken perfectly tender and sliced into thin chunks. As far as the simplicity of butter chicken goes, it’s hard to ask for much more. If I’m being super critical I’d say the sauce could do with a little extra creaminess and as is my personal preference a little greater quantity for the all important Naan dipping but in no way was this a source of complaint on the meal.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: For 85 pesos (just under $8 USD), a butter chicken comes with EVERYTHING. You get two enormous pieces of Naan, and rice, and salad. You don’t need to order or pay extra for any of those normal sides. How can you not love that? This being the case means Elysia and I eat until we can’t eat no more, for about $20 USD in total before tip.

If there’s one downside to this place it’s the unfortunately small seating area. There are only a handful of tables on the streetfront (that is, in total) and it’s possible you’ll have to opt for take away on the busy nights of the week. Because the guys are just getting started and because the popularity of this place will surely grow, the small seating area has the potential to become more of an issue.

Anyway, the verdict: Whether you just want an Indian fix while on your holiday to Vallarta or you are a high level Indian food lover, Casa de Tandoor will not disappoint. This is our favorite new restaurant in the area and if you do end up stopping by, it’s likely you’ll see us pigging out.

UPDATE April 24th: Went back to Casa tonight and had the special Lamb Vindalu (hope that’s the right spelling) – Absolutely delicious! A mild, sweet, thick curry with tender spiced lamb and potato. Also includes the Naan and rice as normal. Can’t say enough good things about the food at this place

Where to start when discussing the CN Tower’s restaurant?

If you’re going up the tower, you’re doing so really for one reason. The view. The food at the restaurant is of high quality, and the service pleasant and attentive. Yet these are things you can get from many places in Toronto. A 360 degree rotating view of the entire city and Lake Ontario however from half a kilometer into the air however, is not.

The best time to go for a meal is right at dusk. This way you can enjoy the picture in full light, picking out all the points of interest in all their detail for miles away, and as you dine, watch the setting change as the sun’s light fades and the flourescent lights of the city take it’s place.

As the restaurant turns (ever so slowly, for those concerned about motion sickness) you’ll be treated to views of Toronto Island, just off the shore in the lake, the hidden “other” Toronto airport, watching plane’s landing on the short and narrow strip, and a look over the entire city, well out into the Greater Toronto area. Oh and not to mention, you can marvel at just how great the great lake is, wondering how even from up so high, you can’t even come close to seeing anything on it’s other side.

To the food. Actually I greatly enjoyed my meal, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s most memorable feature was it’s price. I (or should I say, my gracious host) paid $58 for my veal medallions which we’re both divinely tender and mouthwateringly tasty. I’m no stick in the mud when it comes to an expensive meal, but in Canada where fantastic food is so cheap, you remember $58 meals. I also went for the sweet potato fries which besides the lemony sauce that didn’t seem to fit, were a nice addition.

After taking in about as much of the view as you can handle, it’s time to head back down to earth, before which you can make a stop in the exhibition area of the tower to pick up any part of the view you might have missed out on during your meal.

Overall, the CN Tower Restaurant is one of those experiences I’m certainly glad I had but that, without good reason, I probably wouldn’t do again… which is probably why most Torontonians do exactly that – one time, then usually rarely ever again.

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Though famous world wide, we constantly met locals seemingly ambivalent towards the poor tower. They either:

1. Had flat out never even been there.

2. Hadn’t been there in forever and had no desire to go.

3. Referred to it only when mentioning it’s shape as being similar to (in combination with the adjacent Rogers Center) the male genitalia.

or 4. Referred to it when joking that it was only the tallest tower for that time because it has a ridiculous stick poking out the top that has no function but to increase it’s height.

Maybe because it’s a tourist attraction, maybe because of the shame of it no longer BEING the world’s tallest tower, (now merely “a tall” tower)… I don’t know, but it’s not the same way New Yorkers talk about the Empire State building, I’ll tell you that much.

Anyway, it came time during our stay to finally see what was happening in the tower for ourselves and make up our own minds.

The first time you go, seeing the tower from underneath is quite spectacular. It seems so skinny from a distance but up close you realize just how big and wide the main column of the tower is… not to mention it’s height relative to the surrounding buildings.

Your first part of the CN tower experience is usually (once you get through the gift shops and security checks – one such machine includes a curious device that seeks to uncover your hidden weaponry by forcefully blowing air on you…) the elevator ride to the top. Depending on your comfort with heights, the ride is either terrifying or exciting. The elevator is glass so you get to feel the physical sensation of elevating that far into the air almost as if unaided… pretty neat.

If you’re going up it’s only for two purposes: One, to see the view and learn about the tower, or two, to visit the revolving restaurant. I’ll cover the CN tower restaurant in another post.

Once you’re at the top, your main goal is to circle the tower’s main perimeter and view the city from all angles. From the top you can see the entire city of Toronto, even out into the widespanning GTA (Greater Toronto Area), you can see Toronto Island, a short ferry ride into the lake, and of course, right out into the vast Lake Ontario itself.

Lucky enough to visit the tower with a local who was a great tour guide, we had pointed out to us many features such as the immense greenery of the city (a product of the city’s initiative to have people plant more trees), the building down town who’s windows are plated with gold, and the building that’s the tallest (maybe in the world?) for it’s width, a narrow, skinny but 55 (or thereabouts) story tower jammed between two buildings sitting on proper sized blocks.

One of the CN Tower’s main drawcards is it’s infamous glass floor, offering the ability to “look down” from the tower’s 500 odd meter deck just as though you’re floating on air. If it’s too much for you, you can simply stand back and watch the inevitable tourist teenager pretending to jump hard on the glass feigning fear at the obviously slim probability of falling through.

Otherwise you can simply read about the different features of the tower, it’s history, it’s height and so on, or if you’re lucky enough to go at night, enjoy the bright changing lights that encircle you as you wander.

At the end of the day, if you’re visiting Toronto, the CN tower is worth a visit, if for no other reason than to say you’ve experienced what it’s like to be that high in the air, that high in a glass elevator, or that high standing over a glass floor. But past that, it’s not a place you’d keep coming back to (without occasion, excluding the opportunity to watch a baseball game with the Roger’s Center roof open – something I’ve heard is quite a treat), hence it’s distaste with the locals.

Los Arcos is the famous rock structure that sits out in the water, not too far off the shore at the south end of Puerto Vallarta’s bay.

It’s most famous for it’s snorkeling tours, so to discuss Los Arcos is to discuss it’s snorkeling.

Getting to Los Arcos on one of the tours means first making a booking at any one of the tour companies you can find either online or at hundreds of locations around Vallarta… trust me, you won’t miss them

Whichever tour company you choose, you’ll depart either from the Vallarta Marina, or the Malecon on a scenic ride of about half an hour down the bay before you arrive at Los Arcos.

This part is actually the underrated near highlight of the trip. Making your way down the coastline on a clear morning offers a perfect view of the Sierra Madre mountains rising up into the mist in the backdrop of downtown Vallarta.

Continuing further south you bear witness to the houses and hotels on the hill at the picturesque Conchas Chinas. You can pick out your “dream house”, and marvel at the precision of the hill built homes that remain sometimes precariously in place no matter the weather.

Finally the ride comes to an end as you approach the looming rock structure, watching it grow ever larger than it appeared in the pictures the closer you get. Then it’s time for the snorkeling.

Even if NOT for the boat ride, the snorkeling at Los Arcos, in it’s own right, is certainly worth the money and the ride out and for a number of reasons.

1. Snorkeling at Los Arcos, you won’t have trouble seeing fish… lots of them. After you dive in the water, your tour guides will start throwing fish food out into the water and before you know it you’ll have fish of multiple shapes and sizes frolicking about you, brushing your arms and legs. Even if it’s not technically “natural” because the fish were induced to come near you, the experience of wading through full schools of hungry fish is a special one.

2. The scenery. Paddling your way around the rocks also makes for a unique snorkeling adventure. You can chance your luck seeking out new species of fish in different areas of the rock structure as you take in it’s full scope from all possible angles. If you get the right day you should also be able to do so without being totally incapacitated by the number of other tourists sharing the journey.

3. Variety. Depending on the tour you choose, your boat will make at least 2 stops at different points at the rock structure offering different underwater architecture and supposedly a little variety in the species you see. Even at our first stop at the front of the largest main rock, the number of fish species was not too bad. While I couldn’t tell you the names, there were grand old types with their grumpy faces and backs shining with orange and blue, small, slender skinny types with sharp sword like mouths, and little black and gold types utilizing their speed to dart in and out steal bread from their bigger grandfatherly counterparts.

The tours last a few hours. At first I wondered whether that would be too short, but as it turns out it’s just enough time to see all the fish and all the scenery you can and make your way there and back without getting bored or seasick.

Regardless of how long you’re in Vallarta, the Los Arcos experience is unique and one you must not miss.

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So rather than writing about any individual tour I’ll give you a couple of thoughts on the general experience that might help you make your decision as to whether or not it’s something you want to make a part of your Puerto Vallarta trip.

We took the “Canopy Tours” ATV ride into the Sierra Madre mountains.

If you’ve ridden an ATV before you’ll know what to expect in that regard, but if you haven’t…

Riding an ATV is more like riding a one seater car with no roof than it is riding a motorbike. There’s no balance issues to worry about, the vehicle seems stuck to the road regardless of the ruggedness of the terrain, and the entire ride you can operate in one single gear without loss of acceleration or power.

Our tour started out winding our way from the top of the mountain to the bottom along 2 car width mountain trails. The terrain is always changing, taking you from trail, to water, to road, to sand and back. The tour guide leads the way and you’re mostly free to make your own speed, lagging as far behind him or as close to him as you choose, while he keeps a relaxed but watchful eye to make sure you haven’t fallen off any of the cliffs you’ve rounded on your journey.

Speed wise you’re able to hit about 50km/h if you really try but the most fun is had in sliding your way around corners, letting the bike attack seemingly treacherous bumps and rocks, and intentionally forcing your way over river crossings with an irresponsible amount of speed sending water flying into the air all over you and hopefully the person behind you if you’re lucky.

Along the way you’ll pass local farms and their menageries, a random goat or donkey here and there, and of course, breathtaking scenery in abundance.

The highlight of our ride was a stop at a long clearing that gave you a majestic view of the Sierra Madre against a blue cloudless sky. The mountains are calm as always, sharing with you for a moment that deliciously clear and crisp air they normally keep to themselves.

The tour you choose will dictate the sites you see, but all tours will offer something special so you’re unlikely to miss out on much regardless of which you opt for in the end.

Finally let me leave you with some tips for your Puerto Vallarta ATV experience.

1. At the start of the tour they offer you goggles that are optional. Me, in my stubbornly tough and masculine ways declined the generous offer, being far too hardcore for this wimpy protective accessory. Half way through the tour, stopping periodically to wipe dust out of my eyes, I came to regret that decision. You can take your goggles on and off as you please and as the dust levels vary, but they’re surely good to have.

2. Take water. Depending on the length of your tour it’s pretty likely, with all that dust spraying up into your face that you’ll be thirsty before long. You CAN ride an ATV with a backpack, so take advantage of that and keep yourself hydrated.

3. Take your time. Your bike will be plenty fast enough to catch up to the group if you want to lag behind and take a little extra time to see one particular site for a while longer.

That’s about all I can tell you. ATV riding is a blast regardless of the tour you take and if you’re so inclined, a little adventure driven, you should be sure to include an ATV ride on your Vallarta itinerary.

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