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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Technorati Tags: Toronto Restaurants

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.

Technorati Tags: Puerto Vallarta Tours

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.

Technorati Tags: Puerto Vallarta Tours

La Cruz is a spot you can identify from many places in the bay because it’s the town off the shore of which you’ll notice numerous sail boats seemingly in formation but in fact just floating lazily in the water waiting for their holidaying owners to return.

If you’re on the bus up the highway in Vallarta, about 7 minutes past Bucerias you’ll come to La Cruz. You’ll know it’s the main part of La Cruz from the first overhead sign you see pointing to La Cruz off to your left. You’ll also see the signs pointing down this road to the Yacht Club.

Making your way down the street you’ll past restaurants old and new, delightfully bright coloured house walls, and a town square where locals can be found barbecueing or sitting around chatting passing their day.

Finally after you make your way across a construction site (and realize there’s probably a better way to get to the yacht club) you’ll reach your destination. From here you can either head out on a self guided tour of the many rows of boats, or just appreciate the palms and distinctly more clear more blue water of the marina.

Along the front of the marina you can both watch sail boat owners tending to their precious babies one one side or in the other direction have a bigger than 180 degree view of the entire bay of Puerto Vallarta.

This will wind you around to the La Cruz yacht club, the upper floor of which is a Palapa covered restaurant with a white marble bar and that while seemingly snooty and over priced is actually reasonably priced and perfectly friendly. Enjoy some of the local seafood or just snack it out with some nachos or other mexican faves. But most importantly, look around and appreciate your elevated view of the yacht club! Watch the sun glistening off the water, look for fish risking life by cruising ever so close to the surface, and check out the boats of varying types and sizes.

The restaurant’s atmosphere is super relaxed and depdending on which day you go, not even that busy.

When you’re done with your meal, walk the opposite way to where you came in to see everything from the other side and undoubtedly a couple of boats or palm tree clusters you missed from the other angle. Take your time, a couple of photos, and enjoy the sunshine.

The yacht club is the perfect spot to plan your La Cruz visit around because when you leave you can walk back to the highway on a different route, exploring more of the town’s shops, markets, parks, and side streets.

Like I said, if you’re looking for a nice day out on the north shore of Puerto Vallarta, the yacht club at La Cruz and it’s surrounding areas will not disappoint.

Technorati Tags: La Cruz, La Cruz Restaurants

Walking down Lazaro Cardenas, towards Bucerias Town Square if you’re coming from the South, you might chance across a colorful sign, of a lady in a chef’s hat, holding some baking; a sign to Sweet Things gourmet bakery. If you don’t see the sign you’ll miss it. It’s right next to the Bucerias Art Walk but it has no store front; only that sign and some overhanging trees and gardens… very secretive.

Through a narrow walkway you come first to the bakery, then to the garden terrace. The whole feel is very private… you’re tucked in and away, off the street with it’s merchants peddling and tourists ever strolling into your own quiet little back yard.

The seating area is a combination of both outdoor and indoor, an undercover set of tables and an outdoor set, shade being provided by umbrellas. The outdoor area backs on to a literal private garden, where visitors to the cafe can enjoy the greenery or watch the household rooster hopping back and forth on the concrete fence. We were even lucky enough to catch a friendly lizard sunning itself on the adjacent fence top.

The only thing that makes Sweet Things un-private, (though not in a bad way) is it’s rampant popularity. Head inside on most days of the week from breakfast to lunch time and you might just be lucky to get a table.

You’ll find the place full of locals and tourists, many of which I’m sure have decided to come after uttering the words “We have a FAVOURITE little breakfast place nearby…” to their willing guests.

The reason I used all the slashes in my post title was because I really didn’t know what to call this place. It has a gourmet bakery, yes. It’s a cafe, you can buy coffe there, yes. It’s a restaurant, you can buy full meals there, yes. And all of those individual parts have equal levels of awesomeness.

What I mean is: Whether you get a home made organic brownie from the bakery, some of the delectable banana nut waffles for breakfast, or a club sandwich for lunch, Sweet Things is sure to impress. It’s the kind of place where you just know that each meal has that little touch of homemade-ness about it… that each meal got prepared with just a touch of that magical ingredient called care.

The wait staff are friendly, the prices are cheap, and after your meal you’re free to linger in the shade, and enjoy the garden ambience with a good book or a coffee. OR not to mention, if you haven’t before, you can head off to the Bucerias Art Walk next door to round off the morning in the most perfectly relaxing way.

Sweet Things is a local treasure, fullstop.

Technorati Tags: Bucerias, Bucerias Restaurants

Despite being located in the heart of downtown Puerto Vallarta, it can NOT be found on Google Maps. You look for this place… and it’s not there.

So for the purpose of putting some decent information out into cyberspace on where Isla Rio Cuale actually is and how to get there, allow me to submit this short piece.

If you are in downtown Puerto Vallarta, starting at say the Malecon or one of the parallel streets, and continue walking South towards old town, you will find yourself nearing very close to this geogrpahical Bermuda Triangle. If you make it across to Old Town, or Viejo Vallarta, you will have had to cross a bridge, whether it be the foot bridge that winds out to the oceans edge on the shorefront, or the traffic bridge one block back from the water on Calle Morelos.

Whichever bridge it was, that expanse of water you crossed, that little inlet from the ocean that’s probably only a block wide… it’s in THAT body of water that lies the tiny, Isla Rio Cuale! If you crossed the foot bridge, trees probably obscured your view of it, but if you crossed the main bridge, you no doubt saw the stairs on either side of the road leading down to some markets and restaurants… THAT’s Isla Rio Cuale. It’s poorly signed but it IS there

Ok now that’s out of the way…

Isla Rio Cuale is, at first, just another conglomeration of tourist markets BUT if you walk it out, actually a little more than that, a place offering something a little different, and just a touch of local beauty and charm.

Starting out at the beach, you’ll get the market end of the Island. Some reviews said that these markets were better than others in Vallarta but we didn’t see any reason to think so. Unless it’s your first time, just keep walking because the best is yet to come.

Walking a little further, you come out the other side into what could be called, a secret botanical garden. With a few different walking paths through it, you can explore the little garden at your own pace, checking out the local fauna and stopping at one of the bars and restaurants dotted throughout when you’re ready for a rest. You’ll pass by a little square (we passed children in a game of street soccer) and likely some young romantic Mexican couples making use of the island’s privacy.

Finally you’ll reach the Rio Cuale Cultural Center, a small building dedicated to sharing local culture, that on any given day might be the home to displays of dancing, local crafts, or a set of slightly modified versions of the typical market stall.

Don’t go looking for it on your map… but if you’re in downtown Vallarta and looking for something to do in between lapping up the sunshine and knocking back cheap Corona’s, you might want to pay Isla Rio Cuale a visit.

Technorati Tags: Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta Attractions

It was this that lead me to, finally, come across El Torito Sports Bar. But whether you’re a UFC fan, or a sports fan of any kind, you might do well to give El Torito a look.

El Torito is located in Old Town Vallarta, on Ignacio L. Vallarta, just before where it intersects with Venustiano Carranza. Centrally located, any bus moving south through the down town area should take you almost right to it’s doorstep.

If you’re looking for a sports bar, you’re probably wanting a few things:

1. You want plenty of TV’s so that where ever you’re sitting you’ve got a good view of the game/fight. El Torito is a small bar and relative to it’s size, the number of TV’s is good. It’s got 2 main bigger TV’s, about 47 inch at a guess, and about 4 smaller ones located around the bar. We had a reserved seat right in front of the bigger TV (for the perfect experience, call for a reservation as the bar fills up at popular events) but it seemed for sure that anywhere you were seated would have offered a great view.

2. You want a decent, oversized, deliciously unhealthy meal. El Torito serves up a range of pub food favorites, from the apparently famous BBQ Ribs (which were actually a bit average) to the slightly more unique Jumbo Shrimp stuffed with ham and cheese and wrapped in bacon! Truth be told, while the selection was good, the food was nothing spectacular (though I regret not trying those shrimp!) but not unpleasing, and certainly hearty enough for the occasion.

3. Cheap Beer. Tick! Grab a liter jug for 40 pesos or if you fancy a cocktail, a 2 litre jug of Margherita and I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.

4. A bit of atmosphere! The whole appeal of watching an event at a public place is sharing the ups and downs of the game with a host of other drunk, screaming fans around you. When we first arrived at El Torito at 8:30pm it was a little quiet, but by the time the event got underway it was a full house – mostly tourists of all kinds loudly cheering on their fighter of choice.

While I can’t say I’ve visited another sports bar in Vallarta yet, let alone one that shows the UFC events, I can definitely say we’d go back to El Torito.

Technorati Tags: Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta Restaurants

Cutting straight to the point on this one, if you’re looking for a place for lunch or dinner in Bucerias, Adriano’s has it’s good and it’s bad.

The restaurant is certainly visually stimulating. It’s bright orange interior and plethora of decorations lining the walls, from plates to sombreros to Mexican artwork makes it an entertaining atmosphere from which to enjoy your meal, and certainly a unique experience. As you wait for your food you can observe and discuss the various pieces as well as of course the view of Bucerias beach out the window.

The restaurant has the common drink specials like 2 for 1 Margarita’s and the ever popular 5 Corona for 80 pesos, making it an easy start to the evening.

The menu at Adriano’s is common yet vast, a little more vast than a couple of the other spots on this strip (see our posts on El Brujo and Mezzogiorno from the same strip). You can choose from all the Mexican favorites, as well as steak, seafood, and a variety of appetizers.

Service wise (it’s always very subjective and must vary so greatly regardless of the place) while it wasn’t poor, we got the subtle feel that (and maybe fair enough) our waiter lost a lot of his friendliness and attentiveness toward us after we actually came inside the restaurant. But overall, it was nothing to complain about.

Having eaten at most of the restaurants on Avenida Del Pacifico, the unfortunate thing about Adriano’s is that it’s quite expensive relative to it’s neighbors, maybe the most expensive on the strip. I don’t mean expensive by western standards, just expensive for the area.

Food wise, we sampled the Filet Mignon, the Mexican Pork Cutlets, and the BBQ Ribs. The verdict was: Filet Mignon with creamy mushroom sauce was a delight; Mexican Pork Cutlets, tasty but only saved by stealing the BBQ sauce from our friend’s ribs to put on them, too plain on their own; and BBQ Ribs small but tasty and BBQ sauce, not too bad.

Re-reading what I’ve written here I can’t put my finger on exactly why I’m unable to be more excited about Adriano’s. Nevertheless, I can’t say anything particularly bad about it.

Adriano’s is the kind of place you have to go at least once because of it’s uniqueness, and after that, you might come to love it, or you might decide that once was enough.

If you end up checking out Adriano’s, let us know what you thought!

Technorati Tags: Bucerias, Bucerias Restaurants

If you searched Puerto Vallarta safety in Google, I can only assume it’s because someone’s expressed the same thing to you and you’re trying to find out the true story. Since you’re asking, I’ll be happy to oblige

If you ask anyone who’s been to Puerto Vallarta, they’ll probably scoff at concerns about safety, and for good reason.

Downtown Puerto Vallarta has in alot of places and at alot of times, the feel of an American retirement community. Walking around areas like the Malecon, you’ll see swathes of grey and almost grey haired Americans and Canadians walking the streets, shopping, and eating, going about their day just as if they would at home.

The majority of the tourist population (and keep in mind, Puerto Vallarta is a tourist town, based and reliant on the tourist industry) are… older (says me as a spritely 24 year old )… so in terms of the danger you’re likely to encounter on their behalf, it’s fairly miniscule.

As for the local population:

Different places we’ve been to in the world see locals with temperaments of varying natures with regard to the tourists that frequent their town. Locals at any place we’ve been to in Puerto Vallarta, from one end of the bay to the other, are so used to tourists that, far from hostile in any way, they’re almost ambivalent. Tourists come and go, do stupid, sometimes arrogant things like expecting people to speak English for them, or being pushy and condescending to a local service person, but the locals in Vallarta act like they’ve seen it all before, and they just don’t care.

They have their own lives, their own families and their own concerns.

The first week I spent there I would frequently make sure my wallet was still in it’s place, make sure I kept it in my buttoned up pockets, and be careful not to flash my money around. That was before I realized the aforementioned truth.

Not only are locals ambivalent, they are, for the most part, friendly and helpful. You see children riding the local buses back and forth without their parents and men on the bus have often offered Elysia their seats just because they saw a woman standing up, tourist or not.

I’ll never forget our first week in Vallarta when we saw a blind gentleman on our bus playing the guitar and busking. At the end of his performance, I was shocked by the number of locals, many of whom work for a minimum wage, scrounding their pockets for some change for the man. Mexican value people and community and it shows.

Finally, the issues you see associated with Mexico on TV like drug problems and gangs are not even on the radar of most locals at PV. They happen so far away from this area that it’s a non concern, it’s not going to affect any of these people’s lives so they don’t care.

All of this said, this isn’t an invitation to be careless while you’re in Vallarta, because like any place in any city in the world, there’s spots you’d rather not be walking or flashing your cash around when you’re drunk late at night (though to be honest I haven’t found any yet). What you will notice is that there’s a very clear distinction between the areas where most people are and are safe, to the areas that are suburban, infrequently visited, and potentially unsavoury.

That’s about all you need to know about safety in Vallarta. Don’t sweat it, come here, relax and enjoy yourself!